Byakuya had planned to head straight back to the Academy, but after thinking it over, he realized he'd been away on this mission for quite a while. He didn't know what state his house was in, and deep down he saw that house in Konoha as one of his anchors in this brutal world.
Walking through the village streets and alleys, he barely saw any shinobi.
Byakuya couldn't help sighing inwardly. Even though Iwagakure and Kumogakure were fighting each other, the pressure on Konoha's front lines hadn't eased at all. In fact, to suppress any Konoha counterattack, both villages were probably throwing every brutal tactic they had at them.
Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, for example.
In truth, on the main battlefields, Konoha always ended up at a disadvantage whenever they fought the other great villages—especially Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
Because those two villages had already developed their Jinchuriki to a certain level.
Konoha, on the other hand, had never committed the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the battlefield—except for Naruto Uzumaki, who had protagonist armor.
Sometimes Byakuya wondered why Konoha didn't take the chance to capture the other villages' Jinchuriki, extract the Tailed Beasts, and seal them for their own use.
At this point in time, there were still quite a few Uzumaki clan members scattered across the ninja world. Just look at Karin and her mother in the Land of Grass, or Nagato in the Land of Rain. Konoha could easily send ANBU to search the world for more Uzumaki and turn them into new Jinchuriki vessels.
Byakuya pushed those thoughts down. Right now he was just a warehouse manager at the Ninja Academy. He couldn't make decisions like that. Even if Danzo promoted him to a high position in Root, he would have to carefully weigh whether the old goat was offering enough—
He didn't open his front door openly. Instead he took a long detour, making sure no one was following him, before slipping in through the second-floor storage room window.
He shook off the swirling thoughts in his mind. For now he was simply the warehouse manager at the Ninja Academy. He couldn't make big moves like that. Even if Danzo offered him a high post in Root, he would have to think carefully about whether the old goat was giving him enough—
A thick layer of dust had settled over the house.
He took off the now-too-small black trench coat, removed the Shuten-doji mask, and instead of cleaning right away, he stood in front of the mirror and stared at his own face.
The childish roundness of youth was almost gone, replaced by an indescribable weariness.
This was the growth path of a shinobi in the ninja world. They started killing around ten years old. If things went well, by fourteen or fifteen they could stand on their own in the village—becoming Chunin, or Special Jonin if they had some special talent, or even full Jonin if they were truly outstanding.
If things didn't go well? In peacetime, they could still be Genin. In this era of raging war, if things didn't go well, they simply died.
He touched the sharper lines of his own face.
"Living off the land has made me thinner."
He really had lost a lot of weight. The last traces of baby fat were completely gone.
He stripped and took a long, comfortable hot bath.
His abs were clearly defined, and the muscle lines on his arms, shoulders, and legs were clean and elegant.
If this teenage body were back in his old world and he posted a shirtless photo, the comments section would be full of "Holy shit 666, slim muscle looks the best, who's Ronnie Coleman? Stay in your lane" and "Kid bro, I have a blind date the day after tomorrow—can I train one day and look like you?"
He admired himself for a while and couldn't help sighing. "If it's already this big now, what will it be like in a few years? I won't even be able to buy pants."
He changed into the clothes he had bought last time. They were too small again.
He forced them on anyway, then cleaned the entire house inside and out. After that he took some money and went to the village clothing store to buy new clothes, plus vegetables, meat, and seasonings.
Money wasn't a problem for now.
But it still wasn't enough to open a restaurant in Konoha.
The key issue was that prices had skyrocketed again.
Vegetables cost almost as much as meat.
"The civilians in the ninja world really know how to endure."
In Byakuya's memory, the Third Great Ninja War had dragged on for four or five years—maybe longer.
He cooked a standard Konoha-style meal, ate, changed into his new clothes, and walked slowly toward the Academy.
When he passed the Yamanaka flower shop, he saw Kurenai Yūhi standing with her head lowered, holding a bouquet of flowers. Her expression was full of grief.
