No One Starts Out Standing in the Heavens

Strictly speaking, Hyuga Ritsu was not a very capable clan head. He was no good at handling clan affairs and had no interest in learning how to manage them. After giving it a brief try, he handed the work over to several elders.

Though the elders had been thrown into the job without much preparation, the fact that the other Jonin and Special Jonin had jointly chosen them showed that they held some standing and had connections among the clan members. With that reputation and network, most clan affairs could be sorted out without much difficulty. After a bit of initial floundering, they gradually got the hang of things.

As for Hyuga Ritsu himself, he had spent the past few days following a predictable routine between the shrine and his home.

During the day, he stayed in the shrine's treasure hall, poring over Main House secret texts he had never had the chance to read before. He devoured the knowledge and tried to turn what he learned into strength.

If clan members came to learn the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, he instructed them personally and earned unanimous praise from them.

At night, he went home with his head swimming and went to bed. Since an elder or a Jonin from the clan often visited to talk before he turned in, the time he went to sleep was actually rather irregular.

This routine continued for five days.

Then,

On the sixth day, the sky was overcast. After several consecutive sunny days, it seemed rain was on the way again. Moisture hung in the air as fierce winds picked up, making the roadside trees tremble as if they were dancing. Passersby lowered their heads, bundled up, and hurried along.

At 8:10 in the morning, after breakfast, Hyuga Ritsu brought twenty clan members to the Hokage Building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen received Hyuga Ritsu in the Hokage's office. The twenty clan members, led by elder Hyuga Shinichiro, waited downstairs.

"Lord Hokage, I'm ready to return to the eastern battlefield and continue serving the village."

Hyuga Ritsu was unfailingly polite.

"Clan Head Hyuga Ritsu... Calling you that feels rather formal. May I just call you by your name?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with a genial smile from behind his desk, pipe in hand.

"Of course."

"Then, Ritsu, have you got everything in the clan settled?"

"It's all taken care of."

"I knew I was right about you. You and Minato are both the village's hope for the future. With you leading the Hyuga Clan, I imagine it won't be long before it flourishes."

"You're too kind."

Hyuga Ritsu said little.

Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed eager to chat, but Ritsu had no interest in keeping the conversation going. He knew Sarutobi Hiruzen could never truly admire someone who had rebelled against him. If anything, the more Hiruzen seemed to admire him, the more he might want to get rid of him.

There was no point in trying to ingratiate himself, no matter how hard he tried.

So,

why waste what little supply of "fake, hypocritical smiles" he had left on Sarutobi Hiruzen?

"Humility is a virtue, of course. But sometimes too much humility looks like bragging. If you run into someone with a short temper, they might actually take a swing at you. To be honest, when I was your age, I was just a brainless fool. On missions, I did nothing but follow orders. I had no ideas of my own at all!"

"..."

Hyuga Ritsu narrowed his eyes slightly.

There was a hidden meaning in those words!

He kept his expression neutral and silently watched Sarutobi Hiruzen put on his act.

"Ritsu, you're the Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan now. You're a man of standing, but on the battlefield..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked as though he wanted to say something but couldn't, his expression troubled. At last, he gritted his teeth as if he had made up his mind and said gravely, "This may not sound pleasant, and it may hurt your feelings, but you've been through the thick of battle yourself, Ritsu. You should know that once you're on the battlefield, there's no such thing as one clan's Clan Head or another department's commander, no such thing as all those assorted titles. Once an order comes down, it has to be carried out!"

"Do you understand what I mean?"

He fixed his gaze on Hyuga Ritsu and waited for a response from this young man, who presumably had little political experience.

"Don't worry, Lord Hokage. I understand the importance of following orders."

Hyuga Ritsu answered frankly. Meeting Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze, he said, "I may be the Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan, but once I reach the front, I'll be just another Jonin. If there's a mission I need to carry out, I'll do everything I can to complete it. I won't shirk or hold back."

"Good!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked full of approval. "I believe you'll give the Mist Shinobi a harsh lesson and bring back the Byakugan that was stolen!"

Hyuga Ritsu smiled faintly.

The claim that battlefield ranks and titles didn't matter was utter nonsense. When clan heads from the major families went to the front, even if they weren't made commanders, they were often given positions such as adviser. That way, they could direct things from the camp most of the time and generally didn't have to charge into the thick of the fighting.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude clearly meant he had no intention of giving Hyuga Ritsu any position at all.

If Ritsu went to the front like this, he would probably be ordered to charge at the very front just as before, dancing with the Mist Shinobi beneath the Reaper's blade, waiting to see who the Reaper would choose to take.

But,

Hyuga Ritsu had no intention of arguing.

After all, giving clan heads positions such as adviser when they went to the front was only an unwritten rule—or, to put it more plainly, an unspoken convention. It was true that this was how things were usually done, but there was nothing anyone could criticize if they chose not to do it.

So,

there was no point arguing.

He had already prepared himself for trouble before coming.

This was something he could accept!

He hadn't planned to sit around in camp doing nothing when he went to the front. He sincerely intended to reclaim the Byakugan stolen from the Main House and firmly establish his authority within the clan.

After that,

he could continue studying the Chimera Technique and forge a path upward, getting a better look at the scenery from even higher up.

A certain self-proclaimed king had once said, "No one starts out standing in the heavens. Not you, not me, not even God." So why couldn't I be the one to sit on the empty throne of the heavens?

The ambition in Hyuga Ritsu's heart grew like weeds!

"Lord Hokage, here's the list of clan members accompanying me to the front."

Hyuga Ritsu handed him a list.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took it and glanced over it, then remarked, "As expected of the Hyuga: seven Jonin and thirteen Special Jonin. That's quite a show of force!"

As he spoke, he picked up his pen and signed an order, already prepared, to dispatch reinforcements to the front. After signing and stamping it, he rang for an aide and instructed him to copy all eleven names, including Hyuga Ritsu's, onto the signed and stamped document.

And just like that,

a properly processed, lawful, and regulation-compliant deployment order was ready.