Konoha: Start by unlocking the caged bird

Chapter 103 Hunting Back to the Future (1.35W)

Hinata Yuzuru stayed in his room alone for several days.

Except for meal times, he hardly ever greeted anyone. When he was alone in the room, others could only feel that sometimes a powerful chakra reaction would emerge from inside, but it would quickly disappear.

Just when his mother was worried that he was in trouble, he finally walked out of the room, but after leaving, he didn't come home for several days.

The forests around Konoha suffered.

Countless powerful ninjutsu appeared and disappeared from time to time, causing chaos in the forest. The third generation had heard about it, and he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, so he asked Hinata Yuzuru to go to the Forest of Death to practice ninjutsu himself and not to cause trouble in the village.

Hyuga Yuzuru was so happy that he practiced new ninjutsu like a fish in water in the "Forest of Death" near the outside of the village. He constantly integrated existing knowledge and tried every means to combine the new ninjutsu with the original ones. Mastery of Ninjutsu.

The large number of additional low-level ninjutsu gave him the opportunity to gain free experience points, and many of the forbidden techniques related to the soul made him more and more obsessed.

How to make your soul and body perfectly combined?
What is the nature of the soul?
What is the essence of Chakra? What is the specific relationship between the soul and human mental power? How can we strengthen our soul, or even master our soul?
Various novel theories made him exclaim in amazement from time to time, and frown in deep thought from time to time, which made him increasingly feel the amazing attainments of the second generation in ninjutsu.

Especially for ninjutsu related to the soul, most of them have special spell properties with yin attributes.

This Yin-Yang escape, which is independent of the Five Elements, is extremely powerful and vaguely involves the power essence of this world.

Yin escape is the power of yin that originates from the spiritual energy of the master's imagination, creating form from nothing; while Yang escape is the power of yang that originates from the physical energy of the master's life, giving life to the form.

If this power can be mastered, it can even create life out of thin air.

During the research, Yang Dun's progress was somewhat slow, but Yin Dun's progress was astonishingly fast because of his white eyes.

The enrichment of theoretical knowledge not only allowed Hinata Yuzuru to have a deeper understanding of himself, but also gave him a more thorough understanding of his own strength.

What exactly is the power of the Byakugan? Is it a manifestation of a person's spiritual power, or a form of Yin Dun?

The ability to control chakra to shape wings depends on the control of pupil power, or can it be created without these eyes as long as the Yin escape technique is mastered? The specific connection between pupil power and mental power, and the connection between pupil power and Yin escape technique
Questions one after another kept emerging during practice, but they inspired Hinata Yuzuru to devote himself to research with greater enthusiasm.

In the end, he even had an understanding based on pupil power and Yin escape, and in a short period of time, he developed a clear research direction.

Can I create a dojutsu like Susanoo with the help of Yin escape and dojutsu power?
Even, could he create a being like the Tailed Beast with the help of Yin and Yang escape techniques?
The latter is still a little vague, as the power involved is undoubtedly closely related to the Sage Mode, or to be more precise, natural energy. However, with constant research and experience, the former is not so far away.

One month, two months, three months.

Hyuga Yuzuru only goes home once a month to deal with family work. After that, he spends most of his time in the vast and deserted Forest of Death, like a sponge thrown into water, crazily absorbing all the information brought by the Sealed Book. Class knowledge improves one's own level.

This kind of life continued until the summer of the 56th year in Konoha, when he reluctantly came out of his seclusion and returned home.

If possible, he really wanted to plunge into the search for power quietly, but his reason told him that he had a more convenient and fast way to go.

So, after taking a short rest at home for a few days, he went to the Hokage Building alone to take the mission.

"you sure?"

When the Third Hokage first heard that Hinata Yuzuru was going to take the mission, he just nodded without any reaction. He thought that Yuzuru was just being quiet for a long time and had gained a lot from the Book of Seales. He planned to go out and try out actual combat by taking the mission.

But when Hyuga Yuzuru casually took a mission to clean up the stray ninjas in the Land of Fire and was about to leave, the Sandaime looked up and asked, "How long do you plan to be gone?"

As soon as he saw the mission Hinata Yuzuru chose, he knew that his purpose was not to do any mission, but to find a name so that he could go out and move freely.

These wandering ninjas who committed crimes may have died in some nook and cranny. Even if they are not dead, they may have fled to other areas. It is time-consuming and labor-intensive to arrest them, but the reward is very low.

Hinata Yuzuru made an estimate: "One year at most."

The third generation nodded, without saying much, and just said: "If possible, collect information about Jiraiya and Tsunade."

Hinata Yuzuru nodded but didn't care much. In the ninja world, it was not difficult to find news about the two of them. Tsunade was known as the big fat sheep in the ninja world, and Jiraiya often had to follow behind her to pay off her debts. As one of the three ninjas of Konoha, it was not difficult to find any trace of her.

After leaving Konoha, he changed his clothes, shrouded himself in a black robe, and headed straight to the black market of the Land of Fire.

The so-called black market is actually often where bounty hunters and information dealers gather. As a member of the Anbu, Hinata Yuzuru is quite familiar with it.

It didn't take much effort to find the black market's base in the Fire Nation.

Naturally, he was not here for information or business, but just to check a list.

