The Uchiha liked seeing the Hyūga suffer, since the two were both hailed as the greatest ocular jutsu clans. They believed the Hyūga had been severely weakened this time, and most others thought so too.
But that was not actually the case. The truly powerful ones had always been the Branch Family members active on the front lines. The village never publicized their achievements, either. After all, most of their merits had to be passed on to the Main Family.
With this incident, no one would be passing on their merits anymore. A whole host of Hyūga heroes should emerge from the Land of Water Frontline this time!
But wasn't the village being a little too obvious about wanting to wrap up the war quickly? Walking down the street, Takahashi Yū could no longer even see anyone from the Konoha Military Police Force.
Pressure on the Land of Lightning battlefield had noticeably eased since Takahashi Yū severely wounded Ōnoki. Surely that brute, the Third Raikage, wasn't really planning to brave Konoha's fangs to go after the Land of Earth.
In Takahashi Yū's view, the Second Shinobi World War would end before long. After that, the major shinobi villages would rest and recover, waiting for their next opportunity-or rather, until they could no longer suppress their internal conflicts again.
As Takahashi Yū walked down the street, he tried to recall when the Third Shinobi World War had begun.
The Third Shinobi World War... I remember it was apparently the Third Kazekage's disappearance that forced Sunagakure to go to war.
Hatake Sakumo hasn't even been to the Land of Wind now. Sasori of the Red Sands hasn't lost his parents, so he probably won't poison the Kazekage. Besides, I've nearly wiped out an entire generation of Sand Shinobi. Could a war still break out?
Wait!
Under the other villagers' awed gazes, Takahashi Yū suddenly broke into a run toward the Hokage Building.
Takahashi Yū had already felt something was wrong when he learned that Dan Katō would most likely never wake up. Now, he wanted to verify the suspicion in his mind.
Two Sarutobi Clan shinobi still stood beside the Hokage Building, but Takahashi Yū had no intention of stopping. Like a gale, he blew past them, leaving them staggering, and headed straight for the second-floor archive room.
"Give me every mission file for the Undying Squad in the Land of Wind!" Without knocking, Takahashi Yū yanked open the archive room door, scaring the slacking archivist half to death.
"Uh... all right!"
Normally, retrieving the files required an order from the Hokage, but faced with Takahashi Yū looking ready to eat someone alive, the Chunin had no choice but to give in. He hurried into the rows of shelves behind him and struggled to drag a thick folder down from an upper shelf.
Takahashi Yū could wait no longer. Bracing one hand on the desk, he vaulted sideways over the railing blocking entry and snatched the folder. He sat right down in the aisle between the shelves, leaned against a shelf, and eagerly opened the file that carried the lives of forty-one members of the Undying Squad.
February 6, Year 39. Takahashi Yū's company, first wartime mission. At Oasis No. 6, eliminated 96 enemies, including 10 Jonin and 16 puppeteers. No significant figures. Six killed in action (Yamashita, Ida...).
Not this one!
Takahashi Yū rapidly flipped through just under half the file, his gaze racing across the documents along with his finger.
May 5, Year 39. Takahashi Yū's company...
May 28, Year 39. Takahashi Yū's company, twenty-first...
Not this one! Not this one!
Takahashi Yū flipped through another stack of pages, and his eyes stopped on several names.
June 15, Year 39. Takahashi Yū's company, twenty-third wartime mission. Significant gains. All eight members of the Second Reconnaissance Unit squad killed in action (Aburame Tomoya, Inuzuka Ayako...). At Oasis No. 16, killed the commander and deputy commander of Sand Shinobi Puppet Unit One, and eliminated 38 additional enemies, all puppeteers.
Note: Sand Shinobi Puppet Unit One's commander, Yūji, and deputy commander, Maki, were both disciples of Sunagakure elder Chiyo, as well as her son and daughter-in-law.
Reading this, Takahashi Yū slumped against the shelf, his mind a tangled mess. He closed his eyes, and the figures that appeared before him were not just those of his fallen comrades.
