NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Konoha left a strange impression. No joke, it was the first time I had seen such a, well, "flattened" city. Almost entirely devoid of high-rise buildings, most homes were two-story structures, with three-story ones being a rare exception. That wouldn't have been an issue, but the city, thanks to its sparse, low-rise construction, sprawled across an impressive area. Essentially, it was like a massive, nearly flat pancake. The completely flat rooftops were a playground for 12- to 14-year-olds, who dashed across them with remarkable agility. I get it, shinobi are shinobi, but 10- to 12-meter-long jumps at the height of a second story? That was impressive.
Curious about the city's layout, I asked Hizashi about it and received an interesting answer: it was mostly radial, except for the clan districts, where the clans built their territories in whatever manner suited them. At the center, as Hizashi explained, were the Hokage Tower, a complex of administrative buildings, and the central ANBU headquarters, which itself was like a self-contained district, off-limits to outsiders.
It turned out that almost every district of the city had its own school for regular children. After all, Konoha was home to many non-shinobi residents. Someone had to handle the washing, cleaning, sewing, cooking, and even managing waste. Additionally, every district had its own clinic, staffed by shinobi medics.
As for the clan districts, Hizashi explained that they were also isolated. Entry wasn't strictly forbidden for non-clan members or ordinary civilians, but it was heavily regulated. When I asked what that even meant, I received a clear answer: if caught, you probably wouldn't be killed, but you'd certainly face a lot of trouble.
Hizashi turned out to be a very patient storyteller, answering the endless stream of questions from the overly curious kid I'd apparently become. He seemed to be cutting me some slack because of my age and recent trauma. The funny thing was, how did a calm and collected 19-year-old college student turn into this fountain of questions? Maybe the age of my current body was influencing me after all.
It's odd when you think about it—a 19-year-old mind in a 6-year-old body. Hormones and other quirks belonged to the six-year-old, but situational assessments came from the 19-year-old. The result was a strange mix: I enjoyed looking at girls, but I didn't feel the need to rush into "horizontal" relationships with anyone. Still, the thought of the upcoming puberty phase filled me with dread.
Hizashi explained that we were heading to the southeastern part of Konoha, where the Hyūga district was located. Considering we had entered the so-called "hidden village" from the northeast, it meant we had quite a walk ahead of us. After about half an hour of strolling, during which Hizashi patiently endured my barrage of questions, he led me into a small restaurant.
What can I say—it vaguely resembled a summer café I had visited back in my student days. A low, decorative wooden fence enclosed the space, with airy pavilions made of narrow, dark wooden planks. Broad tables of the same dark wood were paired with surprisingly comfortable benches. It was cozy, not too hot, and there weren't even any flies. If the food turned out to be good, I might have just found my dream café.
No one offered me a menu; Hizashi made the order himself. When the food arrived, I understood the wisdom of that choice. I was served fluffy rice porridge with vegetables and chunks of meat in a mild vegetable sauce—not too spicy! Meanwhile, the food served to the shinobi looked like something I'd never manage to eat. It was a plate of grilled, chopped meat on a large wooden board, exuding a strong aroma of pepper and other spices. Right, this was Asia, after all, and the food here was… intense, to say the least. I'd have to get used to it.
After the meal, we continued our journey. This time, Hizashi took control of the conversation. Using a series of intricate hand signs accompanied by flashes of chakra through his channels and tenketsu, he declared that any eavesdroppers would now be out of luck. Then, he shifted the topic to a much more serious matter.
"So, Akira-chan, what do you think of Konoha?" the shinobi asked with interest.
"It's a beautiful city, Hizashi-san. And the people are so welcoming. I was beginning to think I wouldn't survive such a warm reception," I replied with a crooked smile, fully aware of what he was hinting at.
"Yes, the reception was quite... warm. Do you have any thoughts on why it was so?" Hizashi's tone was calm, but his sharp gaze betrayed his curiosity.
"Well… Considering that the man with the bandaged eye was there—Danzo, if I'm not mistaken—it was clear that the ones greeting us were operatives from Root ANBU. Danzo's left eye, wrapped in chakra channels and accompanied by a triple tenketsu under the bandages, looked like a transplanted Sharingan, didn't it?"
"I can't see chakra channels, as the Byakugan of Life isn't available to me, but those three tenketsu… Yes, that's exactly how an ordinary Uchiha Sharingan looks. Do you know how Danzo acquired it?"