Bounty list.

From S-rank rebel ninjas worth tens of millions of taels to key figures in each ninja village.

They can range from a few million taels to a wandering ninja worth hundreds of thousands of taels.

Their portraits, names of names, scope of activities, and approximate strength are all clearly written on the black market bounty list with prices marked.

Even Hinata Yuzuru saw his own name.

[Bounty target: Hinata Yuzuru]

[Age: 10 (seriously suspected of falsifying his age)]

[Strength: Elite Jonin (recent update)]

[A genius ninja of the Hyuga clan, proficient in Hyuga-style ninjutsu, possesses top-notch teleportation speed in the ninja world, and has a rich reserve of ninjutsu. His strength cannot be underestimated.

Current identity: Konoha Anbu (crossed out), Konoha Jonin.

Achievements: Once against many enemies, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's arm was injured in a head-on battle.

Specific value of intelligence: 100 million taels. 】

[Kill reward: fifteen million taels. 】

[Value of a white eye: 100 million taels. 】

Hey!
Hinata Yuzuru was shocked by his own worth.

Not to mention that his head is now worth fifteen million taels, Baiyan has reached an astonishing price of a small target.

Just the information about him can be sold for one million taels, which is amazing enough.

Hyuga Yuzuru stared at the list for a while, then walked into the black market information exchange without saying anything.

"I want to buy specific information about Hinata Yuzuru."

The inside of the Information Exchange looked very mysterious. The owner and the customers were completely separated by a wooden wall. As his voice sounded, the other side of the wall just lazily replied: "One million taels."

Hyuga Yuzuru took out one million taels of money from his wallet. This was a bearer check. As long as the notes were complete and the seal was intact, the money could be withdrawn from the bank.

A small window opened on the wooden wall, and after taking the money and the bill, a piece of letter paper covered with words was handed over soon.

[Its Byakugan is suspected to be highly mutated, possessing a power completely different from that of ordinary Byakugan.]

[Hinata Yuzuru has the ability to fly independently and can use chakra to condense wings. The speed data is predicted to be.]

[Hinata Yuzuru mastered the S-level ninjutsu Raikiri, which was famous in the ninja world, and could penetrate the gold-dust defense of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa with one strike.]

[His instantaneous speed is most likely to be higher than instantaneous Shisui. His straight-line burst speed and continuous acceleration are the fastest. 】

[The Ninjutsu reserves he masters are quite abundant, and he has the ability to cast multi-attribute Ninjutsu. 】

[Its Hyuga Flow Technique is a unique ninjutsu. It can perform long-range soft fists, acupuncture points, and block the flow of chakra based on the Hyuga Flow Secret Technique Bagua Kongzhang. It is extremely dangerous.]

[His identity is the eldest son of the current Hyuga clan leader, Hyuga Hiashi. If we can capture him alive, we may be able to ask the Hyuga clan for more Byakugan.]

Hinata Yuzuru read it carefully, shook his head, threw it back to the information exchange nonchalantly, and walked out of the room.

He even knew who was selling the information, or who was putting up the bounty here.

Most likely, it’s Luo Sha.

This move is very understandable. This is not the first time that various ninja villages have done this. They put each other's younger generations on bounty lists and sell their targeted information. On the one hand, they can make some money; on the other hand, if they can If you are lucky enough to use a bounty hunter to get rid of the young geniuses and mainstays of other ninja villages, why not?

Hinata Yuzuru did not stay for too long and left the black market quietly, but not too far away.

On the bamboo hat, layers of black gauze covered his face, and his white eyes flashed unknown blue arcs, searching for his target.

Where is the best place to find people on the bounty list?

Of course, it’s people who come to the black market to hunt bounty targets!

The ninja world is just like the cruel natural world, where the strong prey on the weak.

There is often only a thin line between the predator and the hunted.

Hinata Yuzuru's purpose of leaving the village this time was very simple - to gain free experience points.

At present, it seems that the most effective way to obtain free experience points is to fight.

The more powerful the prey, the more free experience points he will be given.

The wandering ninjas and rebel ninjas active near the black market had no idea that they had become the 'prey' being selected.

After Hyuga Yuzuru locked onto two jonin-level targets with his Byakugan, he quietly slipped into the shadows. As an Anbu, tracking, lurking, and assassinating were his jobs.

Hyuga Yuzuru waited very patiently. As expected, the two rebel ninjas did not stay in the black market for long. After receiving the bounty and information, they used transformation techniques to blend into the crowd and prepared to continue wandering.

But Hinata Yuzuru's blue pupils were unwavering, staring at their backs under the veil of the bamboo hat.

The hunt has begun.

One year later.

Konoha fifty-seven years.

Autumn.

Near the Fire Country black market, there is a gold exchange, an unknown tavern.

It was afternoon now, and dusk was falling.

Logically speaking, this should be the busiest start of the day in the pub.

But at this time, there were only a few people in the tavern, with only three disguised rebel ninjas from Longyin Village sitting in a corner, drinking sake.

"What's going on? Isn't it said that the black market near the Fire Country has the most people? I can't find anyone to discuss a deal? This is a money exchange, so is there no one here to collect money?"

A rebel ninja grumbled and complained.

