Gift

Shovel by shovel, the earth fell, gradually burying the corpse in the pit until the final mound was packed solid.

This was the resting place of Hyuga Hihi, yet there was not even a tombstone to mark it. Aside from the freshly turned soil, it was no different from its surroundings.

Hyuga Hihi was a member of the Hyuga Clan's branch family. His parents had long since perished on missions, and over the years, he had neither wife nor children. In his spare time, he would simply sit alone in the room allotted to him by the clan, silently waiting from sunrise to sunset.

Once he died in battle, that room would be reclaimed. Perhaps in a year, perhaps in a few months, every trace he had ever left behind would vanish without a remainder.

Beyond his ninja headband and the name on the memorial stone, there was no longer any trace of the ninja named "Hyuga Hihi" in this world.

Sen Chisato rubbed the headband in his hand; 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—faced with Hyuga Hihi's death, Sen Chisato was very calm.

He had only known Hyuga Hihi for a short time. Although they had formed a squad together and carried out two missions, they couldn't even be considered friends.

At best, they were companions and teammates.

Why would Sen Chisato feel grief over the death of such a person?

At most, he felt a slight stirring of emotion.

What truly caught Sen Chisato off guard was that Hyuga Hihi had made such a decision before he died—to let him handle the burial.

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

At the time, he had been eyeing their corpses, but logically speaking, these guys should have thought he was joking.

Yet, Hyuga Hihi had taken it seriously.

Why?

Sen Chisato thought for a long time before he could barely find an answer.

This was also a lonely person, so lonely that he had no friends.

As for so-called relatives, there were none to speak of—as fellow Hyuga, their only connection was through blood and lineage.

And so, when Sen Chisato said those words, this guy took them to heart, and at the very last moment 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, he chose to endure it silently, but before death, he rebelled one last time—even if it was just in the choice of who would bury him and where he would be laid to rest.

But what could Sen Chisato do for him?

At most, he could keep his promise.

At the very most, he would keep this name in his heart and whisper it once a year on the anniversary of his death.

Glancing at the ninja headband in his hand, Sen Chisato brushed back his bangs, lowered his head slightly, and tied the headband around his forehead.

At that same moment, a "ding" sounded in his mind; the system notification had arrived.

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

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

Sen Chisato instinctively raised his hand, his fingers pressing lightly against his eyelids.

The Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan he had obtained this time was completely different from the Wood Release he had previously acquired.

Wood Release could be used as long as it was awakened to a certain degree, though because it wasn't fully awakened, his body would suffer discomfort or even be eroded by the Hashirama Cells injected into him.

But the Byakugan was different; if the awakening level didn't reach one hundred percent, it couldn't be used at all.

Even so, Sen Chisato could clearly sense that a power was hidden within his eyes, which looked no different than before.

Moreover, the potential of the Byakugan was equally high—at the very least, it was not inferior to Wood Release.

This was because of the final sentence in the system note.

Tenseigan!

This was a power comparable to the Rinnegan!

"Is this the gift you left for me? What a massive inheritance... Hyuga Hihi!" Sen Chisato truly felt a trace of sorrow.

So, this stubborn, rigid, and often silent guy had long since regarded him as a reliable companion, or even a friend.

If not for that, the Byakugan might not have had the potential to awaken into a Tenseigan.

Even among the same clan, with the same bloodline and the same Kekkei Genkai, not just anyone's corpse could provide such a quality.

After laying Hyuga Hihi to rest, Sarutobi Hakuba and Sen Chisato did not linger, turning to leave the place where Hyuga Hihi would sleep forever.

On the way back, Sen Chisato kept his head buried, saying nothing.

Sarutobi Hakuba glanced at him, preparing to pat his shoulder in comfort, but just as he raised his hand, a girl blocked their path.

Sen Chisato noticed the person before him and asked with some confusion, "Rin..."

Before he could finish, Nohara Rin suddenly stepped forward and hugged him, catching him off guard.

"It's okay now, Chisato."

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

After hesitating for two seconds, he reached out and hugged the girl back.

He had seen Sarutobi Hakuba's movement; although he didn't feel the kind of grief the other man assumed—in fact, he felt more excitement due to obtaining the Byakugan—he had no intention of refusing the comfort.

It was believed that someone who grieved for a fallen comrade would be seen as a better person, thus earning recognition from others.

However, compared to Sarutobi Hakuba, Sen Chisato chose Nohara Rin.

When a soft, cuddly girl threw herself into his arms, who would still want a rough pat on the head from a tough guy?

Sarutobi Hakuba, standing nearby, looked conflicted. He lowered the hand he had just raised, sighed, and quietly left.

The members of Team Minato stood not far away. Seeing this scene, Uchiha Obito clenched his fists: "This lucky guy!"

That was Rin's embrace, something he hadn't received in the seven years since he entered the Ninja Academy.

And this guy got it so easily.

He was so jealous he felt like his mind was about to explode!

So, a comrade's death could earn him Rin's comforting embrace... Thinking this, Uchiha Obito's eyes involuntarily flickered towards Kakashi.

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

This idiot actually wished for his death, unforgivable!

Uchiha Obito immediately turned his head and laughed it off.

He couldn't admit to something like that.

After a simple embrace, Sen Chisato let go: "I'm fine."

Whether Uchiha Obito was envious, he didn't know. He certainly wasn't a pervert.

Nohara Rin examined him carefully, confirming his emotions were stable, and gave him a gentle smile.

Walking over to Team Minato, ignoring the grimacing Uchiha Obito beside him, Sen Chisato asked, "How's the situation?"

"We followed because we were worried about you," Namikaze Minato said.

"Then let's go."

Sen Chisato nodded and returned to the 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 produced immediately made their expressions turn grave.

"Urgent intelligence from a comrade embedded in the Land of Lightning: Cloud Hidden is massively reinforcing towards the Land of Fields!"