The Ebb Tide or the Turning Tide

Five days after the torrential rain, Fugaku finally emerged to take charge of the situation.

He represented the conservative faction, suppressing all dissenting voices within the clan.

Chuanhe ignored Fugaku; he had become completely disillusioned with the man, for Fugaku had never changed.

Setsuna was furious, even contemplating taking direct action, but he lacked the strength to do so.

After this incident, Setsuna seemed to fall gravely ill, becoming bedridden.

Konoha announced the results of the investigation: Shisui had died in battle against invading hostile ninjas, having protected all of Konoha like a hero.

Uchiha Shisui was posthumously awarded the title of Konoha Hero.

His heroic name would be engraved upon the Memorial Stone.

Although this result left the Uchiha deeply dissatisfied, it was, at the very least, a result they could seemingly accept.

Konoha did not disclose which side the so-called hostile ninjas belonged to, leaving the Uchiha with nowhere to vent their rage.

The tense atmosphere in Konoha slowly receded, and the Uchiha temporarily suppressed the hatred in their hearts.

What had changed, however, was the appearance of numerous negative rumors about the Uchiha clan throughout the village.

Like all true rumors, they floated on the surface.

Everyone subconsciously ignored the "culprit," Chuanhe.

These rumors were slowly intensifying the conflict between the village and the Uchiha.

Yet, on the surface, everything had returned to calm.

At this moment, Hui continued to use the Shadow Clone Technique to cope with his school lessons.

Four-dimensional geometry was simply too complex for someone of his age.

Taijutsu and long-range attacks could be set aside for the time being.

What Hui needed to do now was to integrate everything he had learned.

He also needed to incorporate Chuanhe's necklace—the core of his ninjutsu—into his combat.

Feeling that he was nearing his physical limit, Hui stopped.

Looking at the horizon in the distance, an inexplicable thought stirred in his heart, and so Hui flew toward it.

During his break, the sea breeze brushed against his cheeks with a salty, damp scent; he sat down, exhausted, gazing at the vast ocean before him.

However, just as he was catching his breath, the seawater suddenly began to recede rapidly, as if pulled away by some invisible force.

Reefs previously submerged under the water were exposed, the wet sand cracked rapidly, and the waves in the distance retreated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"A low tide?" Hui frowned, whispering to himself.

But this speed was too fast. A sense of unease rose in his heart, as if some unforeseen event were about to occur.

The morning sun spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains; Sakura rubbed her eyes and scrambled out of bed in one motion.

She neatly and efficiently changed into her Ninja Academy uniform.

Recently, under her father's guidance, Sakura had also begun various types of training.

Sakura was not a commoner.

According to Konoha's definition, her family was actually considered a minor ninja clan, and they even had their own family crest.

Although Sakura herself never took this seriously.

Ever since she began formal training under her father's instruction, the pace of Sakura's life had clearly accelerated.

Although her father was not one of Konoha's top elite Jonin, as the head of a minor ninja clan, his strength and experience were solid enough.

Some time ago, Sakura had also noticed that the entire village of Konoha seemed somewhat abnormal.

But this situation had come and gone quickly, ending in less than a week.

The performance of her classmates during this period had provided her with a great stimulus.

Although her father was not entirely happy about Sakura starting her training so early, he still began teaching her techniques for chakra control and basic taijutsu.

Today was the day before the weekend, and Iruka-sensei had mentioned there would be a small test this afternoon.

It was an assessment of their learning progress for the first month of school.

Sakura was quite confident about this; she had never feared a written exam.

"Ino, morning!" Sakura waved to her good friend inside the classroom.

"Oh, Sakura, good morning!" Ino walked over with a beaming smile.

Sakura and Ino chatted happily.

What made Sakura happiest recently was that her relationship with Ino had finally been repaired.

At the start of the school year, their relationship took a sharp turn for the worse due to their rivalry over Sasuke.

However, after this period of time, it seems they have rediscovered their former friendship.

After making up, Sakura also began to reflect on her past behavior, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt in her heart.

More importantly, this experience allowed her to re-examine her feelings for Sasuke.

Does she really like Sasuke? The answer is a definite yes!

She likes his strength, his calmness, and even that arrogant demeanor of his that keeps others at a distance.

Although some people mock her as a "fangirl," Sakura doesn't care.

Her feelings are pure and firm, and they have never changed.

However, just being like this isn't enough... Sakura secretly clenched her fists.

She finally understands now that if she wants to truly stand by Sasuke's side, she must first make herself stronger.

Theory, taijutsu, ninjutsu—she must catch up in all of them!

