Chương 167: A Year-End Gathering of Friends

People's ambitions are never static. They evolve with time and capability. Just like those who buy lottery tickets often imagine that if they ever hit the jackpot, they'd retire in comfort and live a carefree life. In reality, very few can. Once wealth truly falls into their hands, their desires swell alongside it. Only those with unwavering resolve can remain true to their original intentions. After being reborn into the ninja world, Dongye zhen's goals had been simple.

His previous life hadn't been particularly successful, so all he wanted was to study diligently, train hard, and savor the wonders of life. Back when he was weak, he had never considered interfering with anyone else's fate. His own safety and growth always came first. The White Fang incident. The outbreak of the Third Shinobi War. The tragedy of Minato's team. He had never once tried to change any of them. At the time, he lacked both the strength and the standing.

Any attempt to alter those events would likely have accomplished nothing except dragging his family into danger. Now, however, things were different. Though he still had no habit of meddling in the destinies of others, he was willing to act when tragedy struck within reach. The Nine-Tails incident, for example. Some disasters affected all of Konoha. His family lived here too. Whether he intervened or not, they would still suffer the consequences.

If that was the case, he might as well steer events toward an outcome he preferred. Truthfully, the moment he arrived in this world, the timeline he remembered had already begun to diverge. But his influence on the wider world likely began in June of Konoha Year 50, when he stepped onto the battlefield of the Third Shinobi War. Among the original Konoha Twelve, Tenten was the oldest, followed by Hyuga Neji and Rock Lee. All three had been born last year and were largely unaffected by Dongye zhen's existence.

As for Rock Lee, Dongye zhen had no idea where the boy lived or who his parents were. Nor did he have any intention of digging through ANBU records to find out. The nine rookies born this year were the ones most influenced by his presence. Whether they would grow into the same people he remembered remained to be seen. On December 27th of Konoha Year 51—three days after Dongye zhen returned from the northern front—Hyuga Hinata was born, daughter of Hyuga Hiashi and heir to the Main House.

Would she still grow up to possess that gentle exterior and iron will hidden beneath? Dongye zhen wasn't sure. The birth of the Hyuga heir was significant news within Konoha. Any ninja of standing would hear about it. Yet the Hyuga Clan remained one of the most traditional and insular families in the ninja world. They didn't throw lavish banquets for births, one-month celebrations, or first birthdays. Instead, they closed their doors and celebrated privately according to ancient Hyuga customs.

In that regard, they were even more secluded than the Uchiha, placing far less importance on integrating with the village or strengthening communal bonds. Fortunately, the strategic value of the Byakugan was immense, while the branch family—who made up the majority of the clan—remained controlled through the Caged Bird Seal. Combined with the clan's inability to consistently produce top-tier monsters, Konoha's leadership generally left them alone.

Most importantly, unlike the Sharingan, the Byakugan didn't come bundled with emotional instability or a tendency to produce dangerous extremists. Follow orders when needed. Live quietly the rest of the time. For those in power, a clan that didn't cause trouble was a good clan. By December 30th, most of Konoha had entered holiday mode, save for essential personnel. The Cloud forces on the northern front and the Mist forces in the southeast had both settled down.

Even the smaller villages still busy beating each other's brains out throughout the ninja world had grown noticeably quieter. Ninjas were human too. They wanted a peaceful New Year. After all, who knew whether they'd still be alive by the next one? That evening, Dongye zhen brought Yamato along to a gathering at Yakiniku Q. After graduation, missions scattered everyone in different directions. It had become difficult to gather like they had during their academy days.

The New Year holiday was one of the few opportunities everyone shared. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. By the time the pair arrived at the reserved private room, everyone else was already there. Gekko Hayate. Uzuki Yugao. Uchiha Shisui. Hyuga Tokuma. Aburame Muta. Inuzuka Meko. And Hayate's former classmate, Tsubaki. Including Dongye zhen and Yamato, there were nine people in total. These were the classmates and friends closest to him in Konoha.

As for Nisa—that mangy mutt—unfortunately, Yakiniku Q's owner refused to allow animals at the table. The Inuzuka Clan was currently lobbying for equal dining rights for their canine partners. In a sense, they might have been the ninja world's earliest animal-rights activists. Ninken truly were mankind's most loyal companions. Unlike those arrogant ninja cats. Cats couldn't care less what humans thought. If they wanted to eat somewhere, they'd eat there. Freedom was the whole point.

Yamato had been invited personally by Dongye zhen. Since he'd left Root and was living as a normal ninja now, it was only natural that he make some friends his own age. Excluding Yamato, who had never attended the academy, and Tsubaki, who had yet to graduate, the remaining seven could be considered the rookie stars of Konoha's previous two graduating classes. Unlike the future Konoha Twelve, however, these children had graduated early because of the war and had already seen combat.

Their strength and experience far exceeded what the original rookies possessed at graduation. During wartime, becoming a Chunin at eight or nine years old was commonplace. In peacetime, twelve-year-olds were only just leaving the academy. It wasn't that the future generation was weaker. They had simply grown up in a different era. And early graduation was hardly a blessing. Many of those students had already died on the battlefield.

