Uchiha Kureha (Happy New Year)

After putting on his ninja forehead protector, Hyuga Iwa proudly struck several poses. He had never imagined that he would have a day when he received his forehead protector ahead of schedule.

Hyuga Iwa wondered whether he should go to Kakashi Hatake's house tomorrow and show it off.

Glancing at the time, he saw that it was almost mealtime. After thinking for only a moment, Hyuga Iwa decided to go home for lunch.

Along the way, acquaintances from the Hyuga Branch Family greeted Hyuga Iwa from time to time. They had all seen the forehead protector on his brow and knew what it represented, sincerely offering him their blessings. One elderly woman he knew even pressed a bag of snacks into his hands, filling his heart with warmth.

The moment Hyuga Iwa arrived home, he saw his mother, Hyuga Yuko, humming as she prepared fragrant food. She seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.

"Oh, Iwa, you're back. Go wash your hands. Lunch will be ready soon." Hyuga Yuko's face was brimming with happiness, making her look much younger.

Hyuga Iwa answered, then hurried upstairs, put the snacks in the storage cabinet in his room, washed his hands, and went back downstairs.

As he passed the kitchen, Hyuga Iwa noticed a basket sitting there. Inside was a shuriken wrapped in talisman paper covered in incantations.

Pointing at the shuriken, Hyuga Iwa asked curiously, "Mom Yuko, where did this come from?"

Hyuga Yuko gave it a casual glance and replied, "Oh, that? I ran into someone while buying groceries today, and he asked me to pass it on to you."

"Is that so?"

Hyuga Iwa did not think much of it and casually picked up the shuriken. He unfolded the talisman paper wrapped around it, and in an instant, he recognized its true nature—it was an Explosive Tag!

Hyuga Iwa's expression changed instantly. The moment he unfolded the Explosive Tag, it had already been ignited and was about to explode!

Suppressing his rage, Hyuga Iwa instantly gathered a mass of chakra in his hand, sent it into the paper, and destroyed the explosive formula within.

Though the Explosive Tag had not detonated, Hyuga Iwa was furious beyond measure.

Who?!

Who the hell was it?

A devouring chill shone in Hyuga Iwa's eyes. Forcing down his anger, he squeezed out an ugly smile and said, "Mom Yuko, do you remember who asked you to give this to me?"

Hyuga Yuko seemed to sense that something was wrong. She asked cautiously, "Iwa, what's wrong? Is there a problem with this?"

"What are you thinking? I just want to know who he is so I can thank him, right?" Hyuga Iwa made his tone as calm as possible so his mother would not worry, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His invisible fury seemed to freeze the air itself.

"Oh, I see. Let me think... Ah, right. He said his name seemed to be Danzo or something. I was thinking about something else at the time, so I don't remember very clearly."

"Danzo?!"

The moment he heard his mother's words, Hyuga Iwa thought of that name. Other than him, Hyuga Iwa could not think of anyone else who would give him something like this!

What was he trying to do?

Use his mother to threaten him?

Was he trying to tell him that his mother was here, and that she was only an ordinary person whom he could kill with a few simple tricks?!

Heh, how wonderful. What a fine job he had done!!

Hyuga Iwa sneered inwardly. Very good, Danzo! I'll remember what happened today. Let's see whether you die first, or I do!

A dragon had a reverse scale; touch it, and death was certain!

And Hyuga Yuko was Hyuga Iwa's reverse scale!

He would never allow anyone to hurt her, not even a god!

After something like this happened, Hyuga Iwa had no appetite for lunch. Hyuga Yuko was full of guilt as well, repeatedly saying that she would never accept things from strangers again.

Hyuga Iwa took several deep breaths and gradually calmed himself down, then comforted his mother a few more times.

Both of them were preoccupied, and they hurriedly finished lunch.

After lunch, Hyuga Iwa left the house and wandered the streets at random. He knew that someone had to be watching him right now!

Before long, he noticed a figure following behind him.

Hyuga Iwa led the person through twisting streets before turning into a dead-end alley.

"Come out."

"As expected of Hyuga Iwa. He noticed me so easily."

The man's heart tightened, but he quickly recovered. Staring fixedly at Hyuga Iwa, he said, "Lord Danzo wishes to see you."

"Now?"

The man looked at Hyuga Iwa arrogantly and said nothing, but Hyuga Iwa still understood what he meant from his movements.

"Let's go. Lead the way."

