When Kurenai Yuhi woke up, she found herself lying in a familiar room, knowing that her mother must have carried her back. After the previous incidents, she was no longer surprised by this.
After tidying up, Kurenai decided to go downstairs for something to eat before continuing her training.
With the Fourth Hokage succession complete and the war just ended, the village was busy with rebuilding. Since Hyuga Mirai's defection, Kurenai's original team had been disbanded, and Kiyo Hyuga had also withdrawn from Konoha's mission teams.
Before receiving any new assignments, Kurenai had a lot of free time. Since her teammates had just defected, it would take at least a month or two to reassemble the team. And someone like Kurenai, who had once worked alongside a rogue ninja, would likely have difficulty joining a new team. Ninjas who followed Orochimaru, for example, were still under interrogation. Even once that ended, it was unlikely they would be trusted with sensitive missions unless they regained the Hokage's trust.
Kurenai considered herself lucky—her father, an elite Jonin, helped her maintain a good reputation in the village. She had only asked Kiyo Hyuga for help once, but after seeing that she was busy with clan matters and training, she didn't want to disturb her again. Instead, she made the same choice Kiyo had—focusing on her own growth.
After Mirai's defection, Kurenai had also been questioned a few times by the ANBU. However, with Kiyo and her father, Shinku Yuhi, by her side, she didn't face any harsh interrogation, just routine questions. Still, it was uncomfortable for her. Answering the same questions repeatedly was meant to prompt her to recall more details. This wasn't even the real ANBU interrogation—if it had been an enemy, they would have directly searched through her mind.
After grabbing a quick meal that her mother had left for her, Kurenai stuffed a rice ball into her mouth. She used to savor her meals, enjoying every bite, but now it was just about filling her stomach quickly so she could get back to her training.
"Kurenai," her father, Shinku, called out as she was about to leave. He stepped closer and said softly, "We haven't had a proper conversation in a while."
"Father..."
"Even if you're training, there's no rush," Shinku added, his tone more firm now. After a sigh, he continued, "Come sit with me. I don't have any missions today, so I can accompany you while you train."
Kurenai hesitated for a moment but decided to listen to her father. She sat with him in the living room.
"Is it because of the teammate from your former squad?" Shinku asked directly, not beating around the bush. He felt his daughter had grown into a capable ninja, and it was time to address her current situation. "Why this sudden push to improve?"
"Father, I just want to get stronger. I don't want to be powerless next time something like this happens," Kurenai said softly, her red eyes now dull, lacking their usual brilliance.
Shinku nodded and said, "I see. But, Kurenai, training should be focused. If you train blindly, it won't help improve your abilities."
Kurenai's mind wandered back to the words Hyuga Mirai once said to her during their time in the Team. "Kurenai, training should be targeted. The goal is to strengthen your advantages and make up for your weaknesses. With that in mind, you'll know exactly what to focus on in your training. For you, it's Genjutsu and Taijutsu."
That's why she focused on physical training, and relied on her father for her Genjutsu training. Whenever her father was busy, Kurenai worked on improving her Taijutsu.
"I've been observing your training over the past few days. You're correct in focusing on Taijutsu. But for that, I can't give you much advice. You might want to ask a certain classmate of yours, Might Guy. His father is a great Taijutsu master."
"I also asked your mother to prepare lunch for both of us. That way, you and I don't have to worry about food during training," Shinku added, each word filled with concern for his daughter.
"Kurenai, your mother is really worried about you."
Hearing that, Kurenai thought about how her mother had been carrying her home every day. She lowered her gaze, murmuring, "I know, Father."
Her red eyes flickered for a moment, their luster returning slightly.
---
"Is there something here as well?" someone asked, likely an ANBU operative.
"Yes, there are signs, though faint. It seems someone has been training here—intense Taijutsu training, to be exact."
"Unbelievable, this is the seventh place, right?"
"Yes, and I'm not sure how many other teams have discovered other locations. The defector from the Hyuga clan seems especially cautious. He even came all the way out here for Taijutsu training."
"I heard from the sub-team leader that this defector injured Kakashi in just a few seconds?"
"Shh, don't talk about it. The sub-team leader issued a gag order," came the response.
Under the team leader's orders, the remaining ANBU operatives collected the information they could find and continued their search.
There were three teams of ANBU dedicated to tracking Hyuga Mirai's movements, spending three days gathering nearly all the clues. Since Hyuga Mirai was deeply connected to the prophecy about destroying the future of ninjas, Minato Namikaze took the information regarding him very seriously. The information gathered from the Hyuga clan would be handed to the intelligence department for further verification.
