In early June of Konoha Year 54, with no further fighting on the front lines of the Land of Frost and peace temporarily restored to the Shinobi World, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire made his routine visit to Konoha.
Having not returned home for over two years, Sarutobi Asuma of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, displayed a complex expression upon seeing the village's brand-new gate. His companion, another young man, exclaimed, "I never imagined this place would become so prosperous in just two years!"
" The Fourth Hokage is truly amazing."
Despite serving as a bodyguard to the daimyo, the young ninja still yearned for Konoha, which, after its reconstruction, became the most prosperous and bustling town in the Land of Fire.
Although many older generation Konoha Ninja sacrificed their lives, the Konoha Ninja have been renewed as younger generations have grown up.
The fact that frontline ninjas are getting younger and younger is the best proof of this. The fame of ninjas like Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy continues to rise, and often, clients will assign missions in order to find outstanding ninjas.
"Yes! The Lord Hokage is truly amazing. When I left the village, I never expected this to happen."
"We hope peace can be restored as soon as possible; the village still needs some time."
Sarutobi Asuma responded softly, explaining that after his mother's sacrifice, unaware of the specifics of the events, he blamed his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen, for all the blame.
The relationship between father and son deteriorated again, and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, didn't offer much explanation. The loss of the Nine-Tails remained a top secret.
Although Asuma has considerable talent, Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't have high hopes for his rebellious youngest son. The war situation has changed, and he only hopes that his son can grow up healthy.
After passing through the checkpoint and entering the village, the group looked around at the surrounding commercial street and residential area.
When Asma left the village, Asuma clearly remembered that many Apartment were crooked and twisted because of expansion. Now, the red-roofed houses are neat and uniform, and the roads have become straight and wide.
"It's Asuma! Long time no see! This guy hasn't been back to the village for so long!"
Having just finished his mission, Genma Shiranui Ebisu waved to the familiar figure he saw. Ebisu adjusted his glasses, observed carefully, and whispered to his companion, "He must have chosen to return to protect the Daimyo. Don't mention the Third Hokage."
"It's a rare opportunity for us to get together, so let's not lecturing each other..."
Wearing a headscarf, Genma Shiranui scoffed. He certainly wouldn't want to upset Asuma. Seeing his classmate say goodbye to the daimyo and walk over, he immediately smiled and said, "Impressive! Twelve Guardian Ninja, Jonin even in the village."
"You've completely surpassed us. At our level, we're at most Special Jōnin."
Among his Peer, setting aside the genius ninjas, only Might Guy advanced the fastest, and his own strength grew stronger and stronger.
The title " Blue Beast of Konoha " is not just for show; it's something that ordinary ninjas can hardly imagine—one person turning the tide of battle single-handedly.
As long as you don't compare him to genius ninjas, Asuma's promotion speed is still very fast. Ebisu also showed a sincere smile and praised him, "If Asuma returns to the village, he can definitely easily get the position of Jonin."
"I never expected our graduating class to be so amazing! We'll all be counting on you guys from now on!"
Just as Asuma was about to respond, a girl with a neat ponytail and wearing a short white kimono stepped forward to greet them and enthusiastically introduced the new dishes.
Konoha Ninja have finished their missions enjoy spending money, and in such a competitive environment, soliciting customers has become a routine practice.
"If you're a senior customer, you can get a 15% discount on all dishes!"
" Mami has started soliciting customers near the gate. Looks like your place is under a lot of pressure!"
While telling Asuma to follow, Genma Shiranui chatted with a familiar girl. The girl, who had been persuaded to quit by Kakashi years ago, now had a thriving business, thanks to the support of Kakashi and the others.
"There's no other way. My father borrowed money from the village to rebuild the house, and now we younger generations can only rely on our efforts."
Mami sighed. She didn't recognize Asuma, but remembering the news she'd heard recently, the girl blushed slightly and asked softly, "Are Master Shu and the others coming back? I wonder if we'll have a chance to entertain Master Shu this time?"
"Senior, please, I really want to take a photo with Master Xiu. If you can hang it in the shop, I'll give all seniors a 20% discount from now on..."
Although nearly 17-year-old Shu Furukawa is difficult to approach in the village, he is still very popular, especially after he grew his hair long. Many girls flock to Konoha Hospital just to catch a glimpse of him.
Because some departments of Konoha Hospital accept patients from outside the village, as Shu Furukawa grew older, more and more people came to visit him, making him a veritable "star of the Shinobi World."
Ebisu glanced at the beautiful young woman, then, adopting an air of sophistication, said in a deep voice, "Actually, hanging up my photo would also be fine..."
"As expected, this senior is a repressed pervert."
Mami made a low, sarcastic remark without holding back, but the three of them quickly resumed their banter and laughter.
