Before Hyūga Shinichi even asked, Hyūga Shin truly hadn't considered that the attack on the Hyūga clan's Bounty Station might be an "organizational act," as there were many such "lone wolves" in the ninja world.
But now, under Shinichi's deliberate guidance, Hyūga Shin followed his line of reasoning and genuinely felt that this possibility existed.
Just as Hyūga Shinichi said, the attacker's attire was far too flashy. Ordinary ninja always try to conceal their identity when doing such things. Yet, the actions of this individual seemed designed to ensure others knew he "had a background."
The conspicuous black robe and the red cloud pattern—not only would ninja find it strange, but even ordinary people would be compelled to take a second look.
"Shinichi, if your judgment is correct... then how should our Hyūga clan deal with this matter?"
Hyūga Shin's gaze was profound. This incident was intended to be Shinichi's initial test. He didn't doubt Hyūga Shinichi's strength, but a mature family patriarch needed more than just raw power.
"Is the Bounty Station necessary for our Hyūga clan?"
Shinichi didn't immediately state his opinion but countered with a question.
The best solution, of course, would be to play ostrich. The enemy is hidden, and the clan is exposed. The Bounty Station's location is well-known to Akatsuki. Even if the Hyūga clan tried to pursue it, it might not yield results, and the energy, money, and personnel losses involved would be unknown.
If the existence of the Bounty Station industry was irrelevant to the Hyūga clan, then simply restricting their scope and shutting down the stations would solve it.
If the Bounty Station was crucial—an industry that could not be abandoned—then the response would naturally have to change.
"The Bounty Station is very important to our Hyūga clan. It is not only a vital economic source but also a crucial intelligence intermediary."
"Furthermore, unlike other industries, it is not easy to re-enter this market once you have left it."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Hyūga Shin's tone was serious. The importance of the Bounty Station to the Hyūga clan was actually greater than what he stated. The various Bounty Stations across the Land of Fire employed many Branch Family members who hadn't awakened the Byakugan. For these individuals, who are not constrained by the Caged Bird, continuous loyalty to the Hyūga clan requires generous compensation.
The Bounty Station industry serves a crucial function as a bond within the family.
"Since it is so important, then we have no choice, do we?"
Since Hyūga Shin had said this much, the available strategies were already quite limited.
"Let's put out some bait and see if we can lure them out."
"If their goal is money, they will likely strike again, and their targets probably won't be limited to just our Hyūga clan's businesses."
"While setting the bait, we'll search for their activity range. I have mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, Grand Elder. Please distribute my Flying Thunder God Kunai to all the Bounty Stations under the Hyūga clan."
Hyūga Shinichi understood that this matter concerning the Bounty Stations was likely the start of him gradually taking over the patriarch's duties.
He naturally wouldn't object. He needed the status of the Hyūga Clan Head to be able to move freely.
Konoha Village's control over its ninja is extremely strict. Unless they are on an official mission, Konoha ninja who leave the village without authorization could easily be designated as missing-nin.
Of course, rules are mostly there to restrict ordinary ninja. Even Konoha has a special class of individuals who are not bound by these rules. Even if they don't return to the village for years, the higher-ups will not question their loyalty. The Sannin belonged to this special class, and the Hyūga Clan Head also belonged to this special class.
As a Main Family member, Shinichi's movements were already restricted. Only by becoming the patriarch and claiming to be "handling family affairs," would he have the opportunity to travel outside Konoha for extended periods.
The ninja world that Hyūga Shinichi knew was vast. While undergoing intense training, Shinichi also wanted to travel around the world, searching for ancient ruins left behind from the time of the Sage of Six Paths. Before the "Gundam" era arrived, Hyūga Shinichi wanted to find clues of the "Tattoo" era, hoping to gain control of certain people and events ahead of time.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique, huh... that truly is a convenient jutsu."
"I will inform the lower ranks about this matter. From now on, all intelligence concerning the Bounty Stations will be relayed to you."
"This matter is entirely your responsibility, Shinichi. Perform well. You must make the people below revere the capabilities of our Hyūga Main Family!"