Come to think of it, ever since agreeing to join Root, Hyuga Iwa had never once visited Root's base. The time Orochimaru had come on Danzo's behalf, it had ended without result. After so long, Hyuga Iwa had even thought that Danzo had given up on recruiting him.

Upon hearing Hyuga Iwa's words, the man turned and leapt onto a rooftop. After several bounds, he vanished into the distance.

Though Hyuga Iwa was dissatisfied, he knew perfectly well that he was not yet Danzo's match. He could only adapt to the situation.

As the saying went, a gentleman's revenge could wait ten years. One day, sooner or later, he would make Danzo pay the price!

Hyuga Iwa hurried after him. Before long, the two arrived in a secluded forest.

The Root ninja stood beside an ordinary large tree, waiting for Hyuga Iwa to arrive.

"Where is Lord Danzo?"

Hyuga Iwa vaguely sensed something discordant about the tree beside the man. It had probably been concealed with a sealing technique.

Sure enough, when the man saw Hyuga Iwa arrive, he formed hand seals toward the tree, then ran one hand downward along its trunk.

A pitch-black entrance appeared beside the tree.

Hyuga Iwa gave the man a meaningful look, then followed the Root ninja into the darkness.

Watching the entrance behind him gradually disappear, Hyuga Iwa could not help wondering what kind of Sealing Jutsu it was. Its effect was truly impressive.

If he had not been a sensory ninja, he might not have noticed anything strange there at all.

He wondered whether Danzo's other bases were hidden with this kind of Sealing Jutsu too. Maybe he could find time to look for them later?

A reckless thought suddenly surfaced in Hyuga Iwa's mind, but he quickly tossed it aside.

His current strength did not allow him to go around taking risks. It was better to lie low.

Along the way, Hyuga Iwa followed the Root ninja closely, afraid of being led into a trap. Before long, the two safely reached the depths of the cave.

Hyuga Iwa knew that if no one had led the way, the traps along the route and the hostile presences occasionally emanating from both sides would have been enough to leave him here forever!

"Sir, the person has been brought." The Root ninja respectfully knelt on one knee and reported.

Hyuga Iwa suddenly saw a fanatical look on his face.

So he was one of Danzo's loyal subordinates! Probably the type of war fanatic!

Every village had people like that. Even Leaf Village was no exception.

"Danzo, did you want something from me?" Hyuga Iwa looked at the man before him, whose entire body was hidden in darkness. The anger in his eyes was obvious.

Danzo did not make Hyuga Iwa wait long. After only a brief silence, he said, "Hyuga Iwa, I heard you wish to join the Research Division?"

"That's right! Lord Hokage suddenly ordered me to graduate. I had no way to refuse his command."

As the Hokage's assistant, Danzo would naturally know about this matter, so Hyuga Iwa admitted it openly.

Danzo also knew that Hyuga Iwa was telling the truth, so he had no intention of pursuing the matter.

But even if Danzo did not pursue it, Hyuga Iwa was not so easygoing. What happened today had touched his reverse scale!

"However, Lord Danzo, I do not want what happened today to happen again. This is the first time, and it will be the last!"

Danzo's expression turned cold. A sharp light burst from his eyes as a powerful aura erupted like a volcano and crashed directly into Hyuga Iwa.

Hyuga Iwa's expression changed slightly, and a dangerous smile appeared on his face. Chakra continuously gathered within his body, ready to move at any moment.

"What? You want to fight me here? Do you not know that this is Root territory?" Danzo watched Hyuga Iwa with slight surprise and spoke slowly.

"I do not want to either. But sometimes, even if it is a dragon's pool or tiger's den, I still have to charge in!"

"Good, well said. I need people like you. Excellent. We ninja must complete our missions, even if it means death!"

"Even you, sir?" Hyuga Iwa's tone carried a trace of mockery.

Danzo paused at that, but quickly answered, "Even this old man is the same!"

Hyuga Iwa inwardly scoffed at Danzo's answer. Hmph, this old schemer would stop at nothing to become Hokage. Many times, he had let his subordinates die in his place just to preserve his own life! Later, he had even transplanted a large number of Sharingan.

Was he afraid of death? No, but he was also afraid!

"Tell me. Why did you call me here today?" Hyuga Iwa did not want to keep arguing with Danzo. This was not his strength. The more he spoke, the more likely he was to make a mistake. He was afraid he might say something he should not and provoke Danzo's killing intent.

Danzo was somewhat dissatisfied with Hyuga Iwa's tone and frowned. If an ordinary person had shown him such disrespect, he would have killed them long ago, or at least taught them a lesson.

