Really Tired

"Why is your Body Flicker Technique so fast?"

"Please call me Yuzuru the Flash, the White Flash."

"Why does your Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm look different from everyone else's? Did you figure it out yourself and go off track?"

"This is the Gentle Fist."

"Why does your Rotation feel a little strange when you use it?"

"Pretending not to have improved is a difficult thing too, Father."

Hizashi Hyuga made a horrifying discovery—he seemed to be gradually losing the ability to suppress Yuzuru Hyuga.

Other than dragging things into a battle of endurance and using an adult's stamina and chakra reserves to wear him down, the fight seemed to have gradually reached a stalemate.

That was under the premise that both father and son understood each other extremely well.

If the Hizashi Hyuga from a year ago had fought the current, seemingly "suddenly mutated" Yuzuru Hyuga without any intelligence, he might even have suffered an embarrassing defeat, played to ruin by that messy "Hyuga-style fluid combat."

When another day of special training came to an end.

Yuzuru Hyuga lay on the ground, panting heavily, too lazy to get up.

Hizashi Hyuga stood with his hands behind his back, his back turned toward Yuzuru Hyuga as he looked up at the moonlight, his voice calm.

"My special training for you ends here. If we keep fighting, I won't be able to hold back anymore."

Yuzuru Hyuga was just about to throw out a few more taunts when he heard his father sigh softly.

"Starting tomorrow, the elders of the Hyuga clan will take over your training."

"You know what you can do and what you can't, right?"

Yuzuru Hyuga fell silent, nodded, and sat up. "Don't worry. I know there are some things that aren't ready to be exposed yet."

Hizashi Hyuga turned and glanced at him. "Your Caged Bird..."

The two of them occasionally bathed together in the bathhouse. Though Hizashi still wore a sour expression and refused to be nice to him, he was more than willing to rub salt into his wounds—for example, by scrubbing his back viciously until he grimaced in pain and his eyes turned red.

What a loving father and son they were.

At the same time, he had noticed that the Caged Bird mark on Yuzuru Hyuga's forehead had grown increasingly faint.

Yuzuru Hyuga brushed aside his slightly longer black hair. A black headband temporarily served as his forehead protector, concealing his forehead. "About another ten days or so."

"...Fine. Take care of yourself. Safety first."

After saying that, Hizashi Hyuga intended to leave, but Yuzuru Hyuga called out to him. "Want to learn it? I'll teach you."

"...As expected, perhaps I should report you to Hiashi. Putting righteousness before family would be better, wouldn't it?" Hizashi Hyuga muttered.

The father and son ended their conversation with the dark humor they had long grown accustomed to. After parting, Hizashi Hyuga went to the bathhouse alone first, getting into the pool ahead of time. In Yuzuru Hyuga's words, he was dirtying up the bathhouse.

Who knew when he had become so childish? Probably when Yuzuru Hyuga had once stood in there with his hands on his hips and smugly declared that he was bathing in his bathwater.

Without realizing it, a smile appeared on Hizashi Hyuga's face. Even he himself had not noticed that he had not shown such a smile in front of Yuzuru Hyuga for a long time.

What puzzled him, however, was that Yuzuru Hyuga seemed to be rather late today.

By the time he finished washing and was preparing to leave, he finally saw Yuzuru Hyuga arrive late, filthy like a little mud monkey.

"The water temperature is just right today." Hizashi Hyuga leisurely stated the temperature of the pool he had already tested for him.

Sure enough, Yuzuru Hyuga wore a speechless expression. Watching his son push up his glasses with a look that said, You're so childish, Hizashi Hyuga could not help wanting to laugh. Ha, if you want to beat your old man, you're still far from it. Is this really okay?

When Hizashi Hyuga returned to his room, his movements suddenly froze.

A sealing scroll lay on his bed, and atop it sat a beautiful paper crane folded from paper, bearing a few bold, magnificent strokes of handwriting.

When he unfolded it, he found that it was actually a Sealing Technique scroll—one that could directly activate the Sealing Technique once chakra was infused into it. Unless the user had already mastered that Sealing Technique to perfection, it would have been absolutely impossible to turn it into a scroll.

Hizashi Hyuga picked up the paper crane and hesitated for a long while before slowly unfolding it.

'Dad, press the scroll against your forehead and unfold it to use it. Don't worry, this thing will take around a year to fully complete the technique, and as long as the seal isn't released, the bird won't fly into the sky.'

You're being cautious my ass!

You didn't dare mention it directly in writing, but you dared put this thing on my bed?

If someone sees it, we're both finished, idiot!

Hizashi Hyuga gripped the paper crane in his palm with a cold expression.

Only then did he pick up the scroll.

After hesitating for a long time, he pressed it tightly against his forehead.

