Fourth-Fourth Chapter: Astonishing, The Old Man Who Was Hiding His Strength, Tens of Thousands of Spies All Over the Ninja World~

"Hoo~ hoo~"

Hyuga Seigo was sleeping soundly, a bubble even forming at his nose; there was truly nothing more comforting than sleeping between his two wives.

"Hehe~ Seigo looks so cute when he's asleep." Hinata was on lookout duty, while Ino gently fanned him.

This scene made everyone around them incredibly envious. They whispered among themselves, "Hyuga Seigo, what an enviable bastard! Two of them~ two of them..."

One of them couldn't help but complain, "Why doesn't the teacher scold him for sleeping? Do members of great clans not have to follow the rules?" He lacked even a shred of self-awareness.

"Exactly, exactly. Why do they scold us but not him?"

Some of the more clear-headed students frowned slightly. "Kaiki, I disagree with that sentiment."

"Oh? Eita, what profound insight do you have then?" Kaiki, the student who had been refuted, said with a sarcastic tone.

Eita said with a firm gaze, "No matter what your grievances are, the fact is that great clans don't have to follow the same rules."

"The weak adapt to the rules, while the strong create and change them. Isn't that just how the world works? What is there to be dissatisfied about? I will work hard to ensure my own children become like that in the future."

Although his tone was calm, his eyes revealed an undisguised confidence. Clearly, he was full of hope and passion for his own life.

"You... you..."

Hearing this, the two students from before turned bright red; they couldn't refute the clear-headed student's point. They retorted sourly, "Hmph~ then we look forward to Lord Eita becoming a powerhouse in the future and creating rules for us to adapt to."

Eita smiled cheerfully. "Thank you, I will."

"You..." Those two blockheads were fiercely stung by that smile; it was such a dazzling radiance.

"Seigo-kun, a role model for our generation."

Another person expressed admiration, his eyes sparkling with envy as he whispered, "I really want to know how he managed this. I want to learn these methods!"

"If I learned them, would I be able to find a girlfriend too~" His voice carried a hint of anticipation and longing.

"Haha~ with that face of yours, I think it's unlikely~" The person beside him couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Pah~ you bastard, you're the ugly one... you're ugly and your whole family is ugly..." The person retorted angrily.

Just then, someone took out a camera, his face beaming with a smile as he pressed the shutter, producing a "click" sound.

He laughed and said, "Let's keep a memento. It might appreciate in value in the future. This is a legendary scene—the harmonious family of the Hyuga clan head. It should be worth quite a bit, right? It can be passed down as an heirloom, hehe~"

"Sugoi~ I missed out on a fortune... a fortune..."

Others wanted to take pictures but either didn't have a camera or were caught by Ino and warned with her little fists.

"If we can't take pictures, we won't. Why threaten us..." some busybodies muttered, not daring to let her hear.

Ino was quite the little firecracker.

They didn't dare to go against Ino.

Provoking her meant provoking the whole group.

Not to mention the Hyuga clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio stood together, and the Aburame and Inuzuka clans were not to be trifled with either.

Well, Naruto was easier to provoke.

But even Naruto was someone they couldn't beat right now.

"Good grief, that guy has a great head for business. Even if he doesn't become a ninja in the future, he could be a pretty good merchant."

Although Seigo's body was asleep, his divine sense remained in an active state. Hehe~ it seems there are quite a few talents in this class. It looks like I could invest in students like Eita.

Those who could make it into the elite class all had decent potential.

Seigo decided to become an angel investor.

"So young, yet he has two girlfriends and can keep them in such harmony. He really is a winner in life..."

Iruka was extremely envious. "Sigh~ when will I ever have a girlfriend?"

His expression looked somewhat dejected, as he was indeed a bit tongue-tied when it came to matters of the heart. However, Iruka was an open-minded person, and he quickly reasoned it out.

"Ma, ma, why am I thinking so much about this?!"

"Even if I don't have a girlfriend, my good brother Mizuki does..."

"Maybe living together as three wouldn't be so bad... Tsubaki is a good girl, she shouldn't mind, right..."

"Probably."

"I just want to stay by Mizuki's side."

"I never thought about interfering in their world."

Iruka muttered to himself.

Good grief, are the thoughts of "honest men" this open nowadays? I underestimated you, Iruka-sensei.

Seigo noticed Iruka's whispering.

In his state of divine sense.

He was stunned.

As expected, the people of the Ninja World have truly peculiar thought processes.

Bonds are the main melody.

Qingwu realized.

"The school campus really is the Pure Land of the Ninja World."

There isn't so much backstabbing and scheming.

