Chapter 241 - Katsuya Hinoo

The Genin and the prince held a polite smile on their faces as they examined the other. Daichi looked at the prince and took in every detail. With his parallel processing skill Daichi analyzed the man and took note of his physique.

'He might be wearing loose clothes but he can't hide his true nature from me. This man is trained. Extremely well trained. Under those baggy clothes is a powerful body.' Daichi noted to himself.

The youngest son of the Fire Daimyo was a slender man with average height. He had a charming youthful appearance and his dark eyes were full of curiosity as they gazed at the Genin in front of him. His raven hair is styled in a modern yet tasteful manner and his attire consisted of a 'Montsuki Hakama'. It is a formal black kimono with the family crest displayed on the back. The ensemble struck a perfect balance between traditional and modern fashion, reflecting his young age and his status as the youngest prince.

'Observe'

When Daichi used his information gathering skills on the young man he was astonished.

[LV. 105] [Katsuya Hinoō] (Prince)

[Age: 18]

[HP: 16780] [CP: 22964]

[Affiliation: Fire Country.]

[Katsuya Hinoō is the youngest son of the Fire Daimyo Ryuga Hinoō. He is the third prince of the Fire Country and as such has immense wealth and resources. Katsuya was born with talent that surpasses both his older brothers by a wide margin. He is an individual with vast potential and has trained himself from a very young age. He is skilled in the ninja arts and his preferred weapon is a Katana. Katsuya can significantly increase his physical stats thanks to his sharp chakra control techniques and special skills. He is an intelligent, ambitious but honorable man and his goal is to bring about a new era.

STR - 244

AGI - 341

INT - 94

The physical stats may be subjected to change if chakra or technique is applied.]

'He's the one with the highest level I've been able to observe so far. Holy shit. This dude is no joke.'

Daichi was keeping a calm face on the outside but he was surprised as he read what his observe had shown him. At that moment Katsuya spoke.

"I'm Katsuya Hinoō. The 3rd prince of this great nation. I've been wanting to meet you for a while now Daichi."

"I'm humbled by your kind words, your Highness." While Daichi was saying one thing his inner thoughts were entirely different. 'Oh man. I can't believe I have to keep pretending to be so polite to this guy. Then again he is a prince. Can't exactly piss him off.'

The young prince smiled and looked at Hotoja. He gave the man a small nod and a meaningful glance. The faithful servant bowed and immediately disappeared from the garden leaving the two alone.

"Come. I have some snacks prepared. You must be hungry." The prince smiled and led the Genin to another area in the large garden. There was a beautiful table and two chairs set up with several delicious looking pastries atop it.

"Tea?" Katsuya asked.

"Yes, please."

The prince smiled and poured Daichi a small cup. The Genin was surprised at that and the prince noticed it.

"You're wondering why I'm the one serving you Tea and not one of the maids here."

"Well, you are a prince… " Daichi said with an awkward smile.

"Haha… Yes, but I'm not what you would call… traditional. I don't mind doing things like this. Especially for my guests and the people who deserve it. And you young Daichi… most certainly do." The prince poured himself another cup and leaned back in the comfy chair.

"Well, there is also the fact that we won't have any prying ears this way." Katsuya said. His hidden meaning, clear to Daichi.

The Genin sipped the tea as he used 'Chakra sense' and 'Mana scout' to check the vicinity and made sure they were alone. 'This guy doesn't want anyone to know what we're talking about. Oh man. I have a feeling this is either going to go very good or go very poorly… Oh well, can't just leave now. I'll see what this guy wants.'

"So you have sensory abilities. And it's much more discreet than the average ninjas. Impressive." The prince suddenly spoke as he looked at the boy.

"Apologies for my rudeness. But I am a ninja and we're cautious by nature." Daichi gave a small smile and replied.

The prince chuckled as he looked at the boy. "Yes. I certainly know what you mean."

"I was careful and yet you were able to pick up on my sensing techniques. You're quite skilled yourself, your Highness." Daichi spoke with a flattering smile.

The prince grinned as he looked at the boy. "In this world one needs to have an advantage to get ahead. Either physical strength or political power. I was born into one and was eager to gain the other."

Daichi nodded and was silent for a few moments. He then decided not to waste anymore time and got straight to the point. "Forgive me if I'm being rude, your Highness, but why did you want to see me? I'm just a simple Genin from the Leaf village."

"Haha… Oh you and I both know you're far more than that Daichi."

The Genin finished his cup and set it down. He looked at the prince with a cool gaze as he leaned back in his chair.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean, your Highness. I'm talented. I'm well aware of that. And I'm a student of Lady Tsunade. But beyond that, there isn't anything special about me."

Katsuya smirked, hearing that predicted response. "Ohh I think you're very special. I'm looking for talented individuals and you caught my attention some time ago. I've been following your exploits, progress and contributions for a while now."

"It was the mission with the Phantom Thief's treasure, wasn't it?" Daichi asked.

"Well, that incident did put you in the spotlight but no. I've had an interest in you since before you became a Genin. To be precise the incident that happened near the border of this nation a few days after you left the Capital. After one year of training at the hospital."

"What are you -" Daichi stopped as one significant incident came to mind. 'The Root ambush… But how did this guy know? There was nobody in the vicinity except Zetsu who was spying near the end. I made sure of that.'

Katsuya saw that Daichi understood what he was talking about.

Daichi had a serious expression as he looked at the man in front of him. "I didn't sense anyone else near the area. And I doubt the Hokage would have shared this information with you."

Katsuya chuckled as he looked at the boy. "Attacking an individual of Lady Tsunade's reputation… Do you think such an incident would remain in the shadows? My grandfather and father built this country and made an extensive information network throughout every village. What happened that day, the devastation it left behind… The Leaf ninjas didn't cover that up as well as they think."