Hyūga Shin gently patted Shinichi's shoulder, smilingly instructing him.
The younger generation had grown up and could now share the burdens of the elders—this was what Hyūga Shin most desired to see. He only hoped that Hyūga Shinichi could resolve this matter cleanly and decisively, engraving the prestige of the Hyūga Main Family firmly in the hearts of the smaller, Branch Family members.
An Abrupt Start and a Child's Complaint
Upon returning to the village, Hyūga Shinichi didn't even have time to enjoy the warmth of family life. When Hinata returned from school, excitedly hoping to see her long-unseen brother, she was blocked outside the study by Hyūga Shin.
Hyūga Shin had delivered all the scrolls related to the Hyūga-affiliated Bounty Stations to Shinichi, including detailed coordinates, quarterly financial reports, personnel configurations for each station, and the damages suffered by the attacked station.
Simultaneously, Hyūga Shin also arranged for the personal files of each Bounty Station's "person in charge" to be sent. Through the Hyūga clan's messenger hawks, he also sent intelligence to the various stations, informing them that Hyūga Shinichi would be their direct supervisor.
Shinichi thought this incident was merely a trial, but in reality, whether Shinichi was capable of handling it or not, Hyūga Shin intended for Shinichi to personally lead this section of the business.
Operating an underground organization is not easy, and managing the Bounty Stations is excellent training. Even this extremely important Bounty Station business was just a specialized "training ground" for cultivating Hyūga Shinichi's management abilities.
"Hmph..."
"I can't even see him now that he's back. Big Brother is a big idiot!"
Hinata, rejected outside the door, couldn't help but complain to the study. Inside the study, Shinichi saw the scene outside through his Byakugan. Seeing Hinata leave in a huff, Shinichi couldn't help but shake his head and smile softly.
He was an emotionally reserved person. Even if he spent a long time with Hinata, the siblings might not find many topics to discuss. For Shinichi, watching Hinata grow up healthy was enough.
Once this busy period was over, there would be plenty of time to spend with his sisters.
Slowly lowering his head, Hyūga Shinichi buried himself in the scrolls again. He temporarily skipped the details of the Bounty Stations' operating status, focusing instead on the personnel and combat configurations.
Each Hyūga-affiliated Bounty Station had one official "Steward" and two "Helpers" who managed miscellaneous tasks; these three people barely maintained the station's normal operation.
In addition to the three who actually worked there, each station had four security guards who were recruited externally and were not affiliated with Konoha Village. In the Land of Fire, not only did the ninja villages and the Fire Temple possess "supernatural powers." There were also many "ninja" in the private sector who had mastered chakra application and learned jutsu through various means. If Konoha and the Fire Temple were considered "sects," these individuals could be understood as "wandering practitioners."
A Bounty Station was, after all, private clan property. How could Konoha ninja possibly serve as its guards? Although the ninja recruited by the Bounty Station were not the "established orthodox" of Konoha, these individuals living off the land each had their own skills, and their strength was not bad.
According to the intelligence in the scrolls, the four guards at the Bounty Station were likely all at the Chūnin level. If combined with their own specialized jutsus, they could even put up a fight against an ordinary Jōnin.
Yet, this combat configuration was instantly wiped out upon meeting the enemy, demonstrating the enemy's incredible strength. The enemy's sighting report was provided by the attacked Bounty Station's steward.
After killing the guards and taking the money, the attacker did not kill the steward, acting like a farmer harvesting leeks—cutting one patch while leaving another, waiting for the leeks to grow back for another harvest...
"A Takigakure headband, Akatsuki attire, using powerful Taijutsu to instantly kill the guards."
"Based on the intelligence, it must be Kakuzu."
"I never thought our Hyūga clan would run Bounty Stations, and that these stations would form such a link with Akatsuki..."
Slowly putting down the scroll in front of him, Hyūga Shinichi rubbed his temples, analyzing the massive amount of information in his mind.
He already knew the locations of the dozen or so Bounty Stations within the country. He could roughly deduce the enemy's path from the attacked station. The attacker's route was heading straight towards the Land of Rain border, suggesting that after harvesting one patch of leeks, he was going to hand over the "leeks" to his "superior."
Given the route and travel speed, the opponent had probably already crossed the border into the Land of Rain by now. His trap wouldn't take effect immediately.
Hyūga Shin had already sent people to deliver Shinichi's Flying Thunder God Kunai to the various Bounty Stations. Kakuzu would likely have already left before the messengers even arrived. He didn't know when the opponent would appear in the Land of Fire again.
However, having guessed the opponent's identity, Hyūga Shinichi wasn't anxious anymore. He knew the opponent would reappear.
Kakuzu was a "money fanatic" with extreme confidence in his own strength, and the lure he set would likely attract him. Even if Kakuzu suspected it might be a trap, his arrogance would probably lead him to take the bait anyway.
After all, he was a man who had "fought" the First Hokage. How could such a proud person take a small Bounty Station seriously? Furthermore, Bounty Stations, as an "underground force," have always been a "prime target" for ninja infighting and theft.
Kakuzu only feared the top powerhouses of the Five Great Nations; the guards at the Bounty Stations were merely small fry he wouldn't even look at.
Shinichi knew Kakuzu's character to some extent. As long as the real-life character's personality didn't deviate too much from his impression, his plan should work.
Before setting off the warning at the Bounty Stations, all Shinichi had to do was wait patiently for the fish to bite!
Only Shinichi himself didn't expect that he would wait for over two months.
Life after returning to the village was peaceful. While gradually learning the Bounty Station business, Hyūga Shinichi also took time to train in Taijutsu with Neji and Hinata.
During his absence, Neji had progressed rapidly under Hizashi's training. Not only was his Gentle Fist (Jūken) excellent, but he was also learning elemental Ninjutsu, which few in the Hyūga clan studied.
Influenced by Shinichi, Neji was not a stubborn Byakugan user, and his broadened perspective made him realize the importance of Ninjutsu in combat.
Neji's chakra nature favored Water, Earth, and Fire. To compensate for some of the drawbacks of the Gentle Fist, he focused on defensive Water and Earth Style Ninjutsu, along with mid-to-long-range Fire Style Ninjutsu.
Although his current training could not fully showcase his Ninjutsu mastery in combat, Shinichi could read a lot from Neji's demonstrations. His younger brother was strong and outstanding.
As for Hinata, she was also diligent in her training. However, Shinichi was secretly astonished by the terrifying force in her punches, even though she hadn't quite grasped the essence of the Gentle Fist. Hinata was clearly moving in the direction of the Hard Fist (Gōken), relying on sheer power to overwhelm all skills. Shinichi could even use the Byakugan to see Hinata deliberately channeling chakra into her fists during attacks; that technique was very similar to the Monster Strength technique...
The terrifying force Hinata employed in battle, even at her young age, forced Shinichi to change their training location. The family's dojo couldn't withstand Hinata's destructive power. They had to move the training to the courtyard, which still suffered damage to the "dry landscape" garden there.
Soon after, the siblings' sparring location was moved again to the village's training grounds, where Hinata could unleash her power freely. Neji also began incorporating Ninjutsu into their battles. Under Shinichi's guidance, Neji's ability to combine Taijutsu and Ninjutsu became increasingly proficient.
Then, one evening, just as Shinichi was training with his younger siblings, a crisp, loud cry from a hawk in the sky interrupted their practice.
In the training ground, Hyūga Shinichi casually split an incoming Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique with a hand chop, then gave a pause signal to Neji nearby.
Looking up at the ninja hawk circling in the sky, Shinichi raised his arm. Simultaneously, the ninja hawk swooped down and landed steadily on his forearm.
Pulling the letter out from the hawk's leg and letting the hawk fly away, Shinichi quickly scanned the contents of the letter, then hurriedly said, "Training ends early today. I have something to attend to. You two go home first."
With that, Shinichi used the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from the spot.
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