Family System In Naruto

"How's the situation?"

"Everything's going pretty well, Yuhara."

Shisui looked worn out, but his mood was clearly upbeat. As he spoke, he handed a scroll to Yuhara.

This mission had taken a while, but it yielded plenty of useful intel—crucial stuff for their future.

Yuhara accepted the scroll, looking like he wanted to say something but stopped. Since striking a deal with Nara Shikaku, some things no longer needed Shisui's personal involvement.

But this guy was so enthusiastic that Yuhara didn't want to kill his drive, so he simply lowered his head and focused on the report.

"Perfect. I can use this to cross-check Shikaku's intel for accuracy."

Yuhara murmured to himself and began reading.

Shisui's report had two parts. This mission's main goal was to find war-related contracts and clients interested in buying weapons.

He had covered both thoroughly. First stop: the Land of Bears.

The Land of Bears was an unlucky country—wedged between four other nations, two of which were the Sand and Stone countries.

Naturally, the place was a mess. Both the Sand and Stone villages had backed local factions and were constantly fighting for control.

Still, the terrain worked in the locals' favor. Dense forests and a toxic canyon called "Hell Valley" made it a natural fortress.

Each major ninja faction in the country had established villages behind these barriers.

But what really caught Yuhara's eye was a familiar name: the Village Hidden Among the Stars.

"Star Village?"

Yuhara's first thought was of that hot widow, Natsuhi, and the bizarre "Peacock Method" that mutated chakra shape transformation to insane levels.

This village had a unique origin: a meteorite landed there centuries ago, and they used it to train their secret technique.

Problem was, the meteorite emitted intense radiation. Anyone who trained too hard with it... well, they didn't live long.

Yuhara couldn't help but wonder if the rock was some kind of "nuclear hydrogen isotope" or something.

And their current third head ninja? Dude had clearly lost it—thought mastering the Peacock Method made him god-tier, started calling himself "Hoshikage."

There were only five true Kage in the world, so Yuhara figured this guy was delusional. But that wasn't the point.

The point was: the village seemed very interested in hiring war ninjas. They were desperate.

Being a native faction resisting the control of two major villages meant both Sand and Stone had slapped a blockade on them.

Forget weapons or supplies—no sane arms dealer would mess with two great nations.

And with most of the country carved up by enemy-backed factions, Star Village barely had any ninja left. Hence, the call for mercenaries.

"Looks like Shikaku's info was dead-on. Everything matches what Shisui found."

Yuhara rubbed his chin. Shisui's report didn't mention the village's wealth, but Shikaku's did.

After all, this village had been around for centuries, still alive even in Naruto's time. No way they were broke.

Sure, they lost plenty due to the blockades, but they weren't bankrupt. Most likely, they had money but no way to spend it.

Other clients included a religious group in the Land of Hot Water looking to buy arms, and Grass Country wanting to kick out Konoha and Stone agents.

Basically, outside the Five Great Nations, the world was a chaotic mess.

"Very thorough intel. You've clearly done the work. We can start picking targets from here."

Yuhara nodded, pleased, but noticed something odd.

"Wait. I don't see anything on Jiraiya. Didn't you track him down?"

"Jiraiya-sama's movements are incredibly unstable. I heard rumors of his location, but actually finding him was impossible."

Shisui sighed. Jiraiya wasn't just elusive—he was practically a ghost.

Shisui had even stayed in the Land of Hot Water for a bit. Everyone knew that place had the most hot springs and brothels.

Seemed like the best place to catch Jiraiya, but no dice—not even a whisper of him.

In the end, with other tasks waiting, Shisui had no choice but to give up.

Yuhara just nodded. Jiraiya was notoriously hard to find, so it couldn't be helped.

With Shikaku and Shisui's intel combined, Yuhara made a decision.

"Alright, forget Jiraiya for now. Based on what we know, Star Village looks like a solid target."

He held up the scroll as his chakra flared. Flames crept along the paper, burning it to ash.

He'd already memorized the data. No point leaving a trace.

"That place is chaotic—and with Sand and Stone clashing inside it, it's the perfect cover for us."

"Star Village, huh?"

Shisui frowned and hesitated before speaking.

"It's a solid choice, but I don't trust their leader.

The previous heads were okay, but this guy calls himself Hoshikage. He's old and barely in charge—his subordinates basically run the place.

So we don't even know who we'll really be dealing with."

Star Village was a mess internally. Yuhara already knew some of this from the original timeline.

Like how Natsuhi supported the so-called Hoshikage while their enemies were the ones who assassinated him.

Shisui wasn't wrong. It was a legit concern—but Yuhara didn't mind.

"Actually, the messier the better. Chaos makes it harder for them to figure out who we are."

Yuhara smiled and brushed the ashes off his hand.

"If they try anything, we'll just take what we want. So yeah, our first stop is Star Village.

But since you're worried, we won't bring supplies right away. We'll go as mercenaries and scope things out.

Once we understand the situation, we'll decide what to do."

He understood Shisui's concerns, so he suggested a low-risk recon mission first.

They couldn't afford to lose a shipment. Even with sealing scrolls, transporting that much gear was no joke.

Remember during the Third War? Minato destroyed the Kannabi Bridge and crippled Stone's supply line. They had to surrender.

