Izumi's footsteps were light and lively, her small face lit up with a soft smile. Beneath her left eye was a single beauty mark, adding a charming touch to her already refined features. Though still a child, it was clear she would grow into a beautiful young woman.
She jogged up to Hyuga Yuzuru, slightly out of breath. "Long time no see!"
"Mm. Long time no see," Yuzuru replied, returning her smile with one of his own—gentle and elegant. With his glasses and mature demeanor, he already looked more refined than other kids his age. Combined with his handsome face and warm smile, his presence radiated a natural kindness.
Izumi was momentarily captivated by that smile. As she struggled to catch her breath, she forgot to respond—until Yuzuru, clearly exasperated, reached out and tapped her forehead lightly, snapping her back to reality.
"Ah! Right!" she exclaimed.
Blushing, she straightened her posture and clasped her hands in front of her chest. With exaggerated seriousness, she bowed deeply. "Thank you for walking me home last time!"
"You just scraped your leg. You could've made it back even without me," Yuzuru said, eyeing her overly dramatic bow and the way she nearly lost her balance. He held back a laugh.
Izumi looked up, her expression serious. "But it really hurt."
Seeing her speak so solemnly about such a small injury was both adorable and a little silly. Yuzuru could only smile and shake his head.
"Does it still hurt?"
"Nope! I'm going to be a kunoichi someday, little injuries like that are nothing!" she declared, lifting her chin proudly.
"So it really hurt back then?"
"Yup! Really hurt!"
Yuzuru couldn't hold back anymore, he laughed out loud.
Izumi looked confused but soon realized she'd said something silly. She lowered her head, shyly scuffing the ground with her toe. "But it did hurt…"
"I believe you. Sorry for laughing," Yuzuru said gently. After a moment, he added, "Hasn't your mom been telling you not to run around so much lately? You should really be listening to her right now."
"Both Mom and Dad are out on missions. My aunt said I just need to be home by dinnertime!"
She puffed up her chest with confidence, clearly unaware of what it truly meant for both her parents to be deployed during wartime.
Yuzuru had a vague memory of her—this girl would one day become part of the Uchiha clan, and perhaps be Itachi's first love.
But as for her parents? He had no idea. He wasn't some kind of Hokage Encyclopedia.
After a short pause, he chose not to say anything further. Instead, he smiled warmly and said, "I see. Still, try not to wander around too much, okay? There are bad people outside right now. Wait until your parents come back and chase the bad guys away. Then you can go out and play again."
"If there really are bad guys… um…" Izumi suddenly became bashful. She glanced around, then whispered, "Will you protect me?"
Yuzuru had no idea how to follow the logic of a four-year-old girl. Compared to her, Itachi's early maturity definitely made him easier to talk to. Still, he gave a gentle nod. "Mm."
Her face instantly flushed bright red. She fidgeted with her fingers and stared down at her pretty little skirt. "Then… um, thanks!"
"Huh?" Yuzuru raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that just a hypothetical? Why did she sound like he'd already saved her?
Izumi quickly sped up, clearly flustered. "A-anyway! I was supposed to buy soy sauce for Auntie! Next time you go out, can we play together?"
"My house is just around the corner by the convenience store—third floor, second door."
"Our spare key is—"
Yuzuru held up a hand, stopping her mid-sentence.
"I got it. Third floor, second door."
Izumi caught the subtle scent of aroma oil on his hand.
"Mm." Her cheeks were still glowing. She didn't say anything else.
"Soy sauce?" Yuzuru reminded her.
"Oh! I forgot! I need to go buy soy sauce, thanks again!" she called out as she ran off, vanishing around the street corner like the wind.
Yuzuru watched her go, equal parts amused and exasperated.
Did I just steal Itachi's future girl?
Faced with a little girl's innocent crush, all he could do was shake his head in pity. It wouldn't be long before her parents sat her down and explained the bitter truth: Hyuga clansmen only married within the clan. That would be the end of it.
All for the sake of maintaining their so-called "pure bloodline" and "protecting the Byakugan," the Hyuga clan had always arranged marriages strictly within its own family.
And to make matters worse, Izumi had Uchiha blood.
A Hyuga marrying an Uchiha? Just the thought of it would probably trigger the Third Hokage's heart attack, prompt Danzo to go full rabid, and send the entire Konoha Elders' Council into an all-night marriage-blocking frenzy.
Yuzuru looked up toward the Hokage Monument. The First Hokage's face smiled down at the village.
Is this the Konoha you envisioned, Hashirama?
Whatever ideals he had, he had to put them aside for now.
First things first, he needed to get back and keep studying sealing techniques.
If you can't even clean your own house, how do you plan to clean up the world?
He hadn't even broken the curse on his forehead yet. Any lofty dream beyond that was just empty talk.
