Hyuga's Jade with a Heart Full of Love

Hyuga's Jade with a Heart Full of Love

For the village's ninja, seeking an audience with the Hokage was not particularly difficult.

Especially for someone like Hyuga Yuto, who had just completed a mission and returned to the ninja village, reporting to the leader was only natural.

After being led into the Hokage's office by an ANBU wearing a dog-faced mask, Hyuga Yuto dropped to one knee and said respectfully:

"Greetings, Lord Hokage!"

Inside the room, Sarutobi Hiruzen, now over fifty, slowly turned around. He wore the Hokage's robes and held a pipe between his lips. His hair was already streaked with gray, and he looked less like the shadow of a village than a short, thin uncle next door.

But Hyuga Yuto knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen at this age was at the tail end of his prime as a ninja. His combat strength was formidable, and he was without question Hidden Leaf Village's strongest fighter at the moment!

When Orochimaru attacked the village sixteen years later, Sarutobi Hiruzen's body would already be failing. Even without using the Reaper Death Seal, he would have been at death's door, with only days left to live after that battle.

As Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not only immensely powerful; his wisdom and political skill also far surpassed ordinary people. During his years in office, the powerful ninja clans had gradually fallen in line, obeying the will of the "Kage." Talents continued to emerge from Hidden Leaf Village, and everything flourished.

Calling him a "great hero" would not have been flattery.

"Yuto, get up. No need to kneel." Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a ring of smoke and looked at the boy as he rose. "The Barrier Team reported that they only detected your chakra."

"My deepest apologies, Lord Hokage." Hyuga Yuto stood up, obvious pain on his handsome face. "Senior Sugisaki Tetsujiro, Sato Mahiro, Yamagata Reiro, Hirahara Eiji... all of them died. The Special Surprise Reconnaissance Squad has only me left."

"Sugisaki Tetsujiro is gone too..." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed softly.

"Senior Tetsujiro was surrounded by Hidden Cloud ninja and couldn't escape... Lord Hokage, here is the scroll."

Hyuga Yuto handed over the cylinder.

Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted it. In front of Hyuga Yuto, he tapped it lightly several times, using a special secret seal to undo the seal before carefully reading its contents.

Throughout the entire process, Hyuga Yuto kept his head lowered. He did not so much as sneak a glance, nor did his fingers move.

Estimating that Sarutobi Hiruzen had nearly finished reading, Hyuga Yuto finally spoke, delivering the "mission summary" he had rehearsed dozens of times in his heart.

"The first half of the mission went smoothly."

"We reached the Land of Hot Water and retrieved the intelligence from the agreed-upon stone cave, but something went wrong on the way back."

"While still in the Land of Hot Water, we were intercepted by Hidden Cloud ninja. More pursuers kept coming afterward, so we could only fend off attacks while moving toward the Land of Fire's border. But unexpectedly, they had even deployed jonin..."

Ninety-nine percent of what Hyuga Yuto said was true. Apart from the most crucial detail—his sudden attack to kill Sugisaki Tetsujiro—he concealed nothing. He even described in detail the locations where the Hidden Leaf ninja had died.

Afterward, Hidden Leaf's ANBU would handle the aftermath. Following Hyuga Yuto's account, they would retrieve the fallen ninja's bodies from those locations, conduct detailed autopsies, and use their experience to reconstruct the scene from that day.

That was the rule, as well as procedural justice. Every ninja village had similar investigative systems. They could not simply believe whatever their subordinates said.

After Hyuga Yuto finished, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave no response, so he obediently stood where he was.

From beginning to end, his gaze remained fixed on the tips of his shoes.

"After you leave here, go assist the ANBU investigation," Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly said. "Sugisaki Tetsujiro was a jonin. The death of someone like him requires an independent ninja record. There can be no mistakes."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I understand. I will cooperate with the ANBU."

