Time flowed quietly.
As their squad kept fighting, their teamwork grew sharper, and their efficiency in missions—killing—soared.
In just three days, they had wiped out fifty outposts.
Nine Jounin had fallen by their hands, while Chunin and genin kills were beyond counting.
That night.
Deep within a forest, in a nameless mountain hollow, inside a small cave.
The four of them sat around a modest campfire, having eaten a simple meal, now staring at the flames in silence.
Shisui broke the quiet with a smile:
"With that, I declare our adaptation period complete.
Over these three days, our coordination has improved a lot.
When we return, we'll be tasked with high-difficulty missions."
To Shisui, these days have been almost like a vacation.
Yes—though he wore the rank of Chunin, his strength had long since surpassed ordinary Jounin.
The missions he usually received were either impossibly complex, or involved famous shinobi from rival villages.
Compared to that, these last few days have been effortless.
But… unfortunately—
His announcement was met only with silence.
Kai and Kazama didn't even bother to respond.
Neither had any interest in "challenges."
And even Hyuga Aya only frowned, her expression heavy, showing no joy.
Shisui: "…"
He blinked, baffled.
He had never encountered a squad like this before!
Not that it was entirely his fault. As a classic Uchiha, the teammates he had known were either clan kin, charging recklessly into battle shouting about "Uchiha pride," or carefully nurtured Konoha elites.
Those kinds of people thought very differently from Kai and the others.
"Hey, what's with you guys?" Shisui asked, unable to hold back.
"Are you seriously not excited at all?"
Kai rolled his eyes.
"What's there to get excited about? I just want to lie low until the war ends."
Kazama quickly nodded, yawning lazily.
That was the Nara way—
He only worked when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, he just wanted to nap at home.
And then even Aya spoke:
"I actually hope this war drags on.
The longer, the better.
If it never ends… then I'd never have to go back to the village."
Her voice was soft, but filled with bitterness and sorrow.
Her eyes, too, carried a deep sadness.
Clearly, after three days of battle, trust had grown between them.
And in this rare moment of peace, it was natural to let down their guard a little.
Shisui: "…"
He twitched at the mouth, bewildered again.
A lazy Nara, a hiding Uchiha, and now a Hyuga who wanted the war to continue?
What kind of squad was this?
But the look in Aya's eyes made him pause.
There was pain there. Hidden suffering.
He frowned. Could it be…
After a moment's thought, he spoke gently:
"Aya, are you facing some kind of trouble?
You can tell us. We're teammates now—if there's any way we can help, we will.
Especially Kazama.
The Nara clan are the smartest in the village.
He'll definitely think of something."
Shisui wasn't stupid.
As an Uchiha, he knew all too well about the Hyuga—the curse of the Caged Bird.
He guessed her troubles must stem from that.
True, it wasn't a problem easily solved.
But sometimes, you don't need to fix the root.
Sometimes, there were other ways to ease the pain.
Kazama hesitated.
He wasn't eager to waste brainpower on problems that weren't his.
But… Aya wasn't bad.
Yes, she was the only branch family, branded with the seal.
In truth, she had no political value at all.
But after these past days together—if helping her didn't interfere with his own plans—he didn't mind offering a little aid.
So he smiled and said:
"That's right. If you trust me, tell us.
If there's a way, I'll do what I can."
Even Kai added, after a long moment of silence:
"Go on, Aya.
We're teammates—it's fate that brought us together.
If there's anything we can do, we'll try."
Aya could only give a bitter smile.
She stayed quiet.
Finally, after a long pause, she sighed deeply, then spoke:
"…Since you insist, I'll tell you. Think of it as a way to pass the time."
"You know I'm from the Hyuga branch family.
Last year, one of the main house heirs—an arrogant fool—had my parents executed.
Why? Because they 'offended' him."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"That was already unbearable. But we branch families are used to such fate.
This year… that same heir set his sights on me.
When the war ends, he wants me as his concubine.
Ridiculous, isn't it?
Last year he killed my parents.
Now he wants me as his woman.
It's… disgusting."
"If it were just me, I'd kill myself before bowing to him.
But… I have a little sister.
If I refuse, he'll target her instead.
So for her sake… I can only obey."
The words fell heavy.
The three men froze, breath caught in their throats.
Even Kai, who had read the original story of this world, hadn't expected the Hyuga main family to be so brazenly cruel.
This wasn't just oppression.
It was humiliating.
Shisui was the first to explode.
"That's outrageous!
The proud Hyuga clan—stooping to this?
They're nothing but scum!"
His eyes burned with fury as he turned sharply.
"Kazama!
You're the smartest of us—there has to be a way, right?
We must help Aya.
She's our comrade!"
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