"By the way, Samui still hasn't come back?"
Yasukawa Yukiya shook his head.
"She went out with Atsui. They'll probably take a bit longer."
"Alright. Tell her not to be so late next time."
Samado frowned slightly.
There was only half an hour left before closing.
Most likely, Samui would return right on time again—
Just so Atsui could better adapt to life in Konoha.
Not long after Yukiya left,
Kiyoshi could feel the prying gazes gradually fading.
He disliked being watched.
Last time, no one had observed him because Samui was there.
This time—
She wasn't.
"Thank you for your help, Kiyoshi."
Hyuga Natsu sat down.
Her slender fingers gently brushed aside her dark green hair as she waited patiently for the freshly prepared squid sushi.
To ensure freshness,
The squid at this shop was prepared on the spot.
So it took some time.
Kiyoshi sat down as well,
Raising his gaze to observe the girl in front of him—
A minor character who had only appeared briefly in the original story.
"Hyuga Natsu, I've heard the Hyuga clan has a system of main and branch families. Is that true?"
Kiyoshi brought up the topic.
Within the Hyuga clan,
There was a clear division—
Main family and branch family.
Members of the main family did not bear the Caged Bird Seal.
But branch family members—
Were required to have it.
Once branded with that seal,
Their lives and deaths were entirely controlled by the main family.
At any moment,
The seal could be activated—
Killing them instantly.
In other words,
Being born into the branch family meant your fate was sealed.
Natsu froze for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes."
Her voice was calm, almost emotionless.
As her hair swayed,
The ribbon tied across her forehead became visible.
This wasn't a secret.
Many people in the village knew about it.
But knowing…
Changed nothing.
No one could alter it.
Thinking of this,
Natsu only hoped the sushi would be ready soon.
She still had to buy other desserts afterward.
If she returned early—
Maybe she wouldn't be scolded.
"I see."
Kiyoshi nodded.
The entire Naruto world seemed to revolve around defying fate—
Yet at its core,
It was nothing but fate itself.
The son of a hero remained a hero.
The son of a savior remained a savior.
Then what about the son of a sacrifice?
He remained… a sacrifice.
Naruto often spoke of effort and defying destiny.
But in truth,
He was one of destiny's greatest beneficiaries—
Without ever realizing it.
Until Neji's final words.
The argument Naruto once made during the Chunin Exams
Had come back to strike him.
Even later,
When Naruto became the Seventh Hokage—
The Hyuga's Caged Bird system still existed.
"So, Natsu… would you be willing to spar with me in taijutsu?"
"…Me?"
She was startled.
She remembered Kiyoshi ranking near the top of the class.
His talent far exceeded hers.
"I've always been curious about the Gentle Fist. A spar shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Kiyoshi smiled.
Of course—
His real goal was to see whether a trait would drop.
And when choosing an opponent—
It was best to pick the easiest one.
Natsu's strength was, at best, average.
He wasn't familiar with other Hyuga members.
And final exams were approaching.
There was no time to wait for another chance.
Next month,
He planned to apply for early graduation.
There was nothing left to gain at the academy.
All the basic E-rank techniques had already been taught.
The early years focused on fundamentals.
Later, each semester tested one of the Three Basic Techniques.
Then came the final graduation exam.
There was no point in staying longer.
By going on missions,
He could learn far more.
"…Alright. But it's a bit cramped here. Let's go outside."
Natsu glanced around.
If not for Kiyoshi being a regular,
She wouldn't have gotten the sushi today.
Leaving now would feel inappropriate.
Hearing her answer,
Kiyoshi waited patiently.
About ten minutes later,
Yasukawa Yukiya returned with a gift box containing the squid sushi.
The two left and found an open space.
Perhaps because she needed to return soon,
Natsu walked quickly.
The evening air was cold and biting.
They stood facing each other in the empty field.
"…I'm starting."
Natsu wanted to end this quickly.
Kiyoshi nodded.
In the next instant—
Veins bulged at the corners of her eyes.
Chakra surged into the pathways around her vision.
"So much chakra… and…"
Through the Byakugan's penetrating vision,
Natsu clearly saw Kiyoshi's chakra network.
And the faint electric currents beneath his skin.
Her pale eyes locked onto him,
Seeing even his internal organs.
"He's restraining lightning beneath the skin… using it to train his body?"
She was shocked.
Instantly, she realized—
This was a unique form of nin-taijutsu.
Kiyoshi's control over Lightning Release chakra
Had reached an incredible level.
In all her time at the academy,
She had never seen anyone train like this.
Lightning was dangerous.
A single mistake could burn the skin—
Or even destroy the chakra pathways entirely.
She thought of another taijutsu prodigy—
Might Guy.
But even he trained in traditional ways.
What Kiyoshi was doing—
Was on another level.
Normally,
The Hyuga rarely used their Byakugan to observe others.
It was considered extremely rude—
Even provocative.
If not for this spar,
She might never have discovered this.
"Don't lose focus in a fight."
Kiyoshi infused chakra into his feet—
And dashed forward instantly.
Natsu quickly assumed a Gentle Fist stance,
Preparing to counter his attacks.
All Hyuga members primarily used the Gentle Fist.
They rarely relied on ninjutsu or genjutsu.
Even ninja tools were seldom used.
Thus,
They began systematic training in Gentle Fist from a young age.
Bang!
Natsu blocked Kiyoshi's straight punch with her arm.
Before she could recover—
He followed up with a swift elbow strike.
She immediately retreated,
Chakra bursting from her fingertips.
A thin layer of chakra formed around her hands—
Like a faint, translucent membrane.
Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes slightly.
Watching his opponent fight seriously,
He felt at ease.
Natsu could barely do more than defend.
Her Gentle Fist—
Was only the most basic form.
As expected,
Picking the "softest target"
Was the easiest path.
The only question was—
Would a trait drop?
If she were using techniques like
Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms
Or Rotation,
This fight would be much harder.
Unfortunately,
As a branch family member,
Natsu lacked both talent and access to advanced techniques.
Such secret arts—
Either required genius-level self-realization…
Or remained forever out of reach.
— End of Chapter —