The Third Hokage furrowed his brows upon hearing this. Why did it seem like Mitokado Homura and the others didn't care much about the safety of the Hyuga main family?
Beside him, Utatane Koharu noticed what the Third Hokage was thinking and cleared her throat before speaking: "Ahem, Hiruzen, I think even if something happens to a Hyuga main family member, it won't really impact the overall situation of the war."
"Rather, sacrificing one or two main family members might actually help unite the main and branch families, easing the internal tensions within the Hyuga clan."
"Hiruzen," Homura followed up, "Koharu's words may sound harsh, but they reflect the reality. At this point, the death of a Hyuga main family member would actually help us manage the situation more easily."
"The Hyuga main family likely sees it the same way. That's why the ones they send to the battlefield are all trash—talents with mediocre ability. If such trash dies, it won't affect the main family in any way. On the contrary, it might even reduce the resentment the branch family harbors toward them."
"Hiruzen," Danzō added, "war is cruel. So far, only branch family members have died in combat, not a single one from the main family."
"With each fallen branch member, the resentment toward the main family grows. That resentment needs an outlet, and having a main family member die is the perfect way to resolve it. It's the best method to reconcile the two sides."
"But what about the Byakugan? The Mist ninja's goal is the Hyuga clan's bloodline limit!" the Third Hokage asked.
"Didn't Koharu just say it?" Danzō replied. "We'll station the Hyuga main family member near the center of the camp and assign elite sensory units to guard them in shifts. If anything happens, they'll call for help immediately."
"Whether we can protect the Hyuga main family member is secondary. The key is to ensure that the Byakugan doesn't fall into enemy hands."
After hearing Danzō's reasoning, the Third Hokage fell silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh—clearly acquiescing to the plan.
...
Ever since the Third Hokage visited the Ninja Academy, the atmosphere there had grown tenser, especially among the fourth-year students.
All the fourth-year classes had shifted to war-related topics, and practical combat sessions had increased in frequency. Often, students from Class 1 and Class 2 would train together.
Just like that, more than half a month passed. Only a week remained until graduation.
Over this time, Uchiha Yuan had earned a total of 36 attribute points through his text-based adventure games.
On 8 days he earned 1 point, on 9 days 2 points, and on 2 days he gained 5 points.
Both of those 5-point days came with additional rewards.
Those two games took place in the One Piece world and the Tom and Jerry world, respectively.
In the One Piece world, Uchiha Yuan didn't become a pirate this time. Instead, he joined the Navy.
After struggling and working hard for over a decade in the Navy, he finally rose to the rank of major at a branch office, and even learned "Shigan" (Finger Gun), one of the Six Powers.
Unfortunately, not long after mastering Shigan, he encountered one of the Supernovas—Eustass Kid—and was swiftly defeated.
Shigan became the reward from that adventure.
In the Tom and Jerry world, Uchiha Yuan became a mouse and, together with Jerry, successfully tricked Tom. Afterwards, he and Jerry parted ways, each heading to a different city.
That adventure remains the only one in which Uchiha Yuan lived to a natural end.
After that game ended, Uchiha Yuan received 5 attribute points and a bottle of Tom's special "Power Milk."
Drinking this milk would double his strength, speed, chakra reserves, and constitution for 30 minutes, with no major side effects—only post-use fatigue that required 24 hours of bed rest.
This was a life-saving item, so of course, Uchiha Yuan stashed it away carefully.
He also learned Shigan, though in comparison, it wasn't that powerful.
After all, it was just the most basic version. If it had been the long-range version used by CP0 in the One Piece world, it might've been more useful.
Today, Uchiha Yuan had another chance to spin the wheel and enter a text-based game.
Back in his room, he lay down on his bed and spun the wheel.
"You have entered: Tokyo Ghoul."
"Whoa! It's ghouls this time!" Uchiha Yuan instantly grew excited.
Tokyo Ghoul was an anime that came out during his most cringy, adolescent years.
He even kept the habit of cracking his fingers one at a time before he died in his last life.
"You were born in Ward 1, Chiyoda District—an area full of ghouls and the location of the CCG headquarters."
"Due to the increasing number of ghoul sightings, your parents, fearing for your safety, relocated the family to the relatively peaceful Ward 20."
"You grew up happily in Ward 20."
"You went to high school."
"You fell in love with a classmate. She had long, glossy black hair, was athletic, and always smiling—the beauty queen of your class."
"Originally, you thought someone as beautiful and outstanding as her was way out of your league."
"But one day, while you were secretly watching her, you realized she was also sneaking glances at you. Your eyes met in midair, and you both turned your heads away at the same time."
"Your heart raced. You realized you were in love."
"The next day, you confessed to her. She said yes."
"Your relationship developed rapidly."
"On the weekend, the two of you went to a hotel."
"Filled with nervous anticipation, you took a bath."
"When you came out of the bathroom, she was already sitting on the bed in sexy lingerie."
"You jumped on her."
"After an intense moment of growth, she asked if you wanted something even more exciting. You said yes."
"She smiled. A blood-red kagune emerged from behind her and pierced your heart."
"As your consciousness faded, you saw her tears and heard her say she really liked you, gave you her first time... Then she opened her mouth wide and bit through your throat."
"Game over!"
"You received: 2 attribute points, and 'The Ghoul Girl's Love.'"
"Friendly reminder: This is the first time you've found love in a text adventure. If you gain love from 10 different people, you'll receive a surprise."
As the text disappeared, Uchiha Yuan opened his eyes.
In fact, as soon as the story developed to the point of mutual love, he had guessed where it was going.
In this kind of setting, it would've been weirder if the girl wasn't a ghoul!
But what surprised him was that she really seemed to like him.
Liked him so much that she wanted to personally kill and eat him.
The tears she shed at the end, the words she said, and the final text prompt were the best evidence of that.
Still, Uchiha Yuan felt this kind of love was a bit too much for him to accept.
He was quite fond of staying alive.
(To Be Continued...)