Chapter 14

As the flame of ambition burned fiercely in his heart, Hyuga Kagami's thoughts became increasingly sharp.

White Fang, the Sannin—the shadow-level powerhouses of their generation—were either dead, defected, or missing. Only Jiraiya remained, disinterested and detached from the race for the Hokage seat.

Among the Fourth Hokage and Kushina's generation, aside from the powerful couple themselves, the other clan heads—like Hyuga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—were strong, but still fell slightly short of true Kage-level power.

The talent gap in Konoha was now undeniable!

For Konoha, this was a serious crisis. But for Hyuga Kagami, it was a golden opportunity.

Because now, his only real rivals were peers like Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Shisui, and Itachi—fellow members of the new generation.

Shisui and Itachi, while both powerful members of the Uchiha, were also victims of the tension between their clan and the village. The stronger they became, the more the village feared them—essentially removing them from the competition.

"The future... this is going to be my stage!"

Kagami's heart brimmed with confidence. It was both faith in himself and a bold vision for the future.

But first, he had to deal with two major problems.

The first was his Tenseigan. While Hyuga clan members rarely activated their Byakugan casually in the village, there was always a risk. Should anyone activate theirs in his presence, his Tenseigan would be exposed. The difference between his star-filled Tenseigan and the pure white Byakugan was simply too distinct.

The second issue was his identity as a former subordinate of Orochimaru.

For now, Kagami had no solid plan to deal with the Tenseigan risk, except to avoid Hyuga clansmen as much as possible. As for the second problem, given the village's current shortage of manpower and the fact that the Uchiha were attracting all the attention, Kagami believed he could handle it with the right moves.

His expression darkened slightly. "I'm still just a Chuunin. A wartime-promoted Chuunin at that. My position is so low that anyone can step on me!"

These past few months had been nothing but frustrating.

The constant orders, the shame of being listed for 'cleansing,' the feeling of helplessness—all of it had taught him a simple truth:

If you don't want to be stepped on, you have to climb higher.

"In this village, I need a new persona—one that's completely different from the mediocre self I was before."

Thinking about how to elevate his status, Kagami naturally thought of the Fourth Hokage.

Indeed, the Fourth was a classic example of a civilian rising through the ranks.

If he had to summarize the Fourth's defining traits, Kagami immediately thought: strength, charisma, and high visibility.

The harsher the war, the brighter the stage.

It was the Third Great Ninja War that made the Fourth Hokage shine, allowing a young civilian to ascend to the highest authority in the ninja world.

Now that the war was over, if Kagami wanted to earn widespread recognition, he had to be even more high-profile than the Fourth.

He needed to appear before everyone as an overwhelming powerhouse, so that when the thought of a new Hokage arose, his name would instantly come to mind.

Of course, crafting a new persona couldn't be rushed—it had to be a gradual transformation. Otherwise, he'd only attract suspicion from the village elders.

With his plan in place, Kagami got to work immediately.

In times of peace, the quickest way to showcase one's abilities was through missions. A solid mission record was also essential for promotion.

Without delay, he headed to the mission center.

Compared to usual, the mission center was noticeably quieter today.

Approaching the counter, Kagami said, "I'm Chuunin Hyuga Kagami. Can you show me the available B-rank missions?"

The staff member verified his identity and handed him a mission list. "These are the current B-rank missions. I suggest picking one from the first few pages—the clients have been waiting impatiently."

Kagami was aware that the village was critically understaffed and many missions were piling up, so he said nothing more and began reviewing the list.

Konoha's mission classification was strict. Jounin could accept all missions, including S-rank. Chuunin were limited to B through D ranks. Genin could only take C and D ranks.

In general:

- S-rank missions involved assassinations, espionage, and were usually tied to major organizations.

- A-rank missions often involved escorting VIPs or hunting rogue ninja.

- B to D ranks were civilian requests. B and C often included combat; D did not.

Kagami, being a Chuunin with strength approaching that of a Special Jounin even without using the Third Kazekage puppet, found B-rank missions most suitable.

As he scanned the list, his brows furrowed.

The difficulty wasn't the issue—it was that almost every mission required a team. The smallest groups allowed were two-person squads.

Just then, a small figure stepped up to the window beside him.

Kagami glanced sideways and was taken aback.

It was none other than Uchiha Itachi—the young prodigy of the Uchiha clan!

Though only six or seven years old, Itachi exuded a maturity far beyond his age. He flipped through the mission list with the composure of an adult.

After a moment, he returned the list and asked in a childlike voice, "Excuse me, are there any C-rank missions that can be taken solo?"

The staff member, seemingly used to dealing with Uchiha, didn't bat an eye. "No, you'll need to form a team with someone you know."

Itachi sighed softly, "Guess I'll have to wait for Shisui to return."

Kagami chuckled. "Kid, you haven't even graduated yet, have you?"

"The academy's been on break for four months due to the reconstruction," Itachi replied politely.

Kagami hadn't expected the academy to be a casualty of the Nine-Tails incident. "Well, if you're on break, stay home and rest. Going on missions alone is dangerous."

Itachi answered seriously, "The village is short-staffed. Missions are piling up. If we let that continue, Konoha's reputation will suffer, and fewer clients will request our services."

Kagami paused, unsure of how to respond.

After studying Kagami briefly, Itachi asked, "Sir, are you a Chuunin?"

Kagami nodded.

Itachi brightened. "Then, do you need a teammate? I'm Uchiha Itachi. I haven't officially graduated, but I'm already a capable Genin."

Kagami shook his head. "I'm taking a B-rank mission. You're not eligible."

Right now, the village was already suspicious of the Uchiha. Kagami still had his own problems to deal with and wasn't eager to associate with them.

But Itachi pressed on, "There are no solo B-rank missions available, so you must need a partner."

Kagami considered it. He knew he'd eventually have to deal with Uchiha elites—getting a sense of their combat style early could be useful.

And Itachi, one of the clan's brightest, could be a valuable ally in the future.

Smiling, Kagami said, "Alright. But you follow my orders—no acting on your own."

Itachi bowed deeply. "You have my word, sir!"