The reason why Hyūga Hanako's position in the Hyūga clan was stable was not merely because she was the wife of Hiashi and the mother of the genius Hyūga Shinichi.
Her personal management ability was one of the key factors that solidified her status within the family. The fact that she could restrain her motherly love after her son had been training outside for over two years, and instead suggest that he visit the long-unseen Hyūga Shin, speaks volumes.
Although Hyūga Shin was an elder of the Main Family, he was ultimately of the older generation, having stepped down from the Clan Head position many years ago. Furthermore, Hiashi had been an excellent Clan Head, so the elder had actually been "out of the loop" for quite some time.
If the Clan Head successor had been someone like "Gao Qiqiang" (a reference to a cunning character), an elder like Hyūga Shin might have long been swept into the dustbin of history.
Hiashi's integrity was reassuring in certain situations, and the fact that the Hyūga clan remained tightly unified was closely linked to both Hiashi's uprightness and Hanako's tactful nature.
Meeting the Grand Elder
After a brief time with his mother and Hanabi, Hyūga Shinichi proceeded to the Ancestral Shrine to meet his Grand Elder.
Hyūga Shin did not live with Hiashi's immediate family. Although he frequently visited, with Hiashi away and the two girls and Hanako at home, he didn't have much to talk about and usually kept to his own residence, leading a secluded life.
His room was in a side building of the Hyūga Ancestral Shrine. In Shin's words, this was the place closest to his friends and family, and staying there prevented him from feeling lonely.
When Hyūga Shinichi arrived, Hyūga Shin was sitting in a comfortable rocking chair in the front hall of the Ancestral Shrine. The chair faced the entrance, and Shin was lying back, bathed in the midday sun, backed by the tablets of the deceased elders and heroes of the Hyūga clan.
As one aged, energy inevitably declined. Since returning from the war zone against the Cloud Village, Hyūga Shin had aged quickly. Now, his hair was white, and he looked frail.
"Grand-fatherr."
"Resting?"
Hyūga Shinichi entered the room softly, walking quietly to the side of the rocking chair and greeting him gently.
Hearing the sound, Hyūga Shin slowly opened his eyes, squinted at Hyūga Shinichi next to him, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Hehe, Shinichi, when did you get back, boy?"
With Hyūga Shin's sensory ability, he had already sensed Shinichi's arrival as he approached the shrine. However, Shin only slowly sat up and smiled, asking his question after Shinichi spoke.
Hmm... even an old man like him harbors a bit of reserve and pride. Shinichi's visit naturally made Hyūga Shin very happy, but he didn't immediately show his joy on his face. Instead, he forced a calm demeanor, asking in a seemingly level tone.
"I just got back not long ago. That's why I dropped everything and came to see you, Grandfather."
Hyūga Shinichi replied with a smile. Noticing that Hyūga Shin wanted to stand, Shinichi naturally extended his hand to support Shin's arm.
Although Hyūga Shin was old, he was still healthy and not yet so frail that he needed assistance to stand. However, Shin seemed to enjoy the process of being attended to by his great-grandson, using Shinichi's strong arm to rise.
Patting Shinichi's arm gently, Hyūga Shin finally took a good look at Shinichi and praised him with a smile:
"It's been a while, and your body is even stronger!"
"I can tell you haven't slacked off on your training."
"Shinichi, you've done very well!"
Hyūga Shin was satisfied with Hyūga Shinichi in every way. He was talented, hardworking, and handled matters calmly and systematically. Both from an emotional standpoint and considering Shinichi's role as the Main Family heir, this grandson was exceptionally perfect to him.
For an elder like him, the inner desire for "ambition" had long faded. His last goal in life was to serve the family one last time by helping Hiashi nurture a qualified Main Family successor.
Hyūga Shinichi was the near-perfect fulfillment of Hyūga Shin's last wish in life.
"Now that you're back, what are your plans?"
"Has the Hokage arranged any new work for you?"
Conversations with elders often go this way: after a few exchanges of pleasantries, they inevitably start asking about your career and current status. Even in the world of Naruto, it was largely the same.
