"Please leave."
"Young Master Genkou, I, I still have..."
"I will make arrangements for your affairs. Now, please leave."
Shinji Hyuga's suggestion was rejected without hesitation.
The young master of the main family didn't even give him a chance to prove himself before getting up to see him out, his attitude unusually firm.
Shinji Hyuga could understand why the other party did this.
Hyuga Genkou's appearance on the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War was to set an example as a member of the main family and to mend the rift that had arisen between the main and branch families after Hyuga Hizashi was demoted to the branch family in previous years.
There was certainly an element of showmanship involved, but whether it was to avoid revealing the Byakugan or to protect the safety of the few remaining members of the Hyuga clan's main branch, all he needed were reliable protectors from his clan.
He was merely a low-ranking genin, unable to even execute the Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, making him seem insignificant compared to other genin.
Shinji Hyuga, who had only learned a few more medical ninjutsu, was seen as a burden by him, not even sturdy enough to be used as a human shield.
This was reality.
But,
Only Shinji Hyuga knew the truly thorny situation this young master of the main family was about to encounter.
The incident involving the leaked Byakugan was not simple.
There were strict rules of secrecy among ninjas.
Information about the main branch of the Hyuga clan going to the battlefield was an internal secret of the Hyuga clan.
Shinji Hyuga knew this because an elder from the main family had informed him indirectly, while Hyuga Natsu only learned the inside story because she had been transferred to the guard team.
Furthermore, it could be confirmed that the main family members were safe in Konoha Village and at the front-line camp. After all, the main family only needed to show its stance, and of course, would not actually carry out any overly dangerous missions. Once they arrived at the front-line camp, the main family members would be well protected.
So,
The only opportunity for the enemy to attack them was during the journey of the main family's team.
The critical period was the few days from leaving Konoha to arriving at Konoha's front-line camp.
And this meant——
The information that the main family was about to go to the battlefield had been leaked.
This was a premeditated hunt targeting the Byakugan.
The overt hunters were the Hidden Mist's ANBU, led by Kirigakure's Ao, while the covert hunters... were within the village itself.
Shinji Hyuga didn't quite understand why information of this level would be leaked, nor did he want to speculate.
However, the direct route to joining Hyuga Genkou's guard was currently blocked.
According to the confidentiality regulations, as one of the few insiders, he and the main family's team would likely leave the village at different times, and his departure would be delayed.
Without being able to travel with the team, he couldn't provide close protection for Hyuga Natsu, nor could he avoid Kirigakure's ambush by influencing the team's route.
What was even more troublesome was that he didn't even know which route the main family's group was taking.
Now,
Standing outside the main family mansion, Shinji Hyuga pondered for a while with a somber expression.
Without hesitation, he turned and headed to the Land of Fire Bank branch in Konoha Village.
The Land of Fire Bank was located right next to the Hokage Building.
This allowed Konoha ninjas to deposit their earnings after completing missions, simply by taking a few steps.
Each of the Five Great Shinobi Nations had its own currency. The Land of Fire used coins with the image of the Land of Fire daimyo on the front and the symbol of Konoha Village on the back. In addition, there was a general currency that circulated through the banking system.
At that moment, Shinji Hyuga went straight to a counter and said, "Hello, I'd like to take out a loan."
"A loan?" The young female teller behind the counter paused for a moment, then quickly reminded him:
"We are currently at war,and our bank is temporarily not accepting unsecured loans made by individuals posing as ninjas."
"Understood."
Shinji Hyuga nodded, untied the small bag he was clutching tightly, and took out a series of documents, handing them over.
"Here. This is my property deed, ninja registration, and savings passbook."
"Shinji Hyuga... you are a member of the Hyuga clan?"
"Yes, this is the house left to me by my parents. It is currently valued at 1.32 million ryo. I would like to take out a loan of 1 million ryo."
