The Uchiha Obito Funeral

Konoha.

Though it was called a ninja village, it was even more prosperous than the Land of Fire's capital, the Daimyo's Mansion. It was only the unrelenting wars of the past two years that had made Konoha a little more desolate. A grim, oppressive atmosphere hung over every street and alley.

Only the children, still innocent of the ways of the world, could laugh merrily. Most other passersby wore tense expressions.

Years of war. Bloodshed without end.

Konoha wasn't quite in full mourning, but funerals were held every few streets. Nearly everyone had friends or relatives who had been left behind on the front lines forever. Those sent home were either corpses—or no bodies at all.

Hyuga Ritsu had just returned to the village and hadn't gone far when he heard faint sobs carried on the wind.

At the turn in the road,

he saw a few pedestrians approaching in formal black clothes. Every face was solemn and heavy with grief. A woman wept softly, and her sorrow was contagious, weighing on his heart and leaving him feeling low.

Had someone just held a funeral?

Hyuga Ritsu couldn't help wondering.

Just then—

"Ritsu?"

A familiar voice came from up ahead.

Hyuga Ritsu looked closely. Standing before him was a handsome man with blond hair and clear blue eyes, so perfect that it was almost impossible to find fault with him.

"Minato-senpai?"

Hyuga Ritsu was taken aback.

He hadn't expected to run into Namikaze Minato here, under these circumstances. Why wasn't the famous Yellow Flash in the north fighting the Iwa Ninja? Why had he returned to the village to attend a funeral?

Suddenly,

a troubling suspicion surfaced in his mind.

This funeral... couldn't it be for Uchiha Obito?

"May I ask who died?"

Hyuga Ritsu asked softly.

"Obito."

Minato's expression was sorrowful, and his voice was hoarse.

So it really was Uchiha Obito.

Did that mean the Battle of Kannabi Bridge was over, and Uchiha Obito had fallen into the hands of Madara and Black Zetsu?

Hyuga Ritsu pressed his lips together and said quietly, "Minato-senpai, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Ritsu, why are you back? The fighting against the Mist Ninja on the eastern front hasn't ended yet, has it?" Minato didn't want to dwell on his fallen student, so he instead asked about Hyuga Ritsu's situation.

If you were wondering how Hyuga Ritsu knew Namikaze Minato,

the answer was simple.

Hyuga Ritsu's teacher was Hiruko, while Namikaze Minato's teacher was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. As it happened, the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku was the mildest-tempered of the Sannin and had always gotten along well with Hiruko. That was how Hyuga Ritsu and Namikaze Minato had met.

Minato's question

put Hyuga Ritsu at ease.

It seemed Minato had only just returned from the northern battlefield and didn't know what had happened on the eastern front.

He answered quietly, "There's no hope of the fighting against the Mist Ninja ending anytime soon. I came back because something happened in the clan, and I had to return. Once it's taken care of, I'll head back to the front."

"I see!"

Minato nodded.

"What about you, Minato-senpai? Is the fighting against the Iwa Ninja over?"

"The Iwa Ninja have withdrawn, but the Fourth Raikage has taken over, and the Kumo Ninja have been restless lately. They may well come back. After taking a couple of days to recover, I'll probably head north again to keep an eye on them."

"The Kumo Ninja are making trouble again?"

They exchanged a few more pleasantries, then went their separate ways.

They were more like acquaintances than close friends.

After watching Namikaze Minato disappear into the street, Hyuga Ritsu leaped onto the rooftops and hurried toward the Hyuga Clan's grounds. It was lucky he had run into Minato, who had just returned to the village and knew nothing about what had happened on the eastern front. If he ran into someone who knew the details, they could easily disrupt his plans.

Before long,

he arrived at the entrance to the Hyuga Clan's grounds.

As one of Konoha's most prestigious clans, the Hyuga lived together on a vast stretch of land within the village. Only clan members lived on the grounds, which had streets, shops, and parks. The clan members could buy most of what they needed without ever leaving.

The shops were run by clan members, too—those who hadn't awakened the Byakugan.

Awakening the Byakugan wasn't as difficult as awakening the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

However,

not every member of the Hyuga family could awaken the Byakugan. Many went their entire lives without doing so. Hyuga Ritsu's parents were among them; neither had awakened it even now. Ritsu, on the other hand, had perhaps awakened his at a young age because his soul had entered this world from another life while still in the womb. It had earned him a reputation as a prodigy.

As one of their own,

Hyuga Ritsu slipped back onto the clan grounds without difficulty or alerting the Branch House guards.

Then,

he vaulted over walls and through alleys, breaking into a residence.

"Big Brother Ritsu?"

On the training ground, a boy who had been diligently practicing Gentle Fist was startled to see Hyuga Ritsu suddenly barge in. "Why are you back? Did the Clan Head and the elders drag you back?"

"Arima, what kind of thing is that to say?"

Hyuga Ritsu glared at the boy for speaking without thinking.

"But the Clan Head, Elder Daichi, and Elder Hishou all went to the front. They said they were going to punish you. I was thinking that if those bastards from the Main House really did something to you, Big Brother Ritsu, I'd cover myself in Explosive Tags..."

"Enough, enough! Arima, stop rambling. Go get Takuma and Akiba right now. I have something to discuss with all of you."

"Oh! Okay."

Hyuga Arima agreed without hesitation.

He didn't even ask why. He simply bolted off like a horse released from its reins.

Hyuga Ritsu was left alone in the spacious residence. Hyuga Arima was a Branch House member, fourteen years old and a year younger than Ritsu. He had recently become a Special Jonin. Both his parents had died, and he now lived alone.

Ever since they were children,

Hyuga Arima had been one of Hyuga Ritsu's little shadows. On his first mission to the battlefield, he had nearly been killed by the Mist Ninja, but Hyuga Ritsu had pulled him back from the brink of death. As a result, Arima obeyed him without question. Even if Ritsu told him to kill the Third, he'd charge off without a moment's hesitation.

Hyuga Ritsu sat cross-legged on the veranda and waited patiently.

About seven or eight minutes later, Hyuga Arima returned, hauling a man and a woman along with him. He called out, "Big Brother Ritsu, I brought Takuma and Akiba!"

"You little brat, you call Ritsu Big Brother, but you just use my name?"

Seventeen-year-old Hyuga Takuma grumbled and knocked Hyuga Arima on the head.

Then,

he looked at Hyuga Ritsu, seated on the veranda, his face filled with confusion. He urgently asked, "Ritsu, what's going on at the front? Why are you back? Haven't you seen the Clan Head and the elders?"