July 23, Year 57 of the Leaf Village.
Hyuga Clan Territory, Leaf Village.
Thud, thud, thud…
A series of crisp yet heavy impacts echoed through the dojo of the clan leader's residence.
The scene shifted inside, where a boy and a girl, both children, were engaged in a Taijutsu duel.
The series of sounds were unmistakably coming from their hands.
Hinata and Hyuga Neji, their temples bulging with veins, had their hands transformed into afterimages, their fingertips wrapped in a blue aura, attacking each other's acupoints.
Not a single strike succeeded; each one was either blocked or countered before it could land, forcing them to switch from offense to defense.
The constant collision of Chakra created roaring waves of energy.
However, such a pace tested one's willpower.
A single moment of carelessness could lead to being exploited by the opponent, resulting in a complete loss.
Sure enough, after dozens of exchanges, a crisp poke ended the battle.
Snap—
Under Neji's wide-eyed, shocked gaze, Hinata, with a serious expression, pressed her finger against his body, mercilessly injecting Chakra into him.
In an instant, the Chakra in Neji's hands vanished.
Immediately after, a storm of attacks rained down on him, each strike infusing Chakra into his body, sealing his Chakra flow while also delivering intense pain.
Yet, Neji gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a scream.
After the combo ended, Hinata retracted her hands, the veins on her temples subsiding. She looked at Neji, who was sitting on the ground, and said softly, "Neji-nii, thank you for the lesson."
Seeing this, Hiashi Hyuga, not far away, couldn't help but show a pleased smile.
Then, before Hinata could look over, he tightened his expression again, staring impassively at Neji and saying, "Neji, go and get treated."
"Yes, Clan Leader."
Neji lowered his head, hiding his resentment and hatred, and stood up, bowing slightly to Hinata. "Thank you for the lesson, Lady Hinata."
After saying this, he turned and left.
Hinata didn't notice the change in Neji's emotions.
After completing the 'Clan Monthly Exam,' she immediately went to Hiashi, her face full of anticipation. "Father, may I take Hanabi out to play?"
"Hmm, go ahead," Hiashi nodded.
"Thank you, Father."
Hinata gave a faint smile, then ran out of the dojo, taking the three-year-old Hanabi with her as they left the clan territory to find Izayoi.
It had been exactly three years since she last went out to train with Izayoi.
In these three years, the extent of Hinata's growth could be seen from her victory over Neji and Hiashi's attitude.
This wasn't the first time she had defeated Neji.
Since the beginning of the year, she had emerged victorious in every encounter with Neji.
From the latter half of the year, her victories had gradually become overwhelming.
The Pressure Point Strike not only tested the Byakugan but also Chakra Control.
And in terms of Chakra Control, among her peers, only Izayoi surpassed Hinata.
Even Haruno Sakura, whose Talent level was purple, couldn't match Hinata's Chakra Control, honed daily through practicing the Pressure Point Strike.
Defeating her cousin, whom she had always feared, marked a complete transformation for Hinata, making her incredibly confident.
Both Hiashi Hyuga and the elders of the main family unanimously decided that Hinata would be the future heir of the main family.
For this reason, many elders of the main family urged Hiashi to place the Caged Bird Seal on Hanabi.
However, Hiashi refused, using the excuse that his wife had passed away and he wanted to give Hanabi a happy childhood, deciding to wait until she turned twelve before making any decisions.
At the same time, Hiashi no longer prevented Hinata from spending time with Izayoi, even though he noticed that their feelings were gradually deepening.
He even allowed Hinata to take Hanabi out to play with Izayoi.
No one knew Hiashi's true intentions.
It seemed like he was playing a long game, aiming to ensure that neither of his daughters would be marked with the Caged Bird Seal.
As for Izayoi, he was completely unaware of this.
He thought that Hinata and Hanabi were allowed to go out because Hinata had performed exceptionally well, solidifying her position as the heir of the Hyuga Clan.
