History's First

"The Uchiha clan has Shisui Uchiha, and our Hyuga clan has Yuzuru Hyuga!"

With just one sentence, Hyuga Hiashi had set Yuzuru Hyuga on par with the genius ninja of another great clan.

The Branch Family ninjas finally dared to relax, cheering for Yuzuru Hyuga.

"Young Master Yuzuru! The Hyuga's genius!"

Words like these rose and fell one after another. Even the Main Family ninjas had to admit at this moment that Yuzuru Hyuga, only four years old, had displayed terrifying talent never before seen in the Hyuga clan. Given time, even if he only grew to the same age as Shisui—eight years old—he could become a pillar of the clan.

If he could grow smoothly, perhaps—

Perhaps!?

An elder suddenly thought of something, his expression shifting between excitement and gloom. Finally, he narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

It didn't make sense. If even a civilian ninja like Minato Namikaze could become Hokage, why couldn't the Hyuga clan, who had given their all for Konoha, think about that position?

Though the Fourth Hokage had yet to take office, everyone knew Minato Namikaze's momentum had arrived.

Of course, Yuzuru Hyuga couldn't do it—he was Branch Family.

But as a member of the clan, contributing to the clan's strength and helping Hiashi take that seat...

The only pressure might be that Minato Namikaze was too young. If he didn't die, the position of Fifth Hokage might not appear for a long time.

The Hyuga clan elder sank into deep thought.

Above the undercurrents, the thoughts of most Hyuga clan members were still simple.

They cheered loudly for Yuzuru Hyuga, excited about the clan's rise and the hope for the future.

Though it was just an ordinary clan internal battle, this single fight had earned Yuzuru Hyuga a great deal of prestige—and not limited to the Branch Family.

Even among the Main Family Hyuga ninjas, many felt genuine admiration, no longer seeing Yuzuru Hyuga as an ordinary Branch Family member.

This was also Yuzuru Hyuga's goal.

Hizashi Hyuga looked around, keeping his expression gloomy, but inside he sighed with some bitterness: Yuzuru...

Whether I support him or not, he's still firmly set on this path.

But Hizashi Hyuga turned to Hyuga Hiashi: "Yuzuru is still young. Is it really appropriate for him to become a ninja?"

"The son of Konoha White Fang, Kakashi Hatake, became a chunin at six. Why can't the Hyuga clan's genius become a genin at four? Don't worry, the war is over."

Hyuga Hiashi smiled, his heart seemingly devoted to the Hyuga's future: "It's time to let Konoha see that the Hyuga clan also has geniuses."

"Don't worry, Hizashi." Hyuga Hiashi's smile was warm and gentle: "Trust Yuzuru."

Yuzuru Hyuga quietly lowered his head, listening to everything.

And Hizashi Hyuga finally stopped refusing, instead glaring at his son with an annoyed expression: "But we still have to wait until his confinement is over. Acting so recklessly, going out would only bring shame to the Hyuga clan."

"Fine, as you say."

Hyuga Hiashi quickly settled the matter.

No one knew how conflicted he felt inside.

On one hand, he was happy that the clan had such a monstrous talent; on the other, he felt uneasy because Yuzuru came from the Branch Family.

If he weren't Hizashi's son, what choice would I make?

Hyuga Hiashi closed his eyes briefly in thought, then opened them, smiling as he began the subsequent matches.

Unfortunately, neither the Hyuga clan members participating in the matches nor the spectators had any interest after that. When it was over, Hyuga Hiashi chose to adjourn.

Hizashi Hyuga put on an angry face, deterring others from disturbing him as he scolded his son. He directly took Yuzuru Hyuga home, locked him in his room, and made a show of confining him.

Then, he was notified and went alone to the Main Family to attend a meeting.

The core of the meeting would likely revolve around Yuzuru Hyuga.

None of this would involve Yuzuru Hyuga. Though this meeting would largely determine his future fate and the risks he would face, he remained calm.

All according to plan.

Why else would he have chosen to steal the spotlight earlier, if not to attract attention?

If he couldn't perform well enough within this year, how could he make his father harden his heart? How could he earn the trust and loyalty of other Branch Family members?

There are gains and losses. Gaining attention inevitably meant losing a stable development period and exposing himself to the light. But so what?

Sitting in his room, Yuzuru Hyuga first opened his skill panel.

[Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms (A): Level 1 (32/1600)]

[Detected that the host has independently developed an unnamed B-rank Body Technique. Can replace Konoha Style Body Technique: Shadow Leaf Dance. Replace?]

Among these, what excited Yuzuru Hyuga the most was that unnamed Body Technique.

If nothing went wrong, it was the combo technique he used after Shadow Leaf Dance, linking into Heavenly Turn.

In fact, Shadow Leaf Dance had always been a transitional Body Technique. Whether it was Rock Lee, Naruto, or Sasuke, they all developed their own combo techniques based on it.

But being able to directly replace Shadow Leaf Dance with a new combo technique still thrilled Yuzuru Hyuga.

A jutsu that had already been broken through and merged wouldn't affect the jutsu he had already mastered. Just like when his Finger Engraving Seal broke through to become the B-rank Sealing Technique: Flying Bird, he could still use Finger Engraving Seal proficiently.

Even after the fusion and replacement, it wouldn't stop him from using Shadow Leaf Dance later.

And barring any surprises, while improving the new taijutsu, his use of Shadow Leaf Dance would also grow stronger—after all, it was part of that new technique.

"Replace."

[Please name.]

"Rotation: Swallow Return."

[Rotation: Swallow Return (B): Level 1 (121/800)]

At the same time, Yuzuru Hyuga made another connection.

