HSU: Ch. 301

Listening to what Tetsuka was saying, Masashi felt... It all sounded like sleepwalking. But sleepwalking at Hanabi's age wasn't exactly considered a mental illness.

Still, it was perfectly normal for a father to worry about it.

"So why did he come to me? I'm not a medical-nin..." he said helplessly.

Medical-nin might sound like doctors, but they were not exactly the same. Despite the word "medical" in the title, medical ninja didn't specialize in mental health. They focused on physical injuries. To put it bluntly, their main job was to treat physical wounds.

When it came to mental health, especially psychological treatment, ordinary civilian doctors were much more reliable.

"Hiashi said he's already asked everyone he could, including members of the Yamanaka clan."

"I see…" Masashi nodded. "When did Hanabi start having these symptoms?"

"Around the time we were at war."

"And what did all those people he consulted say?"

"All the doctors from our medical corps and those he found outside said his daughter is perfectly healthy," Tetsuka gave a thumbs-up. "She eats well, sleeps well, and is growing strong."

"Isn't that just asking for a beating?" Masashi muttered instinctively, then realized, that was probably Tetsuka's own assessment.

He should've asked whether Tetsuka himself got hit for saying that.

"Come on, that would be unreasonable," Tetsuka replied. "But the Yamanaka clan did say they felt like something was in her mind, though they couldn't identify it. They were the ones who suggested Hiashi come to you for help."

Our clan's Yin Release isn't exactly meant for healing… Masashi thought to himself that the Yamanaka clan really didn't think this through.

Throwing out random suggestions without worrying about offending anyone. The Uchiha clan's Yin Release was undoubtedly the best in the shinobi world, but its strength lay in destroying others, not saving them.

Hiashi must know that, yet he still came here. He must really be out of options.

"Well, all right then…" he sighed, already getting a headache. "I'll take a look. By the way, doesn't our clan leader also have the Mangekyō like Shisui? Has Hiashi asked him?"

"Seems like he hasn't."

"That's just reckless…" Masashi really didn't know what to say.

The village already has a Mangekyō wielder at home, and Hiashi didn't even go to him? Coming directly to me, what's that about? Isn't that going to make everyone uncomfortable?

He turned to look at his buddies.

There were five of them at the drinking party. Excluding the three perverts, there was also Shisui. This was everyone from their old days of drinking together at the bar. Though he only came once and got scared off by the older ladies, he still came that one time. Now that they were all still around, it was nice.

"Shisui, let's go together when the time comes."

"Sure," Shisui nodded. He had no objections. Helping out was always a good thing. Even if they couldn't help, it was the thought that counted, right?

"Let's bring Fugaku-sama too," Masashi figured they might as well do it properly if they were going. "We all understand Hiashi's feelings. If we're going anyway, we should do our best."

"Yeah," Shisui nodded. "I heard he really dotes on his daughter."

That's because you've never seen him train her. Masashi smiled without saying anything.

Hiashi was the kind of person who firmly believed in "beating is caring, scolding is love," and had extremely strict expectations for his children.

After realizing Hinata's personality wasn't suited to be a proper heir, he acted like "I have no daughter," and became even stricter with his younger daughter. But he also conveniently ignored the fact that under those circumstances, Hinata should've been made part of the branch house, and continued to raise her according to the main house's traditions.

In the original timeline, after his younger brother died in his place, he spent a lifetime feeling guilty and overcompensated for Neji, fully aware of Neji's resentment toward the main house, but pretending not to notice. All that could be said was, being the head of the Hyūga clan was no easy job.

This was just a small interlude. The group quickly got back to drinking and noisily bragging about their battlefield glory.

The only downside to this part was that Masashi couldn't join in, because once he opened his mouth, the others couldn't keep bragging.

When everyone's boasting and you're the only one telling the truth, it kills the vibe.

They ate and drank until late into the night. Only then did the slightly tipsy Masashi and his old friends leave the bar, arms slung over each other's shoulders as they headed home together. After all, they all lived in the same neighborhood.

Only, while Masashi was merely tipsy, the others were far beyond "slightly."

Tetsuka held his liquor the worst, yet drank the most, so Masashi had to support him the whole way. Drunk, his mouth wouldn't stop, chattering the entire walk. Before long, he started bawling, tears streaming down his face.

