"Hyuga Yu."
"That name... carries an ominous meaning."
"Your two teammates are gone: one was forced to retire after being gravely injured, and the other died during the Chunin Ninja Exams. You're the only one left."
"Besides, you should understand that with your aptitude, you aren't suited to staying in the ninja business."
The sun sank toward the horizon.
A breeze swept in through the courtyard, ruffling the hair over the forehead of the boy standing at the end of the corridor and revealing a pair of slightly hesitant white eyes.
"Yes."
Hyuga Yu had spent thirteen years in this world. He nodded quietly, his body bent forward as he forced himself to make the deferential gesture toward the old man before him—one he still hadn't gotten used to.
"But according to the rules of the Hyuga Clan, I'll employ you."
"Take a look—"
The old man, seated on the veranda, slid a document toward him.
Hyuga Yu knew what it said:
Hyuga Clan Ninja Lifetime Employment Agreement
A work contract for mediocre Hyuga Clan ninjas.
Six days on, one day off, with room and board provided. If the Main House elders were pleased, they might even reward you with the occasional valuable trinket.
The total compensation was thirty thousand ryo a month.
The equivalent of three hundred thousand yen, or about fifteen thousand yuan.
The work consisted of little more than serving tea, running errands, and doing odd jobs. He might also be assigned to trim the flowers and plants around the Main House's sprawling estate—trivial tasks for a ninja.
Honestly, it was a cushy job that outsiders would fight tooth and nail to get.
Hyuga Yu had no reason to refuse.
He was a Genin, a Genin who had lost his teammates in last year's Chunin Ninja Exams.
He hadn't even managed to become a Chunin during the supposedly easiest Chunin Ninja Exams, held in Konoha Year 48. After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of even a dead-last like Uchiha Obito, his career as a ninja had all but been sealed—
Hyuga Yu had no talent as a ninja.
Continuing as a ninja, at this juncture in Konoha Year 49, carried far more risk than reward.
At this time,
the Third Shinobi World War was in its third year.
A stalemate had taken shape, with Iwagakure, Konoha, and Sunagakure locked in a bitter struggle around the Land of Rain.
Under the Third Mizukage's orders, Kirigakure kept expanding westward, occupying small countries such as the Land of Waves. It was about to launch a major invasion of the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.
Konoha's main forces were spread across the lengthy front lines, locked in a drawn-out struggle in River Country, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Grass.
With Kirigakure's attacks, the eastern coast of the Land of Fire was desperately short of manpower.
Unless something unexpected happened, Konoha would soon issue orders calling on the clan shinobi led by the Uchiha and Hyuga to head to the eastern coast and repel the enemy.
Hyuga Yu vaguely remembered that during this war, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan had been exposed, and the clan had suffered heavy losses.
At a time like this, if he continued as a ninja, he would probably be sent to this meat grinder of a battlefield before long.
And Hyuga Yu was only a Genin. Even with the Hyuga name, at best he was little more than acceptable cannon fodder.
But,
looking at the contract in black and white, one that would practically buy out the rest of his life,
Hyuga Yu hesitated.
"Hyuga Yu, didn't you hear what I said?"
"Yes, Elder. I'm listening."
The old man seated on the veranda fell silent for a moment, then said coolly:
"Then sign it already. After that, take this employment agreement to the Main House. When you come back, settle in and work for the Main House. And you need to fix that bad habit of yours—your back never seems to bend."
"Your parents once saved my life, so I won't hold it against you. But to show such disrespect in front of the Main House... Do you want to experience the Caged Bird again?"
Hyuga Yu suddenly pushed the employment agreement back. After a long silence, he said:
"Sorry, Elder. Maybe I shouldn't sign it after all?"
"Are you unhappy with the terms?"
"No."
The old man froze, then frowned at him. "Then what do you mean?"
"Nothing. I just don't think I can bend my back or get down on my knees."
Seeing Hyuga Yu start to rise, the old man finally lost what little patience he had left. His face darkened as he snapped:
"Do you understand what you're refusing?!"
"Hyuga Yu, you have no talent as a ninja!"
"Even if you did—even if you became a Chunin, a Jonin, or an elite Jonin—your situation wouldn't change one bit!"
"As a member of the Branch House, you were born to bow your head to the Main House and kneel before them for the sake of the clan's survival. You were born to give your life for the Main House—"
"Just like your parents!"
Hyuga Yu pressed his lips together and asked:
"Then what about the Hokage?"
"What would happen if I became Hokage?"
The old man suddenly laughed, though it was a laugh of pure exasperation. He looked at the ungrateful Hyuga Yu as if he were some kind of joke, then slowly raised a hand and formed the seal for the Caged Bird.
The next instant,
Hyuga Yu felt a violent pain lance through his forehead,
as if his head were about to burst, splattering red and white across the ground.
Overwhelmed by the agony, Hyuga Yu instantly lost all ability to fight back.
He clutched his head, his whole body trembling as he clenched his back teeth. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Yet even so, Hyuga Yu didn't make a sound. He stood stubbornly in place like a post, staring at the old man, baring his teeth as he asked through trembling lips:
"E-Elder... if... I became Hokage, what would happen?"
Watching this, the old man fell silent for a moment. Looking dispirited, he closed his eyes, released the seal, and scoffed:
"You'll never become Hokage. Even if you trained your whole life, you'd only ever be an ordinary Genin. You know that better than I do."
"If you want to die, go ahead and try."
Then the old man turned his back on the veranda and waved a hand. His final words came out heavy with resignation:
"Don't say I didn't warn you—"
"That old fossil, Hyuga Sousuke, is looking for a clan member who can use Medical Ninjutsu."
The pain of the Caged Bird came quickly, and it faded just as fast.
More importantly, the lonely old man Hyuga Yu had served for ten years, living and eating under the same roof, hadn't wanted to take his life.
Hyuga Yu's face was pale. He swayed a few times as he looked at the old man, who had already turned away and lost interest in talking.
He fell silent for a moment. He knew the old man had actually been trying to help him, but after suffering such humiliation—being treated like an animal, with a leash around his neck—he couldn't bring himself to say thank you, no matter what.
At last, he turned in silence and walked out of the grand estate.
Like a bird escaping its cage, he passed through the corridor, crossed the courtyard, and strode out of the prison he'd lived in for thirteen years.
That was right.
The old man hadn't been wrong.
Having lived in this world for thirteen years, Hyuga Yu understood with absolute clarity—
he had no talent as a ninja,
no innate cheat,
and no prestigious, noble status.
It was as if he'd been born to serve the Main House, existing as nothing more than a sparrow protected by the cage.
But
even a sparrow inside a cage could be an oddity, unwilling to spend its entire life with its head bowed, pecking at rice.
And Hyuga Yu
was just such an oddity.
Before you continue