Wonderful * Fanboy

Izuna's gaze lingered on his forehead for a moment.

There are no Caged Bird Seal.

Main Family?

He glanced at the child again. The child looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old, with a face like a porcelain doll, and features that were unbelievably delicate. He had his hair tied in a tight low ponytail, revealing his forehead, with a few stray hairs hanging down beside his face.

Izuna withdrew his gaze and squatted down.

Shūichi's shoulders were visibly tense.

May I call you by your name?

Shūichi raised his head, glanced at him, and then quickly lowered his head again.

Then he nodded slightly.

Izuna smiled.

He's such a quiet, reserved person.

With a thought, a semi-transparent light screen unfolded before his eyes.

[Hyuga Shūichi]

[Battle voice lines: "I will not fall!" "Byakugan! Activate!" "Rotation!"]

Izuna raised an eyebrow.

Rotation?

He continued reading.

Below is an Ultimate Technique Illustration.

In the picture, Shūichi stands in an open space, the veins in his Byakugan bulging from his temples, his arms outstretched, and his body slightly rotated.

A transparent Chakra formed a spherical protective shield around him, deflecting all the Kunai that came at him.

The scene freezes on the moment the Rejuvenation Rotation is activated, with Kunai, and the boy's expression is focused and resolute.

Below the Ultimate Technique Illustration is a line of text:

[Hyuga Shūichi! Participate!]

Izuna stared at that line of text for two seconds.

Hmm... decent, nothing special.

Like most people with Ultimate Technique Illustration, it's simple and straightforward, without any particularly special imagery.

But the art of Rotation...

Izuna glanced at Shūichi again.

This kid looks to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, right? To learn the Rejuvenation Technique Rotation this age, his talent is about the same as Neji's.

He put away the light screen, looked at the little guy in front of him who was so nervous he was about to fly to the sky, and suddenly felt like laughing.

"Shūichi- kun, how old are you?"

Shūichi for a moment, then whispered, "Thirteen."

"How long have you been learning the 'Rotation' technique?"

Shūichi's body visibly stiffened.

He looked up, a hint of disbelief in his eyes, as if asking, "How did you know?"

Izuna looked at him with a smile, without saying a word.

Shūichi lowered his head again, his ears turning red, and whispered, "... half a year."

Half a year.

When did Neji learn the Rotation? Was it around the twelfth or thirteenth? It must have taken him quite a while.

However, that was self-taught.

This child has talent; someone could teach him for six months and he'd be ready to use it.

"Lord Izuna," Tetsuya spoke up from the side, his tone tinged with helplessness, "How did you know?"

Izuna glanced at him.

"Just a guess."

Tetsuya fell silent.

That look clearly said: I don't believe you for a second.

Izuna ignored him and looked at Shūichi again.

You want to participate in the event?

Shūichi nodded again.

"Alright," Izuna said, "Then come along."

After saying that, he got up and walked towards the rehearsal area.

"We have a rehearsal today, and we need to go through it once this morning. Time is tight, let's hurry."

Watching Izuna walk away, Tetsuya looked down at Shuichi, who was still standing there in Shūichi.

"How about it?"

Shūichi looked up, met those smiling eyes, and pursed his lips.

"Just as you said," he said softly, "A wonderful person."

Tetsuya raised an eyebrow.

Shūichi paused, a look of confusion appearing on his face. "How exactly did he figure out that I could Rotation?"

Tetsuya looked up at the figure that had already walked several steps away.

The man walked slowly, his shoulders slouching, as if he might stop at any moment to find a place to bask in the sun. The sunlight fell on him, giving his black hair a soft glow.

"That's what I've been wondering about too," he said with a sigh. "That official is always like that; it seems like nothing escapes his notice."

Tetsuya finished speaking, he called out to everyone, "Let's go."

He stepped forward and followed.

Akari followed, and as she passed Shūichi, she gently touched his braid.

"Shūichi, let's go."

Shūichi for a moment, then covered the back of his head, glared at Akari, and followed.

Hyuga Ibara on his back, walking at the very back.

Izuna walked at the front, his thoughts drifting to the Ultimate Technique Illustration.

Speaking of which, what was the voice line for Sōsuke's Ultimate Technique Illustration again?

I didn't check after it changed.

... Damn it, I'm so curious.

I'll go find him then.

On the other side, at the post station.

Sōsuke stood at the door, hearing the sounds of arguing coming from inside. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

There was a moment of silence inside, then the sound of Quhai could be heard.

"Come in."

Sōsuke pushed open the door.

Inside the room, Quhai sat by the window, with Hang sitting opposite him. Hang's anger hadn't completely subsided. When he saw Sōsuke enter, he snorted coldly and turned his head away.

The two young men stood in the corner. Yuansheng had a gloomy expression, seemingly lost in thought, while Hideki looked at him, as if he wanted to say something.

Sōsuke walked in and stood in the center of the room.

"Lord Quhai, Lord Hang," he said calmly, "I've come to relay a message."

