Chapter 38 C38
By the time she returned to Konoha, everything had been settled.
At the time, the system only gave Kana a simple two-sentence description of this scene—
"Orochimaru disguised himself as the Fourth Kazekage and killed Hiruzen Sarutobi" and "Naruto Uzumaki fought with Gaara in his tailed beast form and became friends."
But this does not include Neji getting involved in that battle.
An ordinary person would take a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, but a ninja, thanks to their medical ninjutsu, could recover in a fraction of the time.
Neji's right arm was in a cast and supported by a bandage hanging around his neck, but other than that, there were no other obvious injuries.
It was Neji who broke the silence first, asking, "Sis, are you angry?"
"No way~" Kana crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, lifting her left leg and placing it on her right knee. "Fighting the One-Tailed Beast and only getting minor injuries, isn't that pretty impressive? It means I taught her well~"
Those familiar with Kana know that her drawn-out speech is synonymous with "sarcasm."
The twelve or thirteen-year-old boy had already grown to her brow bone. Neji squatted down, slowly moved closer to her, and looked up at her, just like when they were children.
Kana shifted her leg slightly, creating some distance, and lowered her eyes—
You can criticize the Hyuga clan for being old-fashioned, feudal, stupid, and so on, but there's one thing: their clan doesn't raise ugly people.
Kana happens to be a bit of a looks-obsessed person.
But she was also aware of this flaw of hers, so she never fell for it. She kicked the child's leg with her crossed foot, "Sit still."
The force was very light, but Neji didn't move an inch, still looking at her, "I was wrong."
Kana raised an eyebrow.
“I still can’t summon a spirit beast,” he said, his face showing resentment, his left hand, which was resting on the armrest of the chair, slowly clenching into a fist. “Even the worst student can do it.”
What kind of focus is this?
“You’re not an impulsive person—why did you go?” She used up some points she had accumulated to unlock the specific plot with the system, which was like a miser, and confirmed that Neji had not participated in the original storyline at all.
"Because he is very important to you."
Kana hadn't expected this answer. She didn't recall ever mentioning that child to him. "You mean Naruto?"
He shook his head. "Sasuke."
Kana was slightly taken aback.
When not on missions, she would visit Sasuke once a week. She never hid this from him, and he never asked why.
Kana finally realized what was wrong—so many people had asked her why she insisted on taking on the troublesome Uchiha clan, but Neji had never asked her even once.
She practically raised him from scratch, but Kana suddenly realized that she didn't actually know him that well.
The fluffy fledgling that always tugged at her clothes has grown up.
Kana has never been good at having heart-to-heart talks with people, and she also feels that it's unnecessary.
She just said—
"Your life is the most important thing."
Neji paused for a moment, then a small smile curved his lips upwards.
After Neji grew a little older and understood what it meant to be a "caged bird," he stopped laughing often. This laugh reminded Kana of when he was just a little kid.
Two soft sounds came from the glass window. The messenger bird was hidden in the night, with a conspicuous red bead hanging around its neck. It was the highest priority in the dark organization's assembly order, which also symbolized big trouble.
"Same as always, write a recap analysis, I'll look at it when I get back." Kana picked up the ANBU mask from the table and put it on her face. "Also, don't wait for me tonight."
The scale of the operation was larger than she had anticipated.
The corpses she brought back in the sealed scroll were laid flat in the middle of the dark room. The dry climate of the Land of Wind slowed down the decomposition of the corpses, but the abundant moisture in Konoha caused microorganisms to launch a retaliatory attack. The eye sockets of one of the corpses had sunken in.
The people from Konoha and Sunagakure stood in a circle, yet their positions were clearly distinct.
Older people with some power usually have poor eyesight and can't understand a single word of the reports they submit, requiring someone to explain them in person.
"...The body was found at Kara Cliff in the southwest corner of the Land of Wind. The crime scene has not yet been located...Based on the wounds and the degree of decomposition, the preliminary estimate of the time of death is at least twenty days ago." Kana closed the report and took a step back tactfully.
