Root Commander's Assessment

For Hyuga Yu?

The more he thought about it, the more Hyuga Tetsu's heart trembled.

He suddenly realized that he had been secretly watching Hyuga Yu all along, watching his foolish actions, watching him overconfidently and arrogantly break one established rule of the Hyuga Clan after another:

Hyuga Clan members must practice the Gentle Fist from childhood.

Hyuga Clan members must value the clan's reputation and not bring shame upon it.

Hyuga Clan members must become ninja in the Reconnaissance Unit and Barrier Team.

The Hyuga Clan's Branch Family should naturally bow their heads to the Main Family, kneel before the Main Family, and die for the Main Family!

But that guy, Hyuga Yu from the Branch Family, always defied these ironclad rules without regard for his own life!

And then, he lived to this day.

Hyuga Tetsu had to admit that he wanted to see Hyuga Yu continue on, wanted to see what he could achieve in the end.

However, if Hyuga Yu refused the appointment from the main family elder, he would return to the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War, a place where death was almost certain!

Having experienced two years of war, Hyuga Tetsu knew all too well what that landscape was like, especially since the intensity of the war was only increasing, while Hyuga Yu was still stuck in place, still a weakling, still a cannon fodder Genin.

He absolutely did not want to see Hyuga Yu disappear from his sight completely, absolutely did not want to never hear those sharp criticisms directed at Hyuga Yu in the future.

Absolutely did not want to... wear black mourning clothes before the memorial monument, mocking someone who lived his life striving, peacefully resisting, doing things that he himself could never do.

Wait, how many "absolutely nots" was that... Forget it!

Hyuga Tetsu abruptly stood up, crushed the milk carton, and threw it to the ground.

He began to walk, once again towards that apartment building, he wanted to persuade Hyuga Yu one more time.

If he still insisted on his foolish idea, then even if he had to break his legs, Hyuga Tetsu would keep him in the village!

However, after taking just two steps, a graceful, ethereal figure, one that often appeared in his dreams, suddenly materialized before Hyuga Tetsu.

"Where are you going?"

At this moment, what came out was not the gentle, approachable, Yamato Nadeshiko-like beautiful voice from his memory, but a calm and indifferent inquiry, as elegant as a night-blooming cereus.

The tone of the two voices was vastly different, yet they came from the same person, creating a sense of dissonance, yet also a sense of perfect harmony, as if it were meant to be.

It was Hyuga Natsu.

"I... you..." Hyuga Tetsu froze in place, his eyes widening slightly, feeling his mind struggling to keep up.

Hyuga Natsu, who should be intimately with Hyuga Yu right now, was standing before him?

This wasn't right, why?

Hyuga Natsu simply stood calmly in front of Hyuga Tetsu and shook her head at him.

"Don't go, you'll die."

Hyuga Tetsu couldn't understand: "Why... why?"

Hyuga Natsu said calmly, "He's having an important interview."

Realizing it was related to Hyuga Yu, Hyuga Tetsu's expression immediately tensed, and he couldn't help but ask:

"An interview? Where is he going? Did that guy refuse the main family elder's appointment for this interview?"

Hyuga Natsu curled her lips and smiled elegantly. The neon light from a nearby shop sign reflected on her face, outlining an arc that seemed even more real under the night sky.

"That... who knows?"

Saying that, Hyuga Natsu suddenly changed the subject, looking at Hyuga Tetsu with a smile.

"But, Hyuga Tetsu, about this matter, I can tell you alone, can you... keep his secret for him?"

"Hyuga Yu's secret..." Hyuga Tetsu's expression trembled, and he looked somewhat lost. He then raised his head, but only asked, without saying he would definitely keep the secret.

"What is it?"

He had his principles. If sacrificing Hyuga Yu or the Hyuga Clan was necessary for this secret, he would naturally make a choice.

Hyuga Natsu smiled faintly, her tone filled with the proud pride of a mother whose child had succeeded. She chuckled, "Lion-kun is currently undergoing... the Root interview."

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Tetsu's eyes widened abruptly, and he couldn't help but swallow.

"What did you say?"

"It's... that Root!?"

