Son of the Daimyo

"Go to the front lines...?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile froze on his face.

The pipe in his hand paused in mid-air, his gaze slowly sweeping across Orochimaru's face, calm yet resolute.

Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his mouth, the words he instinctively wanted to use to refute him stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.

Are you still going to fight for it...

Even after being pulled from the front lines for so long, even when everyone thought you had accepted your fate, you still refuse to give up?

Orochimaru...

Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his eyes, brought the pipe to his lips, and took a deep drag.

Transferring Orochimaru from the front lines back to the village was a decision discussed with the higher-ups a long time ago. Even Jiraiya had agreed with this decision.

Only Orochimaru himself and Shimura Danzō were unaware.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had once envisioned a perfect ending.

Orochimaru would give up the competition for the Fourth Hokage, settle down, become a cornerstone for Konoha's technology, and alongside Tsunade and Jiraiya, be dispersed into important positions in Konoha, retreating behind the scenes on the stage of history.

But as things stand now, Orochimaru still hasn't let go...

"Orochimaru," Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a moment, then sighed slightly, "Although this mission is simple, having to handle two things at once... wouldn't that be too hasty?"

"Hehehe..."

Orochimaru chuckled, sticking out his tongue to lick the corner of his mouth.

"I have to be hasty, Teacher Sarutobi. My influence in the village can't even compare to the juniors in the village anymore..."

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes.

He knew that Orochimaru had made up his mind.

He was determined to fight for the position of Hokage, even if it meant being battered and bloody, even if it meant being abandoned by everyone.

Thoughts surged through his mind.

He wanted to use his status as Hokage, as a teacher, to completely reject Orochimaru's proposal.

But he was afraid that Orochimaru would become completely disillusioned, afraid that the Orochimaru who once stood behind him, who was like a son to him, would become a stranger from that moment on.

He wanted to tell Orochimaru to stop fighting, wanted to tell him that the position didn't suit him, wanted to say that he should just focus on his research.

But he couldn't say it.

After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart finally softened.

"Since that is the case... then go."

He waved his hand and sighed wearily.

"As for the matters on the front lines, we will talk about them after you complete this mission..."

He paused, looked up at Orochimaru, his gaze complex.

"Don't go too far, Orochimaru."

"Teacher," Orochimaru suddenly spoke, a faint smile playing on his lips, "I already have a candidate for this mission."

"Let's talk about the situation on the Cloud Battlefield instead."

--

"Is that so?"

Hyuga Hiashi's voice was calm, but the tremor in his words betrayed his disappointment; however, he could not lose his composure in front of a junior.

"Lord Hiashi, is there a problem with that scroll?"

Hyuga Qinglan tilted his head slightly, his expression innocent and guileless: "Or is it that the scroll was forged by someone else?"

"No... there is no problem."

Hyuga Hiashi forced a smile; how could he tell Hyuga Qinglan that the scroll had been stolen and the culprit was Shimura Danzō?

Not to mention, the contents of that scroll were not something a member of the branch family was qualified to know in the first place.

"That's good." Hyuga Qinglan nodded, appearing relieved, then immediately wore a puzzled expression as he looked at Hyuga Hiashi, who was still standing motionless before him: "Lord Hiashi, is there anything else?"

"...Nothing."

Hyuga Hiashi ultimately followed the elders' instructions and asked the question to Hyuga Qinglan.

The child before him was gentle, polite, talented, and despite being from the branch family, never complained once.

Among the many branch family members in the Hyuga clan, only he was like a piece of warm jade, never fighting or snatching, quietly doing every task well.

He did not have the heart to interrogate such a child.

"Then I will be going now."

Hyuga Qinglan bowed his head in a salute, then turned and walked away with quick, measured steps.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and sliced across the shadows, splitting Hyuga Hiashi's figure in two.

"Send men to the ancient tomb Hyuga Qinglan discovered and investigate it thoroughly."

His voice suddenly turned low and cold, as if he had become a different person.

"Report every single trace you find."

"Yes!"

A faint rustling sound emerged from the shadows, then quickly faded into silence.

Hyuga Hiashi stood alone on the bluestone path, gazing in the direction where Hyuga Qinglan had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time.

The sunlight continued to slant down, shrouding half of his face in shadow, making his expression impossible to read.

"...Qinglan."

"Do not let me down."

--

"The side effects really are something else..."

Hyuga Qinglan slowly rolled up his sleeve, revealing skin so pale it was nearly translucent.

Across his arm, dense and deep marks were branded into his flesh, resembling cursed seals carved by lightning.

"My constitution should be more than enough to cultivate the Lightning Release Armor by now."

Hyuga Qinglan pulled his sleeve back down, mocking himself inwardly.

The technique he had been practicing all yesterday counted as a Lightning Release, yet it wasn't quite the same.

It was a skill he had learned to replicate from Otsutsuki Kinshiki in his previous life.

Divine Extermination.

Unlike the Lightning Release Armor, the lightning generated by this technique was purple, possessing greater power and higher speed.

In the original story, Otsutsuki Kinshiki had used this very move to briefly suppress Sasuke and his Rinnegan.

The only hard requirement for this technique was that one had to be an Otsutsuki or possess Otsutsuki chakra, combined with a sufficiently formidable physique.

Hyuga Qinglan was clearly pushing his limits, as he did not fully meet the criteria.

Though he couldn't compare to Orochimaru, well... this was close enough.

Just then, a small white snake slithered out from his sleeve, flicking its tongue with a hiss.

"The Daimyo's son? Leaving now?"

"I understand."

Hyuga Qinglan stroked the head of the small white snake, which then twisted its body and darted into the grass, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Yugakure...

What a nostalgic place.

Hyuga Qinglan sighed in his heart, looking toward the direction of the Hokage building.

As expected, it pays to have connections at the top...

Finally, I have a chance to take back what is mine...

--

"From the Hyuga clan, are you?"

"Not bad looking."

The Daimyo's son lifted the sedan curtain, casting a lazy glance at Hyuga Qinglan, who was following closely behind, along with several Konoha ninja.

"However, there is a war going on everywhere these days. Since Konoha accepted this mission, I assume you have the strength to protect me?"

"Since Your Highness issued the mission in Konoha," Hyuga Qinglan said, his expression blank and his tone flat, "the village will see it through to the end."

"Hmm, I am satisfied. Let us depart."

"The weather has been quite nice lately; perhaps all you Konoha folks can join me for a soak in the hot springs later..."

The Daimyo's son's voice drifted lazily from the sedan, and the surrounding guards seemed long accustomed to his demeanor.

He didn't look like someone living in the midst of a Great Ninja War at all, as if the conflict had nothing to do with him.

Or rather, it truly didn't.

In the ninja world, it was that simple.

The Daimyo was the Daimyo, and the Hokage was the Hokage.

Just because the village was at war, or the Land of Fire was at war, it didn't mean those who sat back and reaped the benefits had to fight.

As nobility, one only needed to enjoy life.

As for the worries left to the ninja, the samurai, and the armies...

Well, those were quite numerous indeed.