Yūhi Shinku's Approval

[Seamless Robe]: The robe gains full-body protection. Stability and defense increase by 20%. Incoming attacks are dispersed across the entire body.

"What a powerful trait!" Hyuga Ningyuan blinked—this was already a significant emotional reaction for him under Mirror Water's state.

Mirror Water, Seamless Robe.

Both traits were far stronger and richer in content than the previous Autumn Water Bright Eyes.

Especially Mirror Water—one trait with five effects was simply absurd!

And the moment the trait activated, he felt its effects clearly.

Earlier, he'd only vaguely sensed someone approaching, but now he could pinpoint their exact location.

Not only that—he could even faintly perceive their emotional shifts. A sense of nostalgia? Satisfaction?

This was basically high-level Observation Haki!

This was the effect of the Arcane Brush Palace upgrade: external perception and mental acuity boosted by 20%!

"Sorry!" Yūhi Shinku felt that even if he didn't show himself, Hyuga Ningyuan could keep sitting there forever.

So he simply stepped in.

"Something came up in the village, so I'm a bit late!" Yūhi Shinku walked up to Hyuga Ningyuan and sat across from him. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not at all, I just got here too!" Hyuga Ningyuan smiled.

"Is that so?" Yūhi Shinku nodded, understanding in his heart but not voicing it. Instead, he asked, "I heard from Kurenai that you've looked after her a lot at school. As her father, I want to thank you."

"We're classmates—helping each other is only natural!" Hyuga Ningyuan smiled.

"Just classmates?" Yūhi Shinku asked with a grin. "Then why have I heard someone say, 'If you want a wife, marry Yūhi Kurenai'?"

Hyuga Ningyuan's expression remained calm. Mirror Water kept him composed and unembarrassed in this situation.

He smiled and nodded. "That is indeed what I think."

"You're only five years old, and you already understand taking a wife? Don't you think it's too early?" Yūhi Shinku asked.

"Early? I think it's just right!" Hyuga Ningyuan laughed. "Four years of romance at school, graduate at nine, get assigned to the same team, do two years of missions, promote to Chunin together at twelve, then five more years of missions, promote to Jonin at seventeen, settle down, prepare the odds and ends—by then, isn't it time to plan the wedding?"

Yūhi Shinku was taken aback as Hyuga Ningyuan continued, "Or should we skip romance at school and wait until we're assigned to a team? Not to mention a team might be two men and one woman, which could turn into a love triangle—or worse, an all-male team."

Future Might Guy's team was like that. That's why he stayed single his whole life.

"Once you become a ninja, you're busy with missions and training. There's no time for romance. If a war breaks out, four or five years might fly by, and by then you're twenty-four or twenty-five. You come back to the village and find all the girls your age have already been married off by the guys who stayed behind. You want someone younger, but you have no way to meet any girls. Are you supposed to wait until you're a Jonin and then make a move on your own students?"

"Ahem." Yūhi Shinku's face reddened. He wanted to argue, but he couldn't find a single flaw!

Because Yūhi Shinku himself was a living example!

He hadn't dated in school, and after graduation, his team was all men.

Actually, it was two retainers protecting a Sarutobi clan member.

In his early years, he was too busy with missions to date. By the time he wanted to, the First Great Ninja War had broken out!

Though he wasn't strong back then—just a background player—he still wasted his youth on the battlefield.

When the war finally paused, the Second Hokage died while signing a peace treaty, reigniting the flames of war.

By then, he'd already become a Jonin, so he was ordered to lead a Chunin team. One of his members was Kurenai's mother.

After the war, they married and had Yūhi Kurenai—when he was already 29!

Wait, did this kid know about my story and say this on purpose?

Yūhi Shinku stared hard at Hyuga Ningyuan. Judging by his expression, probably not.

Maybe the Hyuga Clan had similar examples. After all, this phenomenon was quite common.

"Actually, that's not the worst case." Hyuga Ningyuan thought of Tsunade and Kakashi. "The worst is falling in love, then war breaks out, your lover dies on the battlefield, you're heartbroken, and you never marry or wed again."

Yūhi Shinku fell silent. He'd seen plenty of that too!

Or rather, far too much!

"Did someone tell you this, or did you think of it yourself?" Yūhi Shinku asked.

"I thought of it myself. Who would talk about this with a five-year-old?" Hyuga Ningyuan spread his hands.

"That's true." Yūhi Shinku nodded. If this kid came up with all this on his own, he was remarkable!

He didn't know about his training talent yet, but his intelligence was clearly impressive.

Too bad it wasn't used for the right things—just thinking about marriage and taking a wife!

"Since you understand so much, aren't you afraid war might break out again, and you or Yūhi Kurenai..."

One of you might get hurt?

"Afraid, but whether war starts or not isn't up to me." Hyuga Ningyuan spread his hands. "Even if that happens, Kurenai and I started loving each other at five. We'd have at least four or five years of love, unlike some people whose love ends as soon as it begins."

"In the end, there'd be fewer regrets, wouldn't there?"

Yūhi Shinku was speechless. These words struck him deeply.

In the face of life and death, you have to seize the time to love, to leave fewer regrets?

So when did the world become like this? Kids are actually getting together with such a resolute mindset?

Before this, Yūhi Shinku had never thought there was anything wrong with the world. Battle had always been the main theme of the ninja world, from the Sengoku era to now, wasn't that always the case?

Not until now, today, when he had a daughter and she had a boyfriend, did Yūhi Shinku start pondering this question.

It was fine not to think about it, but once he did, his mood inexplicably grew heavy.

Because he was powerless against such a world!

He wasn't the Hokage; he wasn't even an elite jonin.

And even the Hokage seemed unable to stop wars from happening!

He'd originally planned to teach this kid a lesson and give him some education, but instead, he ended up being the one taught.

Instinctively groping the table, Yūhi Shinku realized there was only Hyuga Ningyuan's cup of tea on it.

No alcohol.

After a long silence, Yūhi Shinku asked, "You'll protect Kurenai, right?"

"I can't guarantee it, but I'll die before her!" Hyuga Ningyuan's tone was resolute.

"That's fine!" Yūhi Shinku nodded. If he couldn't even control his own life and death, how could he guarantee his daughter's safety?

At least this young man had that will.

"I acknowledge you!" Yūhi Shinku said softly.

A day ago, he'd never imagined he'd entrust his daughter so quickly.

All he could say was, fate was unpredictable!

"Father-in-law!" Hyuga Ningyuan called out smoothly.

"Mm!" Yūhi Shinku nodded. Though his mood was still a bit sour, after accepting the fact, he felt it wasn't so bad.

After all, the guy's surname was Hyuga. The Hyuga Clan's safety on the battlefield was still guaranteed.

Even if he was just Branch Family, that was still Branch Family of the Hyuga Clan!

Much better than those ninja clans with no bloodline, relying solely on numbers!

The only issue was that this son-in-law's strength might be a bit lacking due to being Branch Family.

"Have you learned the Eight Trigrams Palms?" Yūhi Shinku asked.

"Not yet, the Main Family hasn't taught me." Hyuga Ningyuan shook his head.

"Then," Yūhi Shinku asked, "do you want to try genjutsu?"