Another History

‘Hyuga Mirai’ racked his brains, trying to say something amusing to cheer her up, but no matter what, he could not recall how Kin-san, who had once seemed like an older brother, used to speak. They were clearly the same words, yet they seemed to take on an entirely different meaning coming from his mouth.

"Oh, right, Kiyomi-sama. That Kin-san gave me a ring today. It looked very valuable. I wanted to return it, but after I took out a bento box, he disappeared."

As ‘Hyuga Mirai’ spoke, he tried to remove the ring from his hand so he could show it to Hyuga Kiyomi.

"I can’t tell where this ring came from, but Kiyomi-sama might recognize it. Huh? Why won’t it come off!?"

‘Hyuga Mirai’ tugged at it for quite some time, gradually using more strength. By the end, his face had turned slightly red, yet he still could not pull the ring off his finger.

"Forget it, Mirai. Don’t hurt your finger." Seeing ‘Hyuga Mirai’s’ reddened finger, Hyuga Kiyomi knew that he had already used all his strength. The reason it would not come off was likely because there was something unusual about the ring.

"That’s strange. It went on so easily."

Feeling as though he had embarrassed himself before Hyuga Kiyomi, ‘Hyuga Mirai’ patted his chest and promised, "Kiyomi-sama, I’ll study it when I get back. I’ll definitely take this ring off."

"There’s no need, Mirai. Since it was given to you, just keep it safe."

Hyuga Kiyomi forced a smile. When ‘Hyuga Mirai’ saw her expression, a trace of gloom flashed through his eyes.

"They came again?"

"No."

"Kiyomi-sama, you’re not suited for lying, especially not to me. You can’t fool me."

After ‘Hyuga Mirai’ said that, Hyuga Kiyomi seemed to concede the point. She lowered her head slightly, as though she had suddenly lost all support for her spirit.

"Those bastards. We’re from the same clan, yet they’re still pushing us around like this. I’ll settle the score with them someday."

‘Hyuga Mirai’ spoke resentfully. He was furious. Kiyomi-sama had gone to war for the village, and she was the one who had been injured, yet after returning, she had faced accusations from all sides.

They had lost their original estate, had their ninja status revoked, and turned the once spirited Kiyomi-sama into the frail figure she was now. Even so, those bastards still came every day to mock them with their words.

"Tomorrow, I’m not going outside to train. If they dare come again, I’ll make them regret it!"

‘Hyuga Mirai’ made his decision in a low voice. Because the clan’s most important Byakugan had been lost, Hyuga Souya’s branch had been removed from the Main Family succession, with nearly ninety percent of the Main Family’s privileges stripped away. The Branch Family guards who had once protected Hyuga Kiyomi had all been reassigned, leaving only ‘Hyuga Mirai,’ who was still a Genin.

And because the clan’s most important Kekkei Genkai had been lost, ‘Hyuga Mirai,’ who was connected to Hyuga Kiyomi, had also become an outlet for the other Hyuga clansmen to vent their anger.

After centuries of indoctrination and the inheritance of the Caged Bird Seal, the importance of the Byakugan’s bloodline had long become the most precious thing in the hearts of all Hyuga clansmen. To protect the Byakugan and prevent it from falling into outsiders’ hands, they would even give their lives.

Yet in the recent war, one Byakugan had actually been seized by the enemy. This was no small blow to the Hyūga Clan.

Not only had they issued a massive bounty through the Underground Money Exchange, but Konoha had also formally issued a kill order against Ao of Kirigakure. But there was nothing they could do. Even if they killed Ao of Kirigakure, it would be difficult to recover the Byakugan.

Almost no one in the Ninja World was unaware of how precious the Byakugan was.

A Kekkei Genkai protected by the Caged Bird Seal for nearly a thousand years—the Byakugan seized by Kirigakure might have been the only one to leave the clan in the past century.

‘Hyuga Mirai’ and Hyuga Kiyomi both knew how great an impact their failure had had on the Hyūga Clan and even the village. But the punishment had already been handed down, and some people still refused to let them go.

Quite a few Branch Family ninjas probably delighted in the thought of stomping on Main Family members who had fallen from the clouds. Even the clan training grounds did not welcome ‘Hyuga Mirai.’ If he wanted to train, he could only go to the deserted woods outside the village. Even at the training grounds within the village, if someone recognized him, he would have to endure their gossip.

"Don’t do that, Mirai. The clan does not permit infighting among its members. I’m fine, but if you attack them, you’ll definitely be punished."

Hyuga Kiyomi earnestly tried to persuade him. Moreover, she did not think ‘Hyuga Mirai’ was a match for those people. She knew the only guard who remained by her side very well; Hyuga Mirai would at most become a Jonin in the future. Perhaps Chunin would be his limit.

"Mirai, tomorrow I’ll teach you some Gentle Fist."

"Kiyomi-sama."

"Don’t be fooled by the fact that I haven’t trained in a long time. Back then, my Taijutsu was at the level of an Elite Chunin."

The Main Family Patriarch had forbidden Hyuga Kiyomi from passing down the Main Family’s Ninjutsu, warning that she would be severely punished if she violated the order. However, there were no strict restrictions on ordinary Gentle Fist techniques.