After a thorough review, the information was finally handed to Minato Namikaze.
"To think it was hidden so deeply. Why?" Minato murmured, his attention fully on the report about Hyuga Mirai. The details raised his level of concern to its peak. A person who had been hiding his true self since he was six, deceiving everyone in Konoha, even those who had spent the most time with him, unable to discern the real Mirai.
Since his early days at the Ninja Academy, he had shown a deep love for the Will of Fire. At six or seven years old, he had studied at Konoha Hospital, often putting others before himself, prioritizing easing the pain of the injured. Mirai's actions demonstrated a perfect understanding of the Will of Fire. But his defection had been sudden, with no sign or warning.
"Unbelievable... Truly terrifying," Minato said, his brow furrowing as he reread the intelligence report on Mirai's abilities and personality. He added a few personal thoughts, then called for a few ANBU agents.
"Send a copy of this report to the Third Hokage and to Jiraiya-sensei. Also, make sure the Hyuga clan gets one," Minato instructed.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the ANBU responded. They took the confidential documents and quickly left.
With the war just over, Konoha's focus had to be on rebuilding, and for now, there was no need to engage too aggressively with the rogue ninjas, Orochimaru and Hyuga Mirai. Instead, elite teams were dispatched to slowly track their movements.
If Konoha mobilized its forces just to hunt two rogue ninjas, other villages would surely become suspicious, and the fragile peace could be shattered.
"Lord Hokage," Nara Shikaku entered, carrying a stack of documents. Seeing Minato's trusted strategist, Minato's expression softened into a smile.
"Shikaku, you're here."
"Yes, this is the administrative work that the Third Hokage asked me to pass on to you. It requires your review and signature," Shikaku said as he placed the nearly half-meter-tall stack of documents on Minato's desk.
Minato was taken aback and asked, "Is this everything?"
"No," Shikaku replied, easing Minato's concern slightly. But then he added, "This is only a portion; there's more at the Third Hokage's office. Many of these documents require your personal signature. The most urgent are at the top—allocations for the Land of Fire and debts owed to the Hyakusa Trade Association. They need to be addressed soon."
Shikaku went on, then patted his head, reminding Minato, "The debts to the Hyakusa Trade Association need to be settled quickly. We've delayed the payments for the previous supplies for far too long. If we don't act soon, they may stop supplying us with the next batch of medicine."
Minato nodded after reviewing the papers. As expected, they were full of tedious tasks. The debt to the Hyakusa Trade Association dated back to the time when Konoha fought Iwagakure. As Shikaku mentioned, failure to resolve it could damage Konoha's reputation.
But with so much paperwork, it was clear it would take up a lot of Minato's time. Yet, he had no choice. As Hokage, he was responsible for seeing these matters through. To fulfill his previous promises, he had to do his duty.
Suddenly, a loud noise echoed from the training grounds at the Hyuga clan.
The three figures moved rapidly, engaging in a Taijutsu match. Their movements were so swift that despite being in a training field, it felt like a real battle was taking place.
"Kiyo, take a break," Hyuga Zosuke called as he entered the training ground.
At that moment, Kiyo Hyuga, distracted for just an instant, was caught off guard by another guard. A hard blow from a Gentle Fist technique hit her shoulder, sending her flying three meters before she landed heavily on the ground.
"Kiyo-sama!" The other guards, stunned, saw one of the branch family guards who had struck Kiyo immediately kneel in panic.
"Please forgive me, Kiyo-sama. It wasn't intentional," the guard begged.
Though the branch family guard pleaded quickly, other guards moved forward to restrain him.
"Stop!" Kiyo Hyuga, clutching her shoulder, slowly rose with the help of a maid. "This is my order. Don't hold it against him. You two, stand up. We'll end here for today. We'll resume tomorrow."
Kiyo had been in charge of this branch for some time. Her authority had grown steadily, and with Zosuke's guidance, her sense of discipline was firm. Most of the branch family had quickly come to respect her.
"Let's follow Kiyo's decision," Zosuke said, as he slowly withdrew his hand, making the Caged Bird seal vanish. He and Kiyo then returned to the house.
As they left, the branch family guard, who had knelt earlier, noticed that the Caged Bird seal had not activated. He breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, only to find his back drenched in cold sweat.
(End of Chapter)
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