He quickened his pace back to the compound. Just before reaching the gate, he stopped, stood politely to the side, lowered his head, and waited respectfully.
A few older Hyuga boys walked past. They gave his Caged Bird Seal only a quick, disinterested glance before striding into the compound without a word.
"Yuzuru-sama."
The guards at the gate—Hyuga shinobi as well—greeted him respectfully.
Naturally, the guards were branch family members. After all, only the most obedient, loyal "guard dogs" were entrusted with such roles.
Yuzuru raised his head with a warm smile. Looking at their conflicted expressions, he said gently, "Thank you for your hard work. There haven't been many rotations lately, have there?"
"Yeah. We used to have three shifts. Now sometimes we can't even switch once in a day," grumbled a blunt middle-aged ninja, letting out a sigh of frustration.
Another ninja shot him a warning look, then smiled quickly. "It's alright, Yuzuru-sama. At times like this, it's even more important for us to give our all for the clan."
Yuzuru's expression didn't change, but he seemed thoughtful. "I see… Thank you for everything."
He stepped inside.
The Hyuga compound was as lavish as ever—tall walls, beautiful rooftops, shade as far as the eye could see.
If Yuzuru had to describe it in one phrase: a giant birdcage.
Technically, the main house and branch house residential areas were about the same size—for the sake of "unity" and appearances.
But the boundaries were clear. Once he passed through the gate into the branch family's quarters, he didn't have to worry about running into the main family again.
He came across a familiar maid and stopped. "Sister Riko, may I ask a favor?"
Hyuga Riko immediately stopped and bowed deeply. "Of course, Yuzuru-sama. Please, go ahead."
She was a branch family member with no ninja talent. Despite possessing the highly prized Byakugan, she could only serve the clan as a maid.
If she was lucky, she might marry a capable Hyuga shinobi someday. If not, she'd probably be paired with another untalented man in hopes that their children might one day change their fate.
To her, even the son of a branch family leader was a towering figure.
"There's no need to be nervous," Yuzuru said gently. "How are the guards and patrols doing with meals lately?"
He smiled as he asked.
Riko responded quickly, "Their shifts don't line up with meal times anymore. They've mostly been making do with military rations."
"They're working inside the clan compound. How can they not even get a hot meal? Even if others don't care, we should at least look after our own," Yuzuru said with a calm tone. "Have the kitchen prepare extra meals. Even if we're short-staffed, we can still cover for each other during a single meal."
"And now that it's hotter out, make sure their canteens are refilled regularly with fresh well water—or even something cool and refreshing."
"…And how are you doing?"
That last question caught Riko off guard.
"M-me?"
"Yes. Didn't you cut your hand a while ago? Did you get it checked out at the hospital?"
"Oh, that was nothing! Really, you don't have to worry about me!"
Riko was an eighteen-year-old young woman. She'd never imagined being worried about by a four-year-old child.
Yuzuru smiled softly. "But it'll leave a scar. My mother has some good ointment. I'll bring you some."
"No need! It's already scarred over—it's fine!" she insisted, flustered.
But Yuzuru just waved her off and walked away toward the inner residence.
She stood there, frozen in place. Her emotions were all tangled up—but also warm.
It was hard to believe that a few kind words from a child could leave her feeling so honored and touched.
"Yuzuru-sama… really is a good person."
"If only… he were part of the main family…"
She couldn't help but think—if Hyuga Yuzuru had been born into the main family, maybe the lives of branch members would be a little better.
The thought made her heart ache even more.
Such a kind and gifted genius, burdened with the Caged Bird Seal, simply because he was born the son of Hizashi.
And the curse wasn't just symbolic. It constantly drained the chakra of the one marked, interfering with the Byakugan's abilities.
Worse still, once branded, you were forever denied access to advanced techniques like Rotation or Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—skills passed down only through the main house.
Whether it was taijutsu or ninjutsu, the branch family was barred from learning them.
For a true genius, this was nothing short of tragic. Even if they were more talented than the main house, they'd always be held back—reduced to mediocrity by inequality in knowledge and resources.
Riko sighed. She stopped herself from thinking too much about it.
Her situation was even worse than most branch members. But what could she do?
After all, the Caged Bird Seal was on her forehead too.
Back in his room, Hyuga Yuzuru first visited his mother, asked for some ointment, and had another maid deliver it to Riko. After chatting with his mother for a bit, he let her rest—her body had always been weak—and checked on Neji before heading to his own quarters.
He grabbed a blank sheet of paper, steadied his breath, and extended a finger.
"Time to set a small goal," he said quietly.
"No matter what it takes… max out the EXP on Engraved Seal of the Finger!"
And then break through its limit.
Let's see if my system can turn this trivial jutsu into something truly formidable.
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Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!