Hitoshi Hyuga held the bowl, waiting for Natsu Hyuga to return. He had covered it with a cloth; inside was glistening white rice and some side dishes. This was a meal Hitoshi had cooked himself. He was afraid Natsu would be hungry when she came back.
After waiting for a long time, Hitoshi finally saw the cherished figure in the distance.
"Natsu, eat quickly, it is going to get cold."
Hitoshi handed the bowl and chopsticks to Natsu. He had heard from Hyuga Homura that if you want to please a girl, you have to be a bit warm. A boy knowing how to cook was a special bonus. He wore a shy smile on his face.
His nose caught a whiff of a bathing fragrance. It was different from what Natsu usually used.
'Has she changed brands?' Hitoshi thought.
"No... no, thank you, Hitoshi."
Natsu suddenly covered her mouth, feeling a sort of bloated nausea. If it was about eating, she was already full. Seeing other food now made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She only wanted to go home quickly and let her tired body rest.
"Is it... not to your taste?"
Hitoshi thought it was just Natsu being reserved as a girl.
"I really do not need it."
With that, Natsu walked past Hitoshi. Hitoshi wanted to chase after her but found that Natsu's gait was awkward, yet her speed was very fast. She clearly did not want to stay here for long.
A sense of estrangement and bewilderment flooded his heart. They had known each other for over ten years. Born in the Branch House, eating together, playing together, attending the Ninja Academy together... They had too many "togethers." Natsu had never treated him so coldly before.
"Natsu, Lord Hiashi only asked you to win over Kiyoshi Uchiha. Even if it does not work out, no one will blame you."
In the end, Hitoshi could only blame it on Kiyoshi Uchiha being arrogant because of his talent, which might have made the interaction with Natsu unpleasant.
Natsu paused for a moment, biting her lip and saying, "This has nothing to do with Kiyoshi-kun. Do not overthink it, Hitoshi. I am tired. We will talk about things tomorrow."
Natsu's footsteps did not stop again. She walked all the way to the end and disappeared around the corner, leaving Hitoshi alone behind. The streetlights on both sides were dim and flickering, shining on Hitoshi's face which shifted between various emotions.
...
Months passed.
The air in the Hokage Building was so heavy it felt solidified. Only the tobacco burning in Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe occasionally dropped some ash. As the war reached this point, Hidden Leaf's military strength had hit rock bottom. The same was true for other nations.
The streets outside the window were colder than usual. Leaf ninjas were either fighting and killing on distant battlefields or were already carved onto the Memorial Stone. Hiruzen looked at the map, the exhaustion in his eyes so heavy it seemed it could crush him.
The situation was getting worse and worse. Not only did the Third Raikage die at the hands of the Hidden Stone Village, but they had also dispatched Mahiru to lead the Stone army in an attack on the Land of Fire. Under the Stone's strategy of using human lives as fodder, Leaf could only follow suit by sending troops.
By the end of a war, what was being compared was the foundation of each country. Whoever had the deeper foundation would win the war of attrition.
"How is the situation on Yemaki's side?"
Hiruzen spoke. Beside him were all the high-ranking officials of Village.
"Hmph, a total mess. They are being pushed back at every step."
Danzo Shimura snorted coldly. Mimura Yemaki was the front-line commander of Leaf's defense force, a middle-aged ninja who had experienced many battles. Unfortunately, he still had not produced any good results.
Hearing this, Hiruzen sighed. His wrinkles were deep, and several more furrows were added to his brow. He was not unaware of the urgency of the situation. The Stone was pressing hard, and Hidden Leaf was exhausted from responding. If a decision was not made soon, the situation would only get worse.
"Hiruzen, Leaf is now attacked from both front and back. The Stone is restless and will likely invade again soon. We must take preventive measures."
The silence was broken by Danzo's low voice. Hiruzen turned around and looked at the remaining Hokage advisors.
"Kannabi Bridge. We can cut the supply line here."
After a while, Homura Mitokado's finger pointed to a spot on the partial map on the table. That was the Stone's marching route and stronghold, information gathered by many sensory ninjas. The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan played a key role, allowing the Leaf side to naturally possess more intelligence than other ninja villages.
Cutting off the enemy's logistics had always been a top priority. It would bring a huge impact to the front line. And Kannabi Bridge was a key node in that.
"No, the Stone has their elite units guarding it."
Koharu Utatane rejected Homura's suggestion. If it were that simple, it would have been captured long ago. Hearing Koharu say this, Homura also felt it made some sense.
"But this is the best way at the moment. If we continue to waste away on the front line..."
Homura did not finish his sentence. Now even Genin who had just graduated had to go to the battlefield, which showed the shortage of military strength. Besides the Stone, other nations were also consuming Leaf's forces. If this continued, they might even have to pull in the trainees who had not yet graduated from the Ninja Academy.
"Hiruzen, we should send Minato Namikaze."
"The Stone's supply route is mainly concentrated here. The weakest point is Kannabi Bridge, but it is close to the front line. Once we make a move, the Stone will inevitably send reinforcements immediately."
"No, Hiruzen, Minato Namikaze has mastered the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu]."
