Chapter 43: Can the Hyūga Drop a Trait?
As a veteran of the Second Great Ninja War, Hiruzen Sarutobi had a keen instinct for the scent of war.
Right now, the strategic value of the Uchiha clan was becoming more apparent than ever.
Unlike other ninja clans, the Uchiha possessed the terrifying potential to grow stronger the longer a war dragged on.
After a moment of contemplation, Hiruzen flipped back to Uchiha Seiji's performance evaluation sheet.
Picking up his pen, he added three words to the page: "Special Attention Required."
Originally, he had intended to select someone from the Uchiha to serve as a bridge—a symbol of reconciliation between the village and the clan.
Someone for Minato to personally mentor.
Now, it seemed he might have found another viable candidate.
Seiji, newly returned and freshly integrated, would likely be more receptive to the Will of Fire than other Uchiha who had grown up immersed in the clan's traditions.
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Evening.
Sarutobi Asuma returned home in a foul mood.
The humiliation of losing face in front of Kurenai Yūhi weighed heavily on him—he felt like his whole world had collapsed.
He'd worked hard to build a tough-guy image, and now it was probably in shambles.
"No. I will prove myself to her!" Asuma clenched his fists.
He accepted that Seiji's genjutsu was better. That much was undeniable.
He had underestimated Seiji's strength—Sharingan or not, the kid's genjutsu was no joke.
So next, he would rely on his specialty.
Asuma's eyes flicked toward his signature trench knives—blades forged from a combination of chakra metal and standard alloy.
Eventually, he planned to replace them completely with refined chakra metal and have them custom-made into a unique set just for him.
"Chakra Flow… surely I won't lose to you there."
He muttered this quietly to himself.
Just to be safe, he decided to double down on his training regimen.
When the time came, he would challenge Seiji to a pure taijutsu duel.
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7 PM. The Streets of Konoha.
A cold wind swept through the village streets as the final rain of autumn faded into memory.
Seiji exhaled a puff of misted breath.
Yesterday marked the last of the autumn rains—today, winter had officially arrived.
Leaves, dry and yellow, fluttered from the trees lining the road.
It had been a while since his victory over Sarutobi Asuma earned him another trait.
"I'll take this one… and that," Seiji said, pointing to the ingredients he wanted.
The shopkeeper quickly wrapped them up for him.
Living alone, Seiji had to do everything himself—cooking, cleaning, laundry, and shopping.
Then a sharp voice cut through the air:
"Useless! You can't even buy dessert properly!"
A crisp slap rang out, drawing the attention of passersby.
Seiji turned to look.
The voice belonged to Hyūga Natsu, a girl he had once seen at the Third Training Grounds.
She stood with her head bowed, her expression hidden behind short, dark green hair. Her white Byakugan eyes were obscured, her body trembling ever so slightly.
"Yes, Lady Ginka," she said softly.
In front of her stood an elegantly dressed noblewoman. Even through thick robes, her figure's graceful curves were evident as she lifted her hand again in disdain.
"Make sure you get it right this time. And bring back some fresh squid sushi too," Lady Ginka ordered, her nose in the air.
That new sushi place had a particularly unique flavor she liked—none of the other shops could compare.
As she turned around, the onlookers quickly averted their eyes.
This was the main family of the Hyūga clan.
And everyone knew what that meant—Main Branch and Branch Family.
No one needed to guess who had been slapped.
The pedestrians tugged their collars tight and quietly moved along. It was Hyūga business, and it was best not to get involved.
But Seiji kept watching.
"Gentle Fist… would that drop a trait?" he wondered to himself.
He was genuinely envious of the Hyūga clan's abilities.
Take the trait he'd earned recently—'Chakra Flow: Fire Release'—for example.
It allowed him to channel chakra through weapons.
But applying it to one's body? That was still beyond him.
Even jōnin-level shinobi couldn't apply chakra freely across their entire bodies. At best, they could release it from their hands and feet.
Trying to control chakra flow through other parts of the body was extremely difficult.
And maintaining continuous "chakra flow" across the body placed an enormous strain on the chakra pathways, causing intense physical pain.
Only members of the Hyūga clan could freely release chakra from all of their tenketsu (chakra points) across the body—just like in techniques such as Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation.
"Squid sushi…"
Hyūga Natsu glanced up at the sky. Dusk had already fallen, and the horizon was darkening.
Night was almost here.
But that sushi shop didn't open in the evening—how was she supposed to explain this to Hyūga Ginka?
"Having some trouble, Hyūga Natsu?"
She looked up when she heard the voice, only after confirming that Ginka had already walked off.
"Oh… Seiji," she said softly.
The one speaking was Uchiha Seiji—someone she wasn't particularly familiar with.
"You're looking for squid sushi, right?" he asked.
She nodded, though she didn't understand why Seiji had approached her at all.
"Come on. I'll take you," he said, flashing a small smile and gesturing for her to follow.
"Eh…? But that shop should be closed by now," Natsu murmured, a touch of gloom shadowing her eyes.
Once she got back to the clan compound, she'd probably be scolded again.
Hyūga Ginka hated excuses more than anything.
"I'm a regular at that place," Seiji replied with a calm smile.
In fact, the people at that shop would love for him to drop by every day—preferably followed by a one-way trip to Kumogakure.
"Let's go."
He walked a few steps ahead, motioning for her to come with him.
Natsu hesitated for a moment, then followed.
Even if he wasn't a regular, she still had to check whether the shop was really closed or not.
The two walked side by side and soon arrived at the sushi shop.
Inside, the staff was just about to close up for the night. Seeing someone approach, one of them started to step outside to politely turn the customer away.
But as he got a better look, he froze mid-step.
It was Seiji.
Immediately, the man's tone changed, his face brightening as he asked warmly what Seiji and Natsu would like.
Seiji glanced at him—not Samui, but someone else he recognized from the hidden chamber in the back, though he didn't know the man's name.
"One order of squid sushi."
"Of course! You're one of our most valued guests. We'll prepare it right away."
The man's name was Yukiya Yasukawa. He led Seiji and Natsu to a private room.
"I prefer a little privacy," Seiji added just before Yukiya left.
The unspoken message was clear: Don't spy on us.
"Don't worry, sir. Our rooms are soundproof and completely secure."
With a smile, Yukiya gently closed the door, then returned to the hidden chamber in the back to report to Samodo.
"Just leave him be," Samodo said when he heard that Seiji had brought a girl along.
He figured Seiji was probably just going through that phase where young people start getting curious about the opposite sex.
Besides, the entire spy network had already been exposed to Seiji—Samodo wasn't about to risk his life by crossing him.
At least not here.
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