When using Rotation: Swallow Return, it employed an incomplete Rotation for the attack. Did that mean practicing this move could also increase his proficiency with Rotation itself?

Yuzuru Hyuga itched to try, but being confined to his room left him no way to train, so he could only suppress the urge.

"For now, I've accumulated enough jutsu."

"The next focus should be on breaking through my existing techniques."

"Body Flicker Technique absolutely has to be maxed out. This jutsu is no longer limited to movement; it can also affect the release of Rotation: Swallow Return. If Body Flicker Technique could even evolve into something like Flying Thunder God Technique, Rotation: Swallow Return might gain more possibilities in its strikes, potentially breaking through to A-rank or higher on its own."

"Rotation, as my only defensive option, has already been developed to have some offensive capability. But this secret technique undoubtedly has more room for growth—whether following Shinra Tensei's area-of-attack path or something like Rasengan's single-target approach, the possibilities are vast. I have to practice it, even develop it myself."

"Byakugan isn't urgent. No need to level it too high too fast and risk excessive chakra consumption when activating it. After all, Tenseigan would take at least several hundred thousand Free Experience Points to even start on. There's no way I can think about that now—unless I find some way to earn a massive amount of Free Experience Points."

Thinking this far, Yuzuru Hyuga fell silent.

If he mentioned the word "experience," the first method that came to mind was combat.

Compared to simple sparring to decide a winner, perhaps higher-intensity, higher-stakes battles could yield more experience than his own hard training alone.

His mind stirred.

[Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation (A): Level 1 (1077/1600)]

As expected!

Yuzuru Hyuga remembered clearly—before the fight started, his Rotation proficiency had only just passed seven hundred.

He had only used Rotation twice in that battle, yet it had netted him a full three hundred proficiency points, equivalent to half an afternoon of effort.

"If it's not just about winning or losing, but life-or-death combat..."

Yuzuru Hyuga couldn't help but think.

In truth, he had suspected this for a while. After all, before his transmigration, he had played games—killing monsters to level up and gain experience was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

"Needs verification."

He felt some resistance to meaningless killing, but he also understood that in Konoha, in the shinobi world, not every kill came with a reason or a righteous cause.

A shinobi was, after all, a tool.

And the one who wielded these tools was the Kage.

"Accumulate experience, break through my current jutsu. For now, long-range options can just be Kunai Throwing Technique and Great Fireball. Once Gentle Fist breaks through, maybe I can develop a long-range attack like Gods Vacuum Attack, or even figure out something like Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm for mid-range strikes."

Swift movement, long-range harassment, unmatched close combat.

That was the path Yuzuru Hyuga had laid out for himself.

Just as he was considering which skill to prioritize and break through first...

Footsteps sounded at the door.

Hizashi Hyuga's voice came from outside, ice-cold.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll enroll in the Ninja Academy. At most two years, then early graduation and entry into ANBU."

"The Hyuga Clan will clear the way with the Hokage. Join ANBU, at most two years, then promotion to jonin."

"After jonin, you'll be pushed to the forefront as the Hyuga Clan's banner."

"If you don't want to die... you have only two years."

Yuzuru Hyuga smiled faintly.

Where did this two-year transition period at the Academy come from?

He had already guessed.

"Father... thank you."

"Get ready for the next year. I'll train you with the intent to kill." Hizashi Hyuga's voice was devoid of warmth. "At least you still have a younger brother."

Yuzuru Hyuga walked to the window, but could only see his father's back outside.

He gently pressed his hand against the glass. "And if I succeed?"

"...He shouldn't have shown you killing intent." Hizashi Hyuga's voice, lowered as much as possible, hoarse and dripping with murderous intent, was caught by Yuzuru Hyuga's attentive ears.

Yuzuru Hyuga chuckled softly and adjusted his glasses. "Four years."

"A very good timeframe."

Four years from now would likely be the day Kumogakure tried to seize the Byakugan, leading to Hizashi Hyuga dying in place of Hyuga Hiashi.

"Father, it's time to find some trustworthy allies."

He reminded him.

"That's why I'm only training you for half a year."

Hizashi Hyuga's voice was dull, betraying little emotion.

"As expected of my father—once you get serious, you're surprisingly reliable." Only then did Yuzuru Hyuga dare to confirm that his father had truly made up his mind, no longer harboring illusions about Hiashi.

At the very least, he would never again delude himself into thinking that the bond between brothers could transcend the rift between the Main Family and the Branch Family.

"Hmph. Cherish your last moments of leisure."

Hizashi Hyuga's footsteps faded into the distance. It seemed he really intended to lock Yuzuru Hyuga in confinement for a full day.

Perhaps he also wanted him to properly rest and recover from his injuries—after all, his battle with Kokone Hyuga hadn't left him completely unscathed.

Resting his chin on his hand, Yuzuru Hyuga gazed out the window.

Suddenly, a somewhat childish and amusing thought popped into his head: Itachi had entered the Anbu at eight years old, while he himself, barring any accidents, would be six. And to join the Anbu, one had to at least be a chunin—which meant he would also tie Kakashi's record of becoming a chunin at six.

Was he, just by his resume alone, already sprinting toward the status of history's number one?

How amusing. The future.

PS①: The bug regarding Orochimaru defecting before the Third Shinobi World War has been fixed. NPC Orochimaru has now been respawned in Konoha and will participate in the overall timeline. The defection scenario has been moved to after the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

PS②: Additionally, a missing person notice: Yan Zu! How am I supposed to survive without your recommendations and collections?! Yan Zu! Yan Zu!!