Sure, lots of factors played into that, but the mission's value was undeniable.

Yuhara didn't want to haul supplies only to watch everything fall apart from inside.

That would waste everyone's time and money.

"That's probably the safest route."

Shisui nodded. Then he paused, realizing something.

"Wait… you're coming too?"

"Yep. You and me."

Yuhara confirmed it with a nod.

"This first mission is too important—I need to see it myself. That way I'll feel better about what comes next."

He didn't mention one key reason: the Land of Bears was tied to Stone Village.

And Ōnoki—the Tsuchikage—had once hired the Akatsuki for problem-solving. Yuhara wanted to see if they might show up.

The Akatsuki weren't easy opponents. Even Fugaku and Shisui with their Mangekyōs weren't guaranteed to win without proper intel.

And intel was the cornerstone of the ninja world. Yuhara knew some things, but he couldn't just wing it.

That's why he'd go in person. If the Akatsuki appeared, he might be able to deal with it on the spot.

For now, ensuring this first mission's success was his top priority.

If it worked, the future would be much smoother.

Yuhara never planned to save an entire department solo.

That wasn't realistic, and honestly, he didn't see himself as a martyr.

His job was to create a direction and set the stage. After that, he'd step back and reap the rewards.

That's the smart play.

Also, he had personal reasons. He'd spent a long time in Konoha—all to solve one problem: the survival of the Uchiha.

That was mostly resolved now, so he wasn't about to keep sitting around.

Back in the day, he used to roam all over doing missions. Staying cooped up in the village was getting boring.

Luckily, he had Shadow Clones—so he could still appear to be present while sneaking out.

So yeah, he wasn't missing this chance to leave.

"You really don't plan on telling Fugaku and the others?"

"If I do, they'll just argue. Better to sneak out quietly and save us all the headache."

The next morning, Yuhara and Shisui left Konoha.

As they walked, Shisui looked helpless, clearly stunned that his clan head could be so unpredictable.

Leaving the village without notice usually got you branded a rogue ninja.

And Konoha's security wasn't just for show. Guards, sensors, and barriers surrounded the whole place.

Yuhara never understood how Sasuke escaped—or how the Sound Four got in.

After seeing how quickly Pain got detected, he figured someone must've tampered with the seals.

Probably Orochimaru. That creep knew Konoha's defenses inside out.

Yuhara didn't need to go that far. With Shisui's Anbu knowledge and his own space-time jutsu, slipping out was a breeze.

Konoha's defenses weren't even a challenge for him.

With Shisui's help, they left the village smoothly and headed toward the Land of Bears.

"For a clan head, this is pretty damn irresponsible."

Shisui shook his head. It wasn't that he minded Yuhara tagging along.

He just thought sneaking out without telling anyone was a bit much.

"If we get caught, this is gonna be hard to explain."

"Relax. They won't bother me—and they won't dare bother me."

Yuhara didn't stress. He looked at Shisui with a cheeky grin, and Shisui immediately scowled.

They both knew—if anyone got yelled at, it'd be Shisui.

"You're really screwing me over here."

Shisui sighed. His clan head could be incredibly reliable or absolutely reckless—no in-between.

"When he's serious, you'd trust him with your life. When he's not, he'll sell you out and make you thank him."

"Alright, enough of that. Got the travel route figured out?"

Yuhara changed the subject.

"There's a bunch of ways to reach the Land of Bears. Best avoid the Sand and Stone countries."

He could disguise himself well, but he wasn't about to stroll into enemy territory.

If they got caught, it'd be a disaster.

"We'll pass through the Land of Grass, then Rain, then Birds—then into Bears."

Shisui laid out the plan. He didn't notice Yuhara's slight grimace as he kept talking.

"We're definitely avoiding Sand and Stone. The small countries are safer.

Still, we've gotta be careful in Rain. Their leader Hanzo isn't someone to mess with."

Hanzo earned his "Demi-God" nickname in the Second War. He even named the Sannin—Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.

He was one of the war's biggest names. The only small-country leader to ever start a war with a major nation.

Totally irreplaceable.

Shisui's caution was justified. But Yuhara knew the truth.

Hanzo was already dead. Rain was now ruled by Nagato—with the Rinnegan.

Yuhara had once thought about taking out the traitor who stole the Thunder God's sword, Midori Ao.

But the guy fled to Rain, and Yuhara decided it wasn't worth it.

He never imagined he'd end up going there a year later.

"Think I could take Nagato now?"

Yuhara wondered aloud. Maybe.

His strength had grown. And Nagato wasn't at his peak yet—not the guy who'd later destroy Konoha.

Plus, Yuhara had intel on him. He wasn't scared of a fight.

But Nagato wouldn't be alone.

Rain was Akatsuki HQ. That place would be crawling with monsters.

At this point, everyone but Deidara was likely active. Even Orochimaru might still be around. Add in Jūzō Biwa?

Even Yuhara would have to run for it.

"Nope. Not going anywhere near Rain Village. Hell, we're not even getting close."

Yuhara knew his limits. He wasn't about to overestimate himself.

Overconfidence killed ninjas faster than anything else.

"Wait… did you say Grass Country?"

Something clicked. Yuhara remembered someone interesting in that region...

(End of Chapter)

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