Just Be Yourself, Even if You're a Pervert

Yuzuru Hyuga's words made Kaoru Hyuga's smile even brighter. She seemed to have anticipated this moment, or perhaps even looked forward to it.

But when Kaoru Hyuga got into position and charged at him.

Yuzuru Hyuga's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

With a sharp sidestep, he dodged a pale hand wrapped in Chakra and said softly, "Interesting."

"Ever since I decided to stay by Young Master Yuzuru's side, in order to keep up with his pace..."

Her clear voice rang out before him. As their Byakugan met, veins bulged, and she was ready for a head-on clash.

"I've poured my all into it."

The two engaged in fierce offense and defense face-to-face, their Chakra-infused hands leaving afterimages in the air.

Thudding sounds echoed one after another as Yuzuru Hyuga used a plain Gentle Fist palm strike, attempting to push her back.

"Eight Trigrams!"

Just as she was about to be sent flying, Kaoru Hyuga spread her hands, her starting stance looking quite familiar to Yuzuru Hyuga.

"Thirty-Two Palms!"

The girl's sharp cry was followed by a continuous barrage of thirty-two palm strikes.

A smile appeared on Yuzuru Hyuga's face at some point. He didn't dodge, but instead, with overwhelming skill, blocked them all. Then, the moment her movements faltered, they both opened their palms almost simultaneously.

"Rotation!"

The same spinning motion, the same spiraling Chakra shield erupted. Kaoru Hyuga's Rotation held for a mere second before shattering, sending her flying from Yuzuru Hyuga's blow.

"Rotation: Consecutive Flashes!"

What fast Body Flicker Technique!

Kaoru Hyuga marveled inwardly. Her Byakugan's exceptional 360-degree vision allowed her to 'see' Yuzuru Hyuga appear behind her the moment she was sent flying.

Despite facing imminent danger and a heavy blow, she actually showed a smile that Yuzuru Hyuga found somewhat difficult to comprehend.

Yuzuru Hyuga was taken aback by her smile, but his actions didn't stop.

Rotation: Consecutive Flashes was an improved Taijutsu combo built upon the Shadow Leaf Dance, maximizing the damage output of Rotation.

This meant...

"One Flash."

On the ground, Yuzuru Hyuga opened his arms. What should have been a 360-degree Rotation became a sideways spinning blue Chakra shield created simply by raising his hand. The spinning Chakra exploded, blasting Kaoru Hyuga into the air, her beautiful dress tearing into shreds.

"Two Flashes."

With incredible speed, Yuzuru Hyuga appeared beside Kaoru Hyuga, who was blasted into the air, arriving before her despite attacking after.

Theoretically, the completion of this Consecutive Flashes combo depended on his will. As long as the enemy had no means of escape, he could endlessly use Rotation and Body Flicker Technique to end their life in a dizzying whirl.

Rotation's inherent offensive and defensive capabilities meant that as long as he attacked, the enemy could only endure, with no way to retaliate other than to dodge.

However, the moment he made his move, Yuzuru Hyuga saw Kaoru Hyuga's face, still smiling, her Byakugan gazing at him calmly.

He seemed somewhat lost in thought.

Thus, Yuzuru Hyuga stopped his attack and caught her, landing steadily.

Kaoru Hyuga instinctively reached out to embrace him, only to find he had already let go.

The sharp pain made her legs weak, and she nearly stumbled, staggering a couple of steps before managing to regain her balance.

"I'm sorry, Young Master Yuzuru, I've disappointed you."

She lowered her head, her long hair falling over her face, obscuring her expression as she spoke softly.

"No, you performed so outstandingly that it exceeded my expectations."

Yuzuru Hyuga spoke the truth. The strength displayed by this unknown clan member was enough to earn his admiration. Even Neji at the same age was nowhere near her level; he knew this clearly.

Judging solely by her talent and strength at her age, only rare geniuses like Kakashi, Itachi, and Shisui could surpass her.

Especially within the Hyuga Clan, and specifically the Branch Family, if Yuzuru Hyuga hadn't existed, she might have been the true genius the Hyuga had rarely seen in a century.

But why would such a person be unknown in the original story?

Yuzuru Hyuga pondered for a moment, considering many possibilities.

Thinking further about her yearning for freedom and her somewhat extreme personality, combined with her current life experiences, the most likely scenarios were suicide or simply giving up.

Kaoru Hyuga's cheeks flushed at Yuzuru Hyuga's brief words of praise.

She raised her eyes, her white pupils seeming to redden slightly, her voice filled with not only faint excitement but also eagerness: "Really? Young Master Yuzuru? Am I, as I am now, qualified to stay by your side?"

Yuzuru Hyuga adjusted his glasses and, under her hopeful gaze, gave her the answer she craved.

"Yes."

"Although I don't know what you mean by 'staying by my side,' if it's just what I understand, being near me... I acknowledge your talent."

Yuzuru Hyuga generously gave his affirmation. At the same time, he glanced at her somewhat tattered dress and the bleeding wounds, and before she could reply, he calmly said, "Come with me."

Kaoru Hyuga had to swallow many words, but even so, just a simple affirmation and acknowledgment from Yuzuru Hyuga made her smile incredibly bright and happy at that moment.

She followed closely behind, childishly chasing Yuzuru Hyuga's shadow, yet carefully avoiding stepping on it.

It wasn't until they entered an ordinary, not particularly large bedroom that Kaoru Hyuga suddenly realized where she had followed him.

Kaoru Hyuga looked around, seeing only a clean room with few furnishings or unnecessary decorations. The tidy and spotless room had only a few of Yuzuru Hyuga's coats hanging on a rack, indicating it was his room.

"Young Master Yuzuru, do you need me to take a bath? It must look terrible, all bloody and mangled."

Although she hadn't seen her own back, Kaoru Hyuga could guess that the Rotation that had sent her flying into the air must have left her back a bloody mess.

She stood there awkwardly, her fair white eyes seeming to take on the color of her flushed cheeks. She gently touched her cheeks with her hands, appearing a little shy, yet also somewhat impatient.

Yuzuru Hyuga's hand, reaching for the closet, paused slightly. He turned his head and stared at her with an astonishing, strange look. Only when she was flustered and uneasy did he say lightly, "Do you know my birthday?"

"June 8th! Ah! That's right, tomorrow, tomorrow is Young Master's birthday!"

She didn't know where her thoughts had gone, and a faint blush reappeared on her face.

"So, how old will I be tomorrow?"

"...Five years old?"

Kaoru Hyuga and Yuzuru Hyuga's calm eyes met, and she finally realized the problem.

"Is my bodyguard... a pervert?" Yuzuru Hyuga softly uttered it as a statement