"Please leave."
"Young Master Genko, I… I still have—"
"I will make arrangements regarding your matter. Now, please leave."
Hyuga Yuu's proposal was rejected without mercy.
The Young Master of the Main Family did not even give him a chance to explain further. He stood up directly, clearly signaling the end of the conversation. His attitude was firm and left no room for discussion.
Hyuga Yuu understood the reason.
Hyuga Genko's participation in the Third Great Shinobi War was meant to serve as an example. As a member of the Main Family, he represented reconciliation, or at least a surface-level easing of tensions that had existed since Hinata Hizashi was demoted to the Branch Family years ago.
There was an element of performance to it, but whether it was to prevent the Byakugan from being leaked or to ensure the safety of the few remaining Main Family members, what Genko needed were absolutely reliable Branch Family guards.
In his eyes, Hyuga Yuu was merely a Genin who could not even perform Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. Compared to other Genin, he only knew a handful of medical ninjutsu. At best, he was dead weight, too fragile even to serve as a human shield.
This was reality.
However, only Hyuga Yuu understood how dangerous the situation truly was.
The impending Byakugan leakage incident was far from simple.
Among shinobi, information control was strict. The fact that a Main Family member would head to the battlefield was already a closely guarded internal secret of the Hinata Clan.
Hyuga Yuu knew because a Main Family elder had indirectly informed him. Hinata Natsu knew because she herself had been assigned to the guard team.
It was also certain that the Main Family member would be safe inside Konoha Village and at the frontline camp. The Main Family would never accept overly dangerous missions, and once they reached the camp, protection would be airtight.
Therefore, the only opportunity for the enemy to strike lay in the journey itself.
The few days spent traveling from Konoha to the frontline camp were the only vulnerable window.
This meant that the information had already leaked.
This was a premeditated hunt targeting the Byakugan.
The obvious hunters were the Kirigakure ANBU, led by Ao of the Mist. As for the hidden hunters, they were inside the village.
Hyuga Yuu did not understand why information of this level could leak, nor did he wish to speculate.
But now, with his request to join Hinata Genko's guard team denied, the situation became even worse.
According to confidentiality protocols, as someone who had been informed, his departure would likely be staggered from the Main Family team. He would leave the village later.
If he could not travel with them, he could not protect Hinata Natsu personally. He also could not influence the route to avoid the Kirigakure ambush.
Worse still, he would not even know which route the team would take.
Standing outside the Main Family compound, Hinata Yuu fell into brief contemplation.
Then, without hesitation, he turned around and headed toward the Land of Fire Bank branch inside Konoha Village.
...
The Land of Fire Bank stood beside the Hokage Tower.
This location made it convenient for Konoha shinobi to deposit their earnings immediately after completing missions.
Each of the Five Great Shinobi Nations used its own currency. The Land of Fire's coins bore the Daimyo's face on one side and Konoha's emblem on the other. In addition, a universal currency circulated widely due to the influence of the banking system.
Hyuga Yuu walked straight to the counter.
"Hello. I would like to apply for a loan."
"A loan?" The young female teller froze briefly before responding. "It is wartime. Our bank is temporarily not accepting unsecured loans based on shinobi status."
"I understand."
Hyuga Yuu nodded. He untied the tightly bound pouch in his hand and placed several documents on the counter.
"This is my house deed, shinobi identification, and bankbook."
The teller looked down. "Hyuga Yuu. You are a member of the Hinata Clan?"
"Yes. This house was left to me by my parents. Its current market value is 1.32 million Ryo. I would like to borrow 1 million."
"Please wait a moment."
She took the documents and began calculating on a nearby device. After a short while, she looked up with a hint of apology.
"Because Iwagakure recently occupied Kannabi Bridge, the assessed safety coefficient of the Land of Fire's border regions has dropped."
"According to the current market, residential properties inside Konoha Village can only be mortgaged at fifty to sixty percent of their value. Since your home is located on the edge of the Hinata Clan compound, we can offer the highest rate available."
She paused briefly.
"We can approve a loan of 800,000 Ryo at most."
Hyuga Yuu fell silent.
It was currently Konoha Year Forty-Nine. The Land of Rain front was fiercely contested, and the overall situation was unfavorable for Konoha.
Kannabi Bridge, located in the Land of Grass, had once been a vital supply route. Its capture by Iwagakure had shaken the market and damaged investor confidence. This situation would not improve until the following year.
"Do you still wish to proceed with the loan?" the teller asked softly.
Lowering her voice, she added, "If you do not urgently need the money, waiting a few years would be better."
Hyuga Yuu shook his head. "No need. Please proceed."
He was not short on money. He still had two hundred thousand Ryo in savings.
That money was reserved for something else.
Soon, the bankbook was returned to him.
[Current Balance: 1,000,000 Ryo]
Hyuga Yuu closed the book, exhaled slowly, and walked out of the bank. Turning around, he entered the adjacent Hokage Tower and headed directly to the mission assignment office on the second floor.
Because of the Third Great Shinobi War, mission volume had plummeted. The office, once bustling, was now nearly empty.
Only a single Chunin clerk sat behind the desk, wearing thick glasses and stifling a yawn.
Hyuga Yuu approached him.
"I would like to post a mission."
The clerk looked up in surprise when he saw the Byakugan.
"A mission? From the Hinata Clan?"
"Yes."
"What rank?"
"S-rank."
The clerk's eyes widened.
"The minimum reward for an S-rank mission is one million Ryo."
Hyuga Yuu placed the bankbook on the desk and opened it.
The clerk's expression changed immediately. He pulled out a scroll and writing tools.
"What is the mission content?"
Hyuga Yuu spoke calmly.
"I am seeking a specific ninjutsu. I require either the jutsu scroll or direct instruction from a shinobi who has mastered it."
The clerk hesitated. Members of the Hinata Clan rarely sought external ninjutsu, let alone paid such a price.
"May I have your name?"
"Hyuga Yuu."
The clerk paused, recalling certain rumors.
"So, what is the ninjutsu?"
Hyuga Yuu inhaled deeply.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade."
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