Reviews and powerstones pls
Chapter 48: White Yaksha
Afterward, the relief troops taking over the Stone Drum Mountain defense line also brought two orders. One was for Uchiha Shisui, directing him to rush to a defensive point under concentrated Mist attack. The other was for Hyuga Ritsu, ordering him to another position being assaulted by the Mist.
Neither needed to return to the forward camp, and one was heading south while the other north—the two couldn't coordinate at all.
After hasty farewells, they went their separate ways.
From that day forward, Ritsu transformed into a firefighter, rushing wherever the situation was urgent. Order after order cracked like small whips, driving him like a spinning top. But the difficulty of these missions had decreased considerably. He didn't encounter elite jonins like Suikazan Fuguki again, and the Mist shinobi lacked the resolve to fight to the death. Often they'd scatter the moment they saw him. In nearly ten missions, his kill count hadn't exceeded thirty.
He spent twenty-six days like this.
Time entered August.
Ritsu received orders to return to the forward camp for temporary rest and reorganization.
After nearly a month's absence, Ritsu finally set foot in the forward camp once more. Security remained as tight as before, and the shinobi in the camp all moved hurriedly. But unlike before, this time many people encountered Ritsu with respectful nods acknowledging him.
This left Ritsu somewhat puzzled, not understanding what was happening, until he arrived at the tent and met Orochimaru—
"Ritsu-kun, congratulations! The name White Yaksha has been thunderous in my ears lately!"
Seeing Ritsu enter, Orochimaru greeted him with a smile.
"What?"
Ritsu blinked. "White Yaksha? What does that mean?"
"Oh! You yourself don't even know?"
Orochimaru's smile deepened, staring at Ritsu with keen interest as he explained. "Ritsu-kun, White Yaksha refers to you. This nickname came from the Mist side, reportedly given to you by that Hozuki clan prodigy beloved by the ninja swords. He said you fight as ferociously as a yaksha. Word spread throughout the front lines—even I've heard your name more than once. I didn't expect you yourself to be unaware."
"No wonder!"
Ritsu had an epiphany.
That explained why everyone looked at him strangely. Unknowingly, he'd already become a formidable figure with his own unique title, like "Yellow Flash" or "Body Flicker."
Though the nickname White Yaksha made him involuntarily think of a certain dead-fish-eyed natural perm and a certain problem-child silver-haired loli.
However—
"White Yaksha sounds pretty good!"
Though the nickname was somewhat coincidental, Ritsu was fairly satisfied with it because it sounded cool enough!
"Ritsu-kun, you directly repelled Suikazan Fuguki at Stone Drum Mountain, and during this time you've struck such terror into the Mist that they flee at the mention of your name. Thanks to your tireless efforts, we've successfully withstood the Mist's counteroffensive. The overall situation has initially stabilized."
"Does that mean the Mist are about to collapse?"
"Unless the Mist are truly prepared for mutual destruction with us, they should currently be considering how to withdraw with dignity."
"In that case, I'm rather troubled!"
Ritsu frowned.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"I haven't recovered my clan's Byakugan yet."
Ritsu's brow furrowed deeply. "Before I left the village, Hokage-sama repeatedly instructed me to absolutely recover the lost Byakugan. Orochimaru-senpai, if I return to the village empty-handed, I can't answer to Hokage-sama!"
Orochimaru smiled meaningfully. He didn't believe his teacher, who'd already lost his edge, would say such things. But he was too lazy to deny it, instantly changing expressions to show difficulty. "If that's the case, returning to the village empty-handed truly isn't good. But the overall situation is what it is. We don't have sufficient strength to launch a counteroffensive against the Mist. Recovering the Byakugan won't be easy."
This was the truth.
Though Konoha had already ended its war with the Stone shinobi, that had only been a pyrrhic victory. There weren't enough fresh troops to commit to the eastern battlefield. Plus, with the Cloud shinobi in the northeast showing signs of movement, sufficient forces needed to remain to prevent the Cloud—having lost the Third Raikage—from going berserk and invading south again.
This resulted in the eastern battlefield's forces remaining limited. That they'd managed to block the Mist's counteroffensive this time—Ritsu and Uchiha Shisui's contributions were indispensable!
Just then, Aburame Torune, who'd been sitting silently nearby like an invisible person, suddenly spoke. "If you're asking about the Byakugan stolen by the Mist, I just received the latest intelligence. Orochimaru-sama, my apologies—because this intelligence just arrived, I haven't had time to report it yet."
Having said that, he apologized to Orochimaru for his improper conduct.
Intelligence that just arrived?
More likely intelligence prepared in advance specifically to be presented when Ritsu returned. And if expectations were correct, the authenticity of this intelligence was beyond question.
Hearing this, Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, glancing meaningfully at Aburame Torune sitting beside him. He smiled. "No matter, such things are normal. Torune, just tell us what this latest intelligence says."
"The Mist jonin nicknamed 'Byakugan Killer,' Ao, has appeared multiple times recently at several defense lines in the northeast direction. If the Hyuga clan head intends to recover the Byakugan, you could search in that area!"
Aburame Torune said seriously.
"Deputy Commander Aburame, are you saying I can now move freely?"
Ritsu asked.
"I think that unless there's a mission that absolutely must be executed by you personally, Hyuga clan head, with your status you naturally enjoy certain freedom of movement. You need only communicate and report to us before taking action, confirming it won't interfere with others or other missions, and then you may move freely."
Aburame Torune answered seriously.
Ritsu stared at Aburame Torune for a moment before saying, "Then we'll discuss it later. What I need right now is rest."
"That the Hyuga clan head needs rest is naturally reasonable. However, let me remind you—Ao won't necessarily remain in that area indefinitely. If you miss the timing, Ao might leave. Moreover, if we delay until the Mist resolve to withdraw completely, there'll basically be no possibility of recovering that stolen Byakugan."
Aburame Torune "kindly" offered this reminder.
"Thank you for the reminder, Deputy Commander Aburame. I'll seriously consider what to do next. Orochimaru-senpai, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave and return to rest."
With that, after confirming neither Orochimaru nor Aburame Torune had anything else to say, Ritsu directly departed, returning to the territory the Hyuga clan occupied in the forward camp.
****
50+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces