Heaven Rewards the Diligent System

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

After four bright, shimmering characters flashed past.

[Chakra Refinement Technique(E): Level 10 (MAX) (Can be broken through)]

[Ninjutsu Technique(E): Level 3 (219/300)]

[Ninjutsu Technique(E): Level 8 (799/800)]

[Ninjutsu Technique(E): Level 10 (MAX) (Can be broken through)]

[Taijutsu Gentle Fist(C): Level 4 (2200/2400)]

[Dojutsu(A): Level 2 (2000/3200)]

[Free Experience Points: 12710.]

Drenched in sweat, Yuzuru Hyuga stared at the panel, his heart heavy with complex emotions. He gasped for air, sitting on the ground with no regard for his image.

While struggling to recover his stamina, he gazed up at the starry sky, a thousand thoughts rushing through his mind.

"Time really does fly."

Although the scene of his transmigration still felt vivid, in the blink of an eye, he had already been branded with the Caged Bird, spending four years in this family he deeply loathed.

By now, he had grown accustomed to his identity as the son of Hizashi Hyuga and the life of Yuzuru Hyuga, but he could never get used to the curse mark on his forehead.

The mere thought of the nauseating, greenish lines etched into his skin made Yuzuru Hyuga's gaze grow colder.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, accepting one's status as a branch family member and bearing the Caged Bird curse mark was an inescapable destiny—a fate one had to resign themselves to.

But Yuzuru Hyuga would never think that way.

Humans are born free.

Why should others stand high above, and why should life and death be held at the whim of another?

Main family, branch family—simply because of birth, one must become a slave-like existence to the main family.

Can a family like this even be called a family?

Yuzuru Hyuga's gaze fixed on his system panel.

Fortunately, he was not without hope of changing all this. The Heaven Rewards Diligence System that had arrived with him during his transmigration was his greatest reliance for changing his fate.

The Heaven Rewards Diligence System could not create something from nothing, but it ensured that even as a member of the branch family, his future development would not be inferior to any genius.

As long as he trained diligently, the skill's experience points would rise. Once they reached the threshold, they could level up. This meant he would never face the bottlenecks encountered by ordinary ninja; as long as he was hardworking enough, he could push ninjutsu and taijutsu to their limits without anyone to teach him!

Not only that, once ninjutsu, taijutsu, and other skills reached their limit, they could be broken through using Free Experience Points! Although Yuzuru Hyuga had not yet officially used this function, he could conclude from the system's description that as long as he was willing to invest, even the lowest-level Great Fireball Technique could become a super-ninjutsu like "Falling Mars" after continuous breakthroughs.

Of course, that was the least efficient method.

The source of Free Experience Points came from the one-time reward provided when a skill reached max level, as well as from actual combat and training.

Defeating an opponent granted a certain amount of Free Experience Points based on the intensity of the battle; if he failed, he would still receive a certain amount based on his performance.

During training, as long as he pushed himself, whether it was taijutsu or ninjutsu, he would be granted Free Experience Points based on the intensity of the effort.

For Yuzuru Hyuga right now, the accumulation of Free Experience Points mainly came from his ceaseless training.

After a day of grueling exercise that drained him completely, he could earn roughly dozens to over a hundred Free Experience Points.

The one-time experience rewards were also a major source; even for an E-rank ninjutsu, reaching max level granted 2000 Free Experience Points.

"It's just a pity that even though Chakra Refinement is maxed out, this four-year-old body has its limits. The amount of chakra I can refine daily is ultimately finite."

"This limited chakra further restricts my ability to activate the Byakugan to accumulate proficiency. If I were to use Free Experience Points to force it up, the resulting high-intensity Byakugan would consume so much chakra that I wouldn't be able to use it, and it would be even harder to break through to the Tenseigan after maxing out the Byakugan. I don't even know how many Free Experience Points that would take."

"Not to mention, I have to save up my Free Experience Points..."

Yuzuru Hyuga rubbed his temples, trying to relax his mind.

Compared to awakening the Tenseigan or similar matters, he had more pressing concerns right now.