Their thoughts are all written plainly on their faces.

The Ninja World is a giant vat of dye; everyone is a colorful painting, unlike the school campus, which is like a sheet of solid-colored cardstock.

Meanwhile.

Qingwu was busy soaking in his youth.

Yet, the Ninja World was already surging with undercurrents.

For no other reason.

"This kind of thing must be held in my own hands." A flash of greed crossed the eyes of Ōnoki. Having experienced youth once more, he could no longer bear the thought of returning to that decrepit, elderly body. "Someone, help me contact the Kage of the other villages. I have urgent matters to discuss."

His aide acknowledged the order but still asked, "Lord Tsuchikage, should we also contact the Hokage of Konoha?"

Ōnoki sneered, "Of course. He is likely even more anxious than I am. Sarutobi Hiruzen is far darker than you imagine."

"Yes." The subordinate withdrew to make the arrangements.

At the same time, this scene was playing out in many places across the Ninja World.

The nobles behind the Exchange Office: "Investigate where Hundred Beast Mountain is. Issue a bounty across the entire Ninja World for anyone with information. As long as they can provide valid leads, the rewards will be generous."

"Send people to infiltrate Konoha and wait for the right moment."

Some stubborn, reckless small ninja clans organized: "Find Hyuga clansmen who are alone. Capture them to trade for Youth-Preserving Pills. Trade for as many as you can, but don't show your faces personally..."

"Look into who his important people and friends are. Find a way to make contact; children are easier to deceive."

"Something like this should belong to our Cloud Village. With these items, the Cloud Village Nintaijutsu can remain evergreen."

"..."

Having witnessed the miraculous nature of the Youth-Preserving Pill and felt the long-lost sensation of youth, who wouldn't want to keep such a thing in their own grasp? After all, no one wants to have their throat held by someone else at a critical moment.

"If the Hyuga are loyal, they should offer up the formula for the Youth-Preserving Pill." Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had his own designs.

"Notify Sarutobi Hiruzen and have him find a way."

"Yes, Lord Daimyo." A subordinate immediately went to handle it.

In an instant.

Various conspiracies and schemes surrounding the Hyuga.

Were about to descend.

The Shadow Guard had already received the news.

Qingwu: "I have already cast a wide net waiting for you. I only fear you won't come. My blade has long been hungry and impatient."

"Someone come."

"Present. Please give your orders, Lord Qingwu." A figure emerged from the shadows, kneeling on one knee to await instructions.

"Pass the order to the Shadow Guard: fan the flames. The more people who come, the better. Just make sure our own people don't get involved..." Qingwu issued the command.

"Yes." The reply was crisp and efficient.

The figure vanished back into the darkness.

"The Shadow Guard the old man gave me is just too useful."

Thinking of this, Qingwu was deeply moved.

He also sighed in admiration: "Ginger really is spicier when it's old. A core of over fifteen hundred Shadow Guards, spread throughout the Ninja World—truly impressive."

When he first became the head of the family and the old man handed this power over to him, Qingwu had been stunned.

The Hyuga people had long since been recalled; those sent out were all war orphans the old man had adopted over the last dozen years. Without a Byakugan, who would know they were from the Hyuga clan?!

In any case, in the eyes of the world, the Hyuga were arrogant to a fault, looking down their noses at everyone. They didn't even care for their own branch family, let alone cultivate commoners. This gave Hyuga Hoze his opportunity.

The Hyuga clan possessed the Byakugan, making it easy to evade the village's surveillance. It was no trouble at all for the Great Elder, Hyuga Hoze, to adopt a few orphans.

These thousand-plus people worked in all walks of life.

After all, everyone's talents were different. Some were suited to be ninjas, some for business, some for farming, and some liked blacksmithing... they blossomed everywhere.

As for how many were on the periphery now, even the old man couldn't say for sure. "I've never counted exactly how many there are. I estimate there might be tens of thousands, including many ordinary people."

These were all the trump cards he had left for Qingwu.

He was simply afraid of what would happen once he died.

Qingwu was left with no one to rely on.

In the event of an emergency, these Shadow Guards would be his foundation for survival, helping Qingwu fake his death and escape to live as a wealthy man of leisure.

This was all the deep love a grandfather held for his grandson.

"Grandfather~" For the first time, Qingwu's eyes grew moist; having lived two lifetimes, he had never been so moved.

Now, the title of mastermind behind the Ninja World.

Would be even more well-deserved.

Thinking of the spot where the Guardian Shinobi had just vanished, Qingwu smiled: "They could never dream of where the Shadow Guard headquarters is located."