It Smells So Good

Above the Kage Rock.

After finishing their training, Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen ran at full speed, eager to catch a glimpse of the newly completed Hokage statues. They vaulted over the stones blackened by campfires and stood upon the Kage Rock, gazing out at the vibrant, bustling Konoha village below.

After several days of rest, they were fully prepared for the upcoming mission to deal with the legendary Nine-Tails.

The scorching sun beat down on them, forcing them to scramble into the shade of a tree. They lay lazily on the grass, and Danzō blew the stray hair from his forehead in one breath before turning his head to ask his companion, "Hiruzen, have you ever seen the Nine-Tails?"

"The Nine-Tails?"

Hiruzen, also lying on the grass, stared through the swaying leaves at the strange, shifting clouds and murmured to himself.

His gaze grew distant as he recalled how his father, Sarutobi Sasuke, had once led their clansmen into the Nine-Tails' territory by mistake, only to retreat in a hurry after catching a fleeting glimpse from afar.

Hiruzen pondered, sifting through his hazy memories, and answered earnestly, "No one has ever seen its true form, but the evil chakra that makes one's entire body tremble left a deep impression on the sensory ninjas of our clan."

"Only chakra?" Danzō looked with disappointment at the sun hidden behind the white clouds, the shadow of which happened to fall across the ground beside them.

His thoughts drifted along with the changing clouds, and he speculated with a serious expression, "Legend says the Nine-Tails is a demon fox, so it must have nine of every body part!"

Danzō sprang up, grabbed a wooden stick, and began drawing an extremely abstract image on the ground.

It was a fat fox with nine fangs, nine ears, nine tails, and nine legs, lying limply on the ground.

Hiruzen understood that much, at least.

But there was a circle with a nine drawn on the fox's belly.

He asked, puzzled, "What does this mean?"

"Nine hearts," Danzō replied flatly.

Hiruzen couldn't help it; he clutched his stomach, curled up his legs, and rolled around on the grass, getting weeds stuck all over his head and clothes.

Suddenly realizing this wasn't very polite, he hurriedly stood up and bit his lip, suppressing his laughter to avoid bruising his friend's fragile ego.

"Hmph."

Danzō tossed the wooden stick aside, thinking to himself that mortals couldn't appreciate his art. He kicked away his drawing and lunged forward, intending to tackle his friend to the ground.

Hiruzen seemed to anticipate the move and dodged, rolling to the side to pick up the stick and redraw on the spot that had just been erased.

Danzō, having missed his target, brushed the grass off his clothes and strolled over, looking curiously at Hiruzen's drawing.

A fierce fox was sprawled on the ground, its front paws stretched out in a show of power. Its nine tails were raised high toward the sky. The nine fangs and nine legs were gone, but as Danzō's gaze shifted to the fox's head, he saw that the nine ears had been kept.

"How about it? Doesn't it fit the image of a demon fox?" Hiruzen asked, clapping his hands with a hint of pride in his tone.

"No, I still think the nine legs should have been kept."

Knowing his original drawing had been a bit exaggerated, Danzō prepared to pick up the stick to add the nine legs back, but Hiruzen grabbed his wrist firmly.

A silent contest began right then and there.

The two stared at each other with unyielding gazes, sweating profusely under the sun, until it finally ended with Danzō dropping the stick in defeat.

This was yet another victory for Hiruzen.

Danzō seemed accustomed to failure, as he had lost more often than not ever since he met Hiruzen.

After cleaning themselves up, the two headed off toward a cold drink shop in the village, feeling quite cheerful.

Recently, a ninja with the Ice Release bloodline limit had arrived in the village. Apparently tired of conflict, she had come to Konoha and opened an ice drink shop that was widely acclaimed.

Her origins were a subject of much speculation; she might be a ninja from the Land of Snow, or perhaps a member of the Yuki Clan from the Land of Water.

Regardless, after background checks by the Interrogation Department and the Anbu, the possibility of her being a spy had been ruled out.