"The Fourth Hokage wants me to join the new Anbu division he's establishing."
"I haven't accepted or declined, merely stating that I need to return to the clan and discuss it with the family."
"Grand Elder, do you have any good advice for me on this matter?"
When interacting with elders, it's wise to appropriately ask them for some "life advice." Even if you don't follow it in the end, you should still ask, and most elders will share everything they know.
"Anbu?"
"Hehe, the Fourth Hokage... the village already has two Anbu divisions, and he wants to create a new one."
"It seems he's not getting along well with the Third Hokage's son, either."
The Third Hokage's son Shin, referred to, was likely his eldest son, who was a current Anbu squad leader. As for the Third's younger son, he reportedly had a falling out with his family last year and left the village to become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja for the Fire Daimyō.
In this era of peace, the Daimyō seemed to have grown wary of Konoha's powerful military might.
For the dual purpose of ensuring his own safety and peacefully balancing Konoha's military strength, the Daimyō formed the Twelve Guardian Ninja last year, recruiting top talents from across the country. Each of these individuals possessed Jōnin-level strength.
In this world, the number of high-level Jōnin was not large. These twelve elites were enough to change the outcome of a small-scale war, so despite their small number, their influence was considerable.
The Daimyō's moves did not change Minato's established policy. His current focus was to consolidate the village's power. Establishing a new Anbu was simply a means to enhance his control.
With Danzō's Root, the Third Hokage's direct Anbu, and now the Fourth Hokage's newly created Anbu, the small Village Hidden in the Leaves surprisingly had three Anbu systems. It was reminiscent of building the Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard), then the Eastern Depot, and then the Western Depot (historical Chinese secret police).
One could only wonder which of these three Anbu would be the powerful department granted "Imperial authorization to execute first and report later."
"You were not wrong to not accept the Fourth Hokage's invitation."
"There is no need for our Hyūga clan to participate in the village's internal strife."
"Be it the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, or the advisor Danzō, our Hyūga clan possesses the capital and strength to maintain our independence."
"Rather than joining the Anbu and being restricted by others, it's better to genuinely work for the benefit of our own Hyūga clan."
"That is what a qualified Hyūga Main Family member should do."
Hyūga Shin saw through the current political situation within the village and expressed support for Shinichi's seemingly hesitant stance. The Hyūga clan was indeed an ally of the Fourth Hokage, but that didn't mean they had to prioritize the Fourth Hokage's interests in every matter.
An old fox like Hyūga Shin understood the principle that a helping hand should only be extended at a crucial moment. Minato's position was currently stable. The Hyūga clan didn't need to appear too eager; that would only diminish their standing.
They only needed to continue strengthening the clan and stand by Minato when the village's balance was broken, thus stabilizing the overall situation. Only then would their Hyūga clan's importance be truly evident.
But then again, if the Fourth Hokage completely and swiftly won the political struggle against the Third Hokage and Danzō, would the Hyūga clan suffer a cold shoulder?
The Hyūga clan did not need to worry about this at all, because they were a bloodline limit clan. Konoha could absolutely not afford the cost of losing the Byakugan clan.
"Grand Elder, it seems I can't help the clan with much besides diligent training."
"And the clan doesn't seem to have any urgent matters to handle right now."
As he spoke, Hyūga Shinichi looked toward the shrine. On the altar, there was a preserved human head that had been covered with a paper talisman over its right eye.
That head belonged to Ao of Kirigakure, which Hyūga Shinichi had personally led a team to retrieve from the Mist Village battlefield. That mission was the first time Shinichi had been away from the village for such a long period. Many years had passed, and the head had decayed to bone, but the seal on the Byakugan was still intact, and even though Ao had been dead for years, the sealing power remained effective.
The Hyūga clan didn't seem concerned; as long as the eye remained within the clan, whether it was sealed or decayed was irrelevant.
That was Shinichi's first "contribution" to the clan. However, the clan didn't seem to have a similar need right now.
"Training?"
"There is plenty you can do, and it's certainly not limited to just training."
