Chapter 210: There Should No Longer Be a Distinction Between Main and Branch Families in the Hyuga Clan!
Konoha Village.
The figures of Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade finally appeared at the shattered entrance of Konoha Village.
Dead silence had swallowed the usual bustle. Distant, suppressed wails tore through the quiet hanging over the ruins. The smell of blood and burning intertwined, every breath heavy with the metallic tang of rust, piercing the lungs.
Familiar streets had turned into rubble. The broken walls of houses looked as if they had been gnawed by giant beasts, silently accusing the cruelty of war.
On the Hokage Rock, the face of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, still stood tall. The "Fire" kanji emblem on the Hokage building was incomplete, the structure charred black, emitting lingering smoke that had yet to fully extinguish.
Tsunade's pupils contracted sharply.
The tragedy in her field of vision—severed limbs, gushing blood, charred bodies—instantly reactivated her deeply buried trauma. Her breath hitched, her face went pale, cold sweat soaked her forehead, and her hands trembled uncontrollably. The bloody memories of past battlefields made her want to vomit.
Medical ninjas in tattered clothes, their faces etched with exhaustion and despair, shuttled between crude, makeshift tents. The injured were everywhere, groans rising and falling.
"What happened here…"
"Before we came back… here…"
Tsunade's voice was hoarse from suppressing her trembling. She bit her lower lip hard, trying to dispel the familiar dizziness.
She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, though she still shook slightly.
"Jiraiya, Kakashi, split up!" she growled, a hint of raspiness in her voice. "Katsuya!"
Accompanied by the smoke of the Summoning Jutsu, the giant slug split into countless smaller individuals. These smaller slugs quickly covered the areas with the highest density of wounded, bringing moist healing power.
Tsunade herself fought back her discomfort and rushed to a critically injured patient. The light of the Mystical Palm Jutsu shone in her palm, bringing hope of life to the despairing wounded. She deliberately avoided looking directly at the overly bloody wounds, relying on her rich experience to treat them.
Jiraiya took a deep breath, his brow furrowed at the scent of blood in the air. He patted Kakashi on the shoulder, his gaze solemn. "I'll go gather intelligence… Kakashi, assist Tsunade and stabilize the medical order."
Kakashi nodded silently, his single visible eye under silver hair sweeping across the devastated land. In the direction of the Uchiha clan grounds and the Hyuga Main Family estate, traces of even heavier destruction were vaguely visible.
He pondered the situation of the remaining two members of Team 7. Sakura… how is she? And Naruto…
He quickly threw himself into assisting Tsunade. Directing crowds, moving the wounded. Using calm judgment to maintain order amidst chaos.
Tsunade's Katsuyu played a huge role in widespread healing, while she focused on critical and difficult cases, quickly establishing a relatively orderly temporary medical center in the ruins.
Before long, Jiraiya returned, covered in dust and wearing a grim expression. Although he learned that his student Minato had truly resurrected, he showed little joy in this tragic environment.
In a relatively intact building, a temporary command post was hastily established. Minato Namikaze, the "Resurrected Hero," also appeared here. His face was pale, but his eyes remained sharp. Clearly, he had just arrived from another battlefield or command position, still carrying the smell of battle smoke. As the Fourth Hokage, after the Third's sacrifice, he duty-boundly took up the heavy responsibility of command.
Jiraiya spread out a crude map, with shocking names and locations marked in red circles.
"Sensei has sacrificed himself." He paused, his voice strained. "The resurrected Shisui Uchiha died of exhaustion in the line of duty. His Mangekyo Sharingan… were stolen."
"Advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, and Danzo, have all fallen."
Tsunade clenched her fist tightly.
Sensei… Even though he did many foolish and wrong things, he was still the teacher who raised me. Just gone like that…
She listened silently as Jiraiya continued his report.
"The Hyuga Main Family suffered heavy losses. Hiashi Hyuga died in battle. The Uchiha clansmen who remained in the village were wiped out—not even their corpses remain."
Jiraiya's voice grew lower. "As for Sakura Haruno… preliminary intelligence indicates her parents died heroically protecting civilians. Sakura herself… defected from Konoha. Witnesses say the attack was led by Orochimaru, who, along with his Hidden Sound Village, displayed abilities and technology far beyond this era."
Kakashi was shaken to his core. Sakura… defected?
He looked at Minato. Minato's face was filled with self-blame and deep regret for the choice of his intended daughter-in-law, Sakura, whose personality reminded him somewhat of Kushina.
"The urgent task," Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, "is to stabilize the situation, treat the wounded, and reassure the people. Konoha must not collapse here!"
"I agree," Minato said. "Assess the losses, restore basic order. Additionally, the repair work on the village cannot be delayed."
In an unnoticed corner, a black shadow wriggled slightly, seemingly merging into the shadow of the wall, waiting for intelligence sent back by the White Zetsu spores attached to the Sound ninjas.
With a preliminary consensus reached, the curtain rose on Konoha's reconstruction.
Several days later, a solemn memorial service was held in front of the temporary Memorial Stone in Konoha Village. The sky was gloomy, with a light drizzle falling. All surviving Konoha ninjas and civilians gathered here. In the dark crowd, only suppressed sobbing could be heard intermittently.
The names of the fallen were read out one by one. Each name represented the loss of a vibrant life, the shattering of a family.
"Third Hokage, Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
"Shisui Uchiha!"
"Lord Hiashi Hyuga!"
"Konoha Advisors, Lady Koharu Utatane, Lord Homura Mitokado!"
"And the heroes, the Haruno couple, who stepped forward in times of danger to protect many sheltering civilians and children!"
The emcee's voice choked up, adding special emphasis. In the crowd, the children saved by the Haruno couple and their parents were already sobbing uncontrollably.
Naruto stood in the crowd, rain mixed with tears sliding down his cheeks.
Grandpa Third… the old man who always smiled and gave me pocket money, teaching me the Will of Fire, is gone too. And Sakura and Sasuke… I don't know how they are doing now.
Minato, wearing the Hokage cloak, accompanied by Jiraiya and Tsunade, slowly walked up to the temporary platform. His appearance was a faint but firm light, piercing the gloom over Konoha.
"Fellow citizens of Konoha." Minato's voice, amplified by equipment, clearly reached the entire venue. "Today, we gather here to mourn the heroes who sacrificed themselves bravely to protect the village."
"This disaster has exposed our mistakes and fragility. But where the leaves dance, the fire burns. The shadow of the fire will shine on the village, and new leaves will sprout!"
During his speech, Minato's gaze drifted subtly over Naruto. "We have a new generation that has inherited this will; they are the future hope of the village!"
Tsunade and Jiraiya also gave brief but powerful speeches, expressing their support for Minato and confidence in Konoha's future.
At the climax of the memorial service, Minato led all Konoha ninjas and civilians in facing the Memorial Stone for a collective mourning.
…
After the memorial service, Minato officially resumed the position of Fourth Hokage and quickly formed a new leadership core.
Tsunade served as Hokage Advisor and Commander-in-Chief of Medical Services.
Jiraiya served as Hokage Advisor responsible for intelligence and foreign strategy.
Kakashi was entrusted with the heavy responsibility of rebuilding the Ninja Academy and cultivating the new generation.
Yamato's Wood Style played a huge role in restoring people's livelihoods. He used Wood Style: Four-Pillar House Jutsu to quickly build rows of temporary housing. He reinforced the village's outer defenses with Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall, providing solid shelter for displaced villagers.
Military reorganization, medical reform, educational adjustment, internal review, intelligence gathering, diplomatic strategy—reconstruction policies were implemented methodically under Minato's leadership.
At dusk, Neji Hyuga stood alone in front of the Memorial Stone.
He looked at the tablets belonging to the Hyuga Branch Family, and the names of his father Hizashi Hyuga and uncle Hiashi Hyuga at the top. The tragic state of the Branch Family being forced to sacrifice themselves in large numbers to protect the Main Family deeply stung his heart.
He closed his eyes, countless images flashing through his mind. The scene of his father being tortured to the point of splitting headaches by the Caged Bird seal. The humiliation brought by the Caged Bird curse mark. The sorrow of Branch members being forced by the Main Family like slaves to die protecting them in the disaster. And the whispers of the white creature calling itself Kyubey in his ear, about the trade for a "wish."
After a long time, he opened his eyes, filled with unprecedented determination.
"Father…" he whispered softly to his departed kin. "Perhaps I cannot fulfill the wish to resurrect you."
He raised his head, looking at the broken Konoha under the setting sun, and said word by word:
"The Hyuga clan should no longer have a distinction between Main and Branch families."
"There should no longer be the shackles of the Caged Bird."
"It is time for all Hyuga clansmen to have true freedom."
"I will change all of this in my own way."
In the afterglow of the setting sun, his young and resolute figure appeared lonely and desolate.