Several evenings later, the afterglow of the setting sun painted the ancient buildings of the Hyuga Clan Compound in warm gold, yet it could not disperse the perennial austerity and chill that clung to certain corners.
Hiashi stepped into Hinata's courtyard once more. This time he had dismissed every clansman nearby; the wide white sleeves of his robe stirred gently in the breeze.
Hinata sat on the veranda, studying an advanced scroll on Chakra nature transformation—material she used to keep up the pretence of diligence beyond the academy curriculum. Still, some of its theories and methods were genuinely useful.
Hiashi's gaze swept across his daughter's composed face like the finest calipers.
He spoke at once.
'Come with me.'
Hinata understood; he intended to gauge her strength.
Father and daughter walked single-file into Hiashi's study.
The heavy door closed without a sound, sealing out light and noise.
Within, the furnishings were antique, steeped in the breath of ages; faint scents of ink and sandalwood lingered in the air.
'This place will do—it's private.'
Hiashi moved to the open centre of the study and turned to face Hinata.
He did not remove the haori that marked him as Clan Chief, simply settling into the classic Gentle Fist ready stance. His Chakra remained un-released, yet a mountain-heavy Aura settled over him, and the very atmosphere of the room seemed to thicken.
'Give me everything you have,' Hiashi ordered.
He would assess this unknown power with absolute seriousness.
Hinata stood opposite him, still utterly serene.
She did not adopt a Gentle Fist posture; she merely stood at ease.
'Please be careful.'
The warning was delivered in a level tone, devoid of tension.
The instant the words left her lips she moved.
No intricate footwork, no feints—just the simplest, most direct approach.
Her foot touched the floorboards with a soft creak.
At the same moment her right fist shot out like a cannonball, like lightning freed of every shackle, driving straight for Hiashi's chest—movement pared to its absolute essence.
She held nothing back; she too needed to test the limits of her Physical Body.
Hiashi's Byakugan was already active, its three-hundred-and-sixty-degree sight locking onto every minute motion of Hinata's muscles, bones, and Chakra.
He saw clearly: she was not using a trace of Chakra.
Facing the blow, Hiashi set his palms before his chest; refined Chakra condensed instantly in his palms. He was confident he could meet the fist head-on.
'Bang!!!'
Fist met palm.
There was no sizzle of clashing Chakra, no dull thud—only the sound of two hard boulders colliding at high speed.
At the instant of contact Hiashi's expression changed drastically. The Chakra defence gathered in his palm was torn apart like snow beneath a blazing sun, shattered and scattered by that utterly pure, brutally overwhelming force.
That unstoppable power surged up his arm.
Hiashi had no choice but to redirect it.
But Hinata had foreseen it; as his lead turned her fist aside, she bent her arm and drove an elbow strike straight through.
He could only block with his forearm. An irresistible force slammed into him; his feet lost all purchase. Forcing his centre low, he half-squatted to keep from being launched into the air.
'Crack.'
His foot skidded across the planks; he was driven back a full step, heel jamming against the rear board as he absorbed the impact. The study's stout floor split.
Hiashi steadied himself, his right arm numb and stinging.
He jerked his head up. Hinata had already withdrawn her fist and stood straight, her breathing unchanged.
Shock and disbelief blazed in Hiashi's eyes.
What… what power was this? It lay completely outside his understanding of taijutsu and the Chakra system!
Even beneath his Byakugan's sight the strike showed no sign of Chakra nature manipulation—only muscle contraction: the most fundamental Physical force, stacked and condensed to an impossible degree.
Could this truly be a seven-year-old?
Seven, my foot!
When the first jolt passed, fierce frustration and curiosity took its place.
Hiashi closed his eyes, replaying every micro-sensation of that force, then channelled his Chakra in wild attempts to compress it, striving to replicate that purely physical explosion.
Or to rely solely on raw physique.
Yet every time his Chakra left his body or focused to a point, it carried the imprint of Gentle Fist—penetration or vacuum palm—never the unadorned, Origin-level strength Hinata had displayed.
Gentle Fist was in his Bloodline; it surfaced instinctively. Even sealing all Chakra, he could not match her.
It felt like trying to carve a form with a chisel that refused to obey.
Try after try ended in failure.
Hiashi's face darkened.
His gaze at Hinata became a tangle of shock, defeat, disbelief, and a dawning awe at territory he could not map.
He, the Hyuga Clan Chief and a Grandmaster of taijutsu who had stood in the Ninja World for decades, could not fathom how his own daughter had done it.
'Is that… all of your strength?'
His voice came hoarse, breaking the study's silence.
'More or less.'
Hinata nodded calmly.
Hiashi knew she still had a technique she had not used—the one she had employed during her abduction.
Only his rough breathing disturbed the air.
He had confirmed it: this power was immense, unfathomably potent, yet wrapped in mystery.
Even if it was no Bloodline Limit but some special method, he could neither see nor copy it.
The grand vision of an overnight leap in the Hyuga Clan's might cooled into a pragmatic resolve: secure this singular force under the Family's control, or at least ensure it served the clan.
At length he exhaled, gruffly leaving one final order.
'Control it. Remember who you are.'
'Mm.'
Hinata answered with equal brevity; nothing more was needed.
She understood: as long as she stood with the clan and brought it glory, the clan would back her unconditionally.
Hiashi said no more. He gave her a long look, then turned and pushed open the door.
Hinata remained alone in the study as the last afterglow of sunset fell through the lattice, dappling her tranquil face.
She flexed the wrist of the fist she had used.
'Not bad. Plenty of Physical strength—nowhere near Might Guy yet, but against a Chunin it should be effortless.'
A faint smile curved Hinata's lips.
With her rise in power, the clan's resources would flow entirely to her. The Family was a shackle, yes—but for now it also offered protection and resources. Benefits and drawbacks in balance.