Even a powerful figure like Orochimaru was interested in the secret technique, so it would be self-deception for Hyuga Kyo to claim he wasn’t. He straightforwardly asked, “What do you need me to do for you?”
Orochimaru, somewhat cryptically, asked, “What do you think of Uchiha Itachi?”
Without hesitation, Hyuga Kyo replied, “Unlike many so-called geniuses, he is a true prodigy! In just three to five years, he might reach a level that leaves others in the dust.”
Orochimaru pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Hyuga Kyo, saying, “Keep an eye on him for me. I’m very interested in this Uchiha.”
With that, Orochimaru disappeared into the shadows, as if he had never been there.
Holding the secret technique scroll from Orochimaru, Hyuga Kyo pondered, “What exactly is Orochimaru coveting, Itachi’s Sharingan or his body?”
Itachi’s excellence was undeniable, even the Third Hokage had publicly praised him. However, Hyuga Kyo was unsure about Orochimaru’s true intentions behind the phrase “keep an eye on him.”
Returning to the campsite, Hyuga Kyo saw Itachi writing in a small notebook. He casually asked, “What are you writing?”
Itachi earnestly replied, “I’m recording the mission log.”
According to the village’s regulations, ninjas on missions must keep a mission log, which would be archived in the mission centre once the mission was completed.
But while regulations were regulations, few ninjas bothered to meticulously record everything in their mission log. Most ninjas, like Hyuga Kyo, would give a brief verbal account when handing over the mission, which the mission centre staff would then record on the spot and store in the archives.
Hyuga Kyo remarked, “Itachi, you’re the most meticulous and serious ninja I’ve ever seen. Even though you’re young, you’re very thorough in everything you do.”
Closing his notebook, Itachi said, “I just want to learn as much as I can from my seniors.”
Hyuga Kyo smiled and shook his head, not saying anything more.
The return journey was smooth. Unlike the slow and cautious trip to their destination, Hyuga Kyo and Itachi took only a week to return to the village at full speed.
After submitting the mission log at the mission centre, the difficulty level of their mission was immediately upgraded from B-rank to A-rank.
The reason was that the mission involved the Hidden Cloud Village, one of the five great ninja villages, and they had encountered Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, and her escort team.
Jinchuriki were often considered the strongest forces in a ninja village, second only to the Kage. Encountering such a formidable opponent during a mission and still completing the task successfully warranted an upgrade in mission rank.
However, the reward given to Hyuga Kyo and Itachi was still at the B-rank standard, but their records now included the completion of an A-rank mission.
Completing an A-rank mission was a significant achievement for a Chunin, let alone for Itachi, who hadn’t even graduated yet. So, Itachi was extremely happy as they left the mission centre.
Seeing Itachi’s smile, Hyuga Kyo thought, “Only now does he truly look like a child.”
At that moment, Itachi bowed deeply to Hyuga Kyo and sincerely said, “Thank you for your guidance, senpai. I’ve learned a lot from this mission. You are a true Konoha ninja!”
Hyuga Kyo laughed, “I don’t remember teaching you anything.”
Itachi responded, “You might not be very talkative, but through your actions, you’ve taught me a lot. Especially when we encountered the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, you showed me the perseverance a Konoha ninja should have.”
Hyuga Kyo was taken aback, then asked, “Didn’t you think I was in a difficult situation then?”
Itachi shook his head.
Hyuga Kyo smirked, “Do you know why I could remain calm in the face of the Hidden Cloud’s humiliation?”
Itachi pondered seriously for a moment and then tentatively replied, “Because anger interferes with judgment, so a ninja shouldn’t get angry?”
“No…” Hyuga Kyo waved his hand with a mysterious smile, “It’s because thinking that Uchiha Itachi was also getting a taste of it suddenly made me feel a lot better!”
Itachi thought Hyuga Kyo was joking with him, so after a brief chat, he bid farewell and left.
Watching Itachi leave, Hyuga Kyo sighed softly.
One had to admit, the Uchiha clan was indeed an anomaly. They were too prone to extremes. Obito, for example, wanted to destroy the world over an unrequited love. Itachi, on the other hand, killed his own parents and clan to prevent widespread chaos.
If it were just extreme thoughts, it wouldn’t be much of a problem; the world had many such people. But the Uchiha were different. The more extreme they were, the stronger their eye power became. Once they evolved to the Mangekyo Sharingan, they had both the drive and the power to put their extreme thoughts into action.
Just thinking about it was chilling.
In the Hokage’s office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was smoking his pipe while looking at a document.
Suddenly, he asked his assistant, “Did that Uchiha boy just complete an A-rank mission?”
Since the village was now closely monitoring the Uchiha clan, the report on Itachi’s completed mission reached the Hokage’s office almost immediately.
The assistant replied, “Yes, it was originally a B-rank commission, but since it involved the Hidden Cloud and they encountered the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, the mission center upgraded it to A-rank.”
While reviewing the mission record, the Third Hokage asked, “Is Hyuga Kyo connected to Orochimaru?”
The assistant responded, “Yes, during the war, Orochimaru used his influence to transfer him from the front lines to a field hospital, where he served as a guard for a while. He doesn’t use medical ninjutsu, but he’s skilled in treating external injuries and has a good reputation in the medical unit. Besides his association with Orochimaru, he has no other stains on his record.”
The Third Hokage then took out Hyuga Kyo’s personal file, glanced at it, and frowned, “Was there already an attempt to cleanse him?”
The assistant replied, “Yes, Root conducted a purge attempt, but it failed due to the intervention of unidentified rogue ninjas, resulting in the death of Root operative Mitsui Chuuichi.”
The Third Hokage’s frown deepened, “Unidentified rogue ninjas? Are we sure?”
The assistant said, “The Sand Village also reported that their assassination team responsible for the purge was entirely wiped out. Their report was vague, suggesting they know the identity of the culprit but don’t want to tell us. Our intelligence unit suspects the rogue ninja might be a Sand Village defector.”
The Third Hokage’s frown finally relaxed, “If we can confirm it wasn’t Hyuga Kyo, then let’s keep him under observation for a while longer. If there’s no further incident, remove him from the purge list.”
Following Orochimaru’s defection and the Nine-Tails’ attack, the village had lost three Kage-level combatants: Orochimaru, the Fourth Hokage, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, as well as many other ninjas. The village was severely weakened.
Moreover, intelligence from spies in the other great ninja villages suggested that they were plotting something, emboldened by Konoha’s recent misfortunes.
Adding to the internal issues with the Uchiha clan, the Third Hokage was already struggling to cope. Consequently, he had indefinitely halted Danzo’s proposed purges.
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