The battle came to an end.
With Hyuga Arin's overwhelming suppression as the result, he claimed an unquestionable victory.
Nawaki was unwilling to accept it—but in the end, he could only do so.
He never imagined that after graduating from the Ninja Academy, his "First Generation" would grow this fast.
"Come on, I'll treat you all to barbecue!" Arin suggested, looking at the three dejected kids.
"Long live the First Hokage!" Kushina's eyes lit up instantly.
Hyuga Arin figured he could now be compared to Senju Hashirama in some sense.
Sure, one was the founder of Konoha, while the other was the reformer who turned the Ninja Academy into a hot-blooded academy…
He just hoped Senju Tobirama wouldn't have any objections to him.
Minato also smiled, and Nawaki had already adjusted his mood.
"Let's go."
…
Inside the barbecue restaurant.
Arin admitted that he regretted it.
In his entire life, aside from today, he honestly couldn't recall any other moment of regret.
He stared at the stacks of meat plates piled up beside Nawaki and Kushina—already forming a small mountain.
Nearby, Minato wore a shy smile.
Why are you acting shy!?
No wonder Kushina calls you a sissy!
Arin had forgotten—Nawaki and Kushina could really eat!!!
"My wallet!!" Arin wailed internally.
He felt like this single meal could complete his wallet's weight-loss goal—something countless dieters dreamed of. His wallet was always ahead of them.
Having finished eating, Minato curiously asked,
"First Hokage-sama, do you have a dream?"
So every meal has to involve talking about dreams now?
Arin put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and said,
"Honestly, I don't really have a special dream."
"Probably… wipe out the four great ninja villages first."
You couldn't mention Konoha inside Konoha.
After wiping out the Five Great Villages, the EXP should be enough to max out his level—and maybe even synthesize all seven major chakra natures.
Minato's smile froze.
Wasn't this dream a bit… extreme?
The people of the four great villages were crying—they didn't even know they'd become part of someone else's dream.
"Well, maybe not like that—"
"Only that is the path to peace." Nawaki said with a sigh.
Hey, hey.
That has absolutely nothing to do with peace!!!
Not only Minato—even Kushina stopped chewing.
They knew Nawaki dreamed of dominating the ninja world, but they didn't realize it would be this extreme.
"Minato, what about your dream?" Arin quickly changed the topic.
"I want to become Hokage." Minato scratched his head awkwardly.
He felt his dream was still pretty normal.
"Then the Hokage will definitely be me!" Kushina immediately objected.
Minato grew serious.
"Only the position of Hokage—I absolutely won't give that up."
Arin and Nawaki exchanged glances.
Luckily, neither of them had much interest in becoming Hokage.
…Wait.
Didn't Nawaki also want to be Hokage?
"If it's Hokage, I won't yield either," Nawaki said calmly as he picked up a slice of meat.
"Because only by becoming Hokage can I start dominating the entire ninja world and bring true peace."
Arin silently put down his chopsticks.
He felt like he should move to another table.
This one should be called the Hokage Dream Table.
Why don't you all just fight it out?
…
Night.
Arin's feet crunched softly as he stepped through the snow.
The house he rented was closer to the outer ring of Konoha—after all, land in the inner ring was incredibly expensive. With three thousand ryō, you could only rent a small place there.
Under the moonlight, a slender figure stood at his gate.
Seeing the green flak jacket and the tied-up blonde ponytail—
"Yo, Tsunade-sensei. What brings you to visit an old teammate like me?" Arin asked with a smile.
Tsunade crossed her arms, staring coldly at him.
"Did Nawaki come looking for you today?"
"Nawaki's about to become a ninja. Don't you think you're interfering a bit too much, Lady Tsunade?" Arin replied calmly.
Her answer was her leg.
Arin raised both arms to block.
Bang!
Arin slid backward several meters before stopping.
"So even with me you're this arrogant—looks like your strength has given you confidence." Tsunade withdrew her leg, her voice cold.
"Stay away from Nawaki."
She had already noticed something was wrong with Nawaki's mindset—and she knew exactly who was responsible.
"Tsunade-sensei, I said it already—you're overstepping." Arin said bluntly, even arrogantly.
"Nawaki has his own path to walk."
Tsunade's expression darkened. She clenched her teeth, unable to say anything in response.
She truly believed Nawaki was walking down the wrong path, and as his sister, it was her responsibility to guide him back.
"Tsunade-sensei," Arin continued,
"a bird in a cage will eventually break free. How can you put shackles on Nawaki?"
"Everyone has their own road to walk. You can't control it—and neither can I."
Arin walked past Tsunade, completely exposing his back to her.
If she chose to strike, Arin might not react in time.
Tsunade remained silent for a long while, until she heard the sound of the door opening and closing.
She raised her head and looked up at the stars in the night sky.
They shone brightly—yet could not illuminate the boundless darkness.
"Breaking free from the birdcage…"
Tsunade murmured softly.
…
"Phew." Arin let out a light breath.
Act cool and run—that really felt good.
It wasn't like he'd actually exposed himself to danger. He had already dropped a kunai behind him; if anything went wrong, he could immediately use the Substitution Technique.
He wasn't stupid enough to leave himself completely unguarded.
Clearly, because of Nawaki, Tsunade's opinion of him had sunk pretty low.
But this wasn't the past anymore.
Even though only half a year had passed, his strength could already be considered jōnin-level.
Unless it was a fight to the death, Tsunade wouldn't find it easy to take him down.
After all, Tsunade hadn't yet reached her peak.
"Byakugan."
Through his Byakugan, Arin saw Tsunade lingering outside for quite some time before finally leaving.
She knew that things could no longer be changed.
"That Nawaki guy really knows how to cause me trouble…"
…
Tsunade returned home and went straight to Nawaki's room.
"Sis." Nawaki looked like a kid caught red-handed doing something bad.
Which wasn't true.
He hadn't done anything.
"Is something wrong, sis?" Nawaki put on an obedient expression.
Tsunade hesitated, completely unsure how to educate her younger brother.
Grandma Mito, because of the Uzumaki clan's fate, had sunk into depression—and her health was already poor. She stayed in her room most of the time.
At home, only Tsunade could teach Nawaki—but she was also extremely busy, which was why she'd neglected his upbringing.
"Nawaki," Tsunade said gravely,
"from now on, stay away from that Hyuga Arin."
Nawaki looked at her in surprise.
"Sis, do you maybe misunderstand Brother Arin?"
Tsunade snorted coldly.
"What misunderstanding could I have about him? A reckless man, through and through."
Nawaki thought for a moment, then said carefully,
"Sis… Brother Hyuga Arin isn't the kind of person you think he is."
◇ You can read 96+ Chapters Ahead on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/CanonBreaker
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter