Upon returning home, Yuta informed Kiko about the current war situation and the village's decision to deploy him.
"Then please be careful," Kiko said, her voice tinged with worry, "I'll go pack your things. Don't forget anything."
Despite her concern for her husband's safety, Kiko understood the gravity of the situation. Yuta had remained away from the front lines since the war's inception, a fact that had drawn criticism from some quarters.
Determined not to add to Yuta's burdens, Kiko maintained a composed demeanor as she began preparing his travel gear.
Yuta watched Kiko meticulously arranging his belongings, a deep sense of reluctance tugging at his heart.
That day, Yuta instructed Ganta and his brothers to be obedient while he was away and asked Mito to keep a watchful eye on their household, especially given Kiko's current immobility. Long Jian was occupied with logistics, and his wife had her hands full managing their restaurant, leaving Mito as their most reliable support.
The following morning, Yuta stood at his doorstep, pausing for a quiet moment before turning and departing.
Kiko, seeing him off, was already tearful. "Yuta, you must be safe!" she called out, her voice thick with emotion.
At the gates of Konoha Village, following an impassioned speech by the Third Hokage, the reinforcement team bound for the front lines set off.
"War! Kid, why do you think there is war?"
Yuta looked at the ranks of ninja marching behind him and posed the question to Hyuga Hizashi, who walked beside him.
This time, as they headed towards the Land of Hot Springs for support, the Third Hokage had assigned several Hyuga clan ninja to serve as a reconnaissance team under Yuta's command. Although Hyuga Hizashi was only seven years old, he was also the son of the clan leader.
The Hyuga clan's decision to send him was a subtle indication of the strain on their resources.
His elder twin brother, Hyuga Hiashi, the heir to the clan leadership, remained in Konoha.
Yuta had grown fond of the earnest young Hyuga. Hizashi was conscientious and responsible, diligently activating his Byakugan to observe their surroundings whenever his chakra permitted.
To ensure his safety, Yuta kept Hizashi close by his side.
Hearing Yuta's question, Hizashi turned his head, his brow furrowed in thought for a moment.
"Perhaps… perhaps it is the fate of becoming a ninja, just like… like me."
Looking at Hizashi's downcast expression, Yuta recognized the boy's quiet resentment towards his predetermined destiny.
Born mere minutes after his twin, Hizashi was branded with the Caged Bird Seal, a mark that would not only bind him but also his descendants, their lives controlled by the main family, becoming tools to be sacrificed at their whim.
Yuta offered a gentle smile.
"Kid, don't be so gloomy at such a young age. War? It's a redistribution of interests, where the victor claims everything. So, you have to survive, because victory will ultimately belong to Konoha."
Hizashi stopped, standing in place as he pondered Yuta's words. Then, he raised his head, a flicker of hope in his young eyes.
"Really? If Konoha wins the war, can I also reclaim my own destiny?"
"Of course." Yuta's voice was firm and reassuring.
He planned to take Hizashi as his disciple after the war. Partly because he held a particular fondness for Neji from the future and didn't want him to suffer such an unjust fate, and partly to establish a stronger connection with the Hyuga clan.
Yuta mused to himself, the next generation of Konoha's most powerful figures—the Sannin, Hatake Sakumo, and Might Dai—were all his friends. The generation after them—Minato, Nawaki, Uchiha Makoto, Nono, and now Hizashi—were becoming his disciples or students, forming a significant network.
"It turns out I've unknowingly woven such a large web of connections within Konoha." The Senju, the Uchiha, and the future Hyuga—these were all established, influential clans in Konoha's history, and he would have ties to them now or in the future.
With these students as his links, Yuta would naturally be considered part of their faction.
"I've become a conservative." Yuta suddenly realized with a wry smile.
Was it not true? These three clans were all prominent families from the village's early days. Compared to the Third Hokage's Sarutobi clan, Danzo's Shimura clan, and the families of the two advisors, weren't they the established, traditional forces? As for the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance and the Aburame clan, they tended to align with whoever held power, a neutral faction.
Yuta shook his head, a bitter smile playing on his lips. The Yuta family wasn't even fully established yet, but it seemed to be aging prematurely in the political landscape.
Suddenly, Yuta's expression shifted, and he gestured for the troops to exercise caution. The others, noticing his change in demeanor, subtly tensed, remaining vigilant while maintaining their original pace.