Quhai put down his teacup and looked at him.

"Explain."

Sōsuke met his gaze.

"Lord Izuna said that you either leave now, or stay and participate in the Amusement Park's opening ceremony."

The air in the room fell silent for a moment.

Hang suddenly stood up.

"What did you say?!"

Sōsuke didn't look at him; he kept his eyes on Quhai.

"I've delivered the message," he said. "How you choose is up to you."

Hang was so angry he was trembling all over.

"You—! Sōsuke! Do you know what you're saying?! We are your clansmen! How dare you help that Uchiha brat drive us away?!"

Sōsuke remained silent.

He just stood there, watching the Quhai.

Quhai remained silent for a long time.

He looked at Sōsuke with a scrutinizing gaze, tinged with a hint of complexity.

"Sōsuke," he finally spoke, his voice still steady, "Is this your intention, or Izuna's?"

Sōsuke did not answer.

Quhai waited three seconds, then smiled.

A relieved smile.

"Okay," he said, "I understand."

"Tell Lord Izuna that we choose to stay."

Hang suddenly turned to look at him.

"Quhai!"

"Since we're already here," he said, "We should at least see what the Amusement Park is like."

"Then I will relay your words verbatim." With that, Sōsuke prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Quhai called out to him, "Sōsuke."

Sōsuke paused, stood still, and turned to look at Quhai.

"You haven't seen Hideki in a long time, have you?" Quhai looked up and gestured to Hideki, "Hideki, why don't you go for a walk with Sōsuke and come back?"

Hideki pursed his lips and looked at Sōsuke.

Sōsuke stood at the doorway, his back to them, without turning around.

"Let's go," he said calmly.

Then he pushed open the door and went out first.

Hideki didn't have time to think and quickly followed after him.

He had expected silence to follow this time as well.

After leaving the Meeting Room, he kept thinking about what had happened earlier. Sōsuke stood at the door, blocking Kou's path with his Vajra Adamantine Sealing Chains, and said expressionlessly, "Lady Mito is not receiving guests."

That Sōsuke is completely different from the one I remember.

He thought that after he chased after them, he would be met with the same cold treatment again.

But when Sōsuke spoke, his voice was gentle.

"It wasn't easy for you to get here this time, was it?"

Hideki paused for a moment, then looked up.

Sōsuke walked half a step ahead of him, turning his head to look at him. Sunlight shone down from the corridor window, falling on his red hair and making it shine.

"Huh?"

"Oh, I mean," Sōsuke said, turning his gaze away and continuing forward, "I really didn't expect those guys from the Land of Whirlpools to let you come. I've been on Konoha's side for a long time, aren't they afraid that you'll be influenced by me and leave?"

Hideki paused for a moment.

"Um..." he stammered, "I..."

"Are you from the Yuansheng Gang?"

Hideki fell silent.

Sōsuke is right. He wasn't originally on the list to come to Konoha this time. It was Yuansheng went to Kou-sama to plead for him, saying, "Hideki and Sōsuke are on good terms, maybe if we send him, he can persuade Sōsuke to come back."

Hang Daren scoffed at the time, saying, "That ingrate, it's no use whoever goes." But in the end, he still agreed.

"Hmm." Hideki nodded.

Sōsuke chuckled.

"Although I don't like that kid, I actually have to thank him this time."

Hideki didn't know what to say, so he could only hum in response.

The two walked for a while longer.

The stone-paved road stretched out beneath our feet, and more and more shops gradually appeared on both sides.

There were people setting up stalls by the roadside, selling handmade trinkets. An elderly woman was collecting laundry from the drying racks; seeing them pass by, she smiled and nodded.

Sōsuke nodded in return.

Hideki watched this scene and suddenly felt a little dazed.

In the Land of Whirlpools, people on the roadside don't greet the Uzumaki Clan when they walk; instead, they tend to keep their distance.

Because they were Royal Clan, their bright red hair was their trademark.

Although this hair color brought him many conveniences, Hideki didn't like it. Because when he walked down the street, everyone's attitude... was too respectful.

Occasionally their eyes would meet, but they would quickly look away, as if afraid of getting into trouble.

But it's different here.

The way those people looked at Sōsuke was... a very ordinary look.

It's like red hair isn't a rare color, but rather a color that appears every day.

"By the way," Sōsuke suddenly spoke, "What would you like to eat?"

Hideki snapped out of his daze.

"Ah, Sōsuke- nii, you can decide."

"Then I recommend that newly opened roast chicken restaurant," Sōsuke said. "Their roast chicken is amazing. You have to try it."

Hideki looked at him and suddenly felt his eyes sting.

That tone, that way of speaking, is the Sōsuke I remember.

It wasn't the person who used the Adamantine Sealing Chains to stop them in the Meeting Room just now; it was the person who taught him Sealing Jutsu over and over again when he was a child.

"Okay," he said, his voice a little muffled, "I'll listen to Sōsuke."