Information Deletion

Following Sulfur, Hyuga Yu quickly passed through the backyard forge workshop used to craft ninja tools and arrived at the other's display room for his ninja tool collection.

At this moment, Sulfur walked along, sighing with emotion: "Truly unexpected, that in this era, there would still be a ninja thinking of using such a weapon."

Saltpeter, tilting his head in confusion beside them, yet hung eagerly behind Sulfur and Hyuga Yu, as if also wanting to see what kind of ninja tool, crafted over eight years, looked like.

At this, Hyuga Yu shook his head and said: "Though not particularly valuable, the crafting process is exceptionally intricate. It must balance the sturdiness needed for close-quarters combat and the flexibility required during use. Thinking back, in Konoha at that time, only you, Master Sulfur, could forge such a weapon."

"After all, it's a weapon already eliminated by the times."

"Haha, only an old stick-in-the-mud like me would be happy to make such a 'toy'... I'll accept your praise!" Sulfur laughed heartily, pulled out a key to unlock the display room door, and led Hyuga Yu inside.

On the shelves of the rather spacious display room, every meter sat a uniquely shaped ninja tool: Ninja Sword, Iron Rod, Hatchet, Steel Wire, Tonfa, Chain Stick, Iron Chain, Explosive Tag, Wolf Fang Iron Ball, Giant Chain Ball, Fuma Shuriken, Explosive Ball... Various common and uncommon ninja tools were displayed there; if shown off, it could even pass for a small ninja tool museum.

Soon, the three reached the end of the display room. Sulfur lifted a massive wooden box, two and a half meters long, from the innermost shelf. Opening the box, inside lay a large Japanese bow taller than Hyuga Yu himself.

The bow was about 2.2 meters in total length, with the upper limb longer than the lower, resembling a ceremonial Demon Breaking Bow from rural rites. It was made entirely from rounded wood, with white Gohei ornaments at the tips. Key parts—such as the ear crown, hanging section, and princess reverse—were fitted with modules that flexed with Chakra. In close combat, iron bow pieces could be slotted into the catch positions to use it for striking (generally not recommended).

Sulfur took out the bow, proudly showing his apprentice Saltpeter the "Sulfur Craft" inscription on the bow piece, then looked at Hyuga Yu and explained: "This bow has a draw weight of 150 pounds. Normal effective range is within 150 meters, with a maximum of 300 meters. It's not heavy, but it's long, making it troublesome to carry. And it can only use hemp bowstrings. At this draw weight, the Japanese arrows... well, the arrows are also hard to recover and reuse."

Hyuga Yu nodded, estimating: "So, roughly 100 to 200 shots, and it's scrap?"

"Exactly. Using tanned, elastic ninja tool silk thread is an alternative, but it affects the bow's handling technique. Since you're custom-ordering this kind of bow, you understand, right?" Hyuga Yu nodded. The Japanese bow has its own specialized shooting technique; the user must master the vibration amplitude of the bow when releasing the arrow, predict the reactive force from the length difference between the upper and lower limbs, and use that reactive force to calculate the arrow's launch direction and the amount of force applied. If used properly, the arrow's trajectory could produce various changes, such as controlling range or parabolic arc. Therefore, only specially made hemp bowstrings could be used.

In other words, this weapon took a long time to craft, had high maintenance costs, and the bowstring's lifespan was short. Coupled with the fact that a ninja's burst speed in battle rivaled a locomotive—once combat began, the distance between both sides would close rapidly, and the bow would quickly lose its effectiveness, even becoming a burden. Thus, the bow became a relic of the times. In all of Naruto, the only named character who used a bow was Kidomaru, who was killed by Hyuga Neji. For ordinary ninjas, spending time training with such a thankless weapon was less worthwhile than practicing the Body Flicker Technique.

But if you added the Byakugan, which could spot targets from a kilometer away, and the Wind Release: Vacuum Blade, which could be attached to ninja tools to increase range and penetrating power, then everything changed entirely.

With this thought in mind, Hyuga Yu took the bow, anticipation stirring in his heart. Of course, the path of [Bow + Byakugan + Strong Ninja Tool Attachment Ninjutsu] was merely an idea he'd deduced from his studies; its actual combat effectiveness would need specific testing. Moreover, the Wind Release: Vacuum Blade technique was still nowhere in sight. Though he'd already decided to approach Shimura Danzō, whether Danzō would accept him, a Hyuga Branch Family member, was another matter entirely.

Hyuga Yu's current position was awkward. Unlike Might Guy, who tried to join Root for Kakashi's sake but was rejected with "You have no darkness in your heart," he was at the complete opposite extreme. Though Hyuga Yu, in a bout of intermittent ambition, had the spirited idea of living like a real person, he still bore the "Caged Bird" seal on his head. In practical terms, he was already a dog of the Hyuga Clan, liable to be forced by the Main Family to leak intel at any moment. Given Danzō's suspicious, cautious nature—so distrustful of even his own subordinates that he only used them after branding them with cursed seals—he would probably... find it hard to accept him.

But then again, people's thoughts differ greatly at different stages of life, just like when you're a kid you always want to be an adult, and when you're an adult you always envy the days of playing in the mud and blowing up poop. And Shimura Danzō, stuck in a period even more awkward than Hyuga Yu's current one, might... be able to pinch his nose and convince himself?

Meanwhile, as Hyuga Yu prepared to step onto the battlefield on the other side, the S-Rank Mission intelligence released by Hyuga Yu quickly began to ferment and was prioritized for delivery to the Jonin Squad, the Anbu, and their affiliated organizations.

Leaving aside for now whether the mission's rating was reasonable, just from the content of the mission release, some sharp-minded and well-informed ninjas had already sensed the incongruity of this task—

Wind Release: Vacuum Blade.

This ninjutsu, currently only two people in the entire Konoha village could use.

One was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had mastered over a thousand ninjutsu and was hailed as the "Professor of Ninjutsu."

The other was a Konoha elder, the leader of Root, and one of the Hokage's Assistants, Shimura Danzō.

Between the two, Shimura Danzō was clearly more proficient and skilled in this technique, or rather, this was precisely the secret Wind Release ninjutsu of the Shimura Clan.

Similar ninjutsu naturally existed, such as the Shirakumo Clan's hereditary Wind Release: Vacuum Sword, the Wind Release: Shuriken Production mastered by some minor ninja clans, and the Sarutobi Clan's Wind Release: Gale Turbulent Wind—all of which had comparable effects.

But this mission specifically named Wind Release: Vacuum Blade.

What this implied inevitably stirred the imaginations of some.

However, before the intelligence could spread to a wider scope, and as the mission commission process reached the Hokage's Desk, the few ninjas who had taken notice of this matter were stunned to discover—

the mission had been taken down.

And soon, along with the documents related to the mission's procedures, the records, and even the intelligence regarding Hyuga Yu's appearance at the Hokage Building, everything was wiped clean.

As if this mission had never existed at all.