Morning.
Ayane was playing with the caged birds in the corridor, a gentle smile gracing her fair and flawless face.
At the other end of the corridor, Hiashi, already washed and dressed, saw this scene—a beautiful moment frozen in time. When Hiashi looked over, he seemed lost in thought.
It's been several years since he first met Ayane.
Back then, he never expected Ayane would stay by his side and become his maid.
"Good morning, Young Master Hiashi."
After spotting Hiashi, Ayane unhurriedly stood up, stopped teasing the birds in the cage, and smiled softly and respectfully at Hiashi.
Her pure white eyes radiated all the beauty in the world.
Every time Hiashi saw that look in Ayane's eyes, he questioned himself again and again.
Has she accepted the destiny of the branch family?
Has she really submitted to the main family?
There was no longer hatred or hostility in her gaze.
It was as if, after years of coexistence, she had put down her grudges against the main family.
"Good morning, Ayane."
Hiashi was not someone who feigned coldness—both he and Ayane were well aware of this.
But precisely because he was too gentle, he had to project a stern and unyielding image.
His gentleness, for the Hyuga Family, might bring disaster, or hurt others.
It was his gentleness that hurt his younger brother Hizashi once, so he didn't want Ayane, his maid who had followed him for years, to be hurt, too.
"I heard you have a mission, is that right?"
"Yes, Young Master Hiashi. I'm very sorry, I may not be able to serve at your side at all times in the future."
Ayane bowed apologetically.
"It's alright. Our Hyuga Family is a part of Konoha as well. Don't worry, your squad's Jonin leader, Hatake Sakumo, is an excellent ninja."
Hiashi seemed to know something.
"Was this arranged at your request, Young Master Hiashi?"
Ayane's pure white eyes were clear and gentle without impurities.
Hiashi didn't answer.
He brushed past Ayane, his expression calm.
Ayane checked the time; it was almost time to meet up. She prepared to leave.
"Um..."
Hiashi's voice came from behind.
Ayane turned around, confused, and looked at him.
Hiashi didn't turn, keeping his back to her.
"Please make sure to protect yourself."
Having said that, Hiashi's footsteps suddenly quickened, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Unlike the aloof and proud main family members, Hiashi had always kept a softness in his heart.
Ayane just smiled gently, as if she'd heard Hiashi's words, and yet as if she hadn't.
She tied her headband across her forehead, let her jet-black, silky hair fall loose, paused for a moment in the corridor, then lifted her steps and walked toward the Hyuga Clan grounds' exit.
I'm not worthy of you treating me like this, Young Master Hiashi. She left those words in her heart.
◎
After yesterday's outrageously expensive barbecue, the squad's atmosphere had become relatively harmonious.
Sakumo had also gotten to know his three squad members a little.
Chiba Hakushi, Medical Ninja—he couldn't tell much about his personality yet, but overall he seemed like an ordinary ninja. Still, being a Medical Ninja added quite a few points.
Hyuga Ayane, a branch member from a noble clan, gentle and considerate, sometimes showing a hint of playful cunning—just right for a lively young person. Most importantly, she could really eat.
Uchiha Ruri, a genius from the Uchiha Clan. Judging from the brief spar yesterday, her skills were already no weaker than an average Jonin. Notably, she was rich.
In the eyes of Hakushi, Ayane, and Ruri, the ninja known as Konoha White Fang—Hatake Sakumo—was easygoing and nothing like the ruthless monster in the rumors. He couldn't even afford to treat them to barbecue—a total pauper.
The shame of Jonin.
After all, rumors and reality often differed drastically. Interacting with Sakumo felt easygoing; he didn't act high and mighty as a Jonin, treating everyone equally.
At ten in the morning, the members of Sakumo's squad gathered at Konoha Village's main gate.
"I just got an A-Class Mission from the Hokage, let's use it for practice."
Hakushi's lips twitched—he knew this team would never do ordinary missions.
Using an A-Class Mission for training—Hakushi could already see a future full of tragic and miserable missions ahead.
It was too late to quit now.
"Let's go."
Sakumo saw the three, each with different expressions, but all obediently following orders. He nodded, then vanished from sight.
The three didn't dawdle either. As soon as Sakumo disappeared, they immediately chased after him.
During long journeys, saving strength was most important, so ninja kept their pace moderate while traveling. Otherwise, even Jonin would get exhausted.
"Sakumo-sensei, what's the content of this A-Class Mission?"
Seeing that neither Ruri nor Ayane was asking about the mission, Hakushi took the initiative to speak.
Sakumo didn't hide anything: "There's a large-scale battle on the front lines. Our task is to eliminate enemy operatives hiding within the Land of Fire. They constantly attack supply caravans sent from Konoha and also sabotage towns in the Land of Fire."
"Is it that bad? So, you mean..."
Hakushi was beginning to sense something.
"Yeah, you guessed it. The A-Class Mission could become an S-Class Mission at any moment, because even Anbu can't fully track those infiltrators. That's why there's a ninja with the Byakugan in our squad. Our mission is to roam throughout the Land of Fire, taking out every enemy that appears within the Byakugan's range—leave none alive."
No one knew how many ninja, how many Chunin, how many Jonin were among the enemies.
This is why Sakumo said the mission could change from A-Class to S-Class at any moment.
"Is it just our group?"
Ruri asked calmly, unafraid of the mission content.
"Of course not. There'll be a squad of Anbu supporting us."
The three nodded, feeling a bit relieved.
Working with an Anbu squad should lighten the load a little.
There were seventy Anbu in total, with a captain and vice-captain. They served as the Hokage's personal guards and rarely went out on missions themselves.
Beneath them were four Anbu sub-squads.
Each sub-squad had a sub-captain. Under each sub-captain were four teams, each team containing four Anbu ninja.
In other words, one sub-captain plus four teams—sixteen Anbu. That made seventeen Anbu ninja working with Sakumo's squad to eliminate the enemy operatives in the Land of Fire.
The rest of the trip was silent. An hour after leaving the village, Ayane activated her Byakugan to scan the surroundings for any enemy infiltration within her detection range.
Ayane's Byakugan now had a radius of five kilometers—a significant improvement from a few years ago.
After another hour, Sakumo—at the front—gave a signal to halt.
The four landed in a clearing and stopped.
"Let's rest here for a bit."
Discipline is the most important thing for a team, and since Sakumo was the leader, the three naturally obeyed without question.
Sitting down, Sakumo began, "Ahead lies a dangerous area—there's a chance we'll be ambushed at any time. All three of you performed excellently in theoretical studies at the academy, so you should know the fundamentals of team tactics, right?"
"You mean the three main rules for aggressive Medical Ninja?"
Hakushi asked.
Sakumo nodded.
The so-called three main rules for Medical Ninja were set by Jonin Tsunade, one of the Sannin.
First—A Medical Ninja must never abandon treatment before a teammate's death.
Second—A Medical Ninja must never fight on the frontline.
Third—A Medical Ninja must never die before the members of the squad.
Therefore, fleeing from battle was not shameful for a Medical Ninja, nor was accepting others' protection a disgrace.
"From here on, I'll lead the vanguard. Ruri and Ayane, you two must always stay with Hakushi. Even if it seems safe, don't prioritize fighting. If battle is unavoidable, Ruri, you handle assault, Ayane, you defend."
"Yes!"
Understanding and actually doing so were two different things, but on this matter, Sakumo could only rely on their teamwork.
After a break of more than ten minutes, Sakumo led them onward.
Just as Sakumo said, going further meant stepping into unsafe, dangerous territory where enemies could attack at any moment.
"At one o'clock ahead, about two thousand three hundred meters, there are seven Hidden Sand Ninja lying in ambush. Two underground, three behind trees, two in the grass."
Suddenly, Ayane, who had kept her Byakugan activated, reported the information she observed.
"Follow me."
Sakumo's pace abruptly quickened, speeding toward the spot Ayane indicated.
Under the Byakugan, every ambush and hiding spot was revealed—nothing could escape.
Twenty-three hundred meters wasn't far; in less than three minutes they'd reached the enemy's ambush zone.
"Sakumo-sensei, should we be careful—"
Ayane had just begun to speak when Sakumo had already vanished from sight.
Through the Byakugan, she saw flashes of a blade—five of the Hidden Sand Ninja's chakra signatures vanished instantly, turning into cold corpses.
Two others bolted in panic, probably scared witless by Sakumo's sudden assault.
"Two targets dead ahead. Sensei deliberately left them for you to practice on—take them out with Fire Style."
Ayane sighed.
Where the enemies came from, how many targets, how to deal with them—the Byakugan made everything clear.
This wasn't even a fight.
On Ruri's side, her seals were already formed.
Two massive fireballs spewed from her mouth.
The two fleeing Ninja had never expected the fireballs would appear so precisely—as if time itself had been set for it—and turned to ash in the flames.