"Just a moment." The clerk took the documents, tapped on the calculator next to her for a while, and then quickly looked up with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Because Iwagakure occupied the Kannabi Bridge some time ago, the security level of the Land of Fire's borders has decreased."
"According to current market rates, the mortgage rate for residential properties in Konoha Village is only 50% to 60% depending on location. Since the apartment you are offering is located on the edge of the Hyuga clan's territory, we can offer you the highest possible rate, but... we can only approve a loan of 800,000 ryo for you."
Upon hearing this, Shinji Hyuga fell silent.
It was currently Konoha Year 49. The battlefront in the Land of Rain was fierce, and the overall situation was unfavorable for Konoha.
The clerk mentioned that the Kannabi Bridge was located in the Land of Grass, northwest of the Land of Fire.
Previously, it had always been a vital supply route for Konoha, but now that Iwagakure had taken it, market conditions had fluctuated and investor confidence had declined. This situation was likely to continue until next year, when things would only improve once Minato Namikaze's team, led by Kakashi, destroyed the Kannabi Bridge.
"Shinji Hyuga, do you still want to take out the loan?"
The young female clerk glanced up at Shinji Hyuga's youthful face, lowered her voice, and discreetly covered her mouth with her hand, whispering a reminder.
"Unless you urgently need the money, you could wait a few years; the market will probably be much better by then..."
Shinji Hyuga shook his head. "No need. Please proceed with the formalities."
The teller meant that after the Third Shinobi World War ended, the number of missions would be redistributed among the various shinobi villages, and they would rely on accepting missions... The ninjas who earned rewards wouldn't be so strapped for cash.
However, at this time, Shinji Hyuga was not short of money; he even had 200,000 ryo in savings.
He had other uses for the money.
Soon,
[Current account deposit: 1,000,000 ryo].
Looking at the balance shown on the passbook, Shinji Hyuga took a deep breath, closed it, walked out of the bank, turned into the Hokage Building next door, and made his way to the somewhat deserted mission desk on the second floor.
At this time,
Due to the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War, the number of missions in each village had decreased sharply, and the originally busy mission desk had become deserted.
Inside the mission area, only a clerk wearing a Chunin vest and thick glasses sat alone behind the desk, yawning.
Shinji Hyuga walked straight over and said:
"Hello, I would like to post a mission."
Hearing the sound, the Chunin clerk looked up and saw Shinji Hyuga.
Those white eyes showed some surprise.
"Issuing a mission at this time? Oh, you're a Hyuga clan ninja?"
"That's right."
"What rank of mission do you want to issue?"
"S-rank."
The clerk's eyes widened slightly.
"S-rank? Are you sure? The minimum reward for a mission of this rank is one million ryo."
Shinji Hyuga placed the passbook on the table with a soft thud, opened it, and showed the other person the numbers on it.
The clerk took the passbook, glanced at it, and his expression visibly became more attentive. He quickly retrieved a scroll of paper and a pen from his desk and eagerly asked:
"What would you like the mission content to be?"
Shinji Hyuga said in a deep voice:
"I am looking for a ninjutsu. I need the corresponding ninjutsu scroll, or I need a ninja who has mastered this ninjutsu to teach me in person."
Upon hearing this, the Chunin clerk was slightly taken aback.
She couldn't help but glance at Shinji Hyuga once more, as if to confirm.
As was well known, the Hyuga clan, possessing the Byakugan bloodline limit, had unique secret techniques and taijutsu specific to their ninja clan. They generally did not delve into other ninjutsu, let alone spend such a great price to acquire one.
But what was wrong with this boy?
"Excuse me, may I ask what your name is?"
"Shinji Hyuga."
Upon hearing this, the Chunin clerk couldn't help but look at Shinji Hyuga again, recalling some rumors about this name, and his expression became somewhat strange.
"Shinji Hyuga... you're the one... ahem... So, what kind of ninjutsu do you want us to find?"
Shinji Hyuga took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice:
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade."