The Final Life Simulation

Regardless, the end of the war was something worth celebrating.

However, in stark contrast to the joyous atmosphere permeating the village, Hinata Hyuga was hiding in her room, anxiously waiting for the cooldown of the Life Simulator to end.

The Kumogakure delegation would be sending someone to scout the Hyuga Clan Grounds tonight and would take action tomorrow; counting the cooldown, this was her final chance for a simulation.

[Konoha Year 54, the Kumogakure delegation arrives, and Father becomes increasingly busy. I find an opportunity to slip out of the residence again, intending to go find Neji.]

[However, just outside the perimeter wall, I discover a suspicious figure. The person has dark skin, looking very much like someone from the Land of Lightning.]

[Now, I have three choices.]

[1. Shout loudly that there is a spy from an enemy village here.]

[2. Ignore it and continue searching for Neji.]

[3. Do nothing and return to my room immediately.]

"I choose the third."

[Taking advantage of the fact that the person has not yet noticed me, I retreat silently back inside the wall and run back to my room. I fall into a deep, uneasy sleep; the intruder seems to stop there as well, and the night passes without incident.]

[The next morning, a new choice is placed before me.]

[1. Go find Kiyonari and Neji to discuss countermeasures.]

[2. Inform Father of what I discovered last night.]

[3. Go with Kiyonari to find Tsunade.]

The moment the third option appeared, Hinata Hyuga's eyes lit up, and her anxious heart calmed significantly.

Next, she chose the third option, simultaneously activating [Designated Simulation] at the cost of increasing the cooldown time.

[I decide to go find Hyuga Kiyonari first. After explaining my intentions to him, to my surprise, before I can even detail the reasons, he leads me to pay a visit to Tsunade.]

[Afterward, I recount the discovery from last night in full detail and tactfully suggest that the other party might be a member of the Kumogakure delegation; if handled improperly, it could trigger a diplomatic conflict.]

[Before I can even finish, Tsunade's gaze turns sharp, and her expression grows gloomy.]

["This is exactly the kind of thing they would do, just like in the past."]

[Tsunade sneers, stating she will back me up, but tells me to be careful at night and to make sure Father does not fall asleep.]

[Night falls, and I return to my room according to my usual routine.]

[Soon, an extremely faint sound of footsteps comes from the direction of the window. My palms are slick with cold sweat, but I struggle to remain calm and continue feigning sleep. At the critical moment, Father rushes in and subdues the intruder in a single strike.]

[Kumogakure's counter-accusations and threats arrive as expected. Tsunade rebukes Kumogakure for their shameless behavior and refuses to compromise. The Hokage's determination to end the war is also firm, and all of Konoha falls into intense arguments.]

[Both sides refuse to yield, neither able to convince the other, and they are unable to provide an answer.]

"Phew~"

Seeing this, Hinata Hyuga breathes a slight sigh of relief.

She understands now that some things do not necessarily need a conclusion; sometimes, having no result is a result in itself. Father was always like that; even if he only remained silent, she could read his attitude.

And this was the result Hinata hoped to obtain by using [Designated Simulation], with the goal of verifying whether Kumogakure's "threat" was merely verbal or if they would truly launch a war.

[However, a Main Branch Elder approaches Hizashi in private.]

[No one knows what they discussed, and no one knows what method the Elder used. Perhaps it was by the order of the Main Branch, perhaps by the righteousness of the clan, or perhaps by Neji's future...]

[In any case, when Tsunade and Father rush to Hizashi's home, it is already too late.]

[Hizashi has already committed suicide. The Caged Bird curse seal on his forehead has been activated, destroying his Byakugan from within, leaving his outward appearance unchanged.]

[Tsunade's fists clench until they crack, but it is of no use now.]

[The person is dead, and the arguments in Konoha come to an abrupt halt.]

The development of events had returned to the familiar path. Hinata Hyuga quickly flipped through the remaining content, but until the simulation ended, she could not obtain a definitive answer.

But she thought—no, she should be gambling.

She decided to take a gamble, betting that Kumogakure's threat was only verbal, simply because she could not accept any of the outcomes in the simulator.

As for what would happen if the war truly arrived, Hinata could no longer imagine it.

She turned her head to look out the window, only then realizing that the night was already very deep.

A night passed.

"Creak—"

Hinata had slept very poorly last night.

Even though she knew that person would not strike tonight, she was still somewhat terrified; perhaps... this was what the books called "ignorance is bliss."

Hinata stood in front of Hyuga Kiyonari's house, took a few deep breaths, and then stepped forward to knock on the door.

From the moment she knocked on this door, everything would change!

The door opened quickly, revealing Hyuga Kiyonari: "Hinata? So early... your complexion is terrible, did something happen?"

"Kiyonari-kun..." Hinata walked closer, struggling to suppress the slight discord in her voice, "I want to see Tsunade. I have some... very important things I must tell her, and I must tell you as well."

"Alright."

Kiyonari remained as he always was.

Whenever she had a request, he never asked for the reason; he simply nodded in agreement and then arranged everything perfectly.

This silent reliability allowed Hinata to feel an instant sense of peace just by standing beside him.

The two arrived at the Senju Clan estate, and as expected, it was Shizune who opened the door.

"Sister Shizune, is Lady Tsunade... is the teacher awake?" Hyuga Kiyonari stumbled over his words; he still wasn't used to that title.

"Although she drank quite heartily last night, Lady Tsunade went to bed early, so she is already awake," Shizune said while leading them inside.

"Please wait in the living room for a moment; I will go notify Lady Tsunade right away."

As time ticked by, footsteps echoed in the hallway, followed by the sliding of a door.

Tsunade had clearly just finished bathing, wearing a loose, pale green yukata. The collar hung open carelessly, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin and deep cleavage, and the sash was tied just as loosely. Her long golden hair was still damp, resting against her back with a few strands clinging to her fair neck, while crystalline water droplets trickled down the tips of her hair.

As soon as she entered, a faint fragrance mixed with the warmth of steam washed over them.

Shizune chased after her, handing over a dry towel with a look of utter helplessness: "You should at least dry your hair."

"It's fine, it's fine, it'll dry on its own in a while anyway."

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively, her gaze fixed directly on the two: "Speak up. You came running to me first thing in the morning—what is it?"