The dark room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was on edge, their breathing deliberately suppressed—a habit ninjas had before battle. At this moment, even the slightest spark could ignite a war between two ninja villages.
But Kana knew that two prides that had just lost their male lion but still had a litter of cubs were unlikely to fight.
Legally speaking, Sunagakure harbored malicious intentions and colluded with Sound Ninja to carry out the Konoha Destruction Plan, which ultimately led to the death of the Third Hokage.
Conversely, the one who actually orchestrated this conflict was Orochimaru, a rogue ninja from Konoha, who even killed the Fourth Kazekage for it.
In today's society, wars require a "just cause." Neither side is in the right, and the murder of the strongest Kage would be a loss of face for both sides if it were brought into the open. If they started fighting each other, it would give other ninja villages an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, and then they would lose face as well.
Hyuga Hizashi was once a sacrifice for the "greater good," which Kana thought was because he wasn't important. But now it seems that even the two most important Kage in the village—the two Kage—have more important factors at play.
Therefore, someone as petty and vindictive as her is destined to never become a great person.
To summarize the meeting in one sentence: the two sides had a cordial and friendly exchange and enhanced mutual understanding. However, since both sides' bosses are dead, the agreement signed now is just a piece of paper. Therefore, it will be put on hold for the time being until both sides have resolved their internal affairs.
Throughout the entire process, Kana diligently played the role that Konoha needed her to play—primarily serving as a deterrent force.
"Hinata."
Kana paused in her steps—in the eyes of the higher-ups, disappearing in an instant was disrespectful; one had to leave respectfully to show courtesy. Just as she was about to step out of the room, she was called back.
That's a very unfamiliar title.
Konoha was originally composed of various clans, with each surname having anywhere from dozens to hundreds of members. Therefore, people were used to calling each other by their given names. Within the Anbu, they mostly addressed each other by code names, and when out in public, others would only call her by her nickname. Over the years, no one had ever called her by her surname.
"This is the most critical moment for Konoha. According to the emergency response mechanism, an emergency executive committee composed of the heads of various departments has been formed. The Anbu cannot continue like this."
The Anbu is the most special of all departments. In principle, it reports directly to the Hokage, and the appointment of the Anbu leader is entirely decided by the Hokage. Before the election of a new Hokage, no one is qualified to appoint the Anbu leader according to regulations.
Since there's an "in theory," it's always followed by a "but." However, Konoha also has an advisory council, which can temporarily exercise the authority of the acting Hokage as long as they reach a consensus.
"The new head of the Dark Division is Eagle."
Kana chuckled silently, and because she was wearing a mask, she wasn't noticed.
I see.
The reason she's called "Hyuga" instead of her codename "Chongming" is to warn her that a member of the Hyuga branch family shouldn't covet things she's not worthy of.
"Until a suitable candidate is selected, you are the only deputy head of the Dark Division."
So she should be grateful.
"Konoha needs you."
—They look down on her, yet they need her strength to maintain order.
Children who come from orphanages learn early on that self-esteem is insignificant compared to life.
Something was churning in my stomach, but I was holding it down tightly. It fermented in the enclosed space, producing suffocating gas. My esophagus and respiratory tract were blocked, and my brain began to lack oxygen. Things that I usually suppress with reason were clamoring to burst out.
When Kana was a child, she didn't know what it was. Later she learned that what was churning in her stomach was the pride that she had chewed up and swallowed along with the bread.
—It's been such a long time since I've felt this way.
She had absolutely no interest in the ministerial position and understood the situation perfectly well.
If they hadn't come specifically to "guide" her to recognize her own status because they were afraid she would become arrogant, if they hadn't informed her in such a condescending and condescending tone.
They could have had a happy ending.
“The head of the Anbu can only be Washi.” Kana reached out and removed the “Chongming” mask. “I had already submitted my resignation to the Third Hokage before carrying out this mission in Sunagakure.”
She tore a thin sheet of paper out of the envelope, unfolded it, and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi's signature in the lower right corner.
Seeing the three elders' increasingly ashen faces, Kana's mood improved somewhat. "I have already left the Anbu."
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