White Yaksha

After that, the incoming relief force took over the Shigushan Mountain defenses and brought two orders along with them. One was for Uchiha Shisui, dispatching him to reinforce a defensive position under heavy attack from the Mist Ninja. The other was for Hyuga Ritsu, ordering him to another position being targeted by the Mist Ninja.

Neither of them needed to go to the Frontline Camp, and one was headed south while the other went north. There was no chance of the two meeting up.

After a hurried farewell, they went their separate ways.

From that day on, Hyuga Ritsu became a firefighter, rushing wherever the situation was most urgent. One order after another cracked over him like a little whip, driving him around like a top. But these missions were much easier. He didn't encounter any more powerful opponents like Suikazan Fuguki, and the Mist Ninja had no resolve to fight to the death. They usually scattered as soon as they saw him. Across nearly ten missions, he claimed fewer than thirty heads.

He spent the next twenty-six days like that.

Then August arrived.

Hyuga Ritsu received orders to return to the Frontline Camp for a temporary rest.

After nearly a month away, Hyuga Ritsu finally set foot in the Frontline Camp again. It was as heavily guarded as before, and the ninja there were all hurrying about. But unlike before, this time, many of them nodded respectfully when they saw him.

Hyuga Ritsu couldn't help wondering what was going on. He didn't understand until he entered a tent and saw Orochimaru—

"Ritsu, congratulations! I've been hearing the name White Yaksha everywhere lately!"

Orochimaru greeted Hyuga Ritsu with a smile as he walked in.

"What?"

Hyuga Ritsu blinked. "White Yaksha? What does that mean?"

"Oh! You haven't heard?"

Orochimaru's smile deepened. He studied Hyuga Ritsu with keen interest as he explained, "Ritsu, White Yaksha is you. That nickname came from the Mist Ninja. Apparently, the child prodigy from the Hozuki Clan, the one beloved by his Ninja Blade, gave you the name. He said you fought like a vicious yaksha. Before long, the name spread across the front lines. Even I've heard it more than once. I didn't expect you not to know."

"No wonder!"

Hyuga Ritsu suddenly understood.

So that was why everyone had been looking at him strangely. He had become a formidable figure with a name of his own, like the "Yellow Flash" and "Body Flicker."

The nickname White Yaksha did remind him of a certain deadpan, naturally curly-haired man and a certain silver-haired girl who was a problem child.

Still—

"White Yaksha. It sounds pretty good!"

Though the nickname overlapped with someone else's, Hyuga Ritsu was satisfied with it. It sounded cool enough!

"You drove Suikazan Fuguki back at Shigushan Mountain, and you've had the Mist Ninja trembling in fear ever since. Thanks to your tireless efforts, we held off their counterattack. The situation is finally stabilizing."

"So the Mist Ninja are about to give up?"

"Unless they're truly prepared to fight us to the death, they're probably considering how to retreat with some dignity."

"Then I might have a bit of a problem!"

Hyuga Ritsu frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"My clan's Byakugan hasn't been recovered yet."

Hyuga Ritsu's brows knitted together. "Before I left the village, Lord Hokage repeatedly told me that I had to reclaim the Byakugan that was lost. Senior Orochimaru, if I return to the village empty-handed, I won't know what to tell Lord Hokage!"

Orochimaru smiled knowingly. He didn't believe his former teacher, who had lost his fighting spirit, would say such a thing, but he couldn't be bothered to deny it. Instead, he changed his expression in an instant and looked troubled. "In that case, it really wouldn't be good to return empty-handed. But the situation is what it is. We don't have enough strength to launch a counterattack against the Mist Ninja, so reclaiming the Byakugan won't be easy."

That was the truth.

Konoha had already ended its war with the Iwa Ninja, but it had only won a costly victory. It had no fresh forces to spare for the eastern front. On top of that, the Kumo Ninja were stirring in the northeast. Konoha needed to keep enough troops in reserve to prevent them from marching south again now that the Third Raikage was gone.

As a result, the eastern front was always short on manpower. Hyuga Ritsu and Uchiha Shisui had been instrumental in holding off the Mist Ninja counterattack.

Just then,

Aburame Ryoma, who had been sitting nearby in silence like an invisible man, suddenly spoke. "If you mean the Byakugan taken by the Mist Ninja, I've just received some new intelligence. Lord Orochimaru, I apologize. It only arrived a moment ago, so I haven't had a chance to report it yet."

At the end, he apologized to Orochimaru for his breach of protocol.

"New intelligence that just came in?"

It was probably information he'd prepared in advance, waiting for Hyuga Ritsu to return before bringing it out. And if all went as expected, there was no doubt it was reliable.

At that, Orochimaru turned his head slightly and gave Aburame Ryoma a meaningful look. Smiling, he said, "That's all right. These things happen. Ryoma, just tell us what the latest intelligence says."

"The Mist Ninja Jonin Ao, known by the nickname Byakugan Killer, has recently appeared several times at defensive positions in the northeast. If the Hyuga Clan Head intends to reclaim the Byakugan, he could head there and look for him."

Aburame Ryoma spoke gravely.

"Deputy Commander Aburame, are you saying I'm free to act on my own?"

Hyuga Ritsu asked.

"I think that unless there's a mission that specifically requires the Hyuga Clan Head himself, someone of your standing naturally has some freedom to act. You need only inform us and file a report before setting out, so we can confirm your plans won't interfere with anyone else or any other mission. Then you may act freely."

Aburame Ryoma answered with a straight face.

Hyuga Ritsu stared at Aburame Ryoma for a moment before saying, "Let's talk about it later. What I need right now is some rest."

"The Hyuga Clan Head is perfectly entitled to rest. I only wanted to remind you that Ao may not remain in that area for long. If you miss your chance, he might leave. And if the Mist Ninja decide to retreat completely, there'll be almost no chance of recovering the stolen Byakugan."

Aburame Ryoma offered his "kind" reminder.

"Thank you for the reminder, Deputy Commander Aburame. I'll seriously consider what to do next. Senior Orochimaru, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave and get some rest."

With that,

Once he confirmed that neither Orochimaru nor Aburame Ryoma had anything else to say, Hyuga Ritsu left at once and returned to the area occupied by his clan in the Frontline Camp.