"Just you wait, Sasuke-kun, I will definitely make you see my growth!"

The sunlight outside the window spilled onto her, and the pink-haired girl's eyes shone with a determination like never before.

Hinata Hyuga's life has finally seen a slight, warm shift recently.

Her father, Hyuga Hiashi, who was once so strict with her that it bordered on heartless, has suddenly softened his attitude.

He no longer forces her to push past her limits during training like he used to, and has even slowed down the pace of her cultivation.

Occasionally, during training, he would even caution her: "Hinata, watch your form! Don't get hurt."

What surprised Hinata even more was that one morning, Hiashi personally handed her a specially made signal flare and said in a deep voice, "If you encounter danger, pull this immediately."

This sudden concern left Hinata feeling a bit dazed, and she even wondered if she were dreaming.

But what made Hinata even happier was that there were finally no more brutal sparring sessions.

The sibling rivalry that once caused her such inner torment has finally come to an end.

Combat is now limited to light contact, no longer seeking to harm others, which has led to remarkable progress in Hinata's Gentle Fist recently.

This starkly different growth result left Hyuga Hiashi deep in thought.

He began to reflect on his past methods of education and, for the first time, truly observed his daughter's thoughts and habits.

In the end, he discovered the fact that his daughter is a super big eater...

This has made things difficult for Hyuga Hiashi's wife.

While it is somewhat of a happy trouble, it still leaves Hyuga Hiashi feeling both amused and exasperated.

Back at school, the sunlight from outside the window spilled into the classroom.

Young Lady Hinata continues to "peek" at Naruto every day, relentless as ever.

Naruto-kun seems a bit unhappy lately. Did something happen to him?

Hinata gripped the still-unopened small medicine bottle in her hand.

But this time, perhaps it was her father's approval that gave her confidence, or perhaps the growth she experienced during this time made her a little braver.

Hinata took a deep breath and finally took a step forward.

"Na... Naruto-kun!" Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum, but it was enough to make Naruto look up.

"Hm? Hinata?" Naruto blinked, clearly not expecting her to initiate a conversation.

"Is... is there anything bothering you?" Hinata tried hard to keep her voice from trembling.

But when Naruto's azure eyes looked over, her courage instantly dissipated, and her cheeks burned bright red in a "whoosh."

"No, nothing at all! Look, I'm doing great!" Naruto scratched his head and grinned, but to Hinata, that smile looked exceptionally dazzling.

"Ugh..." She couldn't take it anymore, covered her flushed face with both hands, and turned to run, leaving behind only the sound of panicked footsteps.

Naruto stood frozen in place, completely bewildered: "Huh? Did I say something wrong?"

Sasuke, sitting to the side, scoffed: "Idiot Naruto."

"Ha? Sasuke! What do you mean by that?!" Naruto immediately bristled.

With those two in the class, the atmosphere is always so lively.

Ino has been very troubled lately.

Her father, Inoichi Yamanaka, seems to have found out that she likes Uchiha Hui.

This, in itself, should not have been a big problem.

Ino had liked Sasuke in the past, and her father had never interfered much.

But this time, Inoichi Yamanaka was uncharacteristically serious, even going so far as to give her a direct warning.

"Stay as far away from Uchiha Hui as you can from now on."

Ino's little head couldn't understand why.

They were both from the Uchiha clan, so why was Sasuke acceptable, while Hui was not?

Listening to Inoichi Yamanaka's words, Ino bit her lip, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a strand of her hair.

She had heard rumors about the recent turmoil within the Uchiha clan, but those were matters for the adults—what did they have to do with Hui?

She had originally gathered her courage, preparing to officially approach Hui, and had even secretly practiced her opening lines several times.

But now, everything had been thrown into disarray by her father's warning.

"Clan ninja, the interests of the clan come first..." Ino repeated the words under her breath, a surge of rebellious emotion rising in her heart.

She pouted, thinking defiantly, If he won't let me approach him, then fine, but surely he can't stop me from looking?

"I'll just watch..." she muttered softly, her cheeks flushing slightly.

The young girl's thoughts seemed a bit dangerous.

Just then, Sakura happened to pass by, and the two began their usual chat.

Sakura was her best friend; although they had once nearly severed their friendship over Sasuke, those unpleasantries had long since vanished into thin air.

Ino noticed that Sakura seemed to have changed recently as well.

Although she still liked Sasuke, there was less of her former blind obsession in her eyes, and more firmness and growth.

"That's great, I need to strive forward too." Watching Sakura's retreating figure, Ino secretly made up her mind.

Perhaps she couldn't defy her father's warning, but could a young girl's heart really be so easily constrained?