He was mourning the comrades who had sacrificed themselves, those who never got to see this day, to witness a time when Konoha once again stood proud above the shinobi world, and the clan and the village had become inseparably united. Though everyone had made him drink earlier, no one laughed at him now.

Too much had been paid to get to this point.

Only now could the Uchiha truly say they'd found their place in the era of hidden villages, and secured it.

With Masashi's generation still standing strong, it seemed unlikely that Konoha would face another war anytime soon.

In the sky above, the bright moon drifted slowly through the clouds.

In the cool breeze, the group leaned on each other as they walked toward their clan grounds, enjoying the peace and quiet, occasionally breaking into hearty laughter.

The commercial district was bustling.

All of Konoha was lively and thriving.

Only one place felt out of place.

---

At this moment, Hiashi was frowning deeply.

Tonight, as on previous nights, when the moonlight spilled through the clouds, Hanabi changed, like a completely different person, as though something had taken hold of her.

Right now, she stood barefoot in the large courtyard, gazing up at the moon. She seemed even colder than the moonlight itself.

Her hair was slowly losing its natural color, fading from jet black to silver white.

This had started happening during her recent "sleepwalking" episodes.

The first incident was half a month ago. At that time, Konoha had already dispatched its forces. The village was relatively empty, and nearly all the medical ninjas had been deployed.

The Hyūga ninjas, like the Uchiha, had gone north to fight, leaving very few at home.

That day, just as Hiashi returned home from the Police Force, exhausted as always, he found Hanabi missing.

He searched for a long time before eventually finding her at the Valley of the End. And those useless doctors had the nerve to call that sleepwalking.

Sleepwalking to the Valley of the End?

When Hiashi found her, she was lying under a tree, sleeping soundly.

After that, she no longer sleepwalked out the window, but started wandering the clan compound instead.

She didn't speak, just stared with her Byakugan wide open.

Scared people half to death.

And tonight, it seemed the pattern was changing again. Because this time, she actually spoke.

"I am the progenitor of chakra…" Maybe because it was so quiet, her voice, though soft, rang out clearly. "To destroy this land is to walk the path of death..."

Not just Hiashi, but all the Hyūga ninjas present had their mouths wide open.

Where on earth did she learn such an embarrassing line?

---

When Masashi opened his eyes, it was still dark outside. The window showed nothing but blackness.

Hikari and Pakura were still asleep. After all, last night he had used sheer stamina to prove that he had only been drinking. That proof process had cost the three of them quite a bit of energy and time.

He used Flying Thunder God to teleport to the bedside, tucked them in gently, and quietly left the room. It was a delicate task, clothes were scattered all over the floor.

After leaving the room, he checked in on Saeko and Yosuke. Though the siblings had messy sleeping positions, their sleep quality was excellent. This generation of Uchiha could sleep peacefully at night. Konoha was no longer a cage, but a protector in the true sense.

Unlike his time, when he often dreamt of power poles. On the bright side, it helped him develop the habit of waking up early.

He went downstairs, washed up, glanced at the wall clock in the living room to estimate the time, and then entered the kitchen to start cooking breakfast for his wife and kids. He used to cook for his father and mother at home, but now those two loved hanging out at the Association headquarters. After all, not only was the environment good there, but everyone also spoke nicely. As soon as the war ended, the two of them joyfully ran off again.

Once everything was done, he stepped outside and headed to the training grounds to begin his morning practice. He had quite a few things to do today, like going with Shisui to invite Fugaku, who wasn't so busy anymore.

No one else had arrived at the training grounds yet, so he began his training alone, quite happily. Training was far more addictive than lifting weights.

Time passed quickly. Dawn fully broke, and the sun poured red-golden light over the Konoha forest, illuminating the world. The training grounds gradually filled up with people, and soon, groups started arriving.

Masashi, done with his morning routine, packed up and headed home.

At home, his children were having breakfast under their mom's watchful eye. Saeko was as chatty as ever, while Yosuke was silent, wearing the expression of: "Fine, I'll eat this since Dad made it."

As soon as he entered, Saeko spotted her savior. Her eyes lit up and she tried to jump up, but Hikari, quick and prepared, ruthlessly held her down.

Yosuke continued to eat quietly, but his butt wiggled around restlessly. He was begging for praise.

Masashi didn't have time to shower first. He had to activate "Dad Mode" and shower his son with compliments until the boy beamed with joy.

