Hinata Haruki walked along the path back to his quarters, a faint smile tugging at his lips.Today had been a good day—Kato Dan-sensei had woken up, his condition was stable, and Konoha had secured a major victory in the war. All his efforts hadn't been in vain.
"Haha! I'd love to see the look on Danzō's face right now!"
During the battle, Haruki had done more than his fair share—strategizing, leading counterattacks, and taking risks on the front lines. Why work so hard? Partly to help Tsunade, partly to avenge Kato Dan… and of course, to help himself.
The truth was, Haruki had never seriously considered Danzō's "offer." No matter what terms Danzō presented, he would never agree.
The reason was simple: their paths were fundamentally incompatible.
If Haruki had truly been just a six-year-old child, he might have been tempted. Danzō's conditions were enticing. But Haruki's mind was that of a seasoned doctor, and he already knew where Danzō's road would lead. A man without compassion, who lives only for profit, will do anything to gain power—no matter the cost. Even if such a man became invincible, he would be nothing more than a cold, lifeless weapon.
If Danzō ever rose to power and reshaped Konoha into his ideal vision, it would be a blessing if the village wasn't outright destroyed.
Worse, Danzō was the sort of man who would sell out anyone to achieve his goals. One day, Haruki himself might be among those betrayed. If all Danzō had wanted was to take him on as an apprentice, Haruki might have considered it. But the man didn't have the slightest intention of winning hearts through virtue or treating talent with respect. From the start, he had dangled benefits and bargains, seeing only Haruki's value, ready to toss him aside the moment he lost it.
To agree to such a deal would be like bargaining with a tiger over its own skin.
And then there was the Third Hokage. Sarutobi-sensei had shown Haruki great kindness, and even in his previous life, Haruki had admired this gentle old man who would sacrifice himself for the village. Could he betray such a man? Never. If he did, he wouldn't be Hinata Haruki anymore. Once he had chosen to follow the old man, he wouldn't betray him for profit.
Would the Third refuse to help him learn medical ninjutsu? Of course not. Would Haruki be unable to deal with the Caged Bird Seal without Danzō's help? No. His Senju bloodline was the key, and even if he couldn't resolve it immediately, he'd never go crawling to Danzō. As for becoming head of the Hyuga clan, Haruki had no interest at all.
Danzō's grand plan was never going to work.
So why had Haruki pretended to be tempted?
First, to learn Danzō's real intentions. The man was cunning—if Haruki refused outright, Danzō might try something underhanded to force the issue. Better to know his moves in advance and prepare to counter them.
Second, to put on a show for Tsunade. Haruki had activated his Byakugan during that conversation and had already noticed her approaching from behind. He knew she'd overhear. So he deliberately acted like he was considering "betrayal" in order to make her give up on taking him as a disciple.
He could tell Tsunade didn't want to let him go, which was why she had come to talk to him in the first place. But Haruki didn't want to become her student, so this was his way of making her drop the idea—using a conversation with a member of Root as cover.
He hadn't expected that even faced with his apparent "betrayal," Tsunade would still refuse to abandon him, trying earnestly to talk him out of a bad path.
She could accept not having him as a student, but she would never allow him to go astray. That meant she truly cared for him—not as a teacher, but as family. Just like her grandfather, she loved everyone in Konoha. If she had seen any young shinobi about to take the wrong path, she would have stepped in.
And so Haruki decided to help her.
If Danzō wanted to use the Elders to oust Tsunade, then the best counter was to hand her a resounding victory. With such a win, the Elders would have nothing to criticize, and Danzō's attempt to undermine her would fail. Neither the Third nor Tsunade would ever hand him over to Danzō.
Haruki's promise to "consider" Danzō's terms was meaningless, and he no longer had to worry about being forcibly taken.
So Haruki had quietly plotted with Nara Shikaku, helping Konoha achieve a major victory. Danzō must be seething right now.