After a long wait in line, Hiruzen and Danzō sat in the shop, happily sipping their lemon iced tea and chilled watermelon juice, savoring every drop.

The coolness slid down their throats, and it felt as if their very souls had been sublimated in the sweltering summer heat.

Feeling the chill of the watermelon juice in his mouth, Danzō recalled the magical scene from moments ago: the overly young proprietress had packaged the juice and, with a single touch of her palm, chilled the drink instantly, leaving everyone in awe.

"Hey, Hiruzen."

"Ah! What is it?"

Danzō helplessly poked his companion with his finger, reminding him to mind his image; there were many female ninjas in the shop, and he shouldn't expose his inner lecher so early.

"This lemon is huge."

Sarutobi Hiruzen reluctantly tore his gaze away from the proprietress and whispered as he held his drink, deciding that he would come to this shop often—no one could talk him out of it.

"Good!"

Inside the hall of the Hyuga clan, a voice of praise rang out.

Small meetings for small matters, big meetings for big matters—that was the situation now.

A handful of Hyuga ninjas were lined up, kneeling on cushions.

Hyuga Ryudo paced on the wooden floor, his face filled with excitement as he spoke to the younger ninjas kneeling at the front: "This time, when the Nine-Tails is sealed, the Hyuga clan will have the clearest view. You must observe the situation on the scene with absolute clarity, without missing a single detail, so you can report it back to us."

"Yes, Clan Leader!" a uniform voice echoed from the front.

"With our pure Byakugan, there is no need to worry. Although the Uzumaki clan makes up the vast majority of the team this time, Tobirama Senju certainly won't act recklessly." Hyuga Ryudo recalled his past dealings with the Senju Clan, and after careful analysis, he reached his conclusion.

He cast a calm, unruffled glance at the boy with no bandages wrapped around his forehead, and the slightly hunched old man standing beside him.

Hyuga Gencho.

The Great Elder of the Hyuga clan.

When news of the village's plan to seal the Tailed Beast broke, he had been the most boisterous and active agitator within the Hyuga household.

He had incessantly droned into his ear that the Hyuga main branch must participate in the sealing of the Nine-Tails, or else the Hyuga clan would lose all face in the ninja world.

When the specific selection criteria were announced, however, they were all left dumbfounded.

The scope was limited to the Ninja Academy, with spots decided by the rankings in daily examinations.

The news that followed allowed the other families in the village to breathe a sigh of relief.

There was no need to panic if one wasn't selected; there would be plenty of opportunities to seal other Tailed Beasts, and as long as they worked hard in their studies, they would eventually have their chance.

But they wouldn't swallow that bait, not when five of the first twenty spots went to the Uchiha, while the Hyuga only had a few members from the branch family.

That simply wouldn't do.

The main branch members displayed unprecedented unity.

Longdao, who had been cornered at his own doorstep, still remembered that this man had been the loudest among the many voices opposing the entry of main branch children into the Ninja Academy.

Hyuga Gencho stood at the very front of the crowd, demanding that he secure a spot from the Hokage.

He had even promised that when the Ninja Academy expanded its enrollment in the next term, they would send all the main branch disciples there.

What else could Longdao say?

Relying on his own weathered face, he had managed to trade for a single spot from the Hokage.

He clearly remembered being in the Hokage's Office, where Tobirama's red eyes had held a playful glint, watching him with an expression that suggested he had foreseen everything all along.

Indeed.

All they had ever wanted was for the Hyuga to show a submissive attitude.

The Uchiha, always known for their pride, had already disbanded their Clan Academy, yet the Hyuga still clung to theirs—it was truly somewhat laughable.

After the short meeting concluded, he waved his hand to signal that they could disperse.

He watched as Gencho, holding his grandson's small hand, walked away, the warm figures of the old man and the child gradually receding until they vanished completely into the encroaching twilight.

Longdao did not find their persistence laughable; he only felt a faint, lingering sense of sorrow. The tides of a new era were rolling in, washing over them—these old fossils still clinging to clan traditions—until they were battered and bruised beyond recognition.