Hyuga Branch Family

Kosuke, left behind by the three of them, walked over to the stone table and slowly sat down.

He poured himself a cup of water and quietly considered a temporary place for Kaguya Tetsu and the others to stay in the days ahead.

As day turned to night, the sun rose and set five times.

One morning, Kaguya Tetsu arrived early with thirty selected clansmen and waited excitedly outside the Uchiha clan's gates.

If the Uchiha clan had not known that these brawny, thick-browed men were a subordinate family Lord Kosuke had brought back himself, then simply gathering outside the Clan grounds would have been enough for the guards to sound the invasion alarm without hesitation.

"They have some mission or something?" one guard could not help whispering as he watched the thirty burly men gathered outside.

"Looking at their expressions, it doesn't seem like they're heading out on a mission. It looks more like they've come to collect some kind of reward."

"A reward?!"

Guard A stared at the group of burly men outside in disbelief, feeling that the entire matter was absurd.

"Ever since they arrived downstream of the Naka River, they haven't carried out any missions for the clan. What reward could they possibly be collecting?"

As the guards continued chatting, a figure slowly appeared at the gates.

"Lord Kosuke!"

The guards immediately bowed respectfully.

Out of the corners of their eyes, they saw the approaching figure. The scene of Lord Kosuke forming the Child Guard Squad seemed as vivid as though it had happened yesterday.

"Mm. They haven't caused any trouble, have they?"

Kosuke's gaze fell upon those familiar faces, and memories of the past surfaced in his mind once more.

"No!" Sensing the change in Lord Kosuke's expression, the guard answered excitedly. He had not expected Lord Kosuke to still remember their existence.

He hurriedly added, "They've been very well-behaved since arriving and haven't clashed with any passing caravans or clan members."

"Then I'll be leaving first."

Kosuke nodded and walked out through the Clan grounds' gates, heading straight toward Kaguya Tetsu.

Seeing that there were three times as many people as he had requested, Kosuke fixed his gaze on Tetsu at the front. A crushing pressure descended upon Tetsu like a storm.

Feeling the terrifying pressure of God's Chakra, the joy on the Kaguya tribesmen's faces instantly vanished. A helpless cry rose in their hearts: God... has grown stronger again!

"Why are there more people?"

Kosuke's emotionless voice suddenly rang out.

Tetsu, who had acted on his own initiative, felt his pupils constrict. It was as though the surrounding air had fled, forcing him to struggle for breath. "God... I... I thought... having more people would allow us to better carry out the task God gives us."

Kosuke's gaze passed over Tetsu and landed on the shrinking Kaguya tribesmen behind him.

Every one of them was deathly pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

He gradually withdrew the pressure of his Chakra.

"If there is a next time, your Kaguya clan need not exist in the Ninja World."

Kosuke's cold voice drifted out, its drawn-out ending carrying the terror of death.

"Y-Yes..."

Hearing that God had not punished them over this and had merely issued a warning, cold sweat streamed down Tetsu's forehead. He let out a long breath of relief and greedily drew in the air.

"Move out!"

At Kosuke's sharp command, the trembling Kaguya tribesmen immediately stopped shaking.

They then followed closely behind Kosuke, disappearing from before the Uchiha Clan grounds.

Before they knew it, a week had passed.

Several dozen figures stood in a low-lying area at the eastern edge of the Land of Fire.

"Tetsu, starting today, lead your clansmen and live here for a while. Your task will end when I come again."

Kosuke silently watched in the direction of Uzushio Village as he gave the order in a deep voice.

Tetsu and the other clansmen curiously surveyed the temporary camp God had chosen for them.

No matter how they looked, they could not find anything here that might have attracted God's attention.

Having experienced what happened before their departure, Tetsu suppressed the question in his heart and led the clansmen in nodding agreement.

"I'll arrange for a caravan to deliver your monthly medicine," Kosuke said, withdrawing his distant gaze and turning to Tetsu. "During this time, you are not to clash with passing ninjas or caravans. Understood?"

"Understood, God!"

The Kaguya tribesmen answered in unison, their booming voices shaking loose the withered leaves nearby.

As Kosuke departed, Tetsu led his clansmen in building shelters, secretly looking forward to the end of the month.

After returning to the Clan grounds, Kosuke's first order upon entering his office was to arrange for medicine to be issued to Kaguya Tetsu and the others.

As Kosuke's orders were delivered, the civilian merchant caravans staying within the Uchiha clan grounds received the packages sent by the ninjas. After glancing at the addresses, they immediately set off eastward.

Seated behind his desk, Kosuke continuously reviewed the reports that had recently been submitted.

It was not until he came across a report containing intelligence on the Hyuga that his hand slowly came to a stop.

Hyuga Branch Family lineage, Hyuga Yuji.

On one occasion, while drunk, he had voiced his resentment and hatred toward the Main Family. According to the investigation, this man possessed a certain talent for research.

Recruit him?

"The Hyuga Branch Family... the Caged Bird..."

After pondering for a moment, Kosuke picked up his brush and wrote the two words "Recruit him" in approval on the report.

He then summoned a shadow guard and had the report delivered to Uchiha Tree.

Having finished all that, Kosuke rose and headed underground.

The room returned to silence, broken only by an inaudible murmur: "The Caged Bird... another problem waiting to be solved..."

"Kubo Ichiro, Yamabuki Tomoya, have you gotten used to staying here?"

Within the silent basement, which was usually filled with the sounds of all kinds of research, an incongruous voice suddenly rang out.

Startled by the interruption, the anger that had risen in the two men's hearts vanished the moment they heard that familiar voice.

The two set aside their work. Out of their love for research, they had no choice but to follow the cleanliness rules Kosuke had established for them.

Then, in tacit understanding, they opened the doors to their respective laboratories and looked at Kosuke, who sat quietly waiting beside the stone table.

"Leader, Ichiro (Tomoya) has grown quite accustomed to staying here," the two said in unison after exchanging a knowing glance. "We never imagined that one day we would have such a comfortable research environment."

"That's good." Kosuke watched them calmly, waving for them to sit without restraint. "Has there been any progress in the research I assigned you?"

"Leader, based on the theoretical materials you left behind, I have completed the research on the generator."

Listening to Yamabuki Tomoya's report, Kosuke nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Kubo Ichiro, who wore a troubled expression beside him.

"What is it? Are you having some difficulty, Ichiro? Or is there something you don't understand?"

Seeing the leader take the initiative to ask, Ichiro steeled himself and laid out, one by one, the points he did not understand regarding the biological materials.

Watching Kubo Ichiro urgently pour out his concerns, a trace of disappointment quietly surfaced in Kosuke's heart.