The Gift

Shovelful after shovelful of earth fell, gradually covering the body in the pit until the final mound was tamped down.

This was where Hyuga Hihi would be laid to rest, yet there wasn't even a gravestone. Apart from the freshly turned soil, it looked no different from the surrounding ground.

Hyuga Hihi was a member of the Hyuga Clan's branch family. His parents had died on missions long ago. He had no wife or children, and in his free time, he would sit alone in the room the Hyuga Clan had assigned him, silently watching the sun rise and set.

When he died in battle, that room would be reclaimed. Perhaps in a year, perhaps in a few months, every trace he had left behind would disappear.

Apart from his Forehead Protector and the name on the Memorial Stone, no trace of the ninja named "Hyuga Hihi" would remain in this world.

Sen Chisato ran his fingers over the Forehead Protector in his hands. It was the only thing Hyuga Hihi had left behind that could be called a keepsake.

In truth, Nohara Rin and the others had guessed wrong. Sen Chisato was quite calm about Hyuga Hihi's death.

He hadn't known Hyuga Hihi for long. Though they had formed a squad and gone on two missions together, they weren't even friends.

At best, they were comrades and teammates.

How could Sen Chisato grieve over someone like that?

At most, he felt a little moved.

What Sen Chisato truly hadn't expected was that Hyuga Hihi would make that kind of decision before he died—asking him to bury him.

He had once said that when these guys died, he would personally take care of their funeral arrangements.

Even then, he'd already been thinking about what to do with their corpses. But surely, these guys should have thought he was joking.

Yet Hyuga Hihi had taken him seriously.

Why?

Sen Chisato thought about it for a long time before managing to find an answer.

He was lonely, too. So lonely that he had few friends.

As for family, he had none to speak of. Though they were all Hyuga, the only connection between them was blood and lineage.

So when Sen Chisato said those words, Hyuga Hihi took them to heart. And in the final moments of his life, he chose to decide his own fate.

Because of the Caged Bird, the Hyuga Clan stubbornly believed that fate existed. In life, Hyuga Hihi had silently endured it. Before he died, he had rebelled one last time—even if it was only to choose who would bury him and where he would be buried.

But what could Sen Chisato do for him?

At most, he could keep his promise.

At the very, very least, he could remember that name and murmur it once a year on the anniversary of his death.

Glancing at the Forehead Protector in his hands, Sen Chisato swept back the hair from his forehead, bowed his head slightly, and put it on.

At the same time, a chime sounded in his mind. The system notification had arrived.

[System Notification]: [You have buried a special ninja (Byakugan), obtaining an incomplete Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (unawakened). Byakugan Fruit maturity: 33%]

[Note: The fruit must reach 100% maturity to awaken the Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan. Before then, the Byakugan cannot be manifested or used. When fruit maturity exceeds 100%, there is a certain chance of awakening the Kekkei Genkai: Tenseigan.]

Sen Chisato instinctively raised a hand and gently pressed his fingers against the eyes hidden beneath his eyelids.

The Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan he had just obtained was completely different from Wood Release.

Wood Release could be used as soon as it had awakened to a certain degree. Although his body would feel unwell when he used it because it hadn't fully awakened, and he might even be eroded by the Hashirama Cells injected into his body, it was still usable.

But the Byakugan was different. Unless it was fully awakened, he couldn't use it at all.

Even so, Sen Chisato could now clearly sense a power hidden in eyes that looked no different from before.

And the Byakugan's potential was just as great—at least, no less than Wood Release's.

That was because of the final line in the system's note.

The Tenseigan!

A power on par with the Rinnegan!

"Is this the gift you left me? What a massive inheritance... Hyuga Hihi!" Sen Chisato finally felt a hint of sadness.

So this stubborn, old-fashioned fellow, who was silent most of the time, had long since considered him a reliable comrade—maybe even a friend.

Otherwise, the Byakugan might not have had the potential to awaken into the Tenseigan.

Even among members of the same clan, with the same bloodline and the same Kekkei Genkai, not just anyone's corpse could provide this kind of trait.

After burying Hyuga Hihi, Sarutobi Hakuba and Sen Chisato didn't linger. They turned and left the place where Hyuga Hihi would sleep forever.

On the way back, Sen Chisato kept his head down and said nothing.

Sarutobi Hakuba glanced at him and was just about to pat him on the shoulder and offer a few words of comfort when he raised his hand—and a girl stepped in front of them.

Sen Chisato noticed her and looked puzzled. "Rin..."

He had barely begun to speak when Nohara Rin suddenly stepped forward and hugged him, catching him completely off guard.

"It's okay now, Chisato."

Hearing the girl's gentle reassurance, Sen Chisato froze.

After a couple of seconds' hesitation, he put his arms around her, too.

He had seen Sarutobi Hakuba's gesture. Though he didn't feel the kind of sadness Hakuba imagined—in fact, the excitement of obtaining the Byakugan outweighed it—he had no intention of rejecting the other man's comfort.

Being seen as someone who would be saddened by a comrade's death made it easier to build a good reputation and earn others' approval.

But given a choice between Sarutobi Hakuba and Nohara Rin, Sen Chisato chose Nohara Rin.

Who would want a rough man to pat their head when a soft, warm girl was hugging them?

Sarutobi Hakuba stood nearby with a complicated expression. He lowered his raised hand and, after a sigh, silently walked away.

The members of Team Minato were standing some distance away. Seeing this, Uchiha Obito clenched his fists. "That lucky bastard!"

That was Rin's hug! He hadn't gotten one in all seven years since they started at the Ninja Academy.

And this guy had gotten one so easily.

He was so jealous he was about to lose it!

So a comrade's death could earn you a comforting hug from Rin... Thinking this, Uchiha Obito's eyes unconsciously flicked toward Kakashi.

Kakashi noticed at once and glared at him. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"

That idiot actually wanted him dead. Unforgivable!

Uchiha Obito immediately turned his head and forced a laugh.

He couldn't admit to something like that.

After the brief hug, Sen Chisato let go. "I'm fine."

He didn't know whether Uchiha Obito was jealous of him, but he wasn't a pervert.

Nohara Rin studied him carefully. After confirming that he was emotionally stable, she gave him a gentle smile.

When he reached Team Minato, Sen Chisato ignored Uchiha Obito, who was baring his teeth at him, and asked, "How's the situation?"

"We were worried about you, so we came over," Namikaze Minato said.

"Then let's go."

Sen Chisato nodded and returned to Konoha Base Camp with Team Minato. Then, under Uchiha Obito's envious gaze, he entered the Command Tent with Namikaze Minato.

As soon as they entered, the intelligence Orochimaru had brought made both their expressions turn grave.

"Our comrade stationed in the Land of Lightning sent back urgent intelligence. Cloud Hidden is sending a large number of reinforcements toward the Land of Fields!"