At this moment—
Within the Hyuga clan.
On a training field—
"Bang… bang…"
"Hah… ha…"
One large, one small—
Two figures—
Clashed continuously, exchanging blows.
To the side—
A dignified, beautiful woman—
Held the hand of a little girl about four years old, with long hair—
Watching closely.
What was striking—
Was that all of them had pure white eyes.
"Just one afternoon… and she's improved this much…"
Effortlessly blocking his daughter's attacks—
Hyuga Hiashi watched Hinata—
Who was continuously striking with her palms.
Inside—
His shock grew stronger and stronger.
Could it be—
That his usually timid, mediocre eldest daughter—
Had truly awakened?
"Father… excuse me…"
Veins bulged faintly at the corners of Hinata's eyes.
Her pale pupils—
Carried a firm resolve.
Taking her stance—
An invisible Eight Trigrams field spread out—
Enveloping Hiashi.
"Gentle Fist Art · Eight Trigrams… Thirty-Two Palms!"
Her figure darted forward.
With the Byakugan's 360-degree vision—
She locked onto her father.
Her palms struck out continuously—
Like a violent storm.
"One palm, two palms, four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms…"
"Bang… bang…"
"What!?"
Hiashi's pupils shrank.
Though his hands moved like afterimages—
Easily blocking Hinata's attacks—
The vast difference in their strength made it effortless for him—
Still—
His expression couldn't help but change.
He was truly shocked.
If not for the fact—
That he knew his daughter extremely well—
Even having guards secretly monitor and report her condition—
He might have suspected—
That this usually timid girl—
Had been hiding her strength all along.
Perhaps—
After being harshly reprimanded by him earlier—
She had been stimulated—
And finally resolved to stop holding back.
"Thirty-Two Palms!"
Her final strike landed.
Sweat covered Hinata's forehead—
As she panted heavily.
"Big sister is amazing——!"
The little girl beside the beautiful woman—
Widened her eyes in shock.
When had her sister—
Become so strong?
"Not bad. It seems… you've truly improved…"
Looking at his daughter—
Who had nearly reached her limit—
Hiashi suppressed his doubts.
Though his face remained stern—
There was approval in his eyes as he nodded slightly:
"Your Gentle Fist has improved significantly. Compared to earlier today, your progress is astonishing… This is more like the eldest daughter of the main family!"
"Yes, Father!"
Hinata lowered her head slightly.
Though—
Her heart was filled with barely concealed excitement.
Akira big brother—
Was truly incredible.
In less than two hours—
He had allowed her to improve this much.
"Mm. That's enough for today."
Hiashi nodded.
Rarely, he added:
"Rest early. You still have school tomorrow."
As he turned to leave—
He glanced at his younger daughter, Hanabi.
A trace of hesitation appeared in his heart.
Originally—
He believed his eldest daughter lacked talent.
For the sake of the Hyuga clan's future—
He had considered—
Re-selecting an heir.
Shifting his hopes to the younger daughter—
And focusing on training her to inherit the main house.
That way—
Perhaps he could use it as justification—
To silence the clan—
And protect both daughters—
So neither would suffer the fate of being caged birds.
But now—
Hinata had suddenly improved—
Her strength advancing greatly.
While this delighted him—
And restored his confidence in her—
It also placed him in a dilemma.
Even as clan head—
He couldn't violate the Hyuga clan's ironclad rules.
Otherwise—
Not just the branch family—
Even the elders would object.
Hanabi was already four years old.
By tradition—
Only the eldest child—
Could inherit the main house.
Which meant—
If Hinata was chosen—
Hanabi would inevitably—
Be marked with the Caged Bird Seal—
Like his younger brother Hizashi once was.
"…Forget it. I'll delay this decision for now and observe longer."
Hiashi sighed inwardly.
After all—
Though Hinata had improved greatly—
It was still uncertain—
Whether she had truly become a genius.
"Big sister…"
At this moment—
Four-year-old Hanabi ran over happily—
Holding Hinata's hand.
Her pale eyes were filled with admiration:
"You're amazing! You can already perform Thirty-Two Palms!"
"When did you learn it? I didn't even know!"
As she spoke—
She puffed her cheeks slightly—
Feeling a bit left out.
"No, no…"
Hinata blushed.
Subconsciously—
She wanted to explain.
But suddenly remembering something—
Her voice stopped midway:
"Hanabi, this is…"
Akira big brother had said—
This was their secret.
She couldn't tell anyone.
"Hmm?"
Not far away—
Hiashi's ears twitched slightly.
His steps paused—
As he turned back—
Casting a deep glance at his eldest daughter—
Who seemed uneasy, as if afraid of being questioned.
But he said nothing—
And left.
...
At home—
After sending Anko away—
Akira chatted for a while in the living room with Xianglin and her mother.
"Hm?"
Having just finished bathing and preparing to rest—
Akira suddenly sensed something.
In the next instant—
He vanished from the room.
"Kurenai-sis——"
By the stairs—
Kurenai Yuhi, who had just returned from a mission—
Stiffened.
She suddenly felt someone hug her from behind—
Her body tensed—
Her expression changing.
She was about to counterattack—
But hearing that familiar—
Yet slightly distant voice—
She was both surprised and delighted:
"Akira? You're back?"
"Hehe, long time no see, Kurenai-sis!"
Wrapping his arms around her waist—
Rubbing against her beautiful face—
Akira couldn't hide his joy.
With a hint of affection—
He smiled and whispered by her ear:
"Did you miss me?"
"You brat… it's been two years before you remembered to come see your big sister…"
Kurenai turned around—
Looking at the face she knew so well—
Yet now more mature and handsome than before—
Her eyes lit up.
Seeing that he had nearly caught up to her height—
She couldn't help but smile.
Reaching out to touch his cheek—
She said with delight:
"Mm… you've grown taller—and more handsome too!"
Before she knew it—
That little boy who used to cling to her—
Had already grown—
Into a fine young man.
...
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