#

Meanwhile, Inside the apartment, Hyuga Yu slowly opened his eyes.

The sharpness in his pure white eyes had completely vanished, leaving only a stubborn, unyielding stubbornness.

The person who spoke from the darkness, upon seeing such eyes, couldn't help but praise, "Your gaze is quite good."

"Born from humble beginnings, harboring darkness, such eyes must surely bring quite a surprise to that adult."

At this moment, Hyuga Yu took a deep breath and questioned proactively, "Then why didn't you look for me?"

"Because you were too weak."

"Then why are you willing to see me now?"

"Because you've proven your worth."

"And at the same time, you've touched upon a realm you shouldn't have."

Hyuga Yu fell silent.

At this moment, From the darkness, a figure clad in a pale yellow hooded windbreaker, hands in pockets, slowly emerged.

In the night, he wore a round, ink-black mirror-like pair of sunglasses. A pair of eyes, with insects occasionally crawling across them, calmly observed and scrutinized Hyuga Yu, who was kneeling on the tatami in the center of the apartment, through the lenses.

Under such a gaze, Hyuga Yu felt as if insects were crawling all over him, and he couldn't help but shudder.

When the other party mentioned the realm he shouldn't have touched, Hyuga Yu instantly understood the cause and effect—

Just as he had suspected, The [Byakugan Leak Incident] was not simple.

The Kirigakure side was able to obtain information about the Main Family, extremely classified intelligence such as travel routes and escort personnel, and even devise a targeted plan to capture the Main Family, This was because Root was involved in this incident.

Perhaps, the Main Family's Byakugan was a bait used by Root to lure out spies from various villages lurking within Konohagakure.

His own involvement, being targeted and assassinated by Kirigakure due to his attempt to join the Main Family's escort team, and even killing a Kirigakure Chunin in retaliation, had indirectly interfered with Root's plan.

Therefore, he had passively become involved and affected this incident, even if the impact was quite minor.

In such a situation, according to protocol, Root had only one way to handle it—

Silence him.

Hyuga Yu's heart suddenly sounded the alarm.

At this moment, The figure with hands in pockets shifted his gaze from Hyuga Yu's face, calmly walked to a corner of the apartment, and looked at the wooden box for a bow and arrow placed in the corner. He suddenly spoke, "Hyuga Yu, you are not as simple as your resume suggests."

"You are also not as unbearable as the villagers, the Genin and Chunin, and your clan members describe you."

"Of course, even combining both pieces of intelligence, in my eyes, you still don't hold much value."

He paused, reached out to stroke the intricate patterns on the wooden box for the bow and arrow, and suddenly asked, "The Kirigakure Chunin, that was you, wasn't it?"

Hyuga Yu swallowed hard, his mind racing.

He didn't know when the other party had started monitoring him. It had only been half an hour since he killed the Kirigakure Chunin. During that time, he had activated his Byakugan three times, but it had never detected the other party's presence.

Therefore, he couldn't confirm whether this question was a bluff or a certainty, and the consequences of these two possibilities were vastly different.

His answer at this moment would determine his life or death!

At this time, "Heh."

The figure with his hands in his pockets let out a scoff, as if he had confirmed something from Hyuga Yu's silence.

"You're smart, Hyuga Yu."

"For an ordinary Root ninja, you're more than capable, even up to the standard for being sent out on missions."

"However, when compared to a Hyuga Clan ninja within Root, your value is far from sufficient."

"Therefore,"

The figure turned his back, hands still in his pockets, and said indifferently:

"Your current situation is very dangerous."

"It's like walking a steel wire across a bottomless abyss; one wrong step, and you'll fall to your death immediately."

"Even if you luckily take the right step this time, every subsequent step will be a dance on the edge of a blade."

"So,"

"What should you do?"

Hyuga Yu fell silent for a moment, his understanding gradually dawning. He then replied in a deep voice:

"Increase my 'value'."

A low voice immediately questioned, "How do you increase it?"

Hyuga Yu chuckled.

"Didn't you already tell me the answer--"

He took a deep breath and said, word by word:

"Only by,"

"Dancing on the edge of a blade!"