Offer Everything

"Please, take your leave."

"Young Master Genko, I, I still have..."

"I will arrange your matters. Now, please, take your leave."

Hyuga Yu's proposal was rejected without mercy.

This young master of the main family didn't even leave him a chance to prove himself before rising to see him out, his attitude exceptionally firm.

Hyuga Yu could understand the reason behind his decision.

Hyuga Genko was stepping onto the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War to set an example as a main family member, mending the rift between the main and branch families that had formed years prior when Hizashi Hyuga was demoted to the branch family.

There was no small amount of posturing involved, but whether to prevent the Byakugan from being lost or stolen, or to protect the few main family members left within the Hyuga Clan, What he needed were reliable branch family guards.

A mere genin, unable even to execute the Gentle Fist Style: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, and at best having learned a few Medical Ninjutsu techniques beyond other genin—Hyuga Yu, in his eyes, was dead weight, too flimsy even to serve as a meat shield.

That was reality.

But, Only Hyuga Yu knew just how thorny a situation this young master was about to face—

The leak of the Byakugan was no simple matter.

Strict confidentiality regulations existed among shinobi.

The intelligence that a main family member was heading to the battlefield was itself an internal secret of the Hyuga Clan.

Hyuga Yu knew because a main family elder had indirectly informed him, while Hyuga Natsu only learned the details because she had been assigned to the guard unit.

And it was certain that main family members were safe within Konoha and at the front-line camp—after all, the main family only needed to show their stance, and naturally wouldn't be sent on overly dangerous missions. Once they arrived at the front-line camp, they would be tightly protected.

Thus, The only window for enemies to strike was the few days between the main family's departure from Konoha and their arrival at the front-line camp.

And that meant—

The intelligence that the main family was about to head to the battlefield had essentially already been leaked.

This was a premeditated hunt for the Byakugan.

The visible hunters were the Mist Anbu led by Ao of the Mist, while the hidden hunters... were within the village.

Hyuga Yu didn't fully understand how intelligence of this level could have been leaked, nor did he want to guess.

But with the direct path into Hyuga Genko's guard unit now blocked, Then, according to confidentiality regulations, as one of those in the know, he and the main family's group would likely be staggered in their departure order from the village, leaving later.

Unable to travel with the group, he couldn't protect Hyuga Natsu up close, nor could he influence the group's route to avoid the Mist's ambush.

Even more troublesome, he had no way of knowing which route the main family's group would take.

At that moment, Standing outside the main family's residence, Hyuga Yu frowned in thought for a while, Then, without hesitation, he turned and headed for the Land of Fire Bank branch within Konoha.

#

The Land of Fire Bank was built right next to the Hokage Building, Making it convenient for Konoha shinobi to deposit their earnings after completing missions and earning rewards.

The five great shinobi nations each had their own currency. The Land of Fire used coins with the Daimyo's portrait on the front and Konoha's emblem on the back. There was also a universal currency, which circulated thanks to the banking system.

At this moment, Hyuga Yu walked straight up to a counter.

"Hello, I'd like to take out a loan."

"A loan?" The young female teller behind the counter blinked, then quickly reminded him:

"During wartime, our bank temporarily does not accept unsecured loans based on shinobi status."

"Understood."

Hyuga Yu nodded, untying the tightly bound small pouch clutched in his hand, and pulled out a stack of documents one by one, handing them over.

"This is my property deed, shinobi ID, and my passbook."

"Hyuga Yu, you're a member of the Hyuga Clan?"

"Yes. This is the house my parents left me, currently valued at one million three hundred twenty thousand ryo. I'd like to borrow one million ryo."

"One moment." The teller took the materials, bent over a calculator, and tapped away for a while. Soon, she looked up with a hint of apology.

"Due to Iwagakure's recent occupation of Kannabi Bridge, the security assessment for the Land of Fire's border has dropped."

"According to current market rates, the mortgage rate for residential properties in Konoha ranges from 50% to 60%, depending on location. Since the apartment you've provided is on the edge of the Hyuga Clan grounds, our bank can offer you the highest rate, but... I can only approve a loan of eight hundred thousand ryo."

"..."

Hearing this, Hyuga Yu fell silent.

Now is Konoha Year 49, and the battle lines in the Land of Rain are locked in a stalemate, with the overall situation unfavorable for Konoha.

The Kannabi Bridge the clerk mentioned is located in the Land of Grass, northwest of the Land of Fire.

It had long been a key supply route for Konoha, but now it's been seized by Iwa, causing market fluctuations and a drop in investor confidence. This situation is expected to persist until next year, when Minato Namikaze's Kakashi Squad destroys the Kannabi Bridge and things start to improve.

"Hyuga Yu, do you still want the loan?"

The young female clerk looked up at Hyuga Yu's youthful face, lowered her voice, and discreetly covered her mouth with her hand as she whispered a reminder, "If you're not in an urgent need for money, you could wait a few years. By then, the market should be much better..."

Hyuga Yu shook his head. "No need. Please proceed with the paperwork."

The clerk meant waiting until the war ended, when the major ninja villages would redistribute mission quotas, and ninjas who earned their keep through missions wouldn't be so strapped for cash.

But Hyuga Yu wasn't short on money right now. In fact, he had two hundred thousand ryo saved up.

That money had another purpose.

Soon, [Demand Deposit: 1,000,000 ryo].

Staring at the balance displayed in his passbook, Hyuga Yu took a deep breath, closed it, walked out of the bank, turned into the Hokage Building next door, and climbed to the second floor, where the mission posting office sat in quiet neglect.

At this time, due to the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War, mission volume across all villages had plummeted, and the once-busy mission posting office had grown desolate.

Inside, only a single chunin clerk in a flak jacket, wearing thick glasses, sat alone behind a desk, yawning.

Hyuga Yu walked straight over and spoke:

"Hello, I'd like to post a mission."

Hearing this, the chunin clerk looked up, caught sight of Hyuga Yu's white eyes, and showed a hint of surprise.

"Posting a mission at a time like this? Huh, are you a ninja from the Hyuga Clan?"

"That's right."

"What rank of mission are you looking to post?"

"S-rank."

The clerk's eyes widened slightly.

"S-rank? Are you sure? The minimum reward for that level is one million ryo."

Hyuga Yu slapped his passbook on the desk, opened it, and showed the number to the clerk.

The chunin clerk took the passbook, glanced at it, and his expression visibly turned eager. He quickly pulled out a scroll and paper from the desk and asked impatiently, "What's the content of the mission you want to post?"

Hyuga Yu said in a low voice, "I'm looking for a specific jutsu. I need either the scroll for that jutsu, or a ninja who has mastered it to teach me in person."

Hearing this, the chunin clerk was momentarily taken aback and couldn't help but give Hyuga Yu another confirming look.

As everyone knew, the Hyuga Clan, with their Kekkei Genkai Byakugan, had their own clan's secret techniques and Nintaijutsu. They rarely dabbled in other ninjutsu, let alone spent such a huge price to acquire one.

But what was this kid up to?

"Sorry, may I ask your name?"

"Hyuga Yu."

At that, the clerk looked at Hyuga Yu again, recalling some rumors tied to that name, and his expression turned somewhat odd.

"Hyuga Yu... you're that... ahem. And the jutsu you want to commission a search for?"

Hyuga Yu took a deep breath and said firmly, "Wind Release: Vacuum Blade."