Unlike the disciplined demeanor he maintained inside the Hyuga compound, Tokuma became a completely different person once outside. He was cheerful, outgoing, and invariably the loudest person at every gathering. Quite a few branch-family Hyuga were similar. Perhaps years of repression at home had something to do with it. Dongye zhen introduced Yamato and briefly explained their relationship, though he omitted anything involving Root or the Wood Release experiments. Tokuma blinked.

"Wait, doesn't that mean you've basically got a little brother now, Zhen?"

"More or less," Dongye zhen replied.

"If Yamato's fine with it." Yamato nodded honestly.

"I don't mind. It actually sounds kind of nice." Tokuma slung an arm around his shoulder and grinned.

"Of course it does. Zhen's ridiculously dependable. Honestly, you've got me wishing for a younger brother or sister too. Shame my parents aren't interested in having another kid." Dongye zhen immediately replied,"No need to trouble them. I'd be happy to become your older brother instead. Come on—let's hear you call me Big Brother."

"Drop dead!"

"Hahahahaha!" The room erupted with laughter. Even Shisui, whose expression had grown more melancholic than before, laughed wholeheartedly. He cherished moments like this. Here, surrounded by friends, he could temporarily forget the increasingly strained relationship between his clan and the village. Here, clan affiliations didn't matter. He could throw an arm around a Hyuga's shoulder without a second thought. To him, this was what the relationship between clan and village should look like.

Dongye zhen glanced at Tokuma.

"I figured you'd still be stuck in the Land of Hot Water."

"No chance," Tokuma replied.

"Once the young lord officially became Daimyo, our escort mission was finished. Now that he's the Daimyo, those Cloud bastards can't exactly move against him so easily." Aburame Muta suddenly spoke.

"Honestly, staying there wouldn't have been so bad."

"Exactly!" Tokuma agreed.

"Maybe we could've even joined the fighting at Sakama Mine." Inuzuka Meko snorted.

"You two are insane. I heard the Two-Tails jinchūriki was on that battlefield. No way I'd want to face a monster like that." Tokuma rolled his inherited Byakugan dramatically.

"So what if she was a jinchūriki? Zhen nearly killed her." Meko shot back immediately.

"Yeah, but she lost to Zhen. She could still kill us."

"She's right," Dongye zhen said.

"Jinchūriki are dangerous. And Muta, you probably don't know this, but the Two-Tails specializes in fire." Silence. Every insect user feared fire. The Aburame Clan had yet to solve that particular problem. Tokuma turned toward Shisui.

"What about you guys in the southeast? Didn't run into any jinchūriki?"

"No." Shisui shook his head.

"We never fought the Mist on that scale. Besides..." He paused briefly.

"In front of the Uchiha Clan, I doubt Kirigakure would be foolish enough to deploy a jinchūriki." To keep the Uchiha occupied and out of trouble, the Third Hokage had stationed them in the southeast to play cat-and-mouse with the Mist. Shisui had spent most of the war there. His repeated achievements had already earned him a reputation among Kirigakure's forces. Many people in the ninja world knew that the Sharingan could control tailed beasts. The Mist would never gamble one of their jinchūriki against an Uchiha.

Assuming they even had one available in the first place. Hayate, thanks in no small part to Dongye zhen's influence, was far stronger than his original counterpart at this age. He had earned considerable merit on the battlefield alongside his team and had become quite famous among his academy peers. Many female classmates admired him. Unfortunately for them, Hayate trained with almost obsessive dedication in an effort to close the gap between himself and Dongye zhen.

His mindset could be summarized quite simply: No women in the heart, and the sword naturally becomes divine. As a result, the only girl he still regularly interacted with was his former desk partner, Tsubaki. At the moment, however, Tsubaki was feeling rather overwhelmed. Unlike everyone else present, she had yet to graduate. Surrounded by a room full of young prodigies, the pressure was immense. She sighed to Yugao and Meko.

"I'm honestly jealous of all of you. I'm still just an academy student." Meko shook her head.

"Nothing to envy. You're only seeing the survivors. You aren't seeing everyone who died." She paused.

"Remember Nokana from your class? The first time she encountered an enemy, she lost her life. Just like that. Completely meaningless." Her expression softened.

"Honestly, not graduating early was probably a blessing." Yugao nodded vigorously.

"Exactly. War is brutal. And honestly, you don't need to obsess over combat strength. You could develop talents in other fields." Tsubaki brightened slightly.

"Actually... I've always wanted to become a medical ninja."

"Oh, then you should ask Zhen," Yugao said immediately.

"His medical ninjutsu is incredible." Tsubaki froze.

"R-Really? Is that okay?" Dongye zhen smiled.

"Of course. If you want to become a medical ninja, now's the time to start building your foundation." He thought for a moment.

"When I get home, I'll organize my old study materials and notes. Tomorrow, I'll have Hayate deliver them to you." Tsubaki's eyes widened.

"And if there's anything you don't understand later, you can ask my mother at the hospital." Tsubaki nearly sprang from her seat.

"Really? Thank you so much!" Everyone gathered here came from ninja families. The Dongye family hadn't originally been a clan, but they still possessed two generations of accumulated experience. Tsubaki's circumstances were different. She came from an ordinary civilian household. No ninja relatives. No inherited knowledge. No mentors to guide her. If she wanted to learn, she often had nowhere to start. Dongye zhen had always enjoyed helping his friends grow stronger. And he enjoyed moments like this as well.

After all, humans were social creatures. No one could truly stand alone in the world forever.