Test

"Do you think she's a qualified candidate?"

Yuzuru Hyuga sank into thought, his fingers tapping against the desk.

Hizashi Hyuga, however, wasn't weighed down by such concerns. He sat off to the side with a leisurely air, sizing up his own son.

It was rare to see him so uncertain, and Hizashi found it quite amusing.

"Of course."

"If she wanted to harm you, given the information she holds, there was no need to come forward now. She could have waited until your plans progressed and found a weak point."

"To reveal herself so directly—if you were ruthless, you could even use her own words as an excuse to kill her. In my view, Kaoru's credibility is still quite high."

Hizashi Hyuga set down the scroll in his hands.

Inside was a full dossier on Kaoru Hyuga, gathered by his trusted agents.

"Reclusive. Cold."

"Low-key. Unremarkable."

"A pitiful girl, quiet as air."

"Seems to have a crush on Young Master Yuzuru."

Hizashi read aloud the clan's impressions of Kaoru Hyuga, gathered from the investigation. He lingered on the last line, emphasizing it.

Yuzuru Hyuga shot his father a wordless look. "Father."

"Always likes to sneak around near Young Master Yuzuru."

"Feels like a shady character."

"Spends every day loitering along Young Master Yuzuru's route."

"Lazy. A waste of ninja talent."

Hizashi continued reading, deliberately stressing every ambiguous record.

Yuzuru pretended not to hear, but the words stirred up many memories.

No wonder he always felt Kaoru Hyuga was both unfamiliar and familiar.

The unfamiliarity came from the fact that she had never once approached him to speak.

The familiarity, however, came from her absurdly high frequency in his memories.

When he went out, when he came home from school, when he headed to the Training Ground, when he chatted with others.

Thinking back, it seemed that in all those everyday scenes, Kaoru Hyuga was always there, like part of the background.

She never even looked directly at him—just happened to be nearby, doing something.

Wait. Wasn't that even more unsettling?

"Her mother died early, her father is rarely home, and now she has to fend for herself. She lacks warmth and discipline, so it's only natural that her way of thinking differs from yours." Seeing Yuzuru lost in thought, Hizashi took the initiative to defend Kaoru.

In Hizashi's view, Yuzuru was probably startled by the girl's fervor. After all, no matter how mature he was, he couldn't be born knowing everything about romance.

But Yuzuru knew there was no misunderstanding at all.

"Don't misunderstand. Anyway, I understand."

"Starting tomorrow, I'll train her as a guard."

"We'll discuss other matters later. Someone with extreme emotions is a double-edged sword—I need to ensure the blade doesn't cut me. Besides, someone with only emotion and no ability is of little use to us. There's no rush. Let's see what she can do first, then decide."

Seeing Yuzuru's expression, Hizashi knew he had already made up his mind. Still, the coldness in his words left Hizashi with mixed feelings.

Yuzuru stood up, ending the conversation for the day. "That's settled. I'll handle her instruction and assessment myself."

After leaving the room, Yuzuru looked up at the bright, clear moon.

It seemed he wasn't the only bird yearning to spread its wings and fly.

But as a rational person, Yuzuru Hyuga would never place his hopes on others the way Kaoru did.

In this world, the only thing worth trusting forever was one's own strength.

Back in his room, without excessive worry or deliberation, Yuzuru soon fell asleep.

When he woke, he went to the Main Family for two hours of private lessons, as agreed with Elder Hyuga.

Today, the elder finally delivered something substantial—teaching him the Main Family's secret technique, the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.

Unfortunately, Yuzuru Hyuga no longer needed it.

In fact, the moment he learned the secret art, the system sent a notification.

code
[Detected high compatibility between Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm (A) and Gentle Fist: Minor Gods Vacuum Attack (A). Spend Free Experience Points to merge the two skills?]

[7982 Free Experience Points spent.]

[Merge complete.]

[Gentle Fist: Minor Gods Vacuum Attack (A): Level 5 (4782/8000)]

Thus, the experience points for Minor Gods Vacuum Attack surged sharply, and at the same time, the skill itself received some enhancement, becoming more aligned with the combat system that complemented the Byakugan.

But that was all.

Yuzuru Hyuga controlled the pace of his 'training,' gradually channeling Gentle Fist in the manner of Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, performing in a way that required neither guidance nor urging.

Elder Hyuga was thoroughly satisfied, even brimming with enthusiasm to train Yuzuru Hyuga for an extra hour, but Yuzuru found an excuse to decline and turned to head home.

After all, even if he trained, wouldn't practicing at his own house yield more gains than putting on an inefficient act under the Elder's watchful eyes?

Yet, no sooner had he stepped through the gate of the Branch Family than Yuzuru Hyuga couldn't help but halt.

His gaze shifted to the side, and there he saw Kaoru Hyuga, who seemed to have been respectfully waiting at the entrance for some time.

Today, she was still dressed in a white one-piece dress, looking more like an ordinary frail girl than a ninja. Upon seeing Yuzuru Hyuga, she bowed her head and said softly, "Welcome home, Lord Yuzuru."

"Hm."

Yuzuru Hyuga's eyes lingered on her face for a moment, but Kaoru Hyuga only smiled at him with a gentle, respectful yet warm expression. When he turned and started walking, she naturally followed behind him, heading home together. When they encountered acquaintances along the way, she merely explained with a light smile that she had been chosen to be Lord Yuzuru's guard.

Thus, everyone revealed knowing and puzzled smiles.

A guard?

But as they delved deeper into the matter, they suddenly realized that this affair might not be as shallow as they had imagined.

Just how strong was Kaoru Hyuga?

When they thought carefully, everyone fell into contemplation, because whether they asked friends nearby or pondered on their own, not a single person knew what level of strength Kaoru Hyuga currently possessed.

Once they arrived home, Yuzuru Hyuga didn't pause but headed straight for the Training Ground.

"This is my first time coming here," Kaoru Hyuga couldn't help but exclaim as she stepped into the Training Ground.

Her gaze curiously roamed the Training Ground, finally settling on a solid wood-and-iron humanoid target that had been battered into a twisted shape.

"Kaoru, is it alright if I call you that?" Yuzuru Hyuga asked first.

Kaoru Hyuga shook her head, her eyes turning to Yuzuru Hyuga and not moving away. "Of course. In fact, if you were to address me that way, I'd be delighted."

Her smile was sincere, but Yuzuru Hyuga only looked at her calmly. "Attack me. With all your strength."

"Yes!" Kaoru Hyuga's expression grew more serious.

She first looked at her dress, eyeing it with some regret, then tore open her skirt—the dress looked beautiful and fit her well, but it wasn't suitable for combat.

After that, Kaoru Hyuga lifted her head, her eyes carrying a hint of eagerness. "Lord Yuzuru, may I strike?"

Yuzuru Hyuga simply looked at her calmly. "Please, do your utmost. Don't. Disappoint me."