"I don't know the details. In the manga, Danzo didn't appear until long after the Uchiha massacre. From what I understand, there were plenty of free Sharingan available after the slaughter."
"When did this massacre take place?" Hizashi's face tightened slightly, though his tone remained even.
"I don't remember exactly. Sasuke Uchiha, one of the main characters, was still a small child—probably in his first or second year at the Academy."
"Alright, we'll discuss this later," Hizashi said, a slight frown on his face. "For now, let's return to the matter of Danzo. He supposedly acquired his Sharingan from the black market. You can find all sorts of things for sale there. However, it takes someone with extraordinary courage—or recklessness—to go through with such a transplant. Sharingan consumes an immense amount of chakra from non-Uchiha users."
"Was his eye kept bandaged because a transplanted Sharingan is always active?" I clarified, noting the growing number of inconsistencies.
"Exactly, little one. The issue isn't just the chakra consumption—it does that even when bandaged. The real danger lies in the strain it places on the brain. The constant flow of information from an active Sharingan can lead to fatal exhaustion," Hizashi explained in a teacherly tone. "For a Byakugan user, the same principle applies. You can't keep a chakra-enhanced dōjutsu active for long—it's too taxing. That's why the Byakugan of Life is useful for training eye channels; it doesn't place a heavy load unless fed significant chakra."
"Now then, Akira-chan, I want your opinion on something. Why do you think Danzo, the head of Root, showed up personally at the gates?"
"He shouldn't have been there at all! According to the manga, Danzo preferred to stay in the shadows, acting solely through proxies. The only time he appeared publicly was when he became Hokage…" I didn't get to finish.
"He became what?" Hizashi abruptly stopped. "Repeat that."
"The Sixth Hokage of the Leaf," I stated firmly, watching the shock flicker across Hizashi's face. For all their stoic demeanor, shinobi were still human—capable of being genuinely surprised. It was oddly reassuring.
"Alright," Hizashi sighed. "We'll discuss this later, back at the Hyūga compound. Even under a veil of silence, I don't want to talk about it here."
"Now, listen to me. It's obvious that Danzo has already gotten information about what happened. Most likely, a patrol team from 'Root' stumbled upon the site of our encounter and conducted an investigation. Well-trained sensors can track chakra usage even hours after it occurred and understand how it was used. And Danzo has no shortage of skilled sensors," Hizashi paused in thought. "So, they likely discovered the battle site, traced my actions and those of my students, and realized that all four chakra centers of an unidentified shinobi had been initiated. Moreover, this shinobi underwent the ritual to awaken the Hyūga clan's dōjutsu. Remember this, Akiro-chan: in such matters, no one believes in coincidences. No one believes in anything at all. Either you know the truth of the situation, or you assume the worst. I don't know exactly what Danzo concluded, but it was enough for him to show up at Konoha's gates with three dozen operatives. And you can bet he has drawn his conclusions. Any questions, Akiro-chan?"
"Just one, Hizashi-san." I tried my best to express my overwhelming confusion. "This is all very interesting, but... why are you telling me all of this?"
"If fate gives you a lesson, Akiro-chan," Hizashi replied in an utterly neutral tone, "then you'd better learn it. There may not be a second chance!"
"Looks like we've been talking too long," Hizashi casually changed the topic, rolling up his sleeve to glance at his watch. "How are your legs holding up? We've been walking for two hours now."
"They're a bit tired," I admitted. A mild understatement, to be honest. Walking barefoot along a dusty road was one thing, but walking on the stone-paved streets of Konoha was entirely different.
Without a word, Hizashi picked me up. Damn it, here we go again with the obstacle course. And indeed, the shinobi took off at full speed, leaping across rooftops. Ten minutes of rapid running and jumping, during which I clung to the collar of his jacket so tightly my fingers hurt, and we arrived at the gates of the Hyūga compound. Honestly, at first, I didn't even realize where we were. A park? I wasn't sure. It took me a while to understand that I was looking at a living hedge. Even then, it looked more like a piece of jungle, interwoven with thorny vines that seemed sharp even at a glance. Somehow, gates in a Chinese style were embedded into this solid wall of vegetation. The upper part of the gate was a wide arc of carved, red-painted wood, its tips curving upward like horns. The gates were, of course, adorned with the Hyūga clan's emblem. Exotic, to say the least.