Asuma, seeing this, felt a pang of envy. Entering the izakaya, he looked around and, finding everyone laughing and chatting, couldn't help but whisper, "I thought everyone would be in low spirits during the war. Has it been like this ever since the Fourth Shinobi World War began?"
"Our predecessors sacrificed a lot, and only in the last six months has the situation changed."
Kumogakure, munching on a side dish, gave a brief reply. Genma Shiranui Asuma was indeed unaware of the battle situation, he whispered, "Captain Minato and Shu are amazing! If Kumogakure didn't have Tailed Beast involved in the war, we should have launched a counterattack. All the seniors who returned from the front lines think so."
"It's not easy to get frontline missions these days; the two of us haven't received any for four months."
Ebisu noticed Asuma's confused look and immediately whispered a reminder: "Unlike when Lord Jiraiya was in command, although there are frequent battles on the front lines now, it's relatively safer."
"These missions are required for any ninja who wants to be promoted. The Lord Hokage plans to raise the standards for Genin and Jonin, making it increasingly difficult in the future."
Asuma nodded blankly. He had never experienced war and naturally did not know the inside story. The opportunity to "fight alongside Lord Xiu" was becoming increasingly rare, so everyone naturally had to seize the opportunity.
"It seems my worries were unnecessary."
"I never imagined that the village would not only be rebuilt, but also dominate the commission market during the war. I feel like I missed out on so much..."
Asuma, who had subconsciously lit a cigarette, looked melancholy after saying these words. Back then, he felt like Caged Bird bound by his family, and always thought that the outside world was the only place of freedom.
But once he actually came into contact with the outside world, Asuma realized he was wrong. Hearing his classmates' stories, he began to doubt himself again. "What is the point of my existence as an ordinary ninja?"
Although no battles have occurred in the eastern part of the Land of Land of Hot Water in recent days, the Konoha Ninja have not relaxed their vigilance, and their patrol missions have even increased compared to before.
Battles between ninjas are not complicated; they are often intelligence battles. If Konoha can pinpoint the location of the enemy's "cannons," they can even launch a counterattack.
When they returned to the camp in the evening, several Hyuga Clan ninjas were whispering among themselves. The Kumogakure had clearly mastered the Byakugan's maximum range and had concealed their Jinchuriki exceptionally well.
"These Kumogakure should go back sooner; every day they hold out is a drain on both sides."
"Who knows what that Raikage is thinking? I really want to get back to the village as soon as possible."
" Hinata- sama will be three years old soon, right? There's a birthday party at the end of the year. I hope the war will be completely over by then."
Hideichi Hyuga remained silent as he overheard the group's discussion. The clan head's daughter was three years old, which meant that those who had branched out of the family would soon be branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
Recalling the image of Neji Hyuga, that diligent and sensible child, Hideichi Hyuga sighed inwardly. This was the fate of the branch family; the Cursed Seal would soon appear on the child's head.
"Shuichi, you'll be going on blind dates when you get back, right?"
"How enviable! This is something the clan chief himself has personally intervened in!"
Sensing the envy in his clansmen's voices, Hideichi Hyuga forced a smile, gratitude welling in his pure white eyes. He bowed slightly before politely bidding farewell.
Subconsciously clenching his fists, Hideichi Hyuga felt a sense of disgust despite his seemingly happy life. What saddened him even more was that his fellow members from the branch family had become accustomed to the existence of the Caged Bird.
As night fell, the Konoha Ninja, back at their camp, resumed their daily rants against the Kumogakure ' activities.
The Fourth Raikage's attempt to shift blame was widely condemned. When discussing the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beast Bomb, many praised the team's two leaders.
When Shu Furukawa appeared, the Konoha Ninja excitedly greeted him, "Lord Osamu!"
"It's all our fault for holding them back; otherwise, Master Xiu would have been able to kill even more Kumogakure."
"Master Xiu, please take a rest. We'll take care of the night watch!"
Greetings Kazuma followed one after another. Shu Furukawa smiled and nodded to indicate that he had heard them, until Hideichi Hyuga low request, at which point the two returned to their tent.
Perhaps it was Hinata Hyuga's birthday that provoked Hideichi Hyuga, for a rare twisted expression appeared on the usually gentle young man's fair face. "By the end of the year, Hizashi's son will soon be branded with the Caged Bird Seal."
"Xiu, can you help us? I'm willing to give anything, even my life, I just want to break free from this fate of losing my freedom so early."
Hideichi Hyuga had participated in some research work thanks to his Byakugan, and Shu Furukawa already knew what he was thinking, "There aren't many branch family members of the Hyuga Clan who share your mindset."
