The Heirs' Thoughts!

The night air was like a light veil, like swirling mist, hanging from the branches and winding around the eaves. The bright moon had already peeked out, casting its soft glow over the peaceful and tranquil Konoha.

"Uncle, another plate of beef, and bring me a carton of milk~"

On a commercial street less than 1,000 meters from the Hokage Building, there was a barbecue restaurant famous throughout the village called the Yakitori House. From the elderly to the children, most in the village had tasted the delicacies of this shop.

Relying on fresh ingredients and relatively reasonable prices, the Yakitori House had become the most famous barbecue spot in all of Konoha. Consequently, even in the current climate, business was booming, and customers were endless.

Fortunately, Uzumaki Kuming and his two companions had arrived early, so they didn't need to wait for a table; their food was served quickly, and they began to dig in.

"Kuming, can you really eat any more? This is already the second plate. We barely touched the first one; you ate it all~"

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Kuming sitting across from him, unable to help but reach for his wallet. He felt the thickness of it, and his voice trembled slightly as he asked.

The "relatively reasonable prices" mentioned earlier didn't mean the shop was cheap; it just meant that compared to the average income of a Konoha ninja, most people could afford it. However, the war had been going on for quite some time, and the missions Uchiha Fugaku had been executing recently were all assigned by the village.

War missions meant there was no client payment, and Uchiha Fugaku, who had long considered himself independent and refused to ask his family for money, was actually facing significant financial pressure.

"It's fine, I digest quickly."

"The portions here are still too small; a few hundred grams of beef isn't enough for anyone."

Uzumaki Kuming spoke nonchalantly, seemingly oblivious to Uchiha Fugaku's embarrassment. Seeing Kuming in such high spirits, Fugaku changed the subject, unable to bear continuing that line of questioning.

"Speaking of which, Kuming, you're seven this year, right?"

"Who taught you your ninjutsu? They are all very impressive techniques."

Uchiha Fugaku stopped worrying about how much Kuming could eat and began to grow curious about where Kuming had learned his ninjutsu.

He knew Kuming had grown up in Tsunade's home, but with his experience, he could tell that Kuming's fighting style was completely different from hers. It shouldn't have been Tsunade who taught him.

As for Uzumaki Mito, Fugaku hadn't even considered that possibility. After all, Mito was already a legendary figure in Konoha; she had vanished from the public eye since the Second Hokage's reign, and only the top brass of Konoha knew she still existed.

And the Uchiha Clan, being wary of the Second Hokage, knew even less about Uzumaki Mito.

"Hmm?"

"Ninjutsu? My grandmother taught me. And also Lord Hokage; I am a disciple of Lord Hokage, you know."

Uzumaki Kuming picked up a piece of beef from the grill, dipped it in some sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth, speaking indistinctly.

Hearing Kuming's answer, not only Uchiha Fugaku, who had asked out of curiosity, but also Hyuga Hiashi, who had been silently eating on the side, stared at Kuming in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.

"You are a disciple of Lord Hokage?" Uchiha Fugaku shouted in surprise. He didn't care who Kuming's grandmother was; he only cared if the person in front of him was truly the Hokage's disciple.

"Yeah, is that strange?" Kuming looked at him, puzzled, not understanding why the other was so surprised.

"Right, that would explain why you were assigned to our team, and why you have this level of strength at your age."

"Kuming, say no more. Order whatever you want to eat or drink. It's my treat—eat your fill."

Fugaku took a deep breath and said to Kuming. Seeing the drastic change in the other's attitude, Kuming couldn't help but have a question, so he asked:

"You seem very excited. Is the fact that I'm a Hokage disciple really that shocking?"

"Don't I know you're the son of the Uchiha clan head? In terms of status and identity, you shouldn't be surprised."

"And isn't the heir to the Hyuga family sitting right next to you? What's so big about me being a Hokage disciple?"

Kuming asked, confused, as the other's reaction was simply too intense.

"Actually, whether it's our Hyuga Clan or the Uchiha Clan, our status in Konoha is somewhat awkward."

"I can actually understand Fugaku's feelings to some extent."

"In the entire village of Konoha, the person with the most power is undoubtedly the Hokage. Beneath him are the Konoha Elder Council, and only then come the various ninja clans."

"As the two largest families in Konoha, our Hyuga and Uchiha clans are under constant scrutiny."

"To put it simply, our two families are too strong—strong enough that even the Hokage is somewhat wary of us."

