"Please leave."
"Master Genko, I—I still have..."
"I will make arrangements regarding your affairs. For now, please leave."
Hyuga Yu's proposal was mercilessly rejected.
This young master of the Main House didn't even give him a chance to prove himself before standing up to dismiss him; his attitude was exceptionally firm.
Hyuga Yu could understand why he was doing this.
Hyuga Genko was entering the battlefield of the Third Great Ninja War to set an example as a member of the Main House. His goal was to bridge the rift that had formed between the Main and Branch houses years ago after Hyuga Hizashi was demoted to the Branch House.
While there was certainly an element of showmanship involved, whether it was to prevent the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands or to ensure the safety of the few existing Main House members, what he needed were reliable Branch House guards.
Hyuga Yu was merely a Genin who couldn't even perform the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. Compared to other Genin, he had merely learned a few extra medical ninjutsu. In Genko's eyes, Yu was nothing but a burden—not even sturdy enough to serve as a human shield.
This was reality.
However, only Hyuga Yu knew just how thorny the situation facing this Main House young master would be—
The "Byakugan Theft Incident" was not simple.
There were strict confidentiality regulations among ninja.
Intelligence regarding a Main House member entering the battlefield was classified as top secret within the Hyuga Clan.
Hyuga Yu knew because a Main House elder had indirectly informed him, while Hyuga Natsu knew the details only because she had been assigned to the escort squad herself.
Furthermore, it was certain that Main House members were safe within Konoha Village and at the frontline camps. After all, the Main House only needed to show their stance; naturally, they wouldn't actually execute overly dangerous missions. Once they arrived at the frontline camp, the Main House members would be heavily protected.
Therefore, the only opportunity for the enemy to strike was during the few days the Main House squad spent traveling from Konoha to the Allied frontline camp.
And this meant—the intelligence that the Main House was about to enter the battlefield had, in reality, already been leaked.
This was a premeditated hunt targeting the Byakugan.
The hunters in the open were the Mist Anbu led by Ao of the Hidden Mist, while the hunters in the shadows... were inside the village.
Hyuga Yu didn't quite understand why intelligence of this level would leak, nor did he want to guess.
But now that the path to directly joining Hyuga Genko's escort squad was blocked, according to confidentiality regulations, as one of the insiders, his departure from the village would likely be staggered from the Main House squad's, delaying his exit.
If he couldn't move with the squad, he couldn't protect Hyuga Natsu up close, nor could he avoid the Mist ambush by influencing the squad's route.
Even more troublesome was that he wouldn't even know which route the Main House squad was taking.
At that moment, standing outside the Main House mansion, Hyuga Yu stood with a dark expression, thinking for a while.
Suddenly, he turned around without hesitation and headed toward the Fire Country Bank branch within Konoha Village.
The Fire Country Bank was built right next to the Hokage Residence.
This was convenient for Konoha ninja to walk a few steps and deposit their money after completing missions and earning their remuneration.
The Five Great Nations of the Ninja World each had different currencies. The Land of Fire used a coin with the Fire Daimyo's head on the front and the Konoha Village symbol on the back. Additionally, there was a universal currency relying on the banking industry that allowed for circulation.
At this time, Hyuga Yu walked straight to a counter.
"Hello, I would like a loan."
"A loan?" The young female teller behind the counter paused, then reminded him:
"It is currently wartime. Our bank is temporarily not accepting unsecured loans for ninja."
"Understood."
Hyuga Yu nodded. He untied the small, tightly bound bag clenched in his hand and took out documents one by one, handing them over.
"This is my property deed, ninja identification, and passbook."
"Hyuga Yu... You are a member of the Hyuga Clan?"
"Yes. This is the house left by my parents. The current market value is 1.32 million ryo. I want a loan of 1 million ryo."
"One moment." The teller took the materials, buried her head in calculations using the calculator beside her for a while, and soon looked up with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Because Iwagakure occupied Kannabi Bridge recently, the safety assessment value for the Fire Country's borders has decreased."
"According to current market trends, the mortgage rate for commercial residential properties within Konoha Village is only 50% to 60%, depending on the location. Since the apartment you provided is located on the edge of the Hyuga clan grounds, our bank can offer you the highest mortgage rate, but... we can only approve a loan with a limit of 800,000 ryo."
"..."
Hearing this, Hyuga Yu couldn't help but fall silent.
It was currently Konoha Year 49. The situation on the Rain Country front was anxious, and the overall war situation was unfavorable for Konoha.
The Kannabi Bridge mentioned by the teller was located in the Land of Grass to the northwest of the Land of Fire. It had previously been a vital supply route for Konoha. Its seizure by the Hidden Stone caused market fluctuations and a drop in investor confidence. This situation would likely persist until next year, when the Kakashi Team led by Minato Namikaze destroyed Kannabi Bridge.
"Hyuga Yu, do you still want the loan?"
The young female teller looked up at Hyuga Yu's tender face, lowered her voice, quietly raised a hand to cover the corner of her mouth, and whispered a reminder:
"If you don't need the money urgently, you can wait a few years. The market will probably be much better by then..."
Hyuga Yu shook his head. "No need. Please process the paperwork."
The teller meant that after the Great Ninja War ended and mission quotas were redistributed among the major ninja villages, ninja who relied on missions for income wouldn't be so tight on cash.
But Hyuga Yu wasn't tight on cash right now. He actually had 200,000 ryo in savings.
He had another use for this money.
Soon.
[Current Deposit: 1,000,000 Ryo]
Looking at the balance displayed on the passbook, Hyuga Yu took a deep breath, closed the passbook, walked out of the bank, turned, and entered the Hokage Residence next door. He went all the way to the slightly deserted Mission Assignment Desk on the second floor.
At this time, due to the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War, the volume of village missions had dropped sharply, and the originally busy Mission Assignment Desk had become quiet.
Inside the office, only a clerk wearing a Chunin flak jacket and thick glasses sat alone behind a desk, yawning.
Hyuga Yu walked straight over and spoke:
"Hello, I want to issue a mission."
Hearing the voice, the Chunin clerk looked up. Seeing Hyuga Yu's white eyes, he was somewhat surprised.
"Issuing a mission at a time like this? Huh, are you a ninja of the Hyuga Clan?"
"Correct."
"What rank of mission do you want to issue?"
"S-rank."
The clerk's eyes widened slightly.
"S-rank? Are you sure? The minimum remuneration for a mission of that level is one million ryo."
Hyuga Yu slammed the passbook onto the table, opened it, and showed the number to the other party.
The Chunin clerk took the passbook and glanced at it. The expression on his face became visibly attentive. He hurriedly took out a scroll, paper, and pen from the desk and asked impatiently:
"What is the content of the mission you wish to issue?"
Hyuga Yu said in a deep voice:
"I am looking for a ninjutsu. I need the corresponding ninjutsu scroll, or for a ninja who has mastered this ninjutsu to teach it personally."
Hearing this, the Chunin clerk felt slightly astonished and couldn't help but look at Hyuga Yu again to confirm.
Everyone knew that the Hyuga Clan, possessing the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai, had secret techniques and Nintaijutsu unique to their clan. They basically didn't dabble in other ninjutsu, let alone pay such a huge price to purchase one.
However, what was up with this boy?
"Apologies, may I ask your name?"
"Hyuga Yu."
Hearing this, the Chunin clerk couldn't help but look at Hyuga Yu again. Remembering some rumors about this name, his expression became a bit strange.
"Hyuga Yu... You are that... Ahem, then what is the ninjutsu you wish to commission a search for?"
Hyuga Yu took a deep breath and said solemnly:
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade."