Chapter 35 C35

Kakashi felt that Kana had changed.

Kana used to be like a flawless porcelain vase, but inside there were broken pieces. Very occasionally, you would hear a soft clattering sound, but more often when you looked into her eyes, you would find them empty, as if she didn't care if she died the next second.

Even a clay figure has its temper.

He openly showed that he didn't like her, and she would retort sarcastically.

But now, it's gone. Those human emotions seem to have vanished overnight. Like a dead lake, a stone thrown in forcefully sinks to the bottom without echoing, or even creating ripples.

Kakashi belatedly realized that during that meeting where everyone was asked to leave, someone might have used an illusion or barrier to hide their conversation.

He had been careless. He thought it was just a young nobleman facing a life-or-death situation, and that his insistence on seeing Kana stemmed from a nagging attachment to his young son.

Intelligence is the foundation for ninjas to carry out missions. This young master's life, at only eight years old, is so simple and straightforward that it can be summarized on a single page, and Kakashi doesn't believe that Hyuga Kana has any possibility of interacting with him.

As the captain, he has a responsibility to nip any uncertain risks in the bud for the sake of Konoha.

"I'm asking you one last time, what did you say?" The throat is the most vulnerable part of a human body, and every ninja learns what force and angle to use to kill with a single sword strike.

Earlier, she held a knife to someone's neck, and that very night she turned the tables on herself.

She looked up, completely unconcerned about the cut she'd made from the dagger. "No. Didn't you hypnotize me with your Sharingan? Just like you saw—there's nothing there."

Kakashi believed in the Sharingan's abilities, but he couldn't ignore her unusual behavior—she was clearly his teammate, right next to him, yet he hadn't noticed anything.

He felt a sense of powerlessness.

That's true. He mocked himself, wondering what right someone like him had to save others.

He put away his kunai and turned to leave.

“Kakashi.” Kana’s gaze seemed to fall on him, yet also vaguely seemed to be looking at the full moon behind him. “That child said he is eight years old this year.”

She smiled at Kakashi.

The laugh was silent; the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, but his eyes were dry.

"I just suddenly remembered that Neji was also eight years old."

Kakashi seemed to hear the sound of porcelain cracking, tiny cracks creeping onto the perfect surface.

But he didn't know whether this was an outlet for her to shout and vent to the world, or a sign of her exhaustion and disintegration.

“If necessary after returning to the village, I am willing to be questioned by the mountain tribes.”

Only when the system announced the increase in favorability could Kana be sure that Kakashi wouldn't report her unusual emotions to higher-ups in the mission report.

Congratulations on completing the side quest.

This was a task from several years ago, which she kept putting off doing.

Kana didn't intentionally try to increase her favorability rating; she was just a mortal after all.

As human beings, we all have emotions.

Anyone who knows they might be stuck in an endless cycle of this garbage world if they fail to complete their mission would want to kill someone.

But she couldn't. Her luck had always been terrible; she couldn't afford to gamble.

She used all her strength to restrain herself. At that moment, the words of others had lost their meaning and became nothing more than a buzzing noise in her ears. She simply had no energy left to deal with them.

I never expected Kakashi to care.

Kana always knew that Kakashi didn't like her, but because Kakashi wasn't important to her, she never bothered to find out why.

Only today did Kana realize that Kakashi didn't so much hate her as he loathed himself for being similar to her.

I loathe her fate of losing her father at a young age and being powerless, and I also hate her half-dead and aimless state.

However, people are very likely to empathize with individuals who are similar to themselves.

Therefore, the "genuine feelings" she revealed struck a nerve with him, after all, he had once wanted to protect someone.

All was quiet, and the moonlight shone brightly. A shallow stream parted a grove of trees, and Kakashi returned to the team's camp on the opposite bank, while Kana was allowed to stay there for a short time to herself.

A sliver of silent moonlight seeped through the gaps in the trees, casting a gentle glow on the crystal in her palm.

The moon is fullest on the sixteenth day of the lunar month, not the fifteenth.

The night of the Uchiha clan massacre was the fifteenth.

"He's gone?"

"Yes."

Everyone is heading towards their own destiny.

She pulled a scroll from her bosom; the paper, only the size of two palms, was almost completely filled with writing—someone hadn't crossed out or cleared the previous content in time.

Kana's gaze followed the swaying shadows of the leaves on the paper. After thinking for a moment, she picked up her pen and wrote in the last blank space in the lower right corner: "Remember to reply."

Even before Itachi Uchiha's reply arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned him.

"...Kakashi has a very high opinion of you." The mission report actually included an assessment of the team members' abilities. The Anbu are directly subordinate to the Hokage, and personnel appointments are decided entirely by the Hokage. "I believe your strength is sufficient to serve as a squad leader. Kana, what are your thoughts?"

"May I go see him?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had aged; even without frowning, deep furrows were already etched between his brows. "Who?"

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

He seemed to want to lighten the overly somber atmosphere with a smile, but he wasn't very successful. "The village will send someone to ensure his safety, so you don't need to worry."

Seeing the unwavering look in her eyes, he sighed, "You can't see him."

"Then I won't do it."

Sarutobi slowly frowned. The burnt residue from his pipe was turned upside down and poured into the ashtray, where it had piled up into a small mountain that could not support any more and was at risk of collapsing at any moment.

He lit his cigarette again.

Regardless of how people within Konoha perceive them, the Uchiha clan is indeed a powerful weapon to deter other countries, especially for the elderly who experienced World War II, for whom the wariness and fear of the Sharingan are etched in their hearts.

The entire Uchiha clan was slaughtered overnight, leaving only a harmless child. All the major ninja villages were eyeing them covetously, and for a long time to come, Konoha would be subjected to a barrage of probing and targeting—until they confirmed that this massive monster, even with one arm missing, still possessed the absolute power to wipe out invaders.

As Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi lost more than just a young, talented ANBU captain. He needed another powerful clan to replace the Uchiha and become the sharpest weapon for Konoha to quell the ambitions of other ninja villages.

The family must be prosperous enough, so the sparsely populated Senju and Kurama families are not suitable.

Bloodline limit must be unique and intimidating, so using family secret techniques like those of the Akimichi or Nara families is not acceptable.

At the same time, they also need to have a certain degree of fame in the entire ninja world, and most importantly, they need to be powerful enough.

He chose Hinata.

He was well aware of the drawbacks of the Hyuga clan, even more so than the main Hyuga family, who were in charge.

The caged bird not only holds back its resentment at being separated from its family, but also the eagle that should have been able to spread its wings and soar.

During the Third Shinobi World War, with a formidable enemy at hand, unity was paramount. At that time, the divide between the main family and the branch family was not so pronounced, and the Hyuga clan produced several exceptionally talented individuals.

However, in the last decade, that kind of glory has not been seen again.

The Hyuga clan has a strong average strength, ranking in the upper-middle tier of the entire ninja world, but they are not strong enough.

Just as Konoha needs a clan to represent its strength, the Hyuga clan must have a "strongest" to serve as its guiding light.

In the Uchiha clan, there is no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate offspring, noble or lowly; as long as you have talent, you will receive comprehensive training. In contrast, the Hyuga clan's main branch uses cursed seals to restrict the bloodline abilities of the branch family, prohibits the leakage of certain high-level Gentle Fist techniques, and, moreover, devotes all its efforts to cultivating the branch family members.

The fact that Hyuga Kana was able to grow into what she is today in such an environment lacking guidance shows that her talent is in no way inferior to Uchiha Shisui's.

"I assure you, the main family will give you and your brother the greatest freedom." Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his right finger and tapped it twice on his forehead, where the swastika symbol of the Caged Bird Seal was located. "I guarantee this in the name of the Hokage."

He will issue a secret order to Hyuga in the name of the Hokage: the main family must not launch the "Caged Bird" attack on Hyuga Kana and Hyuga Neji without their consent; violators will be considered "traitors" and can be killed on the spot.

For the true victim of the curse, this is an immense temptation and the greatest freedom one can attain in this life.

Therefore, Sarutobi never imagined that Kana would refuse.

Kana took a letter out of her jacket pocket, placed it face up with the word "Resignation Letter" written on it on the Hokage's desk, and silently and stubbornly handed it over.

"Why?"

Even though she was once friends with Itachi Uchiha, their contact has become distant in the last two years. Is the childhood friendship really enough to support her in sacrificing her own and her family's freedom?

Kana did not answer, but Hizen Sarutobi eventually agreed—well, it's better to be loyal and compassionate than cold-hearted.

You can see him once a week.

She was about to say something when Sarutobi interrupted her, "Kana. Once a week."

Kana understood when she could negotiate and when there was absolutely no room for negotiation, and accepted the appointment letter.

Along with it came a Hokage token.

He should have found her a good teacher to carefully polish this precious gem so that she could shine brightly in the future.

But Konoha no longer has time.

"All the techniques and research in the library are open to you." Sarutobi tapped his pipe on the wooden table, the sound like a dull thud on the heart. "Within two years, I want you to become a renowned figure in the ninja world."