Still, even if he had helped Tsunade, he still wanted to change teachers. He'd speak to the Third about it later…
After Kato Dan had fallen into a deep sleep, Tsunade returned to her tent to deal with the mountain of work still waiting for her. A messenger-nin arrived with a letter from the Hokage. The message, delivered by falcon, was written in code. Tsunade read it slowly.
The Hokage praised her for the decisive victory that had given Konoha the upper hand in the war. Then his tone shifted—he told her the Elders wanted Haruki to choose a new teacher. He had managed to stall them for now, but asked her to speak with Haruki and try to work things out.
If they couldn't reach an understanding, the Hokage would take Haruki as his own student.
Tsunade sighed.
She wanted to talk things over with Haruki too, but lately he'd been avoiding her, refusing to listen to any explanation. She didn't know if Danzō had already lured him away, or if the boy was just too stubborn—putting on an act to avoid becoming her disciple.
Remembering Kato Dan's words, she made up her mind:"I'll talk to him first. If he insists on going to Danzō, I'll stop him no matter what. But… if it's only that he doesn't want to be my student… then so be it. Even if I've already come to think of him as one…"
Walking along the path, Haruki spotted two figures approaching. He froze, his smile fading. They had seen him as well, and one of them beamed as he came closer.
"Haruki, little brother! Long time no see!"
But Haruki could tell at a glance that the smile was false and sly. The man was followed by a young shinobi—both bore the Byakugan.
"Genin… Hyuga Nichin, isn't it? What are you doing at the front lines?" Haruki's voice was flat, but he put extra emphasis on the word "Genin," dripping with contempt.
In truth, just seeing Nichin irritated him. He wasn't afraid of this trash—only the setting prevented him from acting. If it weren't for the camp's rules, he'd have repaid Nichin's past bullying twofold.
A flicker of anger crossed Nichin's face before he forced the smile back. This brat dares ignore me? Hmph! You'll be dead soon enough.
"As one of the candidates for the clan head position, it's only natural I come to the battlefield for training. I'm here to complete a mission from the main house."
"Mm." Haruki stepped around him without another word. He wasn't worth the effort.
If Haruki acted afraid, Nichin would despise him. If Haruki glared, he'd be offended that a "failure" dared look him in the eye. If Haruki ignored him, that was the worst insult of all. No matter what Haruki did, someone like Nichin—arrogant, self-important—would take offense. So Haruki might as well ignore him completely.
If push came to shove, Haruki didn't care whether Nichin was main family or not—he wouldn't hold back.
Watching Haruki leave, Nichin's face twisted in rage."Damn brat… you'll pay for this!"
He turned to the young man behind him and barked, "Proceed as planned!" His follower vanished instantly.
As he walked, Haruki's mind worked. He had been deliberately provoking Nichin, testing his reason for coming to the front. When Haruki had turned to leave, his Byakugan had caught the unmistakable glint of killing intent in Nichin's eyes.
This isn't good… What's he here for? I'd better be on guard.
He formed a shadow clone and sent it to follow Nichin. The clone found nothing unusual—Nichin went straight to his quarters and slept.
Still… something felt off, like there was a piece of the puzzle he was missing.
Nichin's follower arrived at Tsunade's tent and presented her with a scroll.
"You're Hyuga Ame, correct?" Tsunade asked after glancing at the scroll.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Ame answered respectfully, producing his identification at once.
"This is a Hyuga clan mission approved by the Hokage. While examining our ancestral records, we discovered clues to the location of an ancient ruin connected to our forebears. The Hyuga clan has decided to investigate. We request that you assign a few shinobi to assist us."
"A Hyuga ruin? Very well. I'll assign three Chūnin with scouting abilities to your team," Tsunade said with a nod.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade. I also wish to request a specific member of the Hyuga clan for this mission," Ame added.
"Oh? From the Hyuga clan?" Tsunade's expression grew wary. Could the main family be targeting him? What exactly were they after?
"Don't worry, Lady Tsunade—it's not Hinata Haruki," Ame replied quickly.
"Oh? And who is it, then?" Tsunade relaxed, realizing she might have overthought it.
"Hinata Mizuki," Ame said with a pleasant smile.