The Third Generation's Inspection (Part 1)

"Lord Yagura, there is no trace of Jonin Terumi Mei nearby. It is suspected that she was captured alive and taken away by Konoha."

A few minutes later, two ninjas appeared before Yagura, kneeling on one knee to report.

"Return."

Yagura stared at the spot where the Shadow Clone of Hyuga Hane had vanished. After a moment of silence, he headed toward the camp.

The two ninjas exchanged a glance, assuming Yagura was simply in a foul mood over the loss of a promising Jonin like Terumi Mei. They thought nothing of it, stood up, and followed him.

At night, in the camp, Uchiha Yakumaru walked toward Hyuga Hane holding two grilled fish. He handed one to him and sat down by his side.

"What are you thinking about? Still dwelling on what that Mist ninja said? With your current strength and status, the constraints of the Hyuga Main Family are nothing but a joke."

"The Main Family has nothing to do with me. I am thinking about other things."

Hyuga Hane tasted the grilled fish and frowned slightly. "What did you add to this? Why is it so sweet?"

"It tastes better with a little sugar."

Uchiha Yakumaru nonchalantly pulled out a seasoning box, sprinkled a generous amount of sugar onto his own fish, took a bite, and mumbled, "Do you not like sweets?"

"You put in too much." Despite saying this, Hyuga Hane did not waste it. He finished the fish before asking, "You said earlier that you wanted peace. What is your take on children being sent to the battlefield?"

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the distant forest, where Uchiha Fugaku was training a small child.

"The clan leader's child? It's Itachi, right?"

Uchiha Yakumaru turned his gaze in that direction, surprised. "He's only four or five years old, and the clan leader has already brought him to the battlefield?"

Hyuga Hane: "I heard he's been here for a while."

"...It is a bit early. Coming to the battlefield at this age is a test of his psychological resilience."

Uchiha Yakumaru said, as if accustomed to it, "But it can also be seen as a continuation of the traditions from the Warring States period. Compared to a kunai or an Explosive Tag, a child born into a ninja clan is far more terrifying. No one will spare them just because of their age."

"Throughout history, many ninja clans have gone extinct. As long as their enemies have the capability, they will not spare anyone, not even the children. Only by adapting to the cruelty of the battlefield early can one grow faster."

"Ninja Academy students are the same, aren't they? They learn killing techniques from a young age, and after graduation, they go through a few ordinary missions before they start executing tasks that require killing and combat."

Uchiha Yakumaru's eyes grew distant as he watched Itachi training tirelessly. "The supervising ninja initially only accepts missions unrelated to combat or killing, which is also to determine whether the newly graduated Genin possesses the cold-hearted nature required of a ninja."

"If they have no interest in combat or killing, not becoming a ninja is an option. But since they have chosen the path of a ninja, they should never think of backing down. Since he has started learning ninjutsu and considers himself a ninja, this is only natural."

"So, it is an inevitability."

Hyuga Hane's sudden exclamation brought Uchiha Yakumaru out of his trance. He asked, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Ninjas leave behind means of slaughter for their descendants. Naturally, the way a ninja thinks about solving problems will also be centered on slaughter."

"Want to obtain resources or food? Use force! Want to take revenge on an enemy? Kill! When they encounter difficult problems, they have already formed the habit of considering combat as their primary solution."

Uchiha Yakumaru's movements stiffened. Looking at Hyuga Hane's Byakugan, he felt as if something had crossed his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp the feeling.

Hyuga Hane had already stood up and was walking toward the core of the Konoha camp. "The Hokage wants me to come over at eight o'clock. We'll talk again when there's time."

Uchiha Yakumaru watched him walk away, then turned his gaze back toward Itachi, his brow furrowed.

Ninjas leave behind slaughter for their descendants...

Stepping into the command room, he did not find the Fourth Hokage as expected, but the Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He had already arrived at the front lines.

Hyuga Hane's expression remained unchanged as he bowed. "Lord Third."

"You're here. Sit."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gestured to the seat in front of him. He waited for Hyuga Hane to sit down before stating his purpose: "Minato wants to use this war to help you gain enough fame so he can entrust a position to you. He speaks very highly of you, and I would like to understand your capabilities."

With that, he took out a document and placed it on the table.

"Look at the contents and tell me your thoughts."

Hyuga Hane picked it up and slowly read through things he already knew. For a time, the only sounds in the room were the rustling of papers and the Third Hokage smoking his pipe.

Seeing him put the documents down, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, "Well?"

"Sarutobi Masaaki is your man."

The hand holding the pipe trembled slightly. Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at Hyuga Hane's calm face and smiled faintly. "Not bad."

This "not bad" seemed to mean more than just confirmation. Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed, "I arranged for him to be by Koharu and the others' side at the beginning of my administration. Because I was appointed during a crisis, the ninja clans did not recognize me, so I needed the support of the clans behind them."

"It's just that the clans behind them were still very weak at the time and had little say in Konoha, so I had Masaaki assist in their growth."

"But later, my two old friends ultimately stood completely on the side of the ninja clans, and Masaaki followed them as a matter of course."

He did not say a single lie, because he knew that since the young man before him could see that Masaaki was his man, lies would be meaningless.

"However, they didn't expect that Masaaki was my man from beginning to end. How did you figure that out?"

"Behavior."

"Behavior?"

Hyuga Hane said indifferently, "He forced Tsunade out of the village."

Sarutobi Hiruzen realized, shaking his head helplessly, "Zhengming is too impatient."

Tsunade holds a unique political significance in Konoha; even in the current situation, if she wanted to kick out the Fourth and become Hokage herself, many ninja clans that had previously sabotaged her would shamelessly flock to her side the next moment to hoist her into that position, not caring about their own faces in the slightest.

At worst, they would just find a scapegoat to take the blame, and their clans could still continue to work under Tsunade.

Furthermore, the Daimyo would raise both hands in approval, as the two are, strictly speaking, relatives...

Such a person should not have been allowed to leave Konoha; otherwise, as long as she supported the Fourth, the resistance Danzo would face in his attempt to oust the Fourth would be even greater.

An old man who has spent decades in political struggle could not possibly be insensitive to such matters.

But Hiruzen could understand; if Tsunade were to remain there, it would only lead to trouble, and Konoha might even truly descend into civil strife, so it was better to let her leave.

"That is not all. If you wish to control the situation in Konoha from afar, it is better to infiltrate from within rather than take an adversarial approach. This intelligence was also provided to you by Elder Zhengming, was it not?"

Hyuga Hane set the document down, "It is too detailed, as if he had personally experienced most of these events. Unless one is at the core, there are things the person delivering this intelligence should not know."

"Is this also one of the reasons for his exposure?"

"With this intelligence, it is a conclusion anyone could reach."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head with a wry smile, "If Minato were to hear you say that, he would likely be quite depressed."