The other rebel ninja was observing his surroundings vigilantly at this moment and also felt that the situation was a little unusual.

The three exchanged a few words in a low voice and called the bartender in the tavern.

Rather than being a bartender, he is more like a service worker at a black market money exchange.

The wandering ninjas received tasks, exchanged intelligence, traded currencies of different countries, and exchanged heads for bounties, all in this humble-looking tavern.

The people who opened the tavern here were certainly not ordinary people. After receiving a large tip, the bartender smiled and explained.

"You want to know why there are so few people around here, right?"

The bartender repeated their question, and when they nodded, he grinned, "Who is the most famous bounty hunter in the past six months? Do you know?"

"You mean?" One of the rebel ninjas' face suddenly changed, and he subconsciously wanted to get up and leave, but the bartender waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, he never kills people on the street, and you don't meet his hunting standards."

A traitorous ninja looked confused, looked at his temporary partner who looked like he was facing a formidable enemy, and asked curiously: "What's going on?"

"It's that Hunter Executioner!" The nervous rebel ninja could vaguely see cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He murmured in disbelief: "Didn't they say he was in the Water Country recently? Why did he come here?"

"Hehe, your news is too late. He came to the Fire Country while hunting a few days ago."

"You know, the place where this guy first appeared was around the Country of Fire. This is his main hunting area."

After the bartender finished speaking, the nervous rebel nin immediately explained to his companions: "You don't know who the hunter and executioner is?"

"Well, I have been active in the Kingdom of Frost before. Is he famous?" The confused rebel said cautiously.

"It's only been a year since his debut, but the number of rebellious ninjas and stray ninjas who died at his hands has reached an astonishing one hundred!"

"No matter how many people there are or what organization they belong to, if they are caught by him, they will die! Rumor has it that he hunts his prey around the black market. No matter how hard he tries to hide or escape, he will hunt them after they leave the black market!"

"Chunin, Jonin, and even S-rank rebel ninja died at his hands! His strength is so terrifying that it is unimaginable!"

"As long as he strikes, there will be no survivors, not even any witnesses!"

"No intelligence, no information! We only know his approximate height and his usual disguise. No one even knows whether he is a boy or a girl!"

"Generally speaking, if you see this guy, you should never leave the black market until a scapegoat appears."

After the knowledgeable rebel ninja finished explaining, the bartender smiled faintly and said, "It's a man. Besides, hiding in the black market is useless. He occasionally practices assassination techniques near the black market."

"Have you seen him?" The rebel ninja's eyes widened.

The bartender raised his chin and looked outside, saying helplessly, "Ah, probably."

Outside the tavern, a man in a black robe and a bamboo hat walked slowly towards them.

The rebel ninjas felt their bodies stiffen, and their breathing stagnated for a moment.

"Executioner, this name is not very nice."

A hoarse and low voice came from under the bamboo hat. The face could not be seen clearly, and only the hazy eyes under the veil could be vaguely felt, as sharp as an invisible sword.

Several rebel ninjas swallowed their saliva together.

The bartender gave me a flattering and innocent smile, as if it had nothing to do with me: "I didn't say that!"

The three rebel ninjas were sitting on pins and needles. Even though the black-clad man in front of them had already ignored them, they still felt extremely oppressed. The chilling murderous aura from him was almost condensed into substance, making people instinctively feel cold all over.

"Clap."

A sealing scroll was thrown out.

The bartender took it skillfully and quickly went to check it the day after tomorrow. After a while, he returned the scroll with a stack of money bills in his hand.

"A total of seventeen million taels."

The man in black took the money and turned away.

Not until he walked away did the rebel ninjas breathe heavily and relax.

"How scary!"

"Yes, seventeen million taels. How many people has this guy killed?"

The bartender slowly took out the bounty list, made some changes and drew on it, and crossed out a few names.

In his heart, he couldn't help but sigh - if he continued to kill like this, all the black markets around the Fire Nation would be closed down.

Many of the people whose faces he painted over were his regular customers!

As for the identity of the man in black on the street, there is no doubt that he is Hinata Yuzuru, who has been wandering around for a whole year.

During this year, he briefly experienced the job of bounty hunter and did a good job.

The Land of Fire, the Land of Water, the Land of Grass, the Land of Wind... He left his footprints in almost most places in the Ninja World, and of course, his corpses.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that the group of traitorous ninjas and wandering ninjas had been killed by him, making it increasingly difficult to catch them, and the benefits and efficiency of hunting were getting lower and lower, he would have even wanted to work outside for one more year.

After hard work, the harvest is naturally extremely abundant.

[Current free experience value: 221980]

A full 220,000 free experience points have fully reached Hinata Yuzuru's goal.

Considering that the recent harvests were getting less and less, and the time to complete a hunt was getting longer and longer, Hinata Yuzuru made a decisive decision to leave this industry and return to Konoha.

Returning to Konoha in a dusty state, he canceled his disguise before approaching.

The first thing, of course, is to go to the third generation to report the mission.

A year passed, and the Third Hokage had a few more wrinkles on his face, but he seemed to be in a much better mood - as the war between Kumogakure and Iwagakure continued to intensify, it eventually stabilized to a certain extent, and Konoha's situation gradually improved.

