Chapter 49: White Yaksha
Afterward, the rotation force arrived and formally took over the Ishigoryu Mountain defense line. Along with them came two orders.
One order was for Uchiha Shisui, dispatching him to reinforce a defensive strongpoint that had come under heavy Mist-nin assault.
The other order was for Hyūga Ritsu, assigning him to a different frontline position also under attack.
Neither of them needed to return to the forward command camp—and worse still, one was sent south while the other was sent north. There was no chance for the two of them to regroup.
After a brief farewell, they went their separate ways.
---
From that day on, Ritsu effectively became a firefighting unit.
Wherever the situation grew urgent, he was sent there. Orders came one after another, like a small whip cracking relentlessly, lashing him into motion like a spinning top that was never allowed to stop.
That said, the difficulty of the missions dropped noticeably.
He no longer encountered monsters like Fuguki Suikazan or Hozuki Mangetsu. The Mist ninja no longer fought to the death either; more often than not, they scattered the moment Ritsu appeared.
Across nearly ten missions, he accumulated fewer than thirty confirmed kills.
Just like that, twenty-six days passed.
Time slipped into August.
Ritsu finally received an order to return to the forward camp for temporary rest and reorganization.
---
After nearly a month away, Ritsu once again stepped into the frontline camp.
It was just as heavily guarded as ever. Ninja moved briskly through the camp, urgency etched into their movements. But unlike before, many of them now paused when they saw Ritsu—offering respectful nods or quiet salutes.
This left Ritsu more than a little confused.
He didn't understand what had changed—until he entered the main tent and saw Orochimaru.
"Ritsu-kun, congratulations," Orochimaru said with a smile the moment he saw him.
"Your reputation as the White Yaksha has been ringing in my ears lately."
"…What?"
Ritsu blinked. "White Yaksha? What are you talking about?"
"Oh? You didn't know?" Orochimaru's smile deepened, his interest clearly piqued.
"'White Yaksha' refers to you. The nickname came from the Mist side. Supposedly, it was coined by that prodigy from the Hōzuki clan—the one favored by the Seven Ninja Swords. He said that when you fight, you resemble a yaksha of the night, vicious and unstoppable."
"Word spread from there. Before long, your name was being whispered all across the frontlines. I've heard it more than once myself."
"And yet," Orochimaru chuckled softly, "the man himself was completely unaware."
Ritsu finally understood.
"…So that's why."
Ritsu finally understood.
No wonder people had been giving him strange looks—without realizing it himself, he had already become a figure with a distinct battlefield moniker, just like "Yellow Flash" or "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
As for the nickname "White Yaksha", it inevitably reminded him of a certain dead-fish–eyed natural perm and a troublesome silver-haired girl.
But—
"White Yaksha… it actually sounds pretty good."
Even if the nickname felt a bit familiar, Ritsu was quite satisfied with it. At the very least, it sounded cool enough.
"Ritsu-kun, you forced Fuguki Suikazan into a head-on retreat at Ishigoryu Mountain," Orochimaru continued. "And over this past stretch, you've made the Mist ninja so terrified they scatter at the mere mention of your name. Thanks to your tireless efforts, we managed to withstand their counteroffensive. At this point, the overall situation is essentially settled."
"So the Mist are close to breaking?" Ritsu asked.
"Unless they intend to fight us to mutual destruction," Orochimaru replied calmly, "they should already be considering how to withdraw with dignity."
"That's a bit troublesome for me," Ritsu said, frowning.
"Oh? What's the problem?"
"We haven't recovered the Byakugan my clan lost."
His brows knit tightly.
"Before I left the village, the Hokage personally instructed me to retrieve the stolen Byakugan at all costs. Orochimaru-senpai, if I return empty-handed, I'll have a hard time explaining myself to the Hokage."
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
He didn't believe his once-sharp teacher would truly say something like that—but he had no interest in arguing the point. Instead, his expression shifted smoothly into one of difficulty.
"If that's the case, then returning empty-handed would indeed be awkward. Unfortunately, the broader situation is what it is. We simply don't have the strength to launch a counteroffensive against the Mist. Recovering the Byakugan won't be easy."
That was the truth.
Although Konoha's war with Iwagakure had already ended, it had been a pyrrhic victory. There were no spare forces to deploy to the eastern front. Worse still, the Cloud ninja in the northeast were growing restless, and sufficient troops had to be held back in case Kumogakure—now without the Third Raikage—went mad and pushed south again.
As a result, manpower on the eastern front remained limited. The fact that Konoha had held off the Mist's counterattack at all owed greatly to Hyūga Ritsu and Uchiha Shisui.
Just then—
Aburame Ryūma, who had been sitting silently like a shadow, suddenly spoke.
"If we're talking about the Byakugan taken by the Mist," he said, "I've just received some new intelligence. Orochimaru-sama, my apologies—I hadn't yet had the chance to report it."
New intelligence?
In all likelihood, it had been prepared in advance, deliberately held until Ritsu returned—and if so, its credibility was beyond doubt.
Orochimaru glanced sideways at Ryūma, his smile deepening meaningfully.
"No problem. That sort of thing happens. Ryūma, go ahead."
"The Mist jonin known as 'Byakugan Killer', Ao, has been sighted multiple times along several defensive lines in the northeast. If Clan Head Hyūga wishes to reclaim the Byakugan, that would be the place to look."
Ryūma's tone was precise and formal.
"Vice Commander Aburame," Ritsu asked, "are you saying I'm currently free to act independently?"
"If there is no mission that explicitly requires Clan Head's personal involvement," Ryūma replied seriously, "then given your status, you are entitled to a certain degree of operational freedom. As long as you communicate and report beforehand, and ensure your actions won't interfere with other missions or personnel, independent action is permitted."
Ritsu studied Ryūma for a moment before speaking.
"We'll discuss it later. Right now, I need rest."
"That's only natural," Ryūma said. "However, a reminder: Ao may not remain in that region indefinitely. If the timing is missed, he could move on. And if this drags on until the Mist commit to a full withdrawal, reclaiming that Byakugan will become virtually impossible."
A kindly warning—on the surface.
"Thank you for the reminder, Vice Commander Aburame. I'll consider my next steps carefully."
Ritsu turned to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-senpai, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave and go rest."
With neither Orochimaru nor Ryūma raising further objections, Hyūga Ritsu departed the tent and returned to the area of the camp occupied by the Hyūga clan.