But he valued Hyuga Iwa's future potential even more. Even Orochimaru seemed to have taken an interest in him, so Danzo endured this minor disrespect.

But that did not mean he could tolerate repeated provocations. "Let it go this time. If you continue speaking to me in that tone, I will let you know why I am the leader of Root!"

Hyuga Iwa nodded noncommittally. When it was time to lower his head, he could only lower it. Without sufficient strength, he had no choice but to act according to others' expressions. Otherwise, he would only bring trouble upon himself.

"Remember, you have already joined Root. You must report anything that happens to me!"

Hyuga Iwa frowned. "But this time, it was the Hokage's order..."

Danzo waved a hand and said, "I know. Just remember it. Someone will come find you when there is something to do."

"I understand. Then, Lord Danzo, what about the support we agreed on earlier?"

"No problem. Whether you want money or supplies, there will be no issue. But you must let me see your value!"

"No problem. I will prove my value!"

Hyuga Iwa also knew why Danzo had recruited him. Without demonstrating his value, wanting to obtain what he needed from Danzo was nothing but a dream. Even if he got it, he would have to worry that it might be taken back from him several times over one day!

"Then if there is nothing else, Lord Danzo, I'll take my leave?"

"Mm. Also, remember this. He will be the one to contact you from now on."

Danzo pointed at the Root ninja from earlier and waved his hand casually. Hyuga Iwa had no intention of staying, so he turned and left.

Watching Hyuga Iwa disappear into the darkness, Danzo snorted coldly. "Hyuga Iwa, you will not escape the palm of my hand!"

To be honest, even Danzo had not expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to notice Hyuga Iwa and recognize his talent.

Originally, he had planned to slowly win Hyuga Iwa over. But the Third Hokage's intervention had caused him to lose the initiative. After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage and held the advantage of legitimacy, while he did not!

This inferior tactic had been used to intimidate Hyuga Iwa, to make him understand that Danzo was not someone he could casually shake off. Root was not a place one could join whenever one wished, then leave whenever one wished!

After walking out of the tree hollow, Hyuga Iwa raised a hand before his eyes. Eyes accustomed to darkness always needed time to adjust after being exposed to sunlight. For some people, that time was long; for others, it was short.

But some people could never escape the shroud of darkness!

Hyuga Iwa looked at the tree hollow as it disappeared once more and let out a soft breath. A breeze swept by, and he felt a chill down his back.

With a sigh, Hyuga Iwa walked home in a heavy mood.

The day passed quickly, and the next day arrived.

Early in the morning, Hyuga Iwa was awakened by a familiar voice.

"Iwa, get up. We're going to gather."

Hyuga Iwa rubbed his eyes and stretched before slowly washing up under Might Guy's gaze.

"Guy, what gathering? I don't remember anyone telling me to gather."

"The team! A ninja team! Iwa, Lord Hokage met my dad yesterday and asked him to be our instructor. I finally get to have teammates!" Might Guy said excitedly, completely failing to notice Hyuga Iwa's dropped jaw.

So Uncle Duy was the person the Hokage had mentioned! Then who was the other person? Who could it be?

"Guy, who is our other teammate?"

"Her name seemed to be... Uchiha Kureha?"

"Uchiha Kureha?"

Was there someone in the village with the surname Uchiha Kureha?

Forget it. There was no curing Guy's forgetful nature, and Hyuga Iwa had long gotten used to it. He would find out soon enough, so there was no need to rush.

"Guy, have you eaten breakfast? If not, have some at my place."

"Not yet. I came straight to your house as soon as I learned the news, so I didn't have time to eat."

Guy did not stand on ceremony. He had eaten at Hyuga Iwa's house more than once, and he did not feel awkward at all as he naturally sat down.

After breakfast, the two went together to the school training ground, where the team's meeting place had been set.

Not long after, Might Duy arrived as well. Guy had dragged him out of bed early in the morning, and after hastily eating something, he came to the training ground while yawning.

As the appointed time drew near, a figure slowly approached from the distance.

Hyuga Iwa stared at the approaching figure and could not help opening his mouth wide. "Uncle Duy, our teammate isn't Uchiha Kureha, is she?"

"That's right, it's her. Huh, Iwa, didn't Guy tell you?"

Hyuga Iwa was not ignorant. Before this, ninja teams had never included a combination of Hyuga Clan and Uchiha Clan members!

Might Guy, Uchiha Kureha, Hyuga Iwa—this combination was already completely different from the anime, wasn't it?

An indescribable light flickered in Hyuga Iwa's eyes. The future was already changing, wasn't it?