Hyūga Shin chuckled and shook his head. Although he hadn't seen Hyūga Shinichi in over two years, his experienced eye could clearly see that Shinichi's strength had significantly improved since their last meeting.
Considering Shinichi's age and current power, Hyūga Shin was contemplating whether it was time to let Shinichi travel outside again, allowing rival or closely allied ninja clans to understand the caliber of the Hyūga clan's new heir.
Simply put, Hyūga Shin no longer believed there was a possibility of Hyūga Shinichi dying prematurely!
With the protection of the Hyūga clan's guards, coupled with Shinichi's own strength, very few people in the world could pose a threat to Hyūga Shinichi's life, barring a full-scale military siege. If the risk was reduced to this extent and Hyūga Shinichi still couldn't traverse the ninja world, then it could only be fate...
Since the Warring States Period, every ninja clan with a stellar reputation in the ninja world established its footing through formidable combat capabilities, and their Hyūga clan was no exception.
"Shinichi, one of our clan's Bounty Stations, suffered an attack a few days ago, resulting in huge losses."
"The attacker was a person completely shrouded in a black cloak, embroidered with a red cloud pattern."
"A large amount of money stored in the Bounty Station was stolen. The clan has dispatched people to investigate, but so far, there are no leads."
"Shinichi, how about I assign this matter to you to handle?"
As Hyūga Shin pondered, he walked to the altar in front of the shrine, retrieved a scroll from a hidden compartment beneath the table, walked back to Shinichi, and handed him the scroll.
Hyūga Shinichi listened to the information while taking the scroll and examining it. His tension grew.
This was not the first time Shinichi had heard about the clan running a Bounty Station business.
The essence of a Bounty Station was a black market bounty system, which could be simply understood as an "underground ninja village." A client posts a mission at the Bounty Station, which issues a bounty. If a ninja brings the target's head to the station, the reward is immediately paid out. Of course, the Bounty Station collects a fee for each completed transaction.
To capture the market, Bounty Stations often kept large amounts of cash on hand for quick "cash-outs." Only stations that offered fast payouts could earn the trust of ninja, who preferred to transact where there was "cash." The Hyūga clan, with its solid financial backing, saw good business from its Bounty Stations.
However, years of war created many wandering ninja. With the end of the conflict, the lives of these wandering ninja became increasingly difficult. Wealthier clients preferred to hire the now-available, legitimate "village ninja." To make a living, some inevitably targeted the funds in the Bounty Stations.
The Bounty Stations managed by the Hyūga clan had faced attacks before, but they had never been breached. The massive loss at a southern Bounty Station was the first of its kind in recent years and immediately drew the clan's attention.
The detail that caught Shinichi's attention was Hyūga Shin's description of the attacker's attire: a black cloak with conspicuous red clouds... If Shinichi's guess was correct, that would be an Akatsuki ninja!
Based on Shinichi's knowledge, the Akatsuki organization mutated into a mercenary group after Yahiko's death. They amassed a large amount of funding in the early stages and then began attacking major ninja villages to collect Tailed Beasts in the middle to late stages.
In this current phase, the Akatsuki likely did not dare to expose their ultimate goal of collecting Tailed Beasts and were still in the process of raising funds and isolating Amegakure (Village Hidden in the Rain).
The Akatsuki member targeting the Bounty Stations was most likely that person...
"Grandfather, was there only one attacker?"
Flipping through the scroll, Hyūga Shinichi asked, feeling somewhat confused. In his memory, the Akatsuki usually operated in pairs. Was the organization still in its early stages, operating solo due to a lack of personnel?
"The number of people?"
"Well, according to the information provided by the Kohinata clan, there should have only been one."
"Are you suggesting..."
Hyūga Shin looked sideways at Shinichi. Shinichi thought for a moment and found a casual reason:
"Don't you think the attacker's clothes are a bit too flashy? A black cloak with noticeable red clouds—that's very un-ninja-like, isn't it? I suspect it might be an organization trying to quickly build a reputation."
"That's why I asked."
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