Chakra activated the scroll, and the Sealing Technique began. Black sealing patterns spread from his forehead, then vanished in an instant.

Hizashi Hyuga panted heavily in disbelief, his emotions incomparably complicated. For a moment, he was dazed, all strength leaving his body.

Was it really that simple?

The cage that had bound him for decades...

Was it really that simple?

For a moment, countless emotions churned in his heart, and his eyes began to redden.

Countless memories surfaced. Those gray, black scenes he had once deliberately wanted to forget came rushing back.

'Remember this, Hizashi. From now on, you must wholeheartedly help Hiashi and use your life to protect him!' Those were his mother's words.

'The Caged Bird hurts so much!' That was the first time he personally experienced the Caged Bird activating, the agonizing pain that made even his soul tremble.

'If you continue like this, then even if Hiashi is unwilling, I will activate the Caged Bird and make you understand the duties of the Branch House. Do you understand?' Those were the words of the elder responsible for teaching him.

'Hiashi, you! Ah...' That was the image of the first time Hiashi personally activated the Caged Bird, leaving him collapsed on the ground in agony.

Was it over?

Just like that, was it over?

Hizashi Hyuga covered his forehead and questioned his true feelings over and over in his heart. Yet no matter what, at this moment, he felt a freedom and happiness unlike anything he had ever known.

Mom, I, who was reduced to the Branch House just because I was born fifteen minutes later, also wanted to live for myself. I also wanted to hold up the sky for my son, instead of kneeling on the ground for them and shaking my head, begging for scraps from the brother who was only born fifteen minutes before me!

Hizashi Hyuga lowered his head, holding back his tears, unwilling to let them fall. Looking at the unfolded paper crane in his hand, he unexpectedly discovered that there seemed to be writing on the back of the paper as well.

He turned the paper over.

Actually, the scroll doesn't have to be aimed at your head. The target of the Sealing Technique automatically locks onto the curse mark anyway. Dad's so smart, he wouldn't really stupidly point the scroll at his own head, would he? No way!?

"Creaaak."

An ordinary sheet of paper actually made a creaking sound when crushed in someone's hand.

One could imagine just how astonishing Hizashi Hyuga's grip strength was!

The tears gathered in Hizashi Hyuga's eyes strangely slid down his cheeks, but honestly, he did not want to cry at all, nor did he feel like crying. The tears fell purely because he had worked himself up to that point just now, and once he relaxed, he could no longer hold them back.

And at that moment, he suddenly realized something else.

What was written was Dad, not Father.

That annoying little brat.

Hizashi Hyuga covered his forehead and grinned, his smile complicated.

Taking out a mirror, he silently looked at his forehead. His chakra could clearly sense that the Sealing Technique, like a white flying bird, was slowly devouring his Caged Bird.

The him in the mirror smiled more and more brightly, until it finally turned into an uninhibited, hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha... Hahahahahaha!"

"Old man, keep it down." The sudden voice from the window caused Hizashi Hyuga's hearty laughter to instinctively halt, turning into a short, startled "Gah?"

Nearly choking on his saliva, Hizashi Hyuga glared murderously at Yuzuru Hyuga, who had a towel draped over his head and was still giving off steam.

Yuzuru Hyuga merely smiled gently and winked mischievously. "The good days are still ahead of us."

"Your good days are numbered." Hizashi Hyuga was not falling for that at all.

That sudden sentimental line was definitely something this brat had said to divert his attention.

This bastard had definitely appeared only when he was laughing. Definitely!

Old man really did understand him too well. Perhaps before long, it would become much harder to happily fool around with him like this—Yuzuru Hyuga thought regretfully, his mischievous smile no longer concealed. "I'll write down the method for practicing the Sealing Technique for you tomorrow."

"No. You come personally."

Hizashi Hyuga refused decisively. It was not merely because he was sulking.

Standing by the window, he said irritably, "I'm not going to accept favors on your behalf, you little brat."

"Would the results be worse because of my age?" Yuzuru Hyuga frowned slightly.

After all, he was still too young. If he were the one carrying out the plan to remove the Caged Bird, how many people would be willing to board that pirate ship with him regardless of the consequences?

"Don't worry." Hizashi Hyuga smiled meaningfully. "Once someone tastes freedom, they can never go back. Besides, you're the hope of the Branch House, a genius even the Main House recognizes, aren't you?"

"So I told you a year ago that I could do it, but you didn't believe me and wouldn't even try." Yuzuru Hyuga could not help saying triumphantly.

Hizashi Hyuga abruptly shut the window.

Fuck you and my wife.

Today, he really did not want to beat his son anymore—he was truly tired.

PS: Everyone is welcome to speak up. Whether you spot typos or find any bugs, I will sacrifice my hair to correct them.

(`)~