A large number of newborns have reached the age of school, especially the younger generations of major families, and have also entered the campus of ninja schools. If nothing happens, in the next ten years, Konoha's faults will be greatly improved. After a group of post-World War III baby boomers have grown up, Konoha will once again have the capital to compete in the ninja world.

Although the Uchiha clan is in trouble, but with the joint efforts of Uchiha Fugaku and Shisui, they have made a gesture of actively integrating into Konoha. Although the results have been minimal, and sometimes even counterproductive, in general, The attitude is pretty good.

Whatever happens in the future, let young people have the headache.

The third generation looked at Hinata Yuzuru with a smile and said: "When you come back this time, do you still plan to go out?"

Hinata Yuzuru smiled and shook his head: "No, if nothing else happens, I plan to stay in the village in the next few years."

"Well, it's time to spend more time with your family. Neji is in the second grade now, right?" The third generation chatted about family matters.

Hinata Yuzuru raised the corner of his mouth and said with a smile: "How is that boy doing in school recently?"

"Not bad. He is your younger brother after all. For more details, you have to ask his teacher." After the third generation finished speaking, he paused and then said: "Are there any promising talents? This batch of Ninja School students Among the students, there are many children with good talents."

The third generation smiled broadly, not hiding anything, and looked very sincere: "If you have any favorites, you must let me know in advance - like Might Guy, he seems to have taken a fancy to a kid named Xiao Li recently."

Hinata Yuzuru responded, but did not agree immediately. He just said: "Let's wait until I have contact with those children."

"Well, there's no rush. Even for Neji, it's still five years before he graduates."

Sandai raised his pipe with a smile, and then suddenly said seriously: "There is something I think I need to talk to you about."

"What?" Hinata Yuzuru looked confused, and Sandai sighed and took out an application form.

Hinata Yuzuru picked it up and looked at the photo on the application form. He looked at it with complicated eyes for a while and nodded.

"Quan is an excellent ninja. If this is the path she wants to take, I think she can be given a chance."

What Hinata Yuzuru held in his hand was an application form for ANBU.

The person who submitted this application was none other than Uchiha Izumi, who had passed the Chunin exam at the beginning of this year and became a Chunin, and had changed his name.

"Her name?" Hinata Yuzuru raised his head and asked.

The third generation picked up his pipe and said: "Last year, during the mission, the team led by Kato Jonin was attacked by an unidentified ninja. As a result, Uchiha Izumi awakened the double Magatama Sharingan, and was asked by the Uchiha clan to return to the family. "

"Now, he, his mother and father have moved into the Uchiha clan and officially live as an Uchiha clan."

Hinata Yuzuru narrowed his eyes and asked softly: "What is the specific situation?"

"Izumi didn't say anything - he just said that he was attacked by a powerful mysterious ninja. Kato Jōnin died on the spot almost instantly. She was far away and fell into a coma due to the mental shock after opening her Sharingan. In the past, when I woke up, the other party was nowhere to be found.”

The Sandaime smiled playfully and looked at Hinata Yuzuru: "Now, do you still think she is suitable to join the Anbu?"

Hinata Yuzuru was silent for a moment and nodded slowly: "I believe her."

"it is good."

Sandai took back the application form with a smile, stamped it, but said meaningfully: "If possible, you'd better have a chat with her."

Hinata Yuzuru nodded again, his good mood lessened a bit. He smiled calmly and stroked his glasses: "I will do it."

"By the way, Naruto has been secretly asking me where you have been - on the day of admission, he was very disappointed that you were not here." The third generation helplessly exhaled a puff of smoke in front of the microphone, and said quietly: "Since you have decided to Be good to him and guide him well. He, like you, is responsible for the future of Konoha."

"I know, thank you, Sandaime." Hinata Yuzuru thanked him sincerely. No matter what, the Sandaime was already doing him a favor by saying these words to him. It could be said that he was trying hard to maintain their relationship.

Especially when Uchiha Izumi was attacked by a 'mysterious man' but was vague and unwilling to reveal any specific information, he was still approved to join the Anbu. This was obviously all because of Hinata Yuzuru's face.

"Oh, yes, there's Kakashi." The third generation felt more and more helpless the more he thought about it. When he thought about it carefully, many of the troubles of the younger generation that had troubled him for a long time seemed to be gradually inseparable from Hinata Yuzuru.

"He has been away from the Anbu for a while, but no matter what kind of students were recommended to him, he always rejected them. The pass rate is currently zero percent."

"You have the best relationship with him, so why don't you go and have a good chat with him. If he already has a student he likes, it's not impossible to arrange a place for him. It's not a good thing for those children to keep sending them back to repeat their studies like this."

Hinata Yuzuru just smiled when he heard this: "Yes, yes, I will talk to him carefully, but well, it may not be effective."

The reason why Kakashi eliminated graduating children one after another and refused to lead the team is naturally the same as in the original work - those who cannot value their companions are not worthy of being his disciples.

In this regard, Hinata Yuzuru thinks that he has nothing wrong. His methods may be a little colder than other ninjas, but it is not a kind of protection for those children.

No one knows better than him what it means for a child to leave school and enter the ninja world.

"Go ahead. I guess you have a lot of things waiting for you at home. Say hello to the head of the Hizashi clan for me."