She sensed someone looking at her, raised her head, and saw her former classmate Byakuya Senkaku. She gave a small nod. "Hello, Byakuya."
"Hello, Kurenai. Those flowers are for…"
"The Hyuga…"
"I'm sorry."
"You heard about it too?" Kurenai sighed.
Byakuya had been in the Land of Rivers and Land of Wind recently, so he hadn't heard any news. But when he left the village and ran into Kakashi, he had seen Kurenai returning. Even without asking, her face had told him her teammates had died in battle.
Plus, Kakashi had mentioned that Kurenai's squad had been ambushed by Cloud ninja.
"Kurenai, this is war."
"But… but we only graduated from the Academy not long ago. How could those Cloud ninja bring themselves to do it?"
"Any Konoha shinobi, no matter the age, is their enemy. The same goes for us—any shinobi from Kumogakure is an enemy of Konoha."
"Byakuya… could you come with me to visit them?"
He was surprised by her sudden request.
But she had already asked, so he couldn't refuse. Turning her down would be rude. Kurenai herself was fine, but her father was the Konoha Jonin Shinku Yūhi.
"Sure. I should also pay my respects to Konoha's heroes."
He had been heading back to the Academy, but running into Kurenai turned into accompanying her to visit her fallen teammates' graves.
Kurenai suddenly started sobbing. "Byakuya, so many of our classmates have already died on the battlefield. They died without a sound, and many bodies couldn't even be recovered."
"…"
Byakuya really didn't know what to say. He couldn't exactly tell her, I almost died at Sasori of the Red Sand's hands in the Land of Wind too. If I had died, my body would have stayed buried in the desert forever, never returning to Konoha.
"Sorry, Byakuya! I…"
Kurenai's tears fell onto the flowers in her arms. She suddenly turned and bowed to him in apology.
"Kurenai, what are you doing?"
"I used to laugh at you. I said you were willing to be a warehouse manager at the Academy just to avoid going to war. I didn't realize you were the one with true wisdom."
"Kurenai, to be honest—and don't laugh—I knew that if I went to the front lines I would definitely die, so I had no choice but to stay in the rear. If I had talent like you guys, outstanding abilities and bright prospects, I definitely wouldn't want to stay behind in Konoha and be looked down on by others."
"In the end, you're the one who's still alive."
"You're alive too."
"No… I should be dead. If my father wasn't the Konoha Jonin Shinku Yūhi, I definitely would have died at the hands of those Cloud ninja."
"What exactly happened?"
Kurenai shook her head. "Sorry… I really don't want to think about it again."
"I'm sorry for asking."
They offered the flowers.
They stood in silence for half an hour.
Kurenai clasped her hands together in front of her chest, head bowed in meditation, praying for who knows what.
Byakuya quietly refined his chakra and continued comprehending Earth nature transformation.
He had already made some progress, but he was still far from proficient. If he was honest, he was still a complete beginner at Earth Style.
He had also grasped a little bit of shape transformation.
But releasing actual Earth Style ninjutsu was still a long way off.
"Byakuya, thank you for coming with me."
"It's no trouble. Paying respects to Konoha's heroes is my honor."
The two walked side by side back toward the village.
Kurenai asked, "Can I treat you to barbecue tonight?"
She stared at Byakuya's face.
Compared to the last time they met, he looked like he had lost a whole circle of weight. It wasn't the kind of thinness from hunger—it was the lean, tough build that came from long periods of harsh outdoor travel.
With a body like that, he looked no different from the elite shinobi on Konoha's front lines.
"Is that really okay?"
"Yeah. We're classmates, after all. It's just a classmate get-together—what's wrong with that?"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Kurenai."
After the polite exchange, Kurenai watched Byakuya Senkaku walk slowly toward the Ninja Academy. Her thoughts churned like boiling water.
Logically, a warehouse manager should be living a comfortable, easy life.
But looking at him now…
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