"Hyuga Yu."
"That name... its meaning is ill-omened."
"Of your two teammates, one was forced into retirement due to severe injuries, and the other was killed in action during the Chunin Exams. You are the only one left."
"Furthermore, you must be aware that with your natural talent, you are not suited to continue down the path of a shinobi."
The sun was sinking below the horizon. A draft snaking in from the courtyard lifted the hair from the young man's forehead at the end of the corridor, revealing a pair of somewhat hesitant white eyes.
"Yes."
Yu, who had spent thirteen years in this world, nodded sullenly. He bowed his body slightly, forcing himself into a posture of humility before the elder—an act he still hadn't fully grown accustomed to.
"However, according to the customs of the Hyuga clan, I shall employ you."
"Take a look—"
The elder sitting on the veranda pushed a document forward. Yu already knew what was written on it:
Hyuga Clan Shinobi Lifetime Appointment Letter.
It was a labor contract intended for the mediocre shinobi of the Hyuga clan. Work six days with one day off; room and board included. If a high-ranking member of the Main House was in a good mood, one might even be gifted valuable trinkets from time to time.
The total compensation was 30,000 Ryō per month, roughly equivalent to 300,000 yen Japan, or approximately 2,100 USD.
The job description consisted of nothing more than serving tea, delivering water, and doing odd jobs. Perhaps he would be assigned to prune the plants and flowers within the massive Main House estate—trivial tasks for a shinobi.
To be honest, this was a lucrative position that outsiders would break their necks competing for. Yu had no reason to refuse.
He was a Genin—a Genin who had lost his teammates in last year's Chunin Exams. Having failed to promote in the Year 48 exams—which were arguably the easiest session in history—and suffering a crushing defeat even against a "dead last" like Obito Uchiha, his career as a shinobi was essentially a closed case.
Hyuga Yu had no talent as a shinobi.
Continuing as a ninja at the start of Year 49 meant the risks far outweighed the rewards. Currently, it was the third year since the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War. A stalemate had formed with the Hidden Stone, Hidden Leaf, and Hidden Sand locked in fierce combat around the Land of Rain.
Under the orders of the Third Mizukage, the Hidden Mist was continuously expanding westward, seizing small nations like the Land of Waves. They were on the verge of a full-scale invasion of the Land of Fire's eastern coast.
At this moment, the Leaf's main forces were spread thin across a long, grueling frontline spanning the Land of Rivers, Rain, and Grass. To face the Mist's assault, the eastern coastal front was in desperate need of manpower.
Unsurprisingly, the Hidden Leaf would soon issue mobilization orders, requiring clan shinobi—led by the Uchiha and Hyuga—to head to the eastern front to repel the enemy.
Yu vaguely remembered that in this war, the Hyuga clan would suffer heavy losses, and the secret of the Byakugan would be leaked. Remaining a shinobi at such a juncture meant he would likely be deployed to that meat-grinder of a battlefield very soon.
And Yu was currently just a mere Genin. Even with the Hyuga name, he was at best a qualified piece of cannon fodder.
Yet, looking at the black-and-white text before him—a contract that essentially bought out the rest of his life—Yu hesitated.
"Hyuga Yu, did you not hear me?"
"Yes, Elder. I am listening."
The elder in front of the veranda was silent for a moment before saying flatly:
"Then sign it quickly. Then take this appointment letter and submit it to the Main House. Once you return, you can work in peace within the Main House. Also, you need to fix that habit of yours—that stiff back that refuses to bend."
"Your parents saved my life; I will not hold it against you. But if you show such disrespect before the Main House, do you wish to taste the Caged Bird Curse again?"
Yu suddenly pushed the appointment letter back. After a long silence, he spoke:
"My apologies, Elder. Perhaps... I won't sign it."
"Dissatisfied with the compensation?"
"No."
The elder froze for a moment, then knit his brows and stared. "Then what do you mean by that?"
"It's nothing. I just feel that I might not be able to bend my back or stay on my knees."
Watching Yu begin to stand up, the elder finally lost the last of his patience. He darkened his face and barked:
"Do you understand what you are rejecting?!"
"Hyuga Yu, you have absolutely no talent as a shinobi!"
"Even if you did—even if you became a Chunin, a Jonin, or an Elite Jonin—your situation would not change in the slightest!"
"As a member of the Branch House, for the sake of the clan's continuity, you were born to bow your head to the Main House, to kneel to the Main House, and to die for the Main House—"
"Just like your parents did!"
Yu bit his lip and asked in return:
"Then what about the Hokage?"
"What would happen if I became the Hokage?"
The elder suddenly laughed—laughed out of sheer anger. He looked at the ungrateful Yu as if he were looking at some sort of joke. Then, he slowly raised his hand and formed the Ram seal.
In the next instant, Yu felt a surge of violent pain erupt from his forehead. It felt as though his skull was being crushed, about to spray red and white matter across the floor. Submerged in this agony, Yu instantly lost all ability to resist.
He clutched his head, his whole body trembling as he ground his molars together, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth.
Despite this, Yu didn't make a sound. He stood his ground stubbornly like a pillar, looking at the elder. He bared his teeth in a grimace and asked defiantly, his voice wavering:
"El... der. If... I become the Hokage, what then?"
Seeing this, the elder fell silent for a while. He closed his eyes with a sense of lingering weariness, released the seal, and sneered:
"You won't become the Hokage. Even if you train until the end of your days, you'll be nothing more than an ordinary Genin. You know that better than I do."
"If you want to die, then go ahead and try."
The old man turned his back on the veranda and waved him off, finally leaving one last lonely remark:
"Don't say I didn't warn you—"
"That old man Hyuga Sosuke is currently looking for clansmen who know Medical Ninjutsu."
The pain of the Caged Bird came quickly and left just as fast.
The more crucial reason was that this lonely old man, whom Yu had served for ten years and lived with under the same roof, did not actually want him dead.
Yu's face was pale. He swayed for a moment, looking at the back of the elder who had lost interest in the conversation. He remained silent for a while. He knew the man was actually trying to help him, but after enduring such humiliation—being treated like livestock with a leash around his neck—the words of gratitude simply wouldn't come out.
Finally, he turned silently and walked toward the exit of the luxurious estate.
Like a bird breaking free from a cage, he crossed the corridor, moved through the courtyard, and strode out of the prison he had lived in for thirteen years.
It was true. Everything the old man said was correct. Having lived in this world for thirteen years, Yu understood with agonizing clarity:
He had no talent as a shinobi. He had no innate "cheat code" or system. He certainly didn't have a prominent or noble status. It seemed he was born solely to be a servant to the Main House, existing as a sparrow protected by a cage.
However, even among sparrows in a cage, there will always be outliers who refuse to spend their lives bowing their heads to peck at grain.
And Hyuga Yu was exactly that kind of outlier.