In Turbulent Times, Life Was Cheaper Than Grass

In Turbulent Times, Life Was Cheaper Than Grass

Year 47 of the Hidden Leaf Village, year's end.

On a day of swirling snow, Hyuga Yuto packed his belongings and left the Hyuga Clan Grounds.

Over the past few days, the Land of Fire had seen heavy snowfall. The Hidden Leaf Village was blanketed in thick snow that crunched beneath one's feet.

The New Year was approaching, and the Hidden Leaf Village was filled with a joyful atmosphere. At this time of year, even the poorest families would prepare a hearty meal to reward themselves for a year of hard work and welcome the new year with their loved ones.

But Hyuga Yuto felt nothing of the sort.

—His parents were dead. Cooking in that empty house, with no one to talk to... even Yuto felt stifled inside.

Treading through the snow with his pack on his back, Hyuga Yuto left the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village as he had before.

What he had not expected, however, was that a blonde woman was already waiting for him outside the village.

"Yo, my adorable disciple." Tsunade energetically patted Hyuga Yuto on the shoulder.

"If you leave the village on a mission now, you won't make it back for the New Year."

"Someone has to bear the burden," Hyuga Yuto said seriously.

"Sensei, do you have any instructions? Is there something you need your disciple to handle? Through mountains of blades and seas of fire, Yuto won't so much as furrow his brow."

The blonde beauty was clearly taken aback. She bent down slightly.

Hyuga Yuto's body had not yet fully grown, and he only reached her chin. Tsunade merely had to brace her hands on her knees for their gazes to meet at the same level.

The last princess of the Senju clan reached out and lightly flicked Hyuga Yuto's forehead protector.

"I'm just seeing you off, you silly disciple of mine."

"...Mm."

"Hey! Have a safe trip—!" Just then, a shout came from somewhere within the Hidden Leaf Village. It was Shizune.

The little girl hid behind a utility pole, revealing two bright, lively eyes.

A few days ago, Shizune and Hyuga Yuto had had a small disagreement. As for the reason, Yuto had mostly forgotten. It was probably something like, "Why does the fish in your bowl look tastier than mine?" Hyuga Yuto naturally did not care, but the still-young Shizune had held a grudge and sworn, "I'll never be nice to you again for the rest of my life."

Yet today, the little girl had still come to see him off, together with Tsunade.

"Thank you, Sensei..." Hyuga Yuto turned back and pulled the collar of his thick cotton coat a little higher.

"I'll be careful."

"Go on, Yuto. You're already an outstanding ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village!"

Hyuga Yuto waved to Tsunade and the distant Shizune, then left with his pack on his back. Only after the Hidden Leaf Village had vanished from sight did he suddenly accelerate, running at the normal speed of a ninja on a mission.

Tsunade and Shizune's sudden appearance left Hyuga Yuto feeling somewhat troubled.

He had paused his frenzied training to leave the village on a mission for two reasons. First, to fully integrate the results of the past three months of training and stabilize his rapidly increased strength. Second—and more importantly—to make time for his own private affairs!

—According to the timeline of the manga from his previous life, next year, Year 48 of the Hidden Leaf Village, would be when the shinobi war fully erupted. Major ninja villages and powerful clans would enter the fray one after another, leaving countless dead and wounded.

For civilians and most ninja, the coming years would not be easy. But for schemers lurking in the shadows, the Third Shinobi World War would be the best time to arrange their pieces and make their moves!

Hanzo the Salamander and Shimura Danzo would conspire to destroy Yahiko. The dying Uchiha Madara would successfully plant the seeds of madness in Obito's heart... The coming years would practically be a carnival for conspirators.

Naturally, Hyuga Yuto would not miss such an opportunity. War would become the best cover for his actions. Matters that would shake the heavens in peacetime would not even cause a ripple during war.

Every beginning is difficult. I can't back down now... Hyuga Yuto sighed inwardly, pressed his lips together, and took out the mission scroll while running.

The mission he had accepted this time was A-rank.

Hyuga Yuto was now Tsunade's disciple and possessed the bloodline of a major village clan. He had already gained some standing, and with sufficient personal strength, he wanted to become a jonin as soon as possible so that he could act more conveniently once the Third Shinobi World War began.

Jonin were the elite forces of every village. They could lead teams and take disciples, received extremely generous annual salaries, and the best among them could stand alone.

There were many requirements for promotion to jonin. The most important was "meeting both the quantity and quality standards for missions."

Completing multiple A-rank missions was a prerequisite for becoming a jonin.

The mission Hyuga Yuto had chosen this time was an assassination.

He was the only one carrying out the mission. As long as he was swift enough, he would have ample time to handle his own affairs.

Thus, after leaving the village, he had maintained a fast pace.

The results of his three months of training immediately became apparent. Thanks to medical ninjutsu and Monster Strength, Hyuga Yuto now had extremely powerful chakra control. He could burst forth with greater speed while using less chakra. Medical ninjutsu could even ease the soreness in his muscles. After long-distance travel, as long as he ate and slept when necessary, he barely felt any fatigue.

Two days later, he successfully crossed the border of the Land of Fire and arrived in the Land of Hot Water.

This was a small country northeast of the Land of Fire, with long and narrow terrain. Like the Land of Frost, it lay between the two great powers of Fire and Lightning, serving as a buffer zone between major nations. Whenever the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Cloud Village went to war, these two small countries were always the first to suffer.

Of course, they were still better off than the Hidden Rain Village. That miserable place in the Land of Rain stood at the intersection of the three great countries of Fire, Earth, and Wind, directly bordering all of them. It had not known a single day of peace since its founding.

Hyuga Yuto had come here several times on previous missions and was fairly familiar with the Land of Hot Water. He bought a veiled conical hat from a roadside stall and put it on, hiding his entire face. Then he followed the main road ahead, looking like a leisurely traveler.

For dirty work like assassination, impatience was the greatest taboo. The hardest part was often "finding the target." But for a wielder of the Byakugan, finding people had never been difficult. Hyuga Yuto only needed to enter the city and activate his Byakugan to finish half the job. The other half was simply plunging a kunai into the target's heart.

The winter of Year 47 in the Hidden Leaf Village was especially cold. Not only the Land of Fire, but the Land of Hot Water had also endured heavy snow for several days, to the point that it had become a snow disaster.

Though both had suffered the same calamity, the civilians of the Land of Hot Water were far worse off than those in the Land of Fire. The Land of Fire was, after all, one of the Five Great Nations. Though it no longer possessed the boundless prestige it had enjoyed when the First Hokage founded the village, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Its economy had always been exceptionally strong, and civilians in the Land of Fire could at least afford thick cotton clothes.

But the Land of Hot Water was different. This country... was simply too poor.

After traveling less than ten kilometers, Hyuga Yuto saw more than forty small "refugee camps." Ragged people were exposed to the heavy snow, huddling around fires for warmth, terrified of freezing to death.

Sallow-faced children clung to one another and sang. In such bitter cold, they wore only thin straw sandals.

Pretty women smiled ingratiatingly at every passerby. The price for a night with them was merely sixty ryo—within the Hidden Leaf Village, that was just enough to buy a bowl of ramen.

Withered old people were squeezed to the outermost edge of the fires. They knelt and prayed, begging the omnipotent Sage of Six Paths for mercy.

This was Year 47 of the Hidden Leaf Village, less than half a year before the Third Shinobi World War fully erupted.

The situation was unstable, and the major nations constantly clashed. Whenever natural disasters or man-made calamities struck, the lives of ordinary people would fall into hell in an instant.

In turbulent times, life was cheaper than grass.

(End of Chapter)