The reason he was hoarding a massive amount of Free Experience Points wasn't to play the pig to eat the tiger or to break through in the heat of battle.

It was to break the Caged Bird!

Currently, the ninjutsu he could think of that was most likely to undo the Caged Bird was Sealing Technique.

But to his frustration, his status as a branch family member meant he had no way to legitimately obtain advanced Sealing Techniques, let alone use them for research.

Since the main family had personally placed the noose around the necks of the branch family, how could they possibly allow them access to techniques related to unlocking it?

Therefore, Yuzuru Hyuga could only think of a clumsy method—even if it was just a C-rank Sealing Technique, as long as he could get his hands on any sealing art, he could continuously level it up through proficiency and use Free Experience Points to break through. By constantly gaining knowledge and advanced sealing techniques, he could eventually find the fatal flaw of the Caged Bird and completely remove this damn ticking time bomb.

If it turned out that Sealing Technique wasn't the final answer, then...

Yuzuru Hyuga would have to turn his attention to things like soul reincarnation. But whether it was Impure World Reincarnation or the Living Corpse Reincarnation that Orochimaru was tinkering with, they were clearly even harder to get a hold of than Sealing Techniques.

And in the worst-case scenario—if the Caged Bird was tied to the soul—it would be even more troublesome. I fear that methods like Living Corpse Reincarnation or Impure World Reincarnation, which involve soul-shifting, wouldn't be effective either.

"Let's just take it one step at a time. Fortunately, tomorrow, perhaps Itachi Uchiha will give me a surprise."

His train of thought was interrupted.

The hurried footsteps sounding from behind caused Yuzuru Hyuga to instinctively stand up and put on the black-rimmed glasses he had left to the side.

"Young Master Yuzuru! Lady Hyuga is about to give birth, and Lord Hizashi has returned!" The maid's joyful cry echoed from afar.

"I understand." Yuzuru Hyuga was somewhat surprised—not by the fact that his mother was about to give birth to a younger brother named Neji, but by his father's sudden return.

At present, the Third Great Ninja War was raging, and the situation for Konoha was far from optimistic. Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure—nearly every power with designs on Konoha—were launching attacks simultaneously. While they fought amongst themselves, they maintained a collective pressure on Konoha.

If nothing went wrong, the battlefield would soon reach Konoha's doorstep, and the famous Battle of Kikyo Pass would erupt.

At such a juncture, for Hizashi Hyuga to return home as a high-level combatant of the Hyuga Clan was no easy feat.

He quickened his pace, and upon reaching his mother's room, he saw his father, Hizashi Hyuga. He looked travel-worn, and one could even see traces of blood on his soiled clothes.

"Father." Yuzuru Hyuga walked to his side with a smile.

When Hizashi Hyuga saw him, a smile couldn't help but bloom on his face: "Yuzuru, you've grown taller again."

"Father looks like he's lost some weight." Yuzuru Hyuga scrutinized him in return.

The father and son gazed at each other; reunited after a long absence, they were momentarily at a loss for words.

"Mother and child are safe, it's a boy. Congratulations, Lord Hizashi!"

Inside the room, the summoned medical ninja announced the good news.

Upon hearing this, the gentle smile on Hizashi Hyuga's face deepened, yet he did not enter. He simply listened to the boy inside crying with increasing vigor, and his smile grew even brighter: "That's good!"

"Aren't you going in to see them? Yuzuru?"

Hizashi Hyuga turned his head to look at the boy standing quietly by his feet. He saw only a calm expression, as if the little one who had just been born had nothing to do with him.

Standing beside him, Yuzuru Hyuga had beautiful, medium-length black hair that fell casually against his cheeks. His features were delicate and handsome, perfectly inheriting his parents' best traits without a single flaw.

Except for one thing—the cyan Caged Bird seal on his forehead, which added a discordant, sinister touch to his otherwise flawless face.

At only four years old, Yuzuru Hyuga stood no higher than Hizashi Hyuga's thigh. Behind his black-rimmed glasses, his white eyes were calm. Hearing his father's words, he only smiled gently: "I'll go see him once he's asleep."