Sandai waved his hand and let him go home to rest.

After saying goodbye, Hinata Yuzuru left the Hokage building and decided to deal with the trivial matters of Izumi and others first, and then work on breaking through his own chakra refining technique to see how the road to becoming a sage would turn out.

What kind of impact will becoming a fairy have on yourself? Will it affect my strength in the short term? Will it cause any changes in my body? These were all his concerns and he did not dare to act rashly.

He didn't want to delay and immediately set off for the Uchiha clan's land. When the Anbu approved it, Uchiha Izumi would probably be very busy.

As for Naruto, I'll just treat him to a good barbecue later - until he collapses on the ground, and that will probably make him forgive me for not being able to get back in time for school to start.

Even though he had been outside for a long time, Hinata Yuzuru looked very neat. His longer hair was casually tied into a half-bun. Due to the length, it looked a bit messy, but not sloppy at all. Wearing a tactical vest and a black combat uniform, he looked like a qualified ninja.

When he arrived at the door of the Uchiha clan, the Uchiha people at the door were obviously very familiar with him. They greeted him actively, showing a smile that was rare among other people in Konoha, and asked him who he was looking for.

"Uchiha Izumi, is she home now?"

Hearing that Hinata Yuzuru was looking for her, a young Uchiha ninja, about fourteen or fifteen years old, who was just passing by, stopped and subconsciously asked, "What do you want to do with her? Ah, sorry, I'm just curious."

Hinata Yuzuru turned his head and looked at him with a smile, and saw a hint of vigilance on the face of this Uchiha ninja.

The charm of the spring is really great.

"We are friends. We have known each other since we were very young." After Hinata Yuzuru finished speaking, the Uchiha ninja's face became a little stiff.

He laughed awkwardly: "You two are childhood sweethearts, so let me go and tell her for you. She should be at home."

When the young ninja entered the house, the Uchiha guard at the door laughed unabashedly.

Hinata Yuzuru had no intention of going in, so he started chatting with the guard at the door.

"Is Quan famous in the clan?"

"Famous, but it doesn't matter. After all, it's rare to be able to open the Sharingan at her age and grow up outside the clan. Her mother also married out because of her ordinary ninja talents, but she didn't expect Izumi's The talent is so amazing.

And you know, even in the Uchiha clan, there are not many girls as beautiful as her, so how can these brats keep their composure?"

Although the guard looked to be in his early thirties, he spoke in an old-fashioned manner and had obviously experienced a lot.

He chatted closely with Hinata Yuzuru: "But, in my opinion, these guys in the clan are pretty bad. Was she this cold when she was a kid?"

"Cold?" Hinata Yuzuru was stunned for a moment, unable to imagine what Uchiha Izumi looked like in a cold manner. In his impression, Izumi had always been that weak, kind, gentle and lovely little girl.

"Ah?" The guard was also stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized something and said, "Oh!" He stopped smiling, as if he had thought of something. He just sighed and whispered, "Then you should talk to her more. She doesn't have many friends in the tribe."

Before Hinata Yuzuru could ask, footsteps could be heard inside the gate.

The girl poked her head out of the door, and when she saw Hinata Yuzuru, a hint of surprise showed on her pretty face. She stared at him blankly for a while, but there was no gentle smile on her face as usual. Or, it seemed that she was a little unaccustomed to smiling. At this moment, she just raised the corners of her mouth and nodded. She really looked as 'cold' as others said.

Looking at her with long hair draped over her shoulders, her face still looked somewhat childish when we met last time, but now she has completely transformed into the appearance of a young girl, with her long hair casually draped behind her head. Under her slender eyebrows, her bright eyes just stared at Hinata Yuzuru quietly, and the emotions in her eyes were a bit complicated and difficult to understand.

Under the bridge of his increasingly tall and delicate nose, his lips opened and closed gently: "Yuzuru, you are back."

Uchiha Izumi walked out of the house, nodded to the guard as a greeting, walked briskly to him, looked him up and down, smiled lightly, but quickly regained his composure.

"Is something wrong?" she asked softly.

Hinata Yuzuru smiled and suggested, "If you're not busy, let's go for a walk together?"

"We have to eat soon, and we have training in the evening, so why don't you just take a walk around the house?" Uchiha Izumi finished his words.

Even though the two of them didn't say anything, there was a subtle, somewhat cold atmosphere, forming a subtle barrier between them.

The smile on Hinata Yuzuru's face gradually faded, and the eyes under the lenses did not have much emotion, but seemed to be looking at her curiously.

Until Uchiha Izumi sighed, took the initiative to take steps, and whispered: "What's wrong?"

"I'm just not used to you like this." The gentle smile that Uchiha Izumi was so familiar with reappeared on Hinata Yuzuru's face.

Uchiha Izumi lowered his head and walked forward, saying nonchalantly: "People always change."

The two fell into silence again.

Unconsciously, he walked to a riverbank in the village. Thanks to the fact that the Uchiha clan's territory is now on the edge of Konoha, he could find a quiet enough place by just walking around.

The sloping river bank was covered with green grass, but now most of it was gradually withering.

The two stopped at the stone steps leading to the river bank. Hinata Yuzuru sat down without caring about his image. Izumi hesitated for a moment, kept a distance, and sat next to him.