"Good... as expected of Hyuga's Jade. Yuto, though you're young, you already know how to handle matters like an adult." Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly smiled and handed the scroll to Hyuga Yuto. "Take a look. The elders of the Hyuga Clan are highly learned. You should be able to understand it."

The handsome youth nodded. After only a few glances, he understood where the intelligence's value lay.

"Food prices in the Land of Lightning have continued to rise... Is there going to be a war?"

"Yes. Those war maniacs from Hidden Cloud Village are going to provoke another conflict."

"Victory will surely belong to Hidden Leaf." Hyuga Yuto answered respectfully, shouting the slogan loud and clear.

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled. Naturally, he would not discuss a war between nations with a twelve-year-old branch family member of the Hyuga Clan. He had merely used the intelligence to lead into the topic.

"This scroll is highly valuable. Not only does it expose Hidden Cloud's intent to start a war, it also reveals several routes. Those are supply lines. Hidden Cloud will have a headache now. Since we know their locations, they'll have to spend effort and time opening new supply routes."

"Not only that, but while escorting the intelligence, you also killed several enemy ninja, including even a jonin."

"Other than you, every member of the squad, including Sugisaki Tetsujiro, has died. Hidden Leaf will send compensation to these heroes' families, but all the credit for the mission will fall to you."

"Since becoming a genin, you have completed ninety-two missions of all sizes. Five of them were high-risk A-rank missions, and every single one was completed perfectly."

"With this one added... well, all together, you have accumulated a great deal of merit."

"Join the ANBU, Hyuga Yuto. I will make a special exception to let you in. One of the ANBU captains under my command is getting old. If I calculate it correctly, you still have time to grow."

If an ordinary Hidden Leaf ninja had been standing there, he would surely have been so excited that he did not know what to do. The ANBU were the Hokage's personal forces, and every ANBU captain was Sarutobi Hiruzen's confidant. If one could climb into the captain's seat, one would instantly become part of Hidden Leaf's upper-middle ranks!

Yet Hyuga Yuto merely kept his head down and answered without the slightest hesitation:

"My apologies, Lord Hokage. I have not yet thought through the matter of a reward... Could you allow me a few days to consider it carefully?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not answer. He merely exhaled another ring of smoke, and the white smoke, carrying a pungent yet strange fragrance, drifted into every corner of the room.

Displeasure rose in the heart of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was over fifty years old.

Are the Hyuga Clan's rules greater than the village's?

As the ruler of Hidden Leaf, he naturally knew that Hyuga Yuto had gone to the Hyuga compound the moment he returned to the village. Though it had been done discreetly, such a small move could not be hidden from him.

Hyuga Hiashi must have told you to answer this way, right? Stall for time, then find a reward that benefits the Hyuga Clan most. Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly.

The village's interests and authority had to stand above all ninja clans. The Hyuga, the Uchiha... there was still a long way to go...

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen, known as the "Professor," had not lost his composure in the end. He was not so petty as to vent his anger on a twelve-year-old child from the Hyuga branch family.

"Fine. That's acceptable. Take your time to think it over," Sarutobi Hiruzen said calmly. "But, Yuto, you should at least give me a range. What sort of reward do you want... roughly?"

The moment he heard those words, Hyuga Yuto's heart tightened.

It's here! It's here! He finally said it!

He did not need to give some grandly righteous answer, nor did he need to display his weariness with the Hyuga Clan or his indignation toward the Bird in a Cage.

As long as his answer revealed one small "trait," Sarutobi Hiruzen would surely make a big issue of it based on his identity. He could then use this opportunity to carry out the next step of his plan.

Emotions... movements... words... I have to get them right.

In the quiet Hokage's office, Hyuga Yuto remained silent for a moment.

Then, for the first time, he raised his head, revealing his snowy white eyes.

His voice was gentle and firm, carrying the shy bashfulness unique to a boy his age.

"Lord Hokage... I was thinking that if the reward you give me could make everyone in the village satisfied, that would be wonderful."