"All right. Thank you, Kiyomi-sama."

‘Hyuga Mirai’ had never been able to refuse Hyuga Kiyomi’s kindness.

Afterward, ‘Hyuga Mirai’ told Hyuga Kiyomi he was going to tidy up the weeds in the courtyard. Hyuga Kiyomi also got up to help sweep the wooden corridor. According to her, she was no longer a young miss, so she needed to become proficient at housework as soon as possible.

"So that was what happened."

Through the information transmitted back by the ring, Hyuga Mirai learned of the changes that had taken place in the Hyūga Clan. In his original world, Kirigakure had not managed to seize a Byakugan, though things probably had not gone too well for them because of his defection.

That ring was a transmitter Hyuga Mirai had made using part of the nanostructure from the T1 Armor. Calling it a Golden Finger would not be an exaggeration. The Sealing Technique inside the ring allowed him to transmit Sage Chakra to the ‘Hyuga Mirai’ of this world, and it also served as a locator, allowing him to unconsciously receive the inheritance of the Gentle Fist while he slept at night.

He did not feel much about Hyuga Kiyomi of this world having her Byakugan taken away, though he could make a little use of it.

However, if he wanted to use ‘Hyuga Mirai’ to drive changes in the Ninja World, this little power was far from enough. He needed to make more preparations.

For example, the first step was to undo that ugly mark on his forehead.

"Boss, check!"

Hyuga Mirai shouted, calling over the owner of the barbecue restaurant. He had been eating while listening to the information from the other side, and only when he came back to himself did he realize he had eaten more than a hundred plates of barbecue. By then, quite a few people in the restaurant were looking at him.

"The total is three hundred and fifty thousand ryo. Thank you for visiting." The barbecue restaurant owner said with a beaming smile.

Hyuga Mirai said nothing else. He accurately pulled banknotes worth three hundred and fifty thousand ryo from his pocket and handed them to the barbecue restaurant owner before getting up and leaving.

"Should we follow him? It’s my first time seeing an ordinary person eat that much. There’s definitely something off about that kid."

At another table, there were two ninjas. After seeing Hyuga Mirai leave, one of them lowered his voice and spoke to his companion.

"Forget it. It’s rare enough that we get a day off, and someone has already followed him." After saying that, the other ninja at the barbecue table gestured with his chin toward a direction. When his companion turned around, he immediately saw the back of someone carrying an Uchiha Gunbai leaving the barbecue restaurant.

However, after following for several alleys, the Uchiha ninja lost sight of the person he had been tracking.

"Definitely a spy from an enemy nation."

Shisui Uchiha frowned slightly as he pondered this. He planned to return to the Military Police Force and notify the clansmen to find this person. But no matter how hard he tried to recall it, he seemed to have no memory of the person’s facial features.

Ever since they had started eating barbecue, that person had seemed to keep one hand over his face. Even when he paid and left, he had never revealed his features to Shisui.

That person noticed me watching him long ago. He must be a high-ranking spy. I have to find him!

After recalling what had happened at the barbecue restaurant, Shisui Uchiha became even more wary of Hyuga Mirai. He immediately rushed toward the Military Police Force headquarters, intending to gather the clansmen and intercept the man before he left Konoha.

Otherwise, the war that had only just ended might stir up turmoil in the peaceful Ninja World once more because of a single leak of intelligence.

"This should be the place."

After shaking off the person following him, Hyuga Mirai used the Byakugan to locate Orochimaru’s secret base within the village. Though the details differed considerably from the world he came from, he had still found it.

This was on the outskirts of Konoha. Not only were there few people around, but it would also be easy to escape if discovered.

"The Barrier Technique is different, but breaking it isn’t difficult."

As someone proficient in Sealing Technique and Barrier Technique, Hyuga Mirai effortlessly broke through the barrier Orochimaru had set outside the Laboratory. However, once the barrier failed, Orochimaru would know that something had happened in the Laboratory.

The cold, damp underground passage made Hyuga Mirai feel uncomfortable as he walked through it. It was not because the environment was poor, but because Orochimaru’s crude experimental setting was simply too much for him to bear.

In Hyuga Mirai’s time, he had corrected Orochimaru several times before finally straightening out his snake-like habits.

Tap, tap!

Before Hyuga Mirai reached the Laboratory’s main entrance, a Ninja with a chilling aura and a pair of golden vertical pupils approached from ahead.

"Hehe, I never expected an outsider to infiltrate this place. It seems the village’s defenses are far too lax."

Orochimaru’s tone carried killing intent. This Laboratory was extremely important to him; if the secrets inside leaked out, it would be no small trouble for him.

"Don’t be nervous, Orochimaru. I’m not from Konoha. I came here this time to make a deal with you."

Hyuga Mirai took out a scroll and gestured with it toward Orochimaru, then said with a faint smile, "You’ll definitely be interested once you see the technique in my hands."

"And stop showing killing intent in front of me. Otherwise, if we start fighting, I might just beat you to death…"

The moment he finished speaking, Chakra surged out from Hyuga Mirai’s body like raging waves and a tsunami, even whipping up gusts of wild wind within the underground passage.

Second update.

Sorry, it turned into late-night posting time again. I’ll adjust it immediately once the project is over!