The autumn wind blew past, ruffling Uchiha Izumi's long hair. She lifted a strand of it and let it casually fall back. Her face with a beautiful teardrop mole shone brightly under the setting sun.

"Your ANBU application will be approved soon if nothing unexpected happens."

As soon as Hinata Yuzuru finished speaking, Uchiha Izumi's attention was unconsciously attracted to him. At this moment, he, just like himself just now, just quietly staring at the riverside in autumn, watching the river gurgling, occasionally making a few sounds of hitting the river bank.

Looking from the side on his well-defined profile, I just glanced past the glasses he had worn for a long time and saw his pair of crystal clear white eyes like snowflakes.

Hinata Yuzuru seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly took out a small booklet from his tactical vest and drew on it casually with a sketch pen. Izumi glanced at it secretly and it seemed that he was drawing.

Can he still draw?
"For the next grouping, I will suggest to the Sandaime that you join Senior Shisui's team."

Uchiha Izumi wanted to speak, but Hyuga Yuzuru was scribbling on the booklet and said in a tone that could not be refused: "If there are some things you don't know, you can ask Shisui-senpai. He won't hide anything from you."

She was speechless.

"If you feel you are not suited to the life in the ANBU, just tell Shisui-senpai."

After the words fell, it took a long time for Uchiha Izumi to give a low voice and finally agreed.

There was another silence, with only the tip of the pen in Hinata Yuzuru's hand rustling on the paper.

Hinata Yuzuru turned his head and only saw her slightly panicked gaze and profile moving away. He closed the picture album in his hand and handed it to her.

"This is a gift for you. Congratulations on becoming a Chunin. I drew this myself. It records a lot of interesting scenes and scenery."

Uchiha Izumi hesitated for a moment, reached out to take the album, silently opened it and took a look. The first page showed an ordinary wild flower.

On both sides of the muddy and narrow road, where the weeds are overgrown, this beautiful flower blooms silently, quietly releasing its beauty in the painting.

"Thank you." Uchiha Izumi whispered.

Hinata Yuzuru stood up slowly, patted the dust on his butt, and laughed softly: "You have to fill in the blank spaces behind by yourself."

"Come on, if you have any problems, you can always come to me - just like before." He said, and then he seemed to be leaving.

Uchiha Quan stood up, pursed his lips, and finally lowered his head and said in a light voice: "Don't you want to know what happened?"

"I want to know, but if you don't want to tell, don't ask."

Hinata Yuzuru smiled softly, stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to touch her head, but stopped: "I'm sorry, I didn't protect you this time."

"It's none of your business!" Quan subconsciously raised his voice, but he didn't know what he thought of and swallowed the rest of the words.

She stood up, raised her head slightly and looked at him, gazing at him calmly.

"I know what I'm doing."

Uchiha Izumi's voice was firm.

Hinata Yuzuru hummed, their eyes crossed. In her eyes, there was only her own persistence.

So, whatever she concealed no longer mattered.

"If you make a mistake, I will correct you in time."

After Hinata Yuzuru finished speaking, he stared at her, stretched out his hand, and flicked her forehead.

She still didn't dodge.

Watching him quietly as he tilted his forehead slightly upward.

"Ok!"

The two parted at sunset.

On the way home, Quan covered his head, feeling a little annoyed, but he couldn't help but open the picture album.

A person concentrates on appreciating every page of the album, guessing what mood the artist was in when he drew this picture.

Soon, I turned to the last page.

The picture he had just painted.

In the painting, the profile of a girl sitting on the stone steps beside the riverbank is clearly shadowed in the sunlight, and her eyes on the teardrop mole are so bright as if responding to the light. The girl in the painting has slightly raised corners of her mouth, which makes her look familiar and yet a little strange.

This is the gentle smile that only Hinata Yuzuru searches for in his memory and reappears under the brush.

Uchiha Izumi looked at her for a long time until a smile like the girl in the painting appeared on her face, then she returned to the clan territory with brisk steps. Seeing this, the guard at the door just smiled knowingly, which made her subconsciously turn back into her cold look, which made the guard couldn't help laughing for a moment.

After the separation, Hinata Yuzuru's eyes became colder.

There is no doubt that Quan has become the target, or pawn, of certain people.

The person who took advantage of her might not be targeting him - after all, he always kept a distance from Quan, neither alienated nor too close. To outsiders, Quan's existence was just that of an 'insignificant' childhood playmate of his.

Even if someone really wants to take action from his side, they shouldn't start from Quan.

Isn't Itachi better? His identity is more sensitive, his potential is more prominent, and his relationship with him is relatively closer.

But no matter who chose to make her a pawn, whether it was against Konoha, Uchiha, or him.

Hinata Yuzuru was very unhappy.

The last person who made him so unhappy was Hinata Teru, whose grave is now shared with other Hyuga elders.

After standing at the intersection, taking a deep breath and calming down.

Hyuga Yuzuru regained his composure, walked towards the ninja school, and hurried away with a flash. It was already time to get out of school, and he had to speed up his pace.

He couldn't possibly protect everyone - whether it was Kakashi, Might Guy, Izumi, Shisui or himself.

