It had to be said—
The branch family was branded with the Caged Bird Seal, yet some advanced Gentle Fist techniques still required permission from the main family.
It was… absurd.
Back during the Chunin Exams,
When Hyuga Neji used Eight Trigrams: Rotation, even Hyuga Hiashi, sitting among the spectators, was shocked by his terrifying talent—
To the point of suspecting that Neji carried the bloodline of Hyuga Tennin.
Bang!
A dull explosion rang out across the field.
Hyuga Natsu's palm struck her target heavily—
But in the next instant,
A puff of white smoke spread out, revealing nothing but a shattered log.
"Substitution Technique?!"
Natsu froze for a moment,
Her palm still extended in a striking posture as her eyes quickly searched for Kiyoshi.
"I win."
Kiyoshi's voice sounded from behind her.
He casually tapped her shoulder.
"Kiyoshi… your speed is much faster than mine."
Natsu lowered her stance.
The so-called Substitution Technique
Was essentially a trick—
Using high speed to swap one's body with an object, usually a log,
Creating the illusion that the attack had landed.
It required the user to be faster than their opponent.
"I just used a different method to break through your defense."
Kiyoshi shook his head.
At present,
Natsu's Gentle Fist could only cover a fan-shaped area in front of her.
Even though she could see behind her,
She couldn't properly defend it.
And due to the Caged Bird Seal,
Her back still had a fatal blind spot.
"You have acquired a trait: [Night Walker (White)]."
[Trait: Night Walker (White)]
[Requirement: Defeat Hyuga Natsu in her youth]
[Progress: Completed]
[Effect: Your eyes can perceive more details in the dark and react more sharply to changes in your surroundings]
[Note: Can be further upgraded]
The system notification made Kiyoshi feel a hint of joy.
So even picking an easy opponent—
Still counted toward trait acquisition.
Unfortunately,
He didn't know many people yet.
Challenging others randomly would be seen as provocation.
As the notification faded,
His eyes felt refreshed.
The dim evening—
Seemed noticeably brighter to him now.
Kiyoshi was quite satisfied with this trait.
Once he awakened the Sharingan,
It would likely enhance it even further due to increased perception.
After all,
While the Sharingan had many abilities,
Night vision wasn't one of them.
With Night Walker,
Nighttime would become his home ground.
"Then I'll be going."
Natsu picked up the gift box and bid farewell.
Just as she was about to leave,
Kiyoshi suddenly spoke:
"A bird trapped in a cage… is it really willing to remain there forever?"
"…It's for protecting the Hyuga clan… protecting everyone."
Natsu subconsciously touched her left cheek—
The one struck earlier by Hyuga Ginka.
Her gaze lowered slightly.
The moment she spoke,
Her fingers brushed over her smooth skin.
The faint burning sensation still lingered.
Ginka's strike hadn't been heavy,
But the chakra infused within it made the pain especially vivid.
After extensive Gentle Fist training,
The chakra points in the hands adapted—
Making chakra flow more easily.
Most members of the main family were reasonable.
But there were still some like Ginka.
She never hid her contempt for the branch family.
Nor did she refrain from using harsh methods.
Kiyoshi didn't respond immediately.
He raised his head,
Looking toward the dimming sky in the distance as a cold breeze brushed past his hair.
"I see… but if it were my bird, it would probably still long to fly freely again—
And try to peck open the cage door."
He lightly shook his head after speaking,
As if it were a casual remark—
Or as if he never expected an answer.
If he had been born into the Hyuga clan,
He would definitely find a way to remove the Caged Bird Seal.
There was no way he would accept being inferior by birth.
"To fly freely again…?"
Natsu froze.
She turned back to look at him.
Kiyoshi stood there,
His Uchiha robe making his figure appear tall and slender,
The outline of firm muscles faintly visible beneath.
His long black hair flowed down to his waist,
Swaying gently in the wind.
He looked far more mature than others his age.
Not as frail as his peers—
Nor as brutish as one might expect from someone tied to the Land of Lightning.
"…To fly freely again…"
Natsu repeated softly.
A faint, almost imperceptible ripple flickered in her lowered gaze.
It was a thought she had never dared to imagine—
Too distant.
Too luxurious.
She pressed her lips together,
Adjusted her grip on the gift box,
And finally said calmly:
"Kiyoshi's way of putting it is… quite interesting."
After that,
She bowed politely,
Then turned and walked away.
Kiyoshi watched her departing figure,
A faint smile forming at the corner of his lips.
A caged bird might not dare to spread its wings immediately—
But once a seed was planted,
It would eventually sprout.
The branch family of the Hyuga clan
Had never truly accepted their fate.
The Caged Bird Seal merely forced them to hide their thoughts—
To wear respect as a mask.
And attitude…
Was nothing more than a disguise for the heart.
For now,
Kiyoshi only intended to plant a seed in Natsu's heart—
Not to recruit her immediately.
After all,
He currently had no way to remove the seal.
Even making promises would be meaningless.
Still…
Future Natsu wasn't bad-looking.
She could be considered an early investment.
With that thought,
Kiyoshi turned and headed home.
If he kept acquiring traits like this,
Even without evolving his Sharingan,
He would become incredibly powerful.
Perhaps one day,
He might even obtain a trait that nullified the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
At that point,
He wouldn't need Hashirama cells—
Or a transplanted pair of eyes.
"…Thinking too far ahead."
He shifted his thoughts.
After graduating early,
Would he be assigned to a three-man squad?
Or directly join the Uchiha Police Force as a village guard?
Or perhaps become a medical ninja at Konoha Hospital?
"Why hasn't this broken streetlight been fixed yet?"
A complaining voice came from a dark alley.
It was a narrow street.
"Huh? You can actually see where you're going? You're walking pretty fast."
A red-haired woman observed Kiyoshi under the faint light.
The glow came from a functioning streetlamp in the distance.
"I can see."
Kiyoshi turned back—
Slightly surprised.
The woman had a hairpin in her red hair.
She wore a white outer garment,
With the Uzumaki clan emblem marked on her shoulders.
Below,
She wore short, mesh-like armor shorts,
Revealing smooth thighs,
Paired with long boots—
Giving her a uniquely charming look.
She appeared youthful,
Bright—
And strikingly beautiful.
— End of Chapter —