Hizashi Hyuga reached out and gently ruffled his hair, advising him warmly: "Rest well today. Don't train too late, and spend more time with your mother."

"Mm." Yuzuru Hyuga nodded, not refusing the request, but he looked left and right before suddenly asking: "Did the Clan Head not come?"

"Lord Hiashi. The battlefield is very intense lately, and he has many matters to attend to." Hizashi Hyuga's eyes dimmed unnaturally as he spoke.

Yuzuru Hyuga only smiled faintly: "Is Father leaving again tomorrow?"

"I'm leaving in a moment; the situation on the front lines is not optimistic." Hizashi Hyuga never hid these things from Yuzuru Hyuga, because he knew very well that even if he said nothing, this precocious boy before him could guess it anyway.

Yuzuru Hyuga simply said "Oh," then asked again: "Is the Clan Head not going?"

"Of course he is going too." After saying this, Hizashi Hyuga couldn't help but reach out and pat his head: "Yuzuru!"

Yuzuru Hyuga stopped talking, his smile remaining gentle. He pushed up his glasses and said lightly: "Father, I was just asking."

"You know well enough yourself." Hizashi Hyuga did not want to discuss these issues here, and the good mood from Neji's birth was dampened somewhat. He took one last lingering look with his Byakugan at his wife and child sleeping in the room, then turned and left.

He wanted to go in, but covered in dirt and even stained with blood, he was not fit to make direct contact with a woman who had just given birth and a newborn child.

"Stay safe," Yuzuru Hyuga said softly behind his back.

Hizashi Hyuga paused, then laughed heartily: "I still have to watch you and Neji grow up."

The sound of footsteps gradually faded at the end of the corridor. Yuzuru Hyuga, standing alone on the wooden hallway outside the room, remained there for a long time before turning to enter the room.

His exhausted mother had fallen into a deep sleep, and Neji, that heartless little fellow, had also quieted down under the care of the medical ninja.

Newborns are usually quite unsightly, and even Neji was no exception. Yuzuru Hyuga was amused by how ugly he looked; it was a pity he didn't have a camera, otherwise, it would be fun to show it to Neji when he grew up.

Yuzuru Hyuga stood quietly in the room. The medical ninja signaled for him to keep quiet, so he sat by his mother's bedside, using a fruit knife to carefully peel an apple, cutting it into little rabbit shapes and placing them on a plate.

Afterward, he followed the medical ninja out of the room.

"Is something the matter?" The exhausted-looking female ninja at the door wiped her sweat and asked wearily.

Yuzuru Hyuga said quietly: "Just to see you off. It's so late, and you had to run from the hospital to the Hyuga residence. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's nothing. I used to handle births like this all the time, it's just that recently... well, the hospital is too busy." The medical ninja didn't want to tell this little boy that Konoha Hospital was currently packed to the brim; the war happening in Konoha was not something a child should be involved in.

Yuzuru Hyuga exchanged a few more polite words and saw the ninja out of the Hyuga estate, looking not at all like a four-year-old child, but rather someone fully mature.

Returning to his room, even as a member of the Branch House, there were a few maids, so he didn't need to worry about anything; they naturally took care of his mother and brother properly.

He simply adjusted the baby crib for the maid, watched Neji sleeping quite sweetly, said a soft goodbye to his sleeping mother, and returned to his own room.

After a simple soak in the wooden tub prepared by the maids and drying his hair, he fell into a deep sleep in his room.

Early the next morning, Yuzuru Hyuga quietly left the house alone.

He was going to meet someone.

A 'friend' of the same age.

Itachi Uchiha.

Preface: Due to some unavoidable circumstances, the early settings of this book are somewhat lacking in quality—after all, I'm a newbie (laughs). However, it's mostly just minor setting issues; so far, no readers have reported problems with the plot, so please read with peace of mind.

This is a "behind-the-scenes" style story that builds up slowly, with quality increasing as it progresses. I swear this on my increasingly thinning hair! If the updates aren't fast enough after the book goes live, you can pull out my hair! (Actually, please don't.)