Daichi crossed his arms and gazed at the young man seriously. "Regardless, what happened on that day was Leaf village business. Isn't there a policy that the Fire Lord or members of the royal court can't interfere in shinobi matters?"

"Oh yes. Of course there is. Daichi, I'm not looking to interfere in the Leaf village business. As I said before… I'm far more interested in you."

Daichi was silent as he looked at the teenager. 'What does this guy want from me? My medical skills or something else? Maybe he wants me to join him like the Fire Daimyo…? Hmm… My 'observe' info showed that this guy wants to bring a new era. Could that have something to do with this…?'

As Daichi stayed silent the prince spoke. "I was surprised when I heard that there was an attack on the Princess of the Senju clan. She is a powerful ninja and no one would attack her without being ready for the harsh repercussions. It seemed foolish but then I thought about you."

The prince leaned forward and laced his fingers with his chin atop them. "You see, I don't think they were after Lady Tsunade. I think they were after you. What do you think about this theory Daichi?"

The Genin slightly narrowed his eyes. "And hypothetically… If they were, what does that have to do with you… your highness."

Katsuya grinned and leaned back in his chair. He poured himself another cup of tea and silently drank it while enjoying Daichi's guarded reaction. The prince could see that underneath the boy's polite attitude his silence was annoying Daichi and the older teenager was enjoying it.

A minute of silence later Katsuya looked at the Genin and replied. "That incident has nothing to do with me. But it was the one that made me more interested in you. And after you discovered the Phantom thief's treasure I had some people gather all the intelligence they could get on you. I've had your file updated since then. Your latest exploit is saving that merchant Jin's life, yes? It's why you came here to the capital isn't it?"

Daichi was silent for a few moments and then slowly nodded his head. "Yeah. I examined him a year ago and during my research I found a solution that would help him."

The prince nodded and spoke with a charming smile. "You found a solution where even the mighty medic Tsunade failed. See, I told you. You're a very interesting individual. And I'm looking for talented people such as yourself. I believe you would be a valuable asset."

Daichi had a feeling that this is what the young prince wanted. "You want me for my medical talents don't you? You want me to join your faction!"

The prince hummed as he took a small slice of a red cake and slowly ate it. "Yes. Your medical skills are certainly the best. And there are a few other reasons as well."

"Your highness, I'm flattered that you want me to join you but I'm loyal to the Hidden Leaf village." Daichi gave a smooth convincing reply but Katsuya just smiled at that.

"Are you now…? Well, I'm not asking you to betray or leave the village or anything like that. What I have in mind… it's not as simple a straightforward alliance as you might be thinking."

Daichi was interested in what the prince had to say. "I'm all ears. I'm very curious as to what the prince of a wealthy nation like this wants with me."

Katsuya was silent. He finished his snack and looked at the boy in front of him. The smile on his face vanished and the young prince asked the Genin a thought provoking question. "Daichi, do you know what the three fundamentals are when creating a nation? The three important elements on which we could build a functioning civilization?"

'He's testing me.' Daichi thought about this question and analyzed the functioning of the society from his past life and his current one. A minute later he came up with an answer.

"Chakra, Religion and Technology or Science."

Katsuya raised an eyebrow at the quick correct reply. He did not expect to hear the answer so quickly. "Very impressive. Only someone intelligent and one who has a deep knowledge of the history of the human race can come up with that right answer."

Daichi keenly listened to every word as the prince spoke.

"You see, right now, our civilization… The nations are built around Chakra. The stronger and more versatile it can be used, the stronger you are. But before there was chakra do you know what the civilization was built on…?"

Daichi was silent and Katsuya spoke. "Religion. Different regions had different gods that people worshiped and wars were waged in their names."

Daichi's eyes slightly widened. 'Does this guy know the history of this world before chakra existed? Does he know about… Kaguya?'

"You've read written records of the time before chakra existed?" Daichi asked the prince. He wanted to know just how much the prince knew.

Katsuya nodded. "Yes. Before the birth of ninja villages, warring nations existed. But the Fire country and the long line of Daimyos who have ruled these lands have existed long before even the warring era of shinobi. The other Daimyo factions are also the same. We have existed for well over a thousand years. Now, most of the records might have been lost to time but there are some that still exist. I've read through some of them and learned a bit about the history of the current era. The history of shinobi."

"What was it like before… you know, before chakra existed?" Daichi asked the prince.

"I don't know much to tell you the truth. There were many wars waged in the name of religion and just before the beginning of the shinobi era, it was written that it was a brutal time period. Then the legendary Sage of the Six paths came and brought peace to the world."

The third prince became silent as he looked at the child. "Tell me, from the information you learned just now, what conclusions can you draw about the state of our civilization and its current progress?"

Daichi was silent as he thought over everything. A few moments later he replied. "Religion was the past. Chakra is the present…" Daichi looked at the prince in surprise. "Technology and Science is the future."

Katsuya smiled and nodded agreeing with Daichi. He then looked to the side and saw small birds chirping on the nearby tree.

Daichi was shocked that someone figured out the value of technology in this age and the advantages that would bring.

'This guy knows that technology is the future and decades from now it would become a massive part of our lives. His foresight is incredible. I was right. I can't underestimate this guy. I need to know what his intentions are. Someone like him. His ambitions and goals wouldn't be small.'

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Author's Note.

The Daimyo in this story, his children, the ministers, they are all original characters I created. So now that you know a little bit more about the 3rd prince, what are your thoughts?

The meeting concludes in the next chapter and Daichi returns home. Tell me, what do you think of this chapter? Did you guys expect the meeting to go this way?

After Daichi's return to the leaf I'll write another chapter showing everyone's progress and a small time skip to March. And then… the beginning of… Well, the beginning.