Yosuke was a pretty well-behaved kid for his age, but there was one thing, he needed praise from his parents. Without it… He'd unleash the secret art: Tantrum Beast Power!

After bathing and changing clothes, he got ready to head out.

"Drink this before you go," Hikari said, holding out a cup.

Masashi looked at the milk and, in a playful mood, decided to mess around. "I don't want this. I want the one from last night."

Hikari rolled her eyes and shoved the cup into his hand. "The kids are right here. Are you crazy?"

Masashi realized she was right and dropped the joke. He downed the milk in one go and left the house.

As agreed the night before, he headed straight across the street to the Fugaku residence. He had only taken a few steps when he ran into Shisui, who had arrived right on time. The two walked to Fugaku's door and knocked.

The door opened, it was Itachi holding a broom. He politely let them in, then ran off to call his father.

Fugaku came out in casual clothes, looked like he was already prepared.

"Is this about the Hiashi's family matter?"

"As expected of you. News sure travels fast!"

"Cut it out. Let's go. I don't have anything else going on right now anyway."

With that short exchange, the three of them set off together toward the clan district gate.

"You don't need to worry. The First and Second Hokage would never try to undermine your authority," Shisui said, thinking that perhaps Fugaku's words reflected dissatisfaction over how the Hokage's office had recently stopped involving him in every discussion.

"Of course, those two wouldn't do something like that," Fugaku replied simply, without elaborating.

Shisui's way of thinking still wasn't quite suited to being a clan leader. Having lived through that era, Fugaku couldn't help but instinctively think that way sometimes. It seemed like he'd have to stay in the role of clan leader for a few more years. Otherwise, there was no way Masashi wouldn't get tripped up by Shisui at some point.

A well-meaning pitfall could be even worse than a malicious one.

"Shisui, the First and Second Hokage wouldn't do that kind of thing," Masashi reminded him. "Even Danzō wasn't that clumsy."

Still, he didn't say more.

"Oh." Shisui promptly shut his mouth with practiced ease.

Sometimes, he really envied the tacit understanding between Fugaku and Masashi. He always seemed to guess wrong.

Once they exited the Uchiha compound, the three headed directly toward the Hyūga clan's district.

By the time they arrived, Hiashi had already gotten the message and was waiting at the gate. He now showed a rare trace of anxiety on his face, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

Last night, it hadn't been just sleepwalking for his daughter. She had started attacking people. She easily took down one of the clan's jonin, and after that, she got tired and went back to bed.

When she woke up, she was back to being his obedient girl.

That was terrifying.

He had started to suspect that someone had drugged his daughter. It wasn't an unreasonable guess, after all, the village had seen people like Orochimaru before. Until this matter was resolved, he wasn't going to get a wink of sleep.

When Masashi laid eyes on Hiashi, he was startled. He almost mistook him for Gaara changing allegiances. Come to think of it, he still hadn't gotten his hands on that One-Tail chakra...

But Hiashi was in no mood for jokes like him. As soon as he saw the three of them, he came forward to greet them. This had nothing to do with the dignity of the Hyūga clan, it was simply a natural reaction from a father. No one found it inappropriate.

"You've finally come," Hiashi said, walking up to Fugaku and grabbing his arm, leading the three of them inside. "Last night, Hanabi showed new symptoms again."

"Don't worry," Fugaku said. Though he didn't have a daughter, he did have a son and could understand Hiashi's worry. "It's still daytime now. We'll do our best. But to be honest, none of us are doctors, we may not be able to help."

"I understand. I'm just grateful you came. Honestly, if I didn't know it was impossible, I'd even want to invite that ancestor of yours."

Good thing you didn't, Masashi thought with a sigh.

Right now, if anyone from the Uchiha clan could convince Madara to help, it would probably only be Setsuna. Whether Madara would help or not was one thing, but he'd definitely go off on the Hyūga first.

"Hiashi-sama," Masashi cut in, seeing that Hiashi was still struggling through the formalities. He decided to help him out and spare him the pain. "Just tell us directly, what exactly is going on with Hanabi? If you don't mind, we'd like to take a look at her now."

"Yes! Of course!" Hiashi said with visible relief. "Please, come with me."

He led the three of them toward the inner residence, speaking as he walked.

"What happened last night was really frightening. Right now, I've locked her in her room. If she has another episode and acts out, I'll apologize in advance on her behalf."