White Yaksha

Afterward, the relief team took over the Shigushan Mountain defense line and brought two orders. One was for Uchiha Shisui, instructing him to reinforce a defensive point that was under heavy attack by Kirigakure Shinobi. The other was for Hyuga Ritsu, ordering him to another defense position being attacked by Kirigakure Shinobi.

Neither of them needed to go to the front-line camp, and with one heading south and the other north, they couldn't possibly meet up.

After a hurried farewell, the two parted ways, heading north and south respectively.

From this day on, Hyuga Ritsu became a "firefighter," rushing wherever the situation was critical. The orders were like little whips, whipping him into a frenzy, but the difficulty of these missions had decreased significantly. He no longer encountered masters like Suikazan Fuguki, and the Kirigakure Shinobi lacked the resolve to fight to the death. They would often scatter upon seeing him, and in nearly ten missions, he had taken down no more than thirty enemies.

This went on for twenty-six days.

Time moved into August.

Hyuga Ritsu received orders to return to the front-line camp for a temporary rest.

After nearly a month away, Hyuga Ritsu finally set foot in the front-line camp again. It was as heavily guarded as ever, and the ninjas in the camp were all in a hurry. However, unlike before, many people respectfully nodded to Hyuga Ritsu when they met him, showing him respect.

This left Hyuga Ritsu somewhat confused, not understanding what was going on. It wasn't until he arrived at his tent and saw Orochimaru—

"Ritsu-kun, congratulations! I've been hearing the name 'White Yaksha' everywhere recently!"

Upon seeing Hyuga Ritsu enter, Orochimaru greeted him with a smile.

"What?"

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

"Oh! You actually don't know?"

Orochimaru's smile deepened, and he stared at Hyuga Ritsu with great interest, explaining, "Ritsu-kun, 'White Yaksha' refers to you. This nickname came from the Kirigakure side. It's said to have been given by that prodigy of the Hozuki Clan who is favored by the Ninja Swords. They say you fight like a ferocious yaksha. It spread throughout the front lines, and even I have heard your name more than once. I didn't expect you yourself to be unaware."

"No wonder!"

Hyuga Ritsu suddenly understood.

So that's why everyone was looking at him strangely. It turned out he had unknowingly become a formidable figure with his own unique title, like the 'Yellow Flash' or 'Shunshin.'

The nickname 'White Yaksha' made him think of a certain dead-eyed natural blonde and a certain problematic silver-haired loli.

However—

"White Yaksha, it doesn't sound bad!"

Although the nickname was a bit of a coincidence, Hyuga Ritsu was quite satisfied with it because it sounded cool!

"Ritsu-kun, you repelled Suikazan Fuguki head-on at Shigushan Mountain. During this period, you've terrified the Kirigakure Shinobi, and thanks to your relentless efforts, we successfully withstood their counterattack. The overall situation is now stable."

"So, you're saying the Kirigakure Shinobi are about to collapse?"

"Unless the Kirigakure Shinobi are truly prepared for a mutually destructive battle, they should be considering how to retreat gracefully right now."

"That's a bit of a problem for me then!"

Hyuga Ritsu frowned.

"What? Is there a problem?"

"My clan's Byakugan has not yet been recovered."

Hyuga Ritsu's brow furrowed. "Before I left the village, the Hokage repeatedly instructed me to retrieve the lost Byakugan. Senior Orochimaru, it won't be easy to report back to the Hokage if I return empty-handed!"

Orochimaru smiled playfully. He didn't believe his teacher, who had lost his edge, would say such a thing, but he couldn't be bothered to deny it. His expression instantly changed to one of difficulty as he said, "If that's the case, it is indeed not good to return empty-handed. However, such is the situation. We don't have enough strength to launch a counteroffensive against the Kirigakure Shinobi, so recovering the Byakugan might not be easy."

This was the truth.

Although Konoha had ended its war with Iwa Ninja, it was a pyrrhic victory. They didn't have enough fresh troops to deploy to the eastern front. Furthermore, the Kumo Ninja in the northeast were restless, requiring a sufficient force to be left behind to prevent the Kumo Ninja, who had lost the Third Raikage, from going mad and marching south again.

This resulted in a constant shortage of troops on the eastern front. The contributions of Hyuga Ritsu and Uchiha Shisui in holding off the Kirigakure Shinobi's counterattack were indispensable!

Just then, Aburame Ryoma, who had been sitting silently beside them like an invisible person, suddenly spoke up. "If you're asking about the Byakugan that was taken by the Kirigakure Shinobi, I've just received some new intelligence. Lord Orochimaru, I apologize. Because this intelligence was just received, I haven't had time to report it yet."

He then apologized to Orochimaru for his rudeness.

Intelligence just received?

It was likely intelligence prepared in advance, specifically waiting for Hyuga Ritsu's return, and if his guess was correct, its authenticity was unquestionable.

Orochimaru heard this and tilted his head slightly, giving Aburame Ryoma a meaningful glance. He smiled and said, "It's alright, such things are normal. Ryoma, please tell me what this new intelligence says."

"The Kirigakure Jonin codenamed 'Byakugan Killer,' Ao, has recently appeared multiple times on several defense lines in the northeast. If the Hyuga Clan Head intends to recover the Byakugan, he could try looking there!"

Aburame Ryoma said solemnly.

"Deputy Commander Aburame, does this mean I have freedom of action now?"

Hyuga Ritsu asked.

"I believe that unless there is a mission that absolutely requires Clan Head Hyuga's personal execution, you, with your status, naturally have a certain degree of freedom to act. As long as you communicate with us in advance and confirm that it will not interfere with others or other missions, you can act freely."

Aburame Ryoma replied earnestly.

Hyuga Ritsu stared at Aburame Ryoma for a moment. "I'll think about it later! I need to rest now."

"It is only natural that Clan Head Hyuga needs rest. However, I would like to remind Clan Head Hyuga that Ao may not always stay in that area. If the opportunity is missed, Ao might leave. Furthermore, if we delay until the Kirigakure Shinobi decide to retreat completely, it will be practically impossible to recover the stolen Byakugan."

Aburame Ryoma "kindly" reminded him.

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

After saying this, Confirming that Orochimaru and Aburame Ryoma had nothing else to say, Hyuga Ritsu left directly and returned to the territory occupied by his Hyuga Clan in the front-line camp.