Shogi Night Talk

There is a saying that one should not speak while eating or sleep while lying down, but the four of them sitting together for a meal somehow felt like a harmonious family.

Especially Yūhi Kurenai—her gaze toward Hyuga Ningyuan held not only affection but also a newfound closeness like that between family.

Though she was young, children in the ninja world matured early; she already understood concepts like marriage and husband and wife.

Unfortunately, after the meal, she couldn't dance with Ningyuan, because he was pulled away by her father.

At the Yūhi Clan's backyard, on the steps.

"Do you know how to play Shogi?" Yūhi Shinku asked.

"No," Hyuga Ningyuan shook his head.

"Let's give it a try—it's simple, and we can chat while we play." Yūhi Shinku smiled faintly, having found a way to tease his future son-in-law.

"Alright," Hyuga Ningyuan nodded.

"I know a bit about the situation of your Hyuga Clan's Branch Family," Yūhi Shinku asked. "Have you thought about how to handle your relationship with the Main Family?"

He could tell that Hyuga Ningyuan wasn't someone who blindly followed rules or stayed content with his lot—otherwise, he wouldn't have asked such a question.

"I haven't thought about it yet. Father-in-law, do you have any advice?" Ningyuan asked.

"My advice is to keep things as they are—don't stir anything up," Yūhi Shinku said.

"Why?" Ningyuan asked.

"Since this system has been passed down for a thousand years, it must have its merits. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist," Yūhi Shinku said. "Even if you've mastered genjutsu and gained the power to resist."

Ningyuan nodded—so he was worried that mastering genjutsu might make me arrogant.

"In truth, while the Branch Family has the duty to protect the Main Family, think about it—how many people are actually in the Main Family? Even if they're a bit domineering or wasteful, how much could they really spend?"

Hyuga Ningyuan nodded but couldn't fully agree with that reasoning.

Sure, neither Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Hinata, nor Hyuga Hanabi were ill-tempered people, and the Branch Family lived decently under their management.

But that's like the emperors of feudal dynasties—you can't assume all emperors will be wise just because one or two were.

A Main Family that is cruel and oppressive toward the Branch Family doesn't exist now, but it has in the past, and it will again in the future.

So, what method can ensure an emperor is always wise?

Answer: No emperor—then naturally, they're wise.

Hyuga Ningyuan didn't trust the wisdom of future generations, nor did he want to leave this problem for his descendants.

Seeing that Hyuga Ningyuan seemed to have taken it in, Yūhi Shinku nodded with satisfaction and added, "These past two days, a Major Event happened in the village. Do you know about it?"

"I sensed something," Hyuga Ningyuan said, "but I don't know the specifics."

"Mm." Yūhi Shinku nodded. "Two teams of Kumogakure ninjas infiltrated Konoha's territory and kidnapped a Chunin from the village."

"Huh?" Hyuga Ningyuan was startled, then immediately realized what it was, but still feigned confusion. "A Chunin?"

"That Chunin possesses an extremely powerful bloodline—she comes from the Uzumaki Clan." The identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was top secret in the village, and Yūhi Shinku didn't know it, but he did know that Kushina was from the Uzumaki Clan.

"The Uzumaki Clan hails from the Land of Whirlpools. They are born with immense Chakra reserves and excel at Sealing Jutsu." Yūhi Shinku said, turning to Hyuga Ningyuan. "What do you think about this?"

"What do I think?" Hyuga Ningyuan thought for a moment. "Should I have an opinion?"

"This matter seems unrelated to you, but in fact, it does concern you," Yūhi Shinku said. "Think about what you and that Chunin have in common."

"The Hyuga Clan—a powerful bloodline?" Hyuga Ningyuan asked.

"Yes," Yūhi Shinku nodded. "You live under the protection of the Hyuga Clan, and the Ninja Academy is very safe, so in your mind, Konoha might seem like a very secure, peaceful place. But that's not the case."

"Kidnappings like this by Kumogakure aren't isolated incidents. This time, they were discovered, and that Chunin was rescued. But how many others weren't saved?"

"Huh?" Hyuga Ningyuan froze, his expression turning serious.

It seemed... that was true.

In modern society, with cameras everywhere and the government cracking down hard, child abduction cases still happened endlessly. How much worse would it be in the ninja world, where the rule of law was weak and there were no cameras?

The Kumogakure kidnapping incidents mentioned in the story only happened twice—but was it really just twice?

Moreover, what Yūhi Shinku said didn't necessarily refer only to ninjas from other villages.

Don't forget—around this time, Orochimaru was conducting research in Root!

The period when he was capturing children to study Wood Release was also now!

Although the story didn't mention any missing children from the Hyuga Clan, what if?

"Are you saying I should hide my talents?" Hyuga Ningyuan asked.

"I'm glad you understand." Yūhi Shinku breathed a sigh of relief. His understanding of Hyuga Ningyuan was still relatively shallow, and he had feared the boy might be stubborn, so he had to phrase his advice indirectly.

Once they got to know each other better, it would be easier.

"Actually, if there's anything you want to say to me or any lesson you want to teach, you can just tell me directly," Hyuga Ningyuan said with a smile. "Having to guess everything is quite troublesome."

"Haha!" Yūhi Shinku laughed too. "Kids with strong opinions like you usually have your own ideas. I was just afraid you wouldn't listen."

"How could that be?" Hyuga Ningyuan shook his head. "My father isn't home, so I really need elders to teach me these principles."

"As long as you don't find me annoying." Yūhi Shinku had no sons, and since he had already accepted Hyuga Ningyuan, he treated him like his own.

Moreover, Hyuga Ningyuan also had the identity of being his own illusionary successor—a bond even closer than that of a biological son.

"You admire the Second Hokage?" Yūhi Shinku asked.

"Mm-hmm!" Ningyuan nodded.

"Can you tell me why?" Yūhi Shinku asked.

Logically, kids this generation should look up to the Third, since under his leadership, Konoha had won the Second Shinobi World War.

"A person's life has weight. Some die lighter than a feather—unnoticed in life, leaving no trace in death. Others are heavier than a mountain, and their passing is not just a loss to the village, but to all of Human Civilization!" Hyuga Ningyuan said gravely. "I believe the Second Hokage was that kind of person."

"Huh?" Yūhi Shinku was taken aback.

He'd assumed Ningyuan's admiration for the Second Hokage was just a kid's simple awe of a strong figure or a Kage—he never expected him to elevate the Second Hokage to such heights.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he invented the Shadow Clone Technique and the Flying Thunder God Technique!" Hyuga Ningyuan said.

"Eh?" Yūhi Shinku was stunned again.

Wait, I thought you'd mention something like Sea Style or other jutsu.

I know the Shadow Clone Technique, but what's the Flying Thunder God Technique?

Still, as the Father-in-law, he felt too embarrassed to ask outright, so he simply said, "Why do you say that? What's so special about those two techniques?"

"Of course there is!" Hyuga Ningyuan smiled. "But before that, we need to understand a concept first."

"Human Civilization!"