Back home, Hyuga Hane glanced at the Shadow Clone studying in the study, then went to the bedroom.
He took a die from his pocket and stared at the number on top, his eyes glinting.
One. Odd.
He lost, Tsunade won.
"Lord Danzo, I've brought her back."
In the dim room, Danzo stared coldly at a girl. Two Jonin from the Root stood beside him.
"Give her the Root Seal."
"Yes!" The Jonin on the left stepped forward and carved the Cursed Seal into the girl as she struggled in terror.
"No! Lady Tsunade, help me..."
Danzo watched the girl's futile resistance in silence, his heart cold.
Hiruzen, you really think I don't know what you've arranged for Tsunade?
You don't need to bring Tsunade back, with her hemophobia, just to improve the Cursed Seal. You want her to break the Caged Bird.
Unfortunately, you've now crossed the interests of more than just me.
I hope you know what's good for you, Tsunade.
Early the morning two days later, Hyuga Hane arrived at the village gate, only to find two ninja already waiting there.
Both were familiar faces.
Uchiha Yakumaru, and... Hatake Kakashi.
"You've been making quite a name for yourself lately!"
Yakumaru's mouth drooped as he spoke sarcastically. "Not only did you learn the Flying Thunder God, you also took down the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with Lord Hokage. Impressive. Unlike me, stuck at home recovering."
Hyuga Hane sized him up, puzzled. "Did you have vinegar for breakfast? Why do I smell something sour?"
"I heard a medical ninja say that drinking vinegar in the morning can upset your stomach. Take care of yourself."
"...I'm just frustrated that I wasn't there to protect Lord Hokage!"
He took a deep breath, then another, constantly reminding himself: Lord Hokage was about to arrive. He couldn't lose his composure!
"You want to fight the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Hyuga Hane shook his head and furrowed his brow as he analyzed the situation for Yakumaru. "You're good at Genjutsu and Fire Style. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen have seven members, and quite a few of them use Water Release. It'd be hard for you to fight them. You'd only hold Lord Hokage back."
Uchiha Yakumaru glared at him, feeling a nerve inside him stretched to its limit.
And Hyuga Hane kept going. "Your Uchiha Clan always takes winning and losing so seriously, treating defeat as a disgrace. Why invite humiliation?"
Even Kakashi, who had been reading his Little People Book, couldn't help looking up at Hyuga Hane.
That conversation sounded familiar. Back when Obito was still around, he seemed to say things like that all the time.
Then...
Kakashi looked at Uchiha Yakumaru, who had lowered his head.
The nerve... had snapped.
"Aaaaah! Hyuga Hane, you bastard!"
A white blade flashed, sharp and swift.
Hyuga Hane stepped back.
Clearly, Uchiha Yakumaru had a solid grasp of the basics of swordsmanship. Even in a fit of rage, his strike was steady.
But as for how much it improved Yakumaru's actual fighting strength... practically none.
So why even use a sword?
As he pondered this, Hyuga Hane kept dodging Uchiha Yakumaru's attacks.
After unleashing dozens of strikes, Uchiha Yakumaru calmed down, fire blazing in his eyes.
This time, I'll show you what I've been working on lately.
Buzz—buzz—buzz.
The blade in Yakumaru's hand trembled slightly, and the sound it made caused Hyuga Hane to furrow his brow.
A subtle Chakra was invading his mind, but it couldn't break through the defense of his visual prowess.
I see. A Genjutsu triggered by sound?
"You're impressive. Perhaps even more talented than I am! But you can't surpass the Uchiha's thousand years of heritage. This technique was created by one of our predecessors, who never awakened the Sharingan. Now, watch closely..."
Yakumaru's voice grew quieter and quieter. Seeing Hane watch him expressionlessly, he stopped attacking and stared at his blade, unable to understand.
Had he not practiced enough?
Why hadn't his opponent fallen under the Genjutsu?
Although his earlier recklessness had brought him plenty of trouble, he had learned from it and begun studying Genjutsu. This sound-based technique was an A-rank Genjutsu, extremely difficult to master.
He'd only had a short time to practice, and had only learned the basics. But he couldn't even make Hyuga Hane daze for a moment?
"I know you've improved lately. No need to keep demonstrating."
Hyuga Hane walked past Uchiha Yakumaru, who had just taken another blow, and went over to Kakashi. "You're Kakashi, right? We met at the Ninja Academy."
"Hello." Kakashi nodded, the corner of his eye on the dejected Uchiha Yakumaru. "Aren't you going to comfort him?"
"He's resilient," Hyuga Hane said, shaking his head.
"Is that so?"
Kakashi thoughtfully looked away and returned his attention to his book. "You wanted to test his abilities, didn't you?"
"He's my teammate, so I need to know his current level."
"So you can save him on the battlefield?"
"No. That way, once I've identified the enemy's location, I can use the Flying Thunder God to send him to fight an opponent around his level," Hyuga Hane said casually.
Kakashi fell silent.
A scene appeared in his mind.
On the battlefield, a Hidden Mist ninja was watching his surroundings when a voice came from above.
Your opponent has been matched.
Then the Flying Thunder God Kunai and Uchiha Yakumaru appeared in front of him, one after the other.
And the voice belonged to Hyuga Hane...
Was this how you used the Flying Thunder God?
He'd learned something new.
Uchiha Yakumaru, having recovered from his despondency, returned to the two of them. He glanced at Kakashi, who was buried in his book, then asked Hyuga Hane, a little annoyed, "Are you close with him?"
He'd lost again. He'd have to train harder after this!
"We met at the Ninja Academy."
"So he's your senior, then? Do you know what that Little People Book he's reading is about?"
Yakumaru folded his hands behind his head, glanced at the book in Kakashi's hands, and lowered his voice. "The day before yesterday, he came to the clan grounds to tell me about today's gathering. He ran into a junior named Shisui Uchiha, and the two of them really hit it off."
"He even gave Shisui a copy of that book. That very night, the elder who looks after Shisui came to see me and blocked me in the entryway, demanding information about Kakashi. He wanted to break that guy's legs!"
Hyuga Hane hadn't paid much attention until he heard the keywords "Little People Book" and "Shisui." His expression twisted slightly.
Kakashi's Little People Book... he'd given one to Shisui? Wasn't Shisui only ten?
Then he deserved to have his legs broken...
"Everyone's here, I see?"
Before Uchiha Yakumaru could get an answer from Hyuga Hane, a warm voice reached them.
They looked toward it and saw three figures drawing closer.
Namikaze Minato, Kushina Uzumaki, and a girl about as tall as Kakashi.
Nohara Rin.
Kakashi noticed them and returned from his world of books, looking at them with a slight frown.
"Wasn't Rin supposed to join Lady Tsunade's Medical Corps to study, and stay off missions for now? And why is Kushina-sensei here too?"
"Lady Tsunade didn't approve that proposal. And Rin..."
Minato didn't explain Kushina's presence. He looked at Rin helplessly.
The usually gentle girl now had a resolute expression. "Sorry, Kakashi. I want to use my own eyes to witness the arrival of peace on Obito's behalf."
"Don't worry. I'll stay at the base and serve as a medical ninja!"
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