As long as you embark on the path of becoming a ninja, there are bound to be countless crises lurking along the way.

Even now, he has problems that he cannot solve and enemies that he cannot deal with.

If you want to change everything, there is only one way.

Become stronger.

Become stronger than everyone else.

I walked to the main entrance of the Ninja School and stopped. It was just the right time for the children to get out of school.

Konoha's seedlings came out of school in groups, noisily and noisily. Some parents, like Hinata Yuzuru, were waiting for their children at the door.

Hyuga Yuzuru looks to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. He has a handsome face and the tactical vest on his body is also quite eye-catching. This unfamiliar face naturally attracts many people's attention.

"elder brother!?"

Neji's voice sounded in surprise from the crowd of children after school.

Next to him, a boy with a bruised nose and a swollen face, thick eyebrows and wearing green tights, was shouting something next to him, but was silenced by Neji's words, and subconsciously turned towards Hinata Yuzuru. Look.

Neji's face showed a cheerful smile that was rare among his classmates. He quickened his pace and walked over, but suddenly he let out a low shout and stretched out his hand to punch Hinata Yuzuru in the stomach.

"Snapped."

A finger flicked hard on his forehead.

Neji's fist, which was wrapped in Soft Fist chakra, was easily dodged by him. At the same time, his head was thrown back by Hinata Yuzuru. Tears of pain almost came out, and his eyes widened in annoyance. .

"You don't think that these improvements are enough, do you?" Hinata Yuzuru smiled and withdrew his fingers, rubbing his forehead. The bright green chakra light waves quickly subsided his pain.

This is much more force than Danquan's forehead. If he doesn't get treatment, he might be able to get a cure soon.

Ningci said in a depressed voice: "How can you be like this? You left for a year without saying a word, and you are still like this when you come back."

"Sorry, sorry." Hinata Yuzuru apologized with a chuckle: "This time, I will stay at home with you for a while."

"Who needs your company?" He turned his head away, not wanting him to touch him, and stood beside Hinata Yuzuru with an arrogant look.

The boy with thick eyebrows next to him is naturally Xiao Li.

"You're Neji's classmate, right? What's your name? You look a lot like one of my friends."

Hinata Yuzuru smiled and stretched out his hand to greet him.

Xiao Li subconsciously stretched out his hand to wipe his hands on his trouser legs, and then stretched it out, full of vigor, and said loudly as if reporting to the instructor during military training: "I am Rock Li! I am Neji's classmate! Neji , is my most important opponent!"

He held Hyuga Yuzuru's hand tightly, and his eyes looked burning. If you didn't know, you would have thought that he wanted to propose to Hyuga Yuzuru to marry Neji.

People around him looked at him one after another, and from time to time, a few uncontrollable laughs could be heard.

Neji seemed to be so used to Lee being like this that he was hopeless. He sighed and tugged at the hem of Hinata Yuzuru's clothes: "He's an idiot."

"Not bad, very energetic." Hinata Yuzuru patted Xiao Li's shoulder affirmatively, looked at his eyes that were wide open in disbelief, and said softly: "You can train your body like this at this age. Be strong, you will definitely become an outstanding ninja in the future."

"Thank you, thank you!" Rock Lee was about to cry.

"Do you know Metkai?" Hinata Yuzuru asked.

Rock Lee nodded vigorously: "He is my teacher! Do you know him too!?"

When Xiao Li was in the first grade, he was ridiculed as the last in the class because of his ability and was even thrown stones at. Might Guy then asked him what his goal was. Xiao Li's answer reminded him of himself back then, so he began to train him little by little and taught him physical training methods.

And Neji, a little kid who was only seven years old at the moment, sneered when Lee said in public that even if he couldn't use ninjutsu and illusion, he could still become a great ninja. Then, he was made a target of challenge by Lee.

God has pity on him. Neji really wasn't laughing at him at that time. Instead, in Neji's heart, there was only one great ninja - and that was a ninja like his brother.

Xiao Li?

He is really not good enough.

No one knows better than Neji how powerful his brother is.

But Xiao Li just felt that he was looking down on him. He worked harder and harder, and regarded Neci as an insurmountable mountain in front of him, but also an extremely clear goal.

You must work hard until you beat him!
Even though Neji seems a bit innocent, he is also a complete tsundere. He won't explain anything. If you want to hit me, then just hit me. I'll beat you up and that's it.

As a result, the bad relationship between the two has continued from the first grade to the present. In fact, judging from the trend, it seems that it will continue forever.

Hinata Yuzuru looked at the pouting look on Neji's face, put one hand on his head, and unceremoniously messed up his hair, while talking to Xiao Li: "Of course, he is my friend, a very good taijutsu ninja.

Rather, in my eyes, among all the ninjas in Konoha and even in the entire ninja world, Akagi is the strongest in physical skills. Even I am far inferior to him in pure physical skills.

Even if one puts aside the scope of taijutsu and only evaluates him as a ninja, he is definitely a very powerful ninja in the ninja world. "

"Really?!" Xiao Li had never heard anyone evaluate Might Guy like this, let alone heard anyone say that even if he only specialized in physical skills, he could become such an outstanding person.

The feeling of being recognized and the excitement made their eyes red and they almost cried on the spot. They shouted with blood boiling: "I must become a strong man like the teacher! Tell everyone! A physical ninja can also..."

