"So you're the Flame Demon, Hyuga Arin—the one who wiped out hundreds of Kumogakure ninja?"
"…I don't remember clearly, but yeah, probably around that number."
"And you're the one who rescued the Sannin from under the Tsuchikage?"
"If nothing unexpected happened, that should've been me too."
Arin was starting to feel his scalp tingle from all the questioning.
What was wrong with this girl?
Why was she acting like Aburame Mushihime?
Weren't the Uchiha supposed to be at odds with the Hyuga?
Where was that cold arrogance from earlier?!
"Hahaha," Minato laughed from his seat.
"Chizuru really admires you, Brother Arin."
"That's normal," Jiraiya nodded in agreement.
The Uchiha revered strength.
And Arin—
Was undeniably strong.
In their eyes—
Strength justified everything.
Chizuru's reaction—
Was completely natural.
"Normal my ass!!"
Arin hurriedly sat farther away.
He really couldn't handle her enthusiasm.
You're supposed to be my enemy!!
At least act like it!!
Then—
Chizuru shoved Minato aside.
"Wait, I still have more questions—"
Arin slowly scanned the room—
Then looked at Minato.
If I remember correctly… this is your house, right?
Minato just laughed awkwardly—
And gave up his seat.
Why are you laughing?! And why are you moving?! THIS IS YOUR HOUSE!!
"Uh… I still need to go check on Kushina, so I won't stay long," Arin quickly said.
He really couldn't handle Chizuru's enthusiasm.
Especially—
Since she was an Uchiha.
At this rate—
He might start feeling bad about targeting them.
"Ah? Leaving already?" ×2
Minato and Chizuru spoke at the same time.
Arin gave Minato a death stare.
Minato scratched his head, confused.
What did I do?
"Hahaha," Jiraiya laughed.
"I'll walk you out."
He followed Arin outside.
Just as Arin was about to leave—
Jiraiya suddenly asked:
"Arin… do you think the shinobi world shouldn't exist?"
Arin blinked.
"…Huh? Jiraiya-senpai, where did that terrifying idea come from?"
Did my intentions leak somehow?
Jiraiya smiled faintly.
"Nothing."
"But remember—everything exists for a reason."
"Destruction isn't always the best choice."
Arin stopped walking.
He turned his head slightly.
He understood.
"Jiraiya-senpai…"
"Sometimes, what others say is just that—something to hear, not something to live by."
"I don't know what those toads told you…"
"But you should have your own thoughts too."
Jiraiya's smile stiffened.
Arin gave a slight nod.
"I'll take my leave."
His figure vanished instantly.
Jiraiya let out a deep sigh.
A sense of helplessness washed over him.
This all stemmed from—
The Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
"I saw it…"
"The destruction of the shinobi world…"
"Under the gaze of blue-glowing Byakugan…"
"The world will reach ultimate peace."
"But…"
"There will be no more shinobi."
"The Child of Prophecy has been born…"
"But is avoiding their fate."
After saying this—
The Great Toad Sage fell into deep slumber.
Still not awakened.
Jiraiya didn't know who the Child of Prophecy was.
But—
"Blue-glowing Byakugan…"
That clue—
Was too obvious.
Wasn't that Hyuga Arin?
When he used Fire Release—
His pale eyes glowed blue-black.
The prophecy didn't match perfectly—
But most of it did.
The issue was—
Peace required destruction.
And the disappearance of all shinobi.
Jiraiya didn't know—
Whether he should stop him.
This was the peace he longed for.
But—
Was the cost too great?
"Hyuga Arin…"
"What are you trying to do?"
He still couldn't understand—
Why Arin wanted to destroy the shinobi world.
And more importantly—
How he would do it.
Because in the prophecy—
It wasn't the world that was destroyed.
Only—
Shinobi.
…
Arin didn't know about the prophecy.
And even if he did—
He wouldn't care.
At this point—
Jiraiya was no longer his match.
Even if Hiruzen intervened—
They might not be able to stop him from leaving.
He no longer had anything to fear.
He wasn't at the peak yet—
But if he wanted to leave—
No one could stop him.
Except—
Perhaps future Minato.
Leaving Minato's house—
Arin headed straight to Kushina's place.
And—
Prepared his gift:
A kunai—
With a ribbon tied to it.
He really had no idea what else to give.
Kushina's residence—
Was the complete opposite of Minato's.
Wealth—
Instead of poverty.
"Who is it?" Nawaki's voice came from inside.
The door opened.
"…Didn't you go train?"
Arin looked at Nawaki curiously.
Nawaki scratched his head.
"I hit a bottleneck recently."
"So I came home to check some jutsu scrolls."
"Why are you here, Brother Arin?"
"I heard Kushina became a ninja, so I brought a gift."
He showed the kunai.
"…So how is that any different from what I gave you?"
Nawaki rolled his eyes.
Arin looked at him strangely.
"You don't see the ribbon?"
"HOW IS THAT A DIFFERENCE?!" Nawaki shouted.
Still—
He let Arin inside.
"…It has a ribbon," Arin insisted again.
"Don't underestimate the importance of ribbons, idiot!!"
A gift—
Was defined by whether it had a ribbon.
"Nawaki called out inside:
"Kushina! Brother Arin's here!!"
From the sofa—
A red-haired girl wearing a forehead protector peeked out.
"Brother Arin, you're here!"
"Heard you became a ninja—so here's a ninja gift."
Arin proudly presented—
The ribbon-tied kunai.
At that moment—
Another figure appeared on the sofa.
A refined, elegant older woman.
She smiled gently at Arin.
"So you're Hyuga Arin."
"It's my first time meeting you."
Arin immediately understood.
This was—
Uzumaki Mito.
The widow of Senju Hashirama.
Thanks to the Strength of a Hundred Seal—
Even in old age—
She maintained a youthful appearance.
"Mito-sama."
Arin greeted respectfully.
Mito chuckled softly.
"You don't seem as rude as Tsunade described."
"…Though."
"The Nine-Tails doesn't seem to like you very much."
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