Naruto Birdcage

Several ninjas arrived at the Hyuga clan's estate, reportedly sent by the Hokage to investigate the death of Hyuga Hitsuo.

Among them, a particularly noticeable figure was a blond man wearing clothes adorned with the Yamanaka clan's crest.

This wasn't something Makoto needed to concern himself with.

It seemed the Hyuga clan had chosen to keep the theft of the Byakugan a secret, which meant the investigation would never lead back to him.

And truthfully, it really had nothing to do with him.

Ayari hurriedly rushed to Makoto's house again, her face full of worry.

"Makoto, I heard your surgery has been postponed…"

From her expression, it seemed she was worried that Makoto might overthink the situation.

"Yes, the clan said there were some issues. They'll make a decision after Lord Hiashi returns."

Makoto remained remarkably calm about the situation.

He was reading again, as it was his only daily pastime.

He had already finished all the books in the house, and that set of Human Acupuncture Charts had been flipped through repeatedly.

Ayari felt that Makoto's reaction wasn't quite right.

After hesitating, she asked, "Are… you okay?"

Makoto replied, "What could be wrong with me? I'm about to recover soon."

Ayari thought that even if Makoto didn't have an extreme reaction, he should at least feel a little down.

But instead, he was lounging casually on the sofa with a carefree expression.

She walked over and sat down across from Makoto, glancing at the book in his hands.

After some thought, she said, "You've been reading that book a lot lately."

"Just reviewing it since I have nothing else to do," Makoto replied.

Suddenly, he sat up straight on the sofa, staring intently at Ayari with unblinking eyes.

"W-What are you doing?" Ayari tensed up under his piercing gaze.

"Ayari-nee, give me your hand," Makoto said.

He had studied the book so many times but had never had the chance to practice.

After a brief hesitation, Ayari slowly extended her arm.

Makoto showed no hesitation as he took her hand directly and rolled up her sleeve, revealing her fair, delicate skin.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Ayari asked, "What… are you trying to do?"

Makoto's hand lightly brushed along Ayari's arm, as if searching for something.

His actions gave Ayari the impression that he was about to insert a needle.

"This spot here is Taiyuan, right?" Makoto said, pointing to a spot on Ayari's wrist.

Ayari fell silent for a moment before finally replying softly, "Yes."

"If struck here, one would no longer be able to form seals or use ninjutsu," Makoto continued.

Ayari sighed softly and then used her other hand to slightly adjust Makoto's finger on her wrist.

"The chakra pathways in the human body are incredibly fine and require extreme precision. Without the Byakugan, it's impossible to see them clearly."

She felt like she understood what Makoto was thinking.

This child had become a little obsessed—was he trying to use Gentle Fist without relying on the Byakugan?

"Makoto" Ayari suddenly grasped Makoto's hand in return, her eyes filled with a trace of sadness.

"You don't have to do this. The war will be over soon.

Once Lord Hiashi returns, everything will be decided.

For now, just rest at home and pretend you're not a ninja."

Makoto froze for a moment, and upon seeing the emotions in Ayari's eyes, he realized she had misunderstood him.

"I told you, I'm fine. I just want to study some things," Makoto explained.

"Really?" Ayari still looked unconvinced. At this point, she was almost certain that Makoto was mentally struggling to cope with the blow he had suffered.

Makoto felt a bit helpless and decided not to explain further.

He leaned back on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling of his home.

"Ayari-nee, why not find me some books?" he suddenly said.

"Books?" Ayari was momentarily stunned.

"If I'm reading, I won't overthink things."

"What kind of books do you want?" Ayari asked, still puzzled.

"Books about the human body, chakra—anything like that will do."

Ayari thought for a moment before saying, "I can help you find some books."

"Thank you, Ayari-nee."

Seeing Makoto return to his book, Ayari still felt uneasy.

After much deliberation, she said, "How about I introduce you to a girl?"

Makoto froze for a moment. "What did you just say?"

Ayari looked completely serious.

"She's from our clan too. You've seen her before.

Honestly, I think you're a bit unworthy of her, but you can still get to know each other."

In Ayari's mind, Makoto was at an age where he should be curious about and fascinated by the opposite sex.

Perhaps this would be a good way to distract him.

"It's settled then. I'll bring her over another day."

....

Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished another strategy meeting with several high-ranking officials of the village.

When he returned to his office, he found Orochimaru casually sitting in his chair, flipping through the documents on his desk.

That was the Hokage's seat—a place no one had ever dared to sit in during the Third Hokage's tenure.

Hiruzen didn't say anything about it.

Instead, he walked over slowly and asked, "What brings you here?"

Orochimaru picked up a letter and said, "They're all requests for supplies. Has the shipment from the daimyo been delayed again?"

Hiruzen didn't answer the question directly but instead chuckled lightly. "I'm surprised you're interested in matters like these."

Orochimaru replied, "It's my village, after all. Naturally, I should care about its affairs."

These words made Hiruzen's eyes flicker with a complex emotion.

After a brief silence, he said, "Would you be willing to go to the battlefield in the Land of Water?"

But Orochimaru countered with a question of his own:

"If we repel the Mist Ninja, will we win this war?"

Hiruzen frowned and remained silent.

Of course not. The greatest threat to Konoha right now was still the Land of Earth to the north—the most pressing enemy at the moment.

The Hidden Mist Village didn't seem intent on launching a full-scale war against Konoha, but instead carried out constant small-scale skirmishes, likely hoping to exploit Konoha's exhaustion and strike when the opportunity arose.

Orochimaru lounged casually in the Hokage's chair, one hand resting on the armrest while supporting his cheek, smiling faintly as he stared at Hiruzen.

But Hiruzen avoided meeting his gaze directly.

In the entire village, only Orochimaru dared to treat him, the Third Hokage, with such an attitude.

If Jiraiya had behaved this disrespectfully, Hiruzen would have kicked him down the stairs and scolded him on the spot.

But Jiraiya would never act this way.

"Minato is becoming more and more impressive.

Listening to his achievements in the village, I almost feel like the war will soon be won under his leadership."

Hiruzen fell silent for a moment before asking, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Orochimaru picked up a letter from the desk and said, "Naturally, I wish to ease the village's burdens. How about letting me handle the issue with the daimyo's supplies?"

Hiruzen replied, "The daimyo has never defaulted on supplies. They understand the gravity of the situation. Delaying for a few days is merely their way of expressing dissatisfaction."

Orochimaru didn't argue further.

Instead, he asked, "Do you not want me to go?"

Hiruzen was momentarily speechless and fell silent again.

After a long pause, he frowned and said, "Don't cause trouble."

Orochimaru sneered, "It's just a matter of securing supplies. What are you so worried about? At most, I'll reaffirm Konoha's loyalty to the daimyo."

With that, Orochimaru stood up from his seat and left the room.

"I'll depart tomorrow. Hiruzen-sensei, please arrange a team to accompany me."

Orochimaru walked past Hiruzen without stopping, heading straight for the door of the office.

Hearing the sound of the door closing behind him, Hiruzen let out a long sigh.

He looked at the spot where Orochimaru had just sat, his gaze complex and filled with mixed emotions.

Orochimaru, are you expressing dissatisfaction with me? Why can't you let go...?

End of chapter

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