"Yuzuru-nii!!!"

But a louder voice drowned out his bold words. In the distance, Naruto with a yellow hedgehog head was rushing towards Hinata Yuzuru like a small missile, flying as if he was going to give him a headbutt.

Hinata Yuzuru just slowly turned his body, and Uzumaki Naruto plunged into the air, staggered several steps, and almost hit the wall before he stopped.

"Damn it! Watch my physical skills!" Uzumaki Naruto yelled, and tried to hit him again. This time, Hinata Yuzuru caught him, or to be more precise, pressed his forehead with one hand.

Uzumaki Naruto waved his arms in anger, his arms spinning like windmills, but he couldn't even touch anyone because his arms were too short: "Why did you leave for so long without saying goodbye! You said you would spend my birthday with me and send me to school! Liar! Big liar!"

"I just said that if I have time, I will definitely arrive, but I just don't have time." Hinata Yuzuru explained unhurriedly.

Neji couldn't bear to see him acting coquettishly towards his brother, and snorted: "Ninjas are very busy, Naruto, stop being childish."

"It's very childish for you to be jealous for your brother, but it's so cute~" Hinata Yuzuru leaned into his ear and said quietly.

Neji's face immediately turned red.

He was just about to explain a few words when he saw Hinata Yuzuru hooking his arms around his neck affectionately and holding him to one side. He was happy but also embarrassed at the same time because this was in front of the school gate and there were so many people watching!
Naruto also calmed down and puffed his cheeks: "I know that ninjas are very busy, but..."

He was a little sad.

Hinata Yuzuru simply put her arm around this boy's neck and half hugged him: "Little devils, don't be too pestering. If you are lonely, you two can play more."

"Who would bother with this stinker who's as good as Sasuke?" Naruto turned his head away.

"Huh? You're the last one here. Don't use Sasuke to humiliate me." Veins bulged on Neji's forehead.

"Hmph! Boring!"

Uchiha Sasuke's snorting voice sounded from behind and he joined the battle group.

Because of Hyuga Yuzuru, it can be said that Neji, Sasuke, and Naruto have been playing together since they were three or four years old. Although they seem to be fighting non-stop when they meet, their relationship is actually good.

At this moment, Jizuko is in high spirits, with his hands in his pockets coolly. Ino and Sakura are surrounding him on the left and right. He really looks like a winner in life - if you ignore the fact that his face is red with anger.

Hinata Yuzuru took a step back, crossed his arms happily and watched a group of children quarreling. He glanced at them and smiled.

"Master Yuzuru, good afternoon."

Hinata, who had originally planned to sneak away, met his eyes and had to stop, lowered her head, and whispered hello.

"Okay, since we happened to meet."

Hinata Yuzuru clasped his hands together and clapped them gently to attract attention.

Under the gaze of a group of children, he smiled and said, "Today, I will treat you to a barbecue. You all can come together. Don't worry about your parents. Let me handle the communication."

How can children who dream of becoming ninjas not love eating barbecue?

Even if some people feel a little embarrassed, after all, it is the first time they meet, but it only takes a few gentle words from Hinata Yuzuru, and then they will feel relieved and happily agree.

He formed seals with his hands, and amid the sighs of a group of children, released several shadow clones to notify their parents to obtain permission, including informing their own families as well. Then, he led the team straight to the barbecue restaurant.

Hinata had no choice but to accept his "threat" a few words and follow the others.

In this way, he gathered most of the Twelve Young Warriors of Konoha.

Hyuga Yuzuru, who was sitting in a barbecue restaurant, taking care of a group of brats eating barbecue, looked at the future of Konoha with a smile on his face.

He was only responsible for helping with the grill, ordering dishes, and occasionally eating a few bites - he had to eat his fill first so that the group of children wouldn't have to eat for the time being.

When they are all full, use the shadow clone again to send them all home.

On the way home, Neji and Hinata followed him on his left and right. Hinata lagged behind by one step, and Hyuga Yuzuru also slowed down by one step, until she understood and had to stand beside him and walk with him like Neji.

"Brother, can we train together tomorrow?"

Although he was impatient when he went there, Neji seemed very happy after finishing the meal.

Everyone likes Hinata Yuzuru.

This makes him feel prouder than others directly praising him.

Hinata Yuzuru looked at his cheerful appearance and smiled, but still said in an apologetic tone: "Not for now."

"Oh" Neji remained silent.

The interest dropped visibly.

Hinata Yuzuru reached out and gently touched his long hair: "I want to study a technique recently. Once I succeed, I will practice with you."

"Yeah." Neji said dullly.

"Take good care of Hinata. As her brother, you have to protect her like I do."

"I know! It's just her. She doesn't like talking to me."

Hyuga Yuzuru glanced at Hinata, and she turned her head away, not looking at him with mixed feelings.

"Then take the initiative to talk to her! Anyway, after I get home, I will be in seclusion to study. When I come out, you and her will receive my training. I am much stricter than your teacher."

"I'm not afraid. But how long will it take to study it?"

"Who knows?"

Hinata Yuzuru glanced at the text floating in the system with a deep look in his eyes.

We will soon know how long it will take.

(End of this chapter)