Danzo narrowed his one eye slightly, staring intently at the map. His finger slowly moved from the southwest defense line to Kannabi Bridge in the Land of Grass, his tone certain. "With the Flying Thunder God, he can take care of both battlefields."
"The enemy will retreat as soon as they see Minato, engaging in guerrilla warfare."
The air was silent again for a moment until Danzo suddenly spoke.
"Hiruzen, do you still not understand what I mean?"
His voice was low. The right side of Danzo's face was wrapped in bandages, and his only exposed eye flashed with coldness.
"Have other ninjas carry Flying Thunder God kunai and go deep into the heart of Kannabi Bridge to lure the Stone units."
Danzo walked slowly to the table. "In this way, after Minato Namikaze completes the task on the front line, he can use the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu] to arrive at the battlefield at the first opportunity. Using the chance when the enemy forces are gathered, he can wipe them out in one go."
His voice was neither fast nor slow, but it carried a certain chill that echoed in the Hokage's office.
"In addition, let Kiyoshi Uchiha go as well. He is the only one who has mastered a flying ninjutsu."
Even now, Danzo had not forgotten Kiyoshi. The room was silent. The high-ranking officials looked at each other, but no one spoke up to object. Hiruzen's finger tapped lightly on the table, his brow slightly furrowed, and a look of deep thought appeared in his eyes. Amidst the drifting smoke, he stared quietly at the map for a long time without saying a word.
...
The next day.
Kiyoshi's house.
"Are they still going to send me? They even promoted me to Jonin."
Kiyoshi rubbed his chin, looking at the Jonin certificate in his hand and the green flak jacket that had been issued. He did not go through an exam; it was simply a case of "outstanding merit, exceptional promotion." Thus, he rose from Chunin to Jonin, and it was not a middle-of-the-road existence like a Special Jonin.
"Trying to tie me down with honor."
Kiyoshi casually stored the Jonin certificate at home. This time, Madara Uchiha would definitely be watching. And Obito would also fall into Madara's hands. Up until now, Kiyoshi had not detected the prying of White Zetsu. At least, that was the case according to his sensory abilities.
This showed that in the end, Madara did not take a fancy to him and chose Obito instead. The more simple a person is, the greater their hatred will be after they are broken.
"Must be careful of Madara."
Kiyoshi did not intend to change much in this battle. If Madara wanted to act, he could have a prime period of several dozen minutes. [Izanagi] was one of the methods, turning unfavorable events that happened within a certain period into things that never happened, choosing only favorable things to become reality.
In other words, one Sharingan could give Madara one minute of invincible time where he could not die. With Madara's stock of Sharingan, he could easily maintain this for several dozen minutes. After it was over, he could just go back to the Gedo Statue and plug in the tubes.
Kiyoshi did not want to go head-to-head with such a first-tier figure below the level of the Six Paths. Having the Trait system, as long as he continued to develop, he would eventually surpass Madara. What he lacked was precisely time.
Rather than letting Madara create a successor that Kiyoshi was unfamiliar with, it was better to let Obito do it, which was beneficial for Kiyoshi to control. After all, Obito had a fatal weakness: Rin Nohara. Even the grandmother who raised him could not compare to these two in his heart.
Obito took the initiative to start the Fourth Shinobi World War. A lot of people died on both sides, and he became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. He was only one step away from the final [Infinite Tsukuyomi]. In the end, after Naruto's Talk no Jutsu, he came out with
"Rin has always been watching me, I want to be the Hokage." It could only be said to be very hard to stomach.
"The [Hyuga Fundamentals] Trait has been obtained, and the Lightning Style one is almost there."
Kiyoshi took a look at the Trait panel. It was mainly the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu] that had cost him too much time. As Kiyoshi expected, the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu] did indeed unlock a space-time Trait for him. Currently, the progress bar had reached over ninety percent.
On the way to the mission, he should be able to get both the Lightning Style and the space-time Traits. As for the [Shadow Clone Jutsu], Kiyoshi had already learned it; at this stage, it only lacked modification.
After packing some things, Kiyoshi went to the designated meeting point to gather. This time, it was two teams executing the mission together: Team Minato and the team Kiyoshi was in.
It is worth mentioning that Mizunazuki Yuki had injured both hands in the Land of Demons and they had not been healed, leaving sequelae. Now he could not even display the strength of a Jonin. This time, the Jonin leading the team was changed to Mikoto. Mikoto brought him, along with Tekka Uchiha and Inabi Uchiha, to form a temporary team.
Kiyoshi could also guess the reason for the move of temporarily changing team members; it was nothing more than because of Asuma Sarutobi. After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi only had two sons. Even if he agreed, his wife Biwako Sarutobi would not agree.
"Hey, Kiyoshi."
Tekka Uchiha waved his hand. A group of people gathered at the village gate.
"Am I late?"
Kiyoshi spoke.
"Not late."
This time it was Rin Nohara who spoke. The members of Team Minato were beside the members of Mikoto's team. At this moment, worry was still buried in the eyes of Rin and the others.
"By the way, Kiyoshi, congratulations on becoming a Jonin."
Rin spoke softly. They all knew the news of Kiyoshi's promotion to Jonin.