Hyuga Hiashi, who had been silent until now, spoke up. However, even after saying all that, Kuming still didn't quite grasp his meaning.

"The fact that the Hokage assigned you to our team with Fugaku and me indicates one thing: the Hokage intends to mend the relationship between the Hokage faction and our two families."

"In the past, whether it was our Hyuga Clan or the Uchiha Clan, our teammates were always civilian ninjas."

"A situation like this has never happened before; this team of ours is the only one I know of."

"Moreover, the three of us have significant backgrounds; this was an intentional arrangement by the Hokage."

After Hyuga Hiashi finished speaking, he sighed softly. He looked at Kuming with a hint of inquiry. While the great families of Konoha obeyed the Hokage's orders, they remained guarded against the Hokage's faction. Upon learning Kuming's identity, Hyuga Hiashi wanted to know why Kuming was really teaming up with him and Fugaku.

What the hell? You can drag politics into a simple meal and team assignment? What are these two kids thinking about all day?

Should I say, as expected of heirs to Konoha's great families?

Seeing Hyuga Hiashi's expression, Kuming couldn't help but inwardly complain. He had never been involved in Konoha's political scene before, and his understanding of it had always been limited to his impressions from his past life.

He didn't know if Hiashi was right, nor was he interested in such things, much less wanting to understand them. Although he didn't want to understand, that didn't mean Kuming didn't know.

In fact, from the later development of Konoha, Kuming could already roughly judge the Third Hokage's political leanings. In the Third's view, the interests of the village were above all else. He would not allow any family or individual in the village to have the power to overthrow the Hokage's regime and cause Konoha to fall into chaos.

Therefore, in subsequent developments, the Uchiha Clan would be wiped out due to unfair treatment, and Hyuga Hizashi, the heir of the Hyuga branch family, would be executed as a substitute because Hiashi had stopped the enemy from kidnapping Hinata.

One must realize that if Hyuga Hiashi hadn't had his twin brother, Hizashi, it might have been him, the heir of the main family, who was executed. At that point, the Hyuga main family would be left with only Hinata, a four-year-old girl. With the main family weak and the branch family strong, Kuming didn't believe the Hyuga family wouldn't descend into internal strife.

"What you're saying—does that have anything to do with me?"

Uzumaki Kuming paused slightly, his chopsticks coming to a halt. He straightened his posture and looked at Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku sitting across from him.

He could sense the shift in their attitudes.

"Does the Third Hokage have any instructions for us?" Fugaku asked, though his tone was tactful, his gaze toward Kuming was probing. Hiashi, sitting beside him, was the same. Though only fourteen, these two youths already possessed quite mature minds, and the atmosphere at the dining table began to grow stifling.

"Customer, your beef and milk have arrived." Just then, the waiter's voice rang out, faintly breaking the stalemate.

"Oh, just put it there, thanks!" Kuming picked up the empty plate in front of him and took the beef and milk from the waiter.

After the waiter left, Kuming finally spoke:

"I haven't received any secret instructions from the Third Hokage."

"The reason I'm on a team with you two is simple: I am strong enough, and my talent is outstanding enough."

"I can roughly understand what you're thinking, but I don't think this is a problem you need to worry about right now."

"In the world of ninjas, strength is always paramount. Schemes and tricks are nothing but passing clouds in the face of absolute power."

"What you should be thinking about right now isn't whether the Third Hokage has ulterior motives, but how the three of us can first survive the coming war."

"And, how to make ourselves even stronger!"

Uzumaki Kuming used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of the freshly served beef and placed it on the grill. The moment the beef touched the wire mesh, it immediately let out a "sizzling" sound.

The two sitting across from Kuming fell into silence.

Dinner ended in a heavy atmosphere. Uchiha Fugaku, preoccupied with his thoughts, even forgot to feel the pinch in his wallet when paying the bill. Hyuga Hiashi was equally distracted and didn't even think to offer to split the cost with Fugaku.

After dinner, Kuming bid the two farewell and headed straight home, leaving Fugaku and Hiashi staring blankly at each other.

Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Upon returning home, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't let go of his worries. He found his father in the study and told him everything about the team formation that day, along with quite a bit of information regarding Kuming.

"Father, what do you think the Third Hokage meant by this arrangement? Is he sending someone to monitor us?"

"With Uzumaki Kuming's ability, it won't take more than a few months of operating with Hiashi and me for him to figure out exactly what we excel at and what we lack."