As for the possibility that Hinata's stable position might lead to Hanabi being marked with the Caged Bird Seal earlier, Izayoi hadn't considered it.
Even if he had known, Izayoi wouldn't have cared.
The Caged Bird Seal was just a type of Cursed Seal. In terms of level, it wasn't even as powerful as Orochimaru's Earth Curse Mark or Heavenly Curse Mark.
Even if the Hyuga Clan had no way to remove the Caged Bird Seal, once Izayoi mastered Yin-Yang Release, he could easily remove it.
Even if Hanabi were to be marked with the Caged Bird Seal, it would only be a temporary pain.
After all, by the time the Naruto Shippuden series ended, she hadn't even graduated from the ninja academy.
Whether the Byakugan had any flaws was completely irrelevant.
...
Knock knock knock...
"Oniichan, I'm here to play with you. Open the door!"
The sound of knocking and a childish voice reached Izayoi's ears.
Opening the door, he saw two figures—one tall and one short—standing before him.
The shorter figure immediately rushed over, hugging Izayoi around the waist, and shouted, "Oniichan, let's go out and play!"
Hanabi, now three years old, was dressed in a custom-made pink kimono. Even at such a young age, she had already developed a habit of wearing kimonos.
Her short black hair just covered her ears, with her bangs parted in the middle.
Her chubby, baby-faced cheeks were round and adorable, making it hard to resist pinching them.
And Izayoi did just that.
Pinching Hanabi's cheek, Izayoi smiled and said, "Sure, what do you want to play today, Hanabi?"
In Izayoi's eyes, several bubbles of different colors floated around Hanabi.
[Princess of the Byakugan (Gold)]
[Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (Purple)]
[Otsutsuki Lineage (Blue)]
[Jonin Aptitude (Blue)]
[Chakra Control (Blue)]
Compared to ordinary civilians and children from average ninja clans, Hanabi's panel was incredibly impressive.
The only area where she fell short of Hinata was the gold-level Princess of the Byakugan.
In the movie, her Byakugan, which was taken by Toneri Otsutsuki and evolved into the Tenseigan in just a few days, was also of extremely high purity.
She was just one level away from having a Talent on par with Hinata.
Her other Talents were identical to Hinata's, making her a slightly weaker version of her sister.
Like Hinata, she also possessed the potential to change her destiny.
For this adorable and incredibly talented little sister-in-law, Izayoi naturally held a great deal of affection.
"I want to eat mochi and ride on your shoulders!"
Hanabi stood on her tiptoes, trying to climb onto Izayoi's back.
"Alright, today it's Hanabi's call."
Izayoi rubbed Hanabi's little head and then crouched down, letting her straddle his shoulders.
Holding Hanabi's small hands, Izayoi stood up and instructed Hinata, who was smiling at them, "Hinata, close the door."
"Yes."
After closing the door, Izayoi took the Hyuga sisters to the bustling shopping street.
Since Hinata's mother passed away, the duo of Izayoi and Hinata had gradually turned into a trio.
Vaguely, Hinata remembered how heart-wrenchingly she had cried that day.
After all, before Hanabi grew up, only Izayoi and her mother had given her the tenderness and care she desired.
After her mother was gone, Hinata's dependence on Izayoi reached a new level.
It was from that day onwards that their feelings began to change qualitatively.
To prevent Hanabi from becoming a second version of herself, Hinata trained even harder, wanting her sister to grow up happily.
Whenever she had time, she would take her sister out to find Izayoi.
Because in Hinata's eyes, Izayoi was better at taking care of children than her father.
Her father's aura was too intimidating, with his stern expression and high-pressure education. If it weren't for the love her mother gav
e her, Hinata would have already broken down.
Now that her mother was gone, Hinata couldn't let Hanabi follow in her footsteps.
Watching Hanabi sitting on Izayoi's shoulders with a big smile on her face, Hinata felt that her decision was absolutely right.
(End of Chapter)