Inside a peculiar fortress.
A middle-aged man in armor, wearing a cloak and a monocle, gazed toward a certain direction, his brow slightly furrowed with concern.
"Has the output from the Grel Mine decreased?"
White Zetsu, hidden in the shadows, listened to him speak, secretly amused.
Once everyone else had left the room, he stepped forward and quietly stole a sword-like weapon embedded with a Grel Stone.
In the Land of Iron, a samurai burst into Mifune's training ground.
"Lord Mifune, the Northern Sea Alliance has sent an invitation."
"The what?" Mifune slid his katana back into its sheath, clearly surprised.
"It's an alliance initiated by the Country of Hot Springs and the Country of Frost. They're proposing some kind of economic unification."
"Iron Country maintains neutrality," Mifune replied with a dismissive shake of his head.
The messenger samurai nodded in understanding before bringing up another point. "By the way, those two countries also want to invite us to establish a samurai academy there."
Mifune hesitated for a moment, then gave a slow nod. "That could work."
Spring had arrived, and Hinata Hyuga's younger sister, Hanabi Hyuga, was born safely and in good health.
Delighted, Hiashi Hyuga hosted a grand celebration banquet.
Hiroki Hyuga, growing bored in the Country of Hot Springs, assumed the identity of White Zetsu Hyuga and returned to Konoha.
Whether or not they had close ties with the Hyuga Clan, numerous smaller families sent representatives to extend their well-wishes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, Danzo Shimura, and Homura Mitokado all appeared together.
After exchanging greetings with Hiashi Hyuga, the four elders presented their gifts and sat at the same table.
Their eyes kept glancing toward one specific direction.
"What a people's darling," Danzo muttered sarcastically.
In a quiet corner of the courtyard stood a small mountain of gifts.
These were not presents brought by those attending the party.
Rather, they came from individuals who hadn't received invitations—mostly common ninja or ordinary citizens of lower status.
The Hyuga Clan could hardly have anticipated receiving so many gifts and could only temporarily pile them up in that spot.
"Got any ideas, Danzo?" After taking a sip of sake, Hiruzen asked.
Undermining the Uchiha Clan was straightforward—they were concentrated within the Police Force, so targeting that department sufficed.
But the Hyuga Clan wasn't like the Uchiha. They were spread across various departments: medical, sealing teams, barrier divisions... Their presence was complex and far-reaching, nothing like the Uchiha Clan.
Danzo silently tasted the food, buying time to think.
He couldn't come up with a good solution just yet.
At the end of the banquet, perhaps having drunk too much during the toasts, Hiashi suddenly grew talkative and began rambling strangely to Hinata.
"Hinata, whatever you desire—if you can handle it, your father can provide it."
"Do you know? A century ago, we fought many clans because we've never walked the same path as them..."
Hinata remained clueless.
Hiroki Hyuga, who was following closely behind, felt a sudden pang in his chest—was he referring to the past conflicts between Hamura's lineage and Hayato's disciples?
"Hinata, show us another set of Gentle Fist techniques," Hiashi Hyuga suddenly barked.
Startled by his voice, Hinata obediently demonstrated the Gentle Fist techniques she had learned, including [Eight Trigrams – Thirty-Two Palms].
"Hahahaha!" Hiashi clapped his hands in laughter.
Learning [Eight Trigrams – Thirty-Two Palms] by the age of five—Hinata truly was a prodigy.
"Hinata, that's enough for now. Save some for later, or your father will keep having fits," Kaguya couldn't help but interject, clearly annoyed.
Hinata: "…"
Next, Hiashi grabbed Hiroki Hyuga for a sparring match.
He fought at full strength like an elite Jonin, without pulling any punches.
Forced into a corner, Hiroki finally unleashed everything he had—activating Heavenly Spin and releasing [Eight Trigrams – Sixty-Four Palms].
"So you've mastered them after all," Hiashi said calmly.
Suddenly, he noticed something and let out a soft "Hmm?"
"The small details in Hinata's moves during her demonstration just now… Why do they look exactly like yours?"
"In truth, every move the Young Mistress has mastered, I personally taught her," Hiroki replied with his head lowered, feigning modesty.
Hiashi's gaze shifted back and forth between the two, filled with suspicion.
Hinata kept nodding repeatedly, trying to confirm the truthfulness of Hiroki's explanation.
"I didn't teach her theory directly. Instead, I showed her how chakra flows and allowed her to mimic me."
"Can it really be done this way?" Hiashi still wouldn't buy it.
"The Young Mistress and I share a unique method of communication—she fully understands what I mean."
"If others can't do it, why can you?"
"In short, whatever I learn, the Young Mistress will eventually master too. If the Clan Head doesn't believe me, just wait a little longer…"
As Hiroki was deceiving Hiashi and attempting to fish for information, Jiraiya inside Mount Myoboku was listening to the sacred calls of the Frog Elders.
"Little Jiraiya, do you know where chakra originally came from?"
Hearing Gamamaru's measured tone drift down from above, Jiraiya sighed inwardly.
Why do old folks always talk in circles? Can't they just say what they mean?
"I'm all ears," he responded respectfully, straightening his posture and wearing an attentive expression.
"A thousand years ago, a woman named Kaguya Otsutsuki appeared from nowhere, descending upon the Ninja World."
"She planted a God Tree, which absorbed energy from the land, causing irreversible damage across the ninja world."
"And thus, chakra was born…"
"Kaguya ruled over humanity, sacrificing them to the God Tree."
"Later, Hayato and Hamura Otsutsuki discovered her tyranny…"
"After sealing away Kaguya, Hayato began spreading chakra throughout the world…"
"This Hayato… Could he be the Sage of Six Paths?" Jiraiya interrupted curiously.
"Precisely."
Listening to gossip about the Sage of Six Paths, Jiraiya remained silent for a long while.
"He hoped that chakra could bridge the hearts of all people."
"But desire, however, will never fade."
"The first person to sever the Chakra connection caused trust to collapse irreparably."
"The balance of the Ninja World shifted forever, eventually becoming what it is today."
While Jiraiya was fascinated by these secret stories of the Ninja World, he couldn't help but wonder why Gamamaru had chosen to share them.
"Great Toad Sage, what exactly do you mean?"
Gamamaru continued solemnly, "A thousand years have passed. Time has worn everything down and the seal has weakened. That woman shall rise again in the future—or rather, may already be stirring as we speak. The Nine-Tails and Naruto Uzumaki are the final hope."
"But Great Toad Sage, you once said revealing the future might change it. Why tell me all this now..."
"Because," Gamamaru said with a sigh, "that's not the future I want to see."
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