"Shuichi, in your people's eyes, life is already very good; the Caged Bird is protecting them."
You can't change that mindset.
"Once the Hyuga Clan intermarries with outsiders, it becomes difficult to awaken the Byakugan. This situation exists within the village, and your clan leader's arrangement of matchmaking within the clan is based on this consideration."
"More importantly, the Cursed Seal involves the brain's nervous system. The Caged Bird isn't just a manifestation of Chakra; it can even alter the genetic material in your body."
Shu Furukawa had done some basic research on the bodies of the Hyuga Clan. The branch family ninjas who sacrificed themselves were never able to get rid of this Cursed Seal until the very end, and their eyes would be damaged after death.
The Byakugan of Konoha is not a special form of Chakra, and Shu Furukawa is not very interested in this kind of bloodline-inherited power; what he needs is the power of Chakra.
Seeing Hideichi Hyuga remain silent, Shu Furukawa sighed and reminded him again, "If the Caged Bird can truly be broken, the Hyuga Clan will undergo drastic changes."
"But you are not prepared for this change. A branch family that cannot even master secret techniques will have no chance against the Main Family."
"We can talk to Hizashi -senpai again; perhaps he has other ideas as well."
Hideichi Hyuga didn't pay attention to any changes. He understood Shu Furukawa's unspoken message: there was a solution to the Caged Bird Curse. He abruptly raised his head and firmly replied, " Hizashi wouldn't want his son to be branded with the Caged Bird Seal!"
Shu Furukawa did not respond. The life of the Hyuga Branch Family was actually not bad. Once he accepted his identity, he could live a better life.
After another three days of stalemate, both Konoha and Kumogakure's supply lines ran into problems, and the two sides almost inexplicably started fighting again, with Obito Uchiha the flames and pushing the war forward.
Due to an unforeseen circumstance, the negotiations were postponed again. Minato Namikaze, who had arrived at the front lines of the Land of Frost early in the morning, stared at the marked map in deep thought. Noticing that Shu Furukawa had entered, he spoke up and said, "I tracked down Madara Uchiha's previous teleportation point, and like you, I couldn't sense any markers."
"His Dōjutsu seem to have no upper limit!"
"This ability is even more powerful than Space-Time Ninjutsu. If this continues, the negotiations are likely to be postponed again."
26
Shu Furukawa nodded in agreement, recalling the headstrong Fourth Raikage, and couldn't help but sigh, "Even if he's stubborn this time, he should realize there's a problem by now."
"Continuing this won't do the Kumogakure any good; perhaps this postponement is just a matter of saving face..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Anbu Ninja entered to report. Minato smiled upon hearing " the Kumogakure's discussion," and looked at Shu Furukawa, teasing the stubborn enemy. "You were right. If they keep insisting, I'll have no choice but to desperately transfer the Tailed Beast Bomb to their defensive line!"
"Creating hatred will only escalate the war. Faced with an unknown enemy, I hope this Raikage can make the right choice."
In the afternoon, the Fourth Raikage arrived at the agreed-upon valley, his dark face full of displeasure, while Dodai beside him remained calm, as he only wanted to end the war as soon as possible so that the people could recuperate.
Upon seeing the two figures suddenly appear, the Kumogakure behind the Fourth Raikage immediately tensed up.
"There's no need for such precautions. We're here to end the war. If we continue fighting, you'll destroy all the wild hot springs in the Land of Hot Water."
Wearing Konoha Jonin combat uniform, Shu Furukawa spoke with a smile to ease the tense atmosphere, while Minato, with a serious expression, tossed out a scroll and reminded them, "This is the initial consensus reached by the Daimyo. If you agree, we can discuss it further and then sign a ceasefire agreement."
"You must have sensed the enemy lurking in the shadows by now. I don't want to deceive you about this."
Without the burden of the Konoha Ninja, and facing two incredibly fast ninjas, the Fourth Raikage A, no longer acted recklessly. He rechecked the scroll's contents and, seeing that it was similar to what the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning had given him, said in a deep voice, "I can't be bothered with these cowardly fellows!"
"We won this war, not only in the present, Kumogakure also in the future."
"You get nothing from Yugito Nii. In the development and use of Jinchuriki, no one in the Shinobi World can compare to us."
Minato sighed. Shu Furukawa hadn't expected his opponent to insist on "winning," and had to remind him, " Yugito Nii has exchanged the Land of Frost for us; that's enough."
" Lord Raikage, I believe Killer B is a special being..."
Before Shu Furukawa could finish speaking, the Fourth Raikage A, roared angrily, "Evil brat! What are you trying to compare me to?!"
"I've seen through your scheme, Minato Namikaze. You'd better watch out, or I won't say I didn't warn you..."