After the Uchiha clan was sealed off, the Hyūga clan became the family residence farthest from the Hokage Building, almost like a small semi-independent kingdom within Konoha.
However, unlike the Uchiha, who controlled the garrison and were feared by the Hokage, the Hyūga pursued only the title of the strongest clan. They had never occupied key positions in the village, nor had they expressed any desire to become Hokage. They stayed quietly in their corner of Konoha.
As for why the Hyūga clan kept such a low profile—
On one hand, they had learned from the fates of the Senju and the Uchiha. On the other, the flaws of the Caged Bird Seal system meant that if excessive ambition were exposed, it would inevitably provoke conflict between the main family and the branch family.
At this moment, in the Hyūga clan's dojo, Hinata, Neji, and the others were practicing Gentle Fist.
After completing several sets, beads of sweat appeared on Hinata's forehead. She sat down on the tatami and took small sips of water. As the eldest daughter of the clan, she had to maintain proper etiquette at all times—even if she had already lost her status as the heir.
After catching her breath, Hinata looked toward Hanabi, who was sparring with Neji.
Compared to her timid older sister, Hanabi had a much stronger personality. Her talent in Gentle Fist was no less than Neji's, who was recognized as a genius in the village. She was clearly more suitable to inherit the clan.
Moreover, the Caged Bird Seal was just too ugly… Hinata didn't want her little sister to bear such a mark.
Fortunately, their father had not yet branded her with the seal. It seemed he intended to delay the final decision of the clan head until both she and Hanabi came of age.
But when that time came… would she deliberately lose to Hanabi again, or would she become the Hyūga clan head herself?
At that moment, Hinata glanced at Neji, who bore the Caged Bird Seal. If she became the clan head, could she abolish the system and grant Neji his freedom?
Compared to "Neji of the Hyūga," she preferred the Neji who treated her like a younger sister.
But could she really accomplish something even her father couldn't?
…If only Naruto-kun were here.
But Naruto-kun hadn't been seen for a long time.
Thinking of this, Hinata felt a little lost, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, Naruto's voice seemed to echo in her mind. He had once said that if you couldn't make a decision, then stop overthinking and focus on training.
"Power might not solve the problem… but it can solve the person who raised the problem."
She wasn't sure if Naruto's words made sense—but ever since he disappeared, she had been following that approach, hiding in the training grounds and quietly improving herself.
Without her father or the elders noticing, she had mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. And just a few days ago, she had even learned the clan's secret technique—Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation.
The price, however, was that her appetite had grown ridiculously large… and her ladylike image had basically gone out the window.
Shaking off her wandering thoughts, Hinata stood up, intending to quietly leave the dojo and head to a more remote training ground within the clan to continue practicing—avoiding her problems as usual.
But not long after she stepped out, several figures blocked her path.
They were all members of the Hyūga clan—and leading them was her father, the clan head, Hiashi Hyūga.
Hiashi glanced at Hinata and sighed inwardly. Ever since the disappearance of the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Hinata had seemed to lose her spirit, retreating into training whenever she faced difficulties.
A month ago, she had even picked up a fox-shaped wallet from somewhere and spent her days smiling foolishly at it.
With such a personality, she would never be able to shoulder the responsibilities of clan head. And yet… he couldn't bring himself to brand his daughter with the Caged Bird Seal.
Was this system—turning siblings into masters and slaves—really necessary to continue?
But it was the Hyūga clan's tradition… and the only way to prevent the Byakugan from being leaked. Even the clan head could not defy rules passed down from their ancestors.
Though he felt sympathy for his daughter, Hiashi still put on a stern expression.
"Hinata, it's time for the monthly assessment. Where are you going? Running away won't solve anything. Only by defeating Hanabi can you become the future clan head."
Under the watchful eyes of the main family, Hinata obediently returned to the dojo.
Seeing so many clan members gathered, Hanabi immediately understood—it was time for the assessment. She raised her head, looked at Hinata, formed a Gentle Fist stance, and said coldly:
"Big sister, it's time again."
Hinata took a deep breath, stepped into the center of the dojo, and formed the opposing seal with Hanabi.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the fight began, the two quickly clashed. Just as Hinata was about to hold back like before, she realized that her casual palm strike had already forced Hanabi back several steps.
Hanabi's eyes widened in shock.
Hinata felt a chill run down her spine. She had clearly controlled her strength—so why had she still pushed Hanabi back?
Now it was impossible to keep hiding her strength.
In the following exchanges, Hinata carefully restrained herself, trying to maintain balance without making her performance too obviously fake.
She deliberately exposed an opening, letting Hanabi strike her, then used the momentum to fall to the ground and admit defeat.
Unfortunately, such clumsy acting couldn't fool the jōnin of the main family.
After exchanging a glance with Hiashi, one of the elders stepped forward and said:
"Hanabi, step down. Neji, you will spar with the eldest young lady."
"Yes."
Upon receiving the order, Neji stepped forward, looked at Hinata, and said calmly, "Lady Hinata, please."
Soon, the two clashed, and the force of their Gentle Fist strikes made the air hum.
At first glance, Hinata could barely hold her ground—but she was gradually being pushed into a disadvantage.
Just as she was about to lose, the elder's voice rang out again:
"Hinata, show your true strength. Stop hiding. Do you not want to become the future clan head?"
Neji froze for a moment, staring at Hinata intently.
The Hinata who used to lose to him so easily… had been hiding her strength all along?
Hanabi's eyes widened. Had her sister been holding back this entire time? Judging from Hinata's fight with Neji, it certainly seemed so.
But why?
…Was it because she didn't want Hanabi to bear the Caged Bird Seal?
Exposed, Hinata gritted her teeth and finally released more of her strength.
The battle instantly became evenly matched, and Neji began to feel pressure.
Seeing this, the clan elders first frowned, then turned to Hiashi with a faint smile.
"Hiashi, I didn't expect Hinata to have been hiding her strength. If such talent had been revealed earlier, she should have been trained within the clan instead of wasting time at the Academy."
"I didn't expect the girl to be this willful… or this strong. Her ability is already close to that of a chūnin."
Unlike the elders, Hiashi felt a headache coming on.
Hinata's habit of hiding her strength was obviously learned from Naruto.
That brat had been gone for so long—why hadn't Hinata forgotten him yet?
As the clan head, Hiashi knew certain highly confidential information… such as the real reason for Naruto's disappearance, and where he had gone.
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