Genetics is a remarkably complex field, one well worth deep study.
For instance, during Naruto's growth, the early death of Kushina meant he should have received no direct maternal influence. In reality, however, their personalities shared so many commonalities they were practically identical.
One had to wonder if the "Bloody Habanero" shared Naruto's paralyzing fear of ghosts as well... It was a question worth exploring.
Realistically, if one wanted to guarantee Kushina's safety, the purest and simplest method would be to erase the very event of Naruto-kun's birth. But that was something Hagoromo simply could not do.
He had neither the reason nor the means to prevent the union of Kushina and Minato.
In truth, Hagoromo supported her marriage to Minato in his heart; the reasons for this required no further explanation.
After meeting with Kushina, Hagoromo did not linger in Konoha. He quickly returned to the front lines.
Traveling with him were his teammates, Yuhi Kurenai and Yamashiro Aoba.
For some reason, even during a rare period of squad downtime, Sarutobi Asuma had chosen not to return to the village, remaining instead at the front.
Was it a love for war? Unlikely. Some sort of family friction? Hagoromo didn't know.
The decision left Hagoromo utterly perplexed.
Regardless of how miserable it was—even with his "confidante" nowhere in sight—Asuma stayed put at the front lines.
When the three finally reached the camp, they immediately spotted Asuma, standing there like a "wife-waiting stone."
At the sight of his returning teammates, Asuma's eyes lit up instantly. He offered a quick greeting to Kurenai and Aoba before turning impatiently to Hagoromo. "Captain, I heard you were involved in another special, high-level operation?"
Despite being stuck at the front, this guy had sharp ears and far-reaching connections. Things he should know, things he shouldn't—he knew a lot of them. After all, being the son of the Hokage came with its fair share of perks.
"How do you know about a classified mission?"
Hagoromo was genuinely curious about Asuma's intelligence network, but the other man only offered a knowing smile.
"I did participate in an operation. Based on the number of shinobi deployed and the power balance involved, the difficulty should have been A-rank. However, given its significance, it was ultimately classified as an S-rank mission..."
"Unfortunately, it was all for nothing. The mission was a failure."
Asuma shot a glance at Kurenai and Aoba, then pulled Hagoromo aside, lowering his voice. "So, did the Hyuga clan really lose a Byakugan?"
You know way too much.
But since Asuma had already pinpointed the mission's content, Hagoromo didn't hesitate. He gave a direct nod.
Since Asuma was already this well-informed, there was no point in playing the secrecy card.
"..."
Asuma slapped his hand against his face, wanting to say something, but ultimately offered no opinion on the matter.
After two minutes of silence, as if he had finally processed the weight of it, he... well, he ran off to shower Kurenai with concern and attention.
Seeing he was no longer needed, Hagoromo spoke up. "You guys chat. I have other business to take care of."
Upon arriving at the camp, he had received word to pack his things and report to Jiraiya immediately.
Hagoromo had assumed it was another special squad assignment, but to his surprise, it turned out to be a mission specifically for him.
A year's time is enough to bring significant growth to any young shinobi, whether in physical stature or raw strength.
This was true for Hagoromo, and it was true for the others as well.
A quick look at Hagoromo's current mission record: D-rank: 18; C-rank: 8; B-rank: 62; A-rank: 4; S-rank: 4.
He had certainly handled his fair share of high-level assignments.
When Hagoromo reached Jiraiya, he found the man alone in his tent.
After exchanging greetings, Jiraiya wasted no time on pleasantries. He pointed toward the war map on the table and began.
"A year ago, we achieved peace with the Sand and the Rain. Since then, the Sand has ceased operations against Konoha. As for the Rain... while I hold serious objections to certain dealings between Danzo and Hanzo, the village's decisions are not moved by my personal will, unfortunately..."
A flicker of emotion crossed Jiraiya's face before he continued.
"However, for reasons unknown, Hanzo's movements have become ambiguous. His attitude toward the so-called 'rebel' forces has shifted. What he truly intends to do is currently unclear..."
"You're not going to make me sneak into the Rain to investigate Hanzo, are you?"
Hagoromo asked with a sideways glance. This felt ominous; if it were truly a high-risk mission like that, Hagoromo wouldn't be able to find a single reason to stay strong, nor would he ever feel Jiraiya's "gentleness" again.
Fortunately, Jiraiya shook his head at Hagoromo's words.
Unfortunately, Jiraiya shook his head.
"It's not that. I mentioned it because we can likely maintain our state of peace with the Rain according to the agreement."
"What I am about to tell you is top-secret information. It is forbidden to leak this to anyone else." As he spoke, Jiraiya's expression turned solemn.
"I understand," Hagoromo replied, well aware of the gravity.
"Before we proceed, I have to ask: can you still use that technique?"
"I've got one shot left in me."
Hagoromo naturally understood that Jiraiya was referring to the Super-Electromagnetic Cannon he had used against Yagura. Because of the "cooldown time" Hagoromo had fabricated previously, Jiraiya felt the need to ask.
However, the moment the words left his mouth, Hagoromo sensed something was wrong.
Sure enough, Jiraiya looked as though he had breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."
Then, he began to lay out the top-secret intel.
"After a year of continuous skirmishes, the border between the Sand and the Rock has reached a brief equilibrium. The Sand lacks the power for a large-scale counterattack, and the Rock seems to have lost their appetite for conquering the Land of Wind..."
"But the Hidden Rock is not at rest."
"According to reports from our spies, the Rock is about to redeploy its forces to launch a massive surprise assault on the Hidden Cloud."
"This intel is definitive. Therefore, our plan is to mobilize on a large scale once the Rock begins their move. We will effectively pincer the Cloud, depleting their combat strength and forcing them into a dilemma that compels them to withdraw from the war."
"Considering the Cloud and Konoha have a very mature tactical rivalry, it's difficult to divert manpower from this side. Given the scale of the Rock's deployment, we suspect the Cloud will deploy their elite forces to intercept them... perhaps even the Raikage himself."
"Your mission is here... specifically..."
As Jiraiya pointed to a specific location on the map, he began to detail the plan for Hagoromo.
After listening to the mission description, Hagoromo could only use one phrase to describe his feelings.
"Holy shit!"
This was a complex, double-layered mission!
He'd rather go investigate that old man Hanzo in the Rain, okay?