Shiranui

In the days since Kamizuki had become the Hyuga Clan's heir, Genma Shiranui had been away on a mission, having received a "Special S-Rank Mission" personally assigned by the Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen. During his absence, his three adorable subordinates could only keep taking the simplest D-rank missions.

Ah! You might ask, if they were taking missions themselves, why not choose some more difficult ones?

Well, I'll tell you why: without their team's jōnin instructor leading them, they generally weren't allowed to accept any missions on their own.

Before leaving, Genma had given them a token that allowed them to take low-rank missions in situations like this, so the three little brats wouldn't have nothing to do all day and get bored out of their minds.

That was why they were able to take missions such as D-rank assignments.

As for the "Special S-Rank" mission Genma had gone away to carry out, how could the three little brats possibly know anything about it? Missions of that high a rank were extremely confidential.

It took a full week for Genma Shiranui to return from wherever he had gone to complete his mission.

But apparently, he had been injured while carrying it out. After returning, he needed to rest at home for a few days before he could resume taking on other missions.

When Kamizuki and the others found out, they decided to visit Genma at home and see how he was recovering.

The morning after Genma Shiranui returned to Konoha from his mission, the three of them, as members of Genma's team, met up early at Ichiraku Ramen.

After breakfast at Ichiraku Ramen, the three went out to buy some fruit, including apples and bananas. Sakura Mangetsu also bought a bouquet of flowers from the flower shop at Ino's House, and they planned to bring everything along when they visited Genma at home.

This was Hyuga Kamizuki's first time visiting Genma Shiranui's home. Guided by Kato Taichi and Sakura Mangetsu, he arrived at the Shiranui Clan's compound, two thousand meters west of the Hokage Building.

With Taichi and Mangetsu leading the way, Kamizuki reached the gate of a courtyard.

The courtyard stood in the center of the Shiranui compound. It was a traditional Japanese-style residence, slightly larger than the surrounding houses, and the area in front of its gate was spotlessly clean.

Since joining Genma's team, Kamizuki hadn't learned much about Genma Shiranui beyond the most basic information.

In truth, he was very curious about Genma—no, more accurately, he was curious about the entire Shiranui Clan.

In his previous life on Earth, whether he was playing Japanese games or watching Japanese anime, he would occasionally come across the surname "Shiranui."

He had always wondered whether the Shiranui Clan had any connection to the "Shiranui" characters in the fictional worlds of Earth.

On the way there, Kamizuki had asked Kato Taichi and Sakura Mangetsu about the Shiranui Clan in this world.

From Taichi and Mangetsu, Kamizuki learned that the Shiranui Clan of this world was said to be an ancient clan, dating back to the time of the Sage of Six Paths.

In the earliest days of warfare, the Shiranui Clan had been a powerful samurai clan, and all its members were samurai.

After the Sage of Six Paths founded Ninshu and taught its ways, shinobi gradually replaced samurai as the dominant force in the world.

The leader of the Shiranui Clan had recognized this change and, in his wisdom, chosen to adapt to the times by having his people learn ninjutsu. After countless generations, the Shiranui Clan combined its original bushido with modern ninjutsu, forming a unique school that people called the Shiranui Style.

Later, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha led many clans, large and small, in founding Konoha Hidden Village. The Shiranui Clan was among them, and it made great contributions to the village's founding.

After Konoha was established, during the reign of the Second, Senju Tobirama founded the village's Ninja Academy. He decreed that children from all the clans belonging to Konoha Hidden Village had to attend the academy before they could become Genin.

The Shiranui Clan, however, was the only one exempt from this rule. Its members didn't have to attend the Ninja Academy. Once they passed the Shiranui Clan's own assessment, they could become Genin directly.

In other words, the Shiranui Clan had its own dedicated system for training shinobi and didn't have to be interfered with by Konoha.

Following Taichi and Mangetsu, Kamizuki arrived at the gate. There, they saw a stone stele standing about 1.2 meters tall, inscribed with three imposing characters: "Shiranui."

The three tidied their clothes and gear in front of the gate. Then Kato Taichi walked up and knocked.

They hadn't waited a minute before a middle-aged man dressed as a household servant came out to open the gate. After asking them a few brief questions, he led the three of them into the residence.