"Hizashi! Follow me! Be careful up ahead!"
Hizashi, too, had detected an anomaly through his Byakugan. Knowing his own limitations, he slowed his pace, gradually moving to position himself behind Yuta.
"Boom!" A massive detonation ripped through the middle of the road, the violent explosion swiftly engulfing Yuta and his team.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" A large number of ninja suddenly materialized around theKonoha troops. Judging by their appearance and forehead protectors, they were an ambush force of Cloud Ninja.
"Haha! What Konoha Silver Fox? We wiped them out in one fell swoop!"
The leading Cloud Ninja roared with triumphant laughter, confident that Yuta and his team had been annihilated by the explosion.
"Go! Finish them off!" He waved his hand dismissively, clearly underestimating the Konoha forces.
"That was really dangerous! We were almost killed!"
Suddenly, a teasing voice echoed from the vicinity of the explosion.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The figures engulfed by the blast dissolved into puffs of white smoke and vanished.
"Shadow clones! Damn it!" The Cloud Ninja realized that Konoha's troops had anticipated their attack and were prepared.
Despite the failure of their ambush, the Cloud Ninja remained unfazed. In their previous encounters with Konoha's forces in the Land of Hot Springs, they had consistently overwhelmed their opponents. Thus, even with the element of surprise lost, the Cloud Ninja did not take the Konoha troops seriously.
Under the direction of their respective clan leaders, the Konoha troops began to form ranks and launch a counterattack. The two sides quickly engaged in a fierce stalemate.
Yuta observed that the Cloud Ninja ambush force numbered around five to six hundred, and their morale was remarkably high. Even with Konoha's numerical advantage, breaking the deadlock would be a challenge.
Yuta knew he had to reach the main battlefield as quickly as possible; otherwise, his troops would suffer significant casualties even before reaching their destination.
"Are you ready to die here?"
Yuta's tone was ice-cold, a palpable aura of lethal intent radiating from him.
The commander of the Cloud Ninja scoffed. "What an arrogant brat!"
At that moment, two more ninja appeared behind the Cloud Ninja leader. Yuta immediately recognized the strength of elite jonin in their stances, adding to the quasi-Kage level power of their commander.
"This is it!" Both sides thought simultaneously, recognizing the impending clash.
"Swoosh!" A flash of silver light erupted.
"Huh!" A Cloud Ninja clutched his throat, a torrent of blood gushing from his mouth as he slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Armor!" The Cloud Ninja leader, witnessing Yuta dispatch an elite jonin on his side in an instant, dared not underestimate his opponent and immediately activated his signature technique.
He swiftly formed hand seals, and in a flash, a layer of crackling, solid armor enveloped his body. A careful observer could detect the raw power of lightning coursing through it.
"Wind Style! Rasengan!" Yuta had no time for prolonged engagement. He needed to reach the main battlefield swiftly and couldn't afford to waste precious moments here.
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Patreon snippet:
Tsunade pushed open her house door and saw Nawaki and Minato discussing something in the yard as soon as she entered.
Nawaki was talking to them. Tsunade went up to listen carefully and found out that Minato and the others were also old enough for school, and Nawaki was sharing his school experiences with them.
Tsunade saw Ganta and the other three were also there, so she could only greet them quickly. Feeling guilty, she turned and went to Mito's room.
Tsunade was determined to face the music. If she hid, she would still get hurt. She also needed her grandmother's help to decide what to do. She really did not know how to face Yuta's family.
"You are back! You are so bold!" As soon as she entered the house, she saw Mito looking at her with amusement.
Mito had sensed Tsunade's condition when she just got home.
Mito was now staring at Tsunade's slightly bulging belly. Her eyes were almost closed from laughing.
Even though she still did not know who the father was, Tsunade was going to have her own child. Mito would have an explanation for Hashirama when she went to the afterlife.
"Tell me, are you going to hide it from me? I am just an old woman. I will not say anything." Mito was also very curious about the father of Tsunade's child. Who was so bold as to get Tsunade pregnant before marriage?
Tsunade blushed under Mito's stare. She rubbed her hands a little embarrassedly and said softly with a red face, "It is Yuta's, but I do not know what to do. After all, he is married."
Mito felt relieved after hearing this. She was not unhappy at all. In fact, she was slightly happy.
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