"By then..."

Uchiha Fugaku wanted to continue, but his father raised a hand to stop him.

"The reason you think this way is because you don't know enough about Uzumaki Kuming."

"Ever since Uzumaki Kuming arrived in Konoha with his sister, Kushina Uzumaki, he has been living in Lady Tsunade's home."

"You might not know this, but there is a living ancestor residing in Lady Tsunade's home."

"Kuming was most likely raised by that ancestor, and his ninjutsu is likely the work of that ancestor as well."

"You don't need to worry about anything; it is impossible for the relationship between Uzumaki Kuming and the Third Hokage to be that deep."

Fugaku's father comforted his son. He was very pleased that his son already possessed such keen political instincts at such a young age.

The same scene played out in the Hyuga household, though Hyuga Hiashi's father, Hyuga Rihui, was currently a military advisor at the front lines and not at home, so Hiashi consulted his grandfather instead. He received similar comfort; the former head of the Hyuga clan also told Hiashi not to overthink things and urged him to focus on coordinating with his teammates.

While Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi were agonizing over the day's team assignments, Kuming received a ninjutsu scroll at home, sent by a trusted aide of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Uzumaki Kuming, this is the Lightning Style ninjutsu scroll the Third Hokage entrusted to you."

"He hopes you will study it diligently. If there is anything you don't understand, you can go to the Hokage's office to ask him at any time."

The Anbu handed a scroll, fifty centimeters wide and of unknown length, to Kuming. Feeling the weight of the scroll in his hands, Kuming knew the Third Hokage had certainly not been stingy. Even if the scroll contained only low-level ninjutsu, it was still incredibly precious.

"Please tell the teacher that I have received it."

"And thank you as well for your trouble."

Kuming took the scroll and nodded slightly at the Anbu, expressing his gratitude. The moment the scroll touched his hands, the seal originally on it dissolved instantly.

Seeing this, the Anbu nodded and vanished in a flash.

"Lightning Style ninjutsu—it looks like I'll have to cram these next few days. Before heading to the front lines, the more I master, the better!"

Kuming hugged the scroll and walked straight to his study. He had already told Mito about his deployment to the front lines; she hadn't said much, only telling him to be extra careful.

Kushina hadn't returned home that night; according to Mito, she was still helping out at the Konoha Hospital. Therefore, only Mito knew about Kuming's impending departure.

Having obtained the Lightning Style scroll, Uzumaki Kuming began a new phase of training. Over the next few days, his schedule became irregular: sleeping in during the morning, staying up all night to study the scroll, and attempting to practice the techniques in the afternoon.

During Kuming's training, the team consisting of him, Fugaku, and Hiashi met several times. Through their conversations, Kuming realized that the two were no longer dwelling on his background. The team, now harmonious, organized several mock battles to refine their basic coordination.

The combat proficiency Kuming displayed during training left both of them stunned.

Time flowed rapidly during Kuming's training, and soon, their squad received the latest mission from the Third Hokage.

"Uzumaki Kuming, the Hokage requests your presence immediately!"

At Training Ground 1 in Konoha, Uzumaki Kuming was practicing ninjutsu in an open field when an Anbu appeared silently not far in front of him. The next second, two flashes of lightning streaked past the Anbu's face, leaving marks on his fox mask.

"That's dangerous, appearing so suddenly."

Kuming looked at the Anbu who had appeared out of nowhere, showing no surprise. Instead, he smiled at the operative and suppressed his fluctuating chakra.

"I understand."

"But to be honest, I don't like the feeling of being watched."

Jiuming responded with a grunt before turning around, tilting his head slightly to speak to the Anbu before leaving. The Anbu before him had been watching him practice ninjutsu for three whole days. Had it not been for the fact that this was the same Anbu who had delivered the scroll to him that day, Jiuming would have already made a move against him.

He knew that the other party must have been dispatched by the Third Hokage, likely to keep track of his ninjutsu training progress. Although he knew there was no malice intended, being stared at all day long still made Jiuming feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Your rate of progress in ninjutsu is terrifying. I imagine Lord Hokage will be quite pleasantly surprised when he sees your current strength."

It was rare for the Anbu to speak so much, but after finishing his sentence, he vanished quickly, not giving Jiuming a chance to reply.

"Has this day finally come? I've been waiting for a long time!"

With that said, Jiuming disappeared from the spot.