So I became the enemy who killed Sasori's father and mother?
Takahashi Yū never paid attention to the enemies he killed on the battlefield. He recalled that horrific scene.
By the time Takahashi Yū arrived, all that remained of the Second Reconnaissance Squad was Inuzuka Ayako's beloved dog, Rimaru, the companion she had raised since childhood. Before his furious eyes, even after his master and all her teammates had died from poison, Rimaru still dragged his poisoned body onward, following orders to hold up the puppeteers before him.
By that stage of the fighting, over half of Takahashi Yū's unit had already died. Now eight were gone at once, from the aloof Aburame to the lively Inuzuka. Even Rimaru, the last one left, had used his life to hold the enemy unit there. All of it drove Takahashi Yū to the brink of losing his reason.
That was also the first time Takahashi Yū unleashed murderous intent fluctuation.
Ordering a sensory squad to hold off enemies several times their number? Was that an order a human being could give? Although Mitokado Homura later explained that other squads had been assigned as well, but all had met with unforeseen circumstances that led to this situation, Takahashi Yū still could not accept it.
The outcome needed no elaboration. In the end, he even punched Mitokado Homura, who had issued the order, in front of numerous shinobi, and stopped accepting orders from anyone else entirely.
So the things that changed because of me would ultimately come back around to me?
Takahashi Yū's mind was in turmoil. If he included what happened to Dan Katō, this became even more frightening.
Sasori's parents were originally supposed to die at Hatake Sakumo's hands. But Takahashi Yū's slaughter had eliminated the need for Hatake Sakumo on the Land of Wind battlefield, so Takahashi Yū ended up killing Sasori's parents during a mission.
But the Second Reconnaissance Squad, a unit with sensory capabilities honed to the limit, had been wiped out!
Dan Katō was originally supposed to die on the battlefield with his internal organs gouged out. But because Takahashi Yū had ended the western war early, Dan Katō had remained in the village. Then, who knew what had gone wrong in his head, but he had insisted on pitting his soul against Takahashi Yū's to stop him, and now there was no telling when he would wake up.
But all of that had happened because Hyūga Gōshi was killed by a curse in the village!
Takahashi Yū's head was a mess now. He did not know what causal relationship there was between these events, but they had happened nonetheless.
He had considered the question of converging worldlines at Yūma's celebration, but Takahashi Yū had not paid it any mind then.
Now the mission report lay before him, and Takeshi's corpse was still in Ayano's scroll. He had no choice but to think further.
Behind every unreasonable detail lay a reasonable cause.
Takahashi Yū was like a "virus" wreaking havoc in the world, and also like a scapegoat. He was both the "virus" and the "white blood cell," but the price was paid by the other "viruses" he had infected.
"What's wrong, Takahashi? You were in such a hurry. Is there something wrong with the mission reports?" A kindly voice came from the doorway.
The Third Hokage looked worriedly at Takahashi Yū, who was leaning against a shelf. He was not worried about anything else, only that Takahashi Yū would dispute his merits. The archivist stood behind the Third with his head lowered.
Takahashi Yū's headlong rush into the Hokage Building had frightened the ANBU into immediately reporting to the Hokage. The Third had waited in his office, fully prepared, but after a while, nothing happened. Instead, the archivist had sneaked over to report that Takahashi Yū was going through the Land of Wind mission files.
Thinking that Mitokado Homura had shortchanged Takahashi Yū on his merits, the Third had hurried down to the second-floor archive room as well.
"It's nothing, Third." Takahashi leaned against the shelf with his eyes closed.
Bracing a hand against the floor, Takahashi Yū slowly stood up and tossed the thick file onto the desk. Ignoring the Third, who looked as though he wanted to say something, he walked out.
Outside the Hokage Building, Takahashi Yū looked at the sun on the horizon, and a light flared in his eyes.
Next time, would it be Nawaki?
Then would it be Yūma, or the Uchiha?
Takahashi Yū clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked.
One day, he would beat this world into the ground!
Before you continue