In the afternoon, when the sunlight was still quite intense, Hakushi walked towards home.
All the work had already been taken care of, thanks to his many capable subordinates, his workload in recent years had greatly diminished, rarely needing to work overtime.
For Hakushi, if he took care of all the tasks himself, it would only prove the incompetence of his subordinates and nothing else.
As a leader, it's necessary to cultivate talented subordinates who can help share the burden.
No matter how strong a person is, there are always limits.
A country is a giant, complex, and precise machine that requires professionals from all sectors to keep the machine of the country running smoothly.
Returning home, Ruri and Ayane weren't there, as they had gone out on a mission.
Since the next target for the expansion plan is the Land of Bear, both of them need to prepare.
"Dad, welcome back."
A soft, somewhat unclear voice sounded at the entrance.
Hakushi recognized it as the voice of his youngest son—Aya.
Chiba Aya, the child he and Ayane had three years ago.
He inherited half of the Hyuga Clan's lineage, so when he grows up, there's a chance he might awaken the Kekkeigenkai—Byakugan.
But Hakushi wasn't particularly concerned about whether his youngest son would awaken the Kekkeigenkai Byakugan. Indeed, the power of the Byakugan is impressive, but there are many ways in this world to become strong without relying on the Byakugan.
He doesn't want to give his children too much psychological pressure, including his attitude towards his eldest son Asuka.
After all, a prodigy like Ichihime might not appear even in a hundred years.
"Hmm, I'm back…"
Without saying the word "already," Hakushi looked up, seeing his youngest son Chiba Aya's expression, his face froze and became extremely strange.
Because in front of him was a young child who looked quite androgynous, wearing a fitting white dress and standing barefoot on the floor, which didn't seem like an outfit for a boy.
"Aya?"
Hakushi was somewhat unsure if the 'girl' in front of him was indeed his son.
Although his son's appearance is rather androgynous, he's undeniably a boy… so why is he wearing a dress?
For a moment, Hakushi's mind couldn't process it; could Aya have some special penchant?
Thinking about this, Hakushi felt it was necessary to correct Aya's values.
No matter how much freedom is allowed, such odd habits shouldn't be permitted to develop freely in his son.
"What's the matter, Dad?"
Aya looked at Hakushi with a hint of puzzlement in his black pupils.
"No, it's nothing… um, what's with your outfit?"
Hakushi pointed at Aya's dress.
The work issues were resolved, but the children's education seemed to have become an urgent matter.
"Outfit?" Aya pulled the hem of the dress to cover his feet, then said, "It's Ichihime sister's request."
"Ichihime?"
"Yes, because she said dressing like this would make me look cute. Dad, do I look cute?"
Aya looked at Hakushi expectantly.
Hakushi became even more troubled. Although due to his androgynous face, he did look quite cute in the dress, if Ayane saw him like this, wouldn't she tear him apart?
What kind of strange ideas had that girl filled Aya's mind with? Hakushi shook his head helplessly.
Not just Asuka, even his young brother is being poisoned, leaving Hakushi at a loss for words.
"Aya, change your clothes."
"Eh? Why?"
"There's no need for so many whys. Do you think you look appropriate dressed like this?"
Hakushi sighed.
"I find it comfortable, just a bit odd."
Aya twisted his body slightly, his fair skin showing a faint blush.
"..."
Hakushi's face darkened a little.
It seems necessary to educate Ichihime when she comes back from school, teaching her how to be a proper sister instead of recklessly poisoning her brother's innocent and naive mind.
◎
A team of two hundred people set off from the Land of Demons towards the boundary of the Land of Bear.
They deliberately took small paths instead of the main roads that could easily be observed.
Leading the team was a woman who looked about twenty years old.
In fact, her real age was approaching thirty, but because of good maintenance, she looked much younger than her actual age.
She wore a white ninja outfit, with white fingerless gloves of unidentified material on her hands, and a sharp gaze shone from her pure white eyes.
"Lady Ayane, we're just ten minutes from the next checkpoint."
A ninja from the team caught up and reported to the woman.
"Let's rest for a bit there, and also make sure to handle the contact work with the Hidden Star Village."
Ayane was in no hurry with the march.
Although the Hidden Star Village in the Land of Bear was practically a pocket-sized object for them, it was still necessary to follow the official procedures of the Land of Bear to avoid trouble.
According to the expansion plan laid out by the army of the Land of Demons, the Land of Bear was the primary target.
And to conquer the Land of Bear, one cannot bypass the Hidden Star Village located within.
It could be said that once the Hidden Star Village is captured, the subsequent steady encroachment on the Land of Bear would be assured.
The Hidden Star Village has more than six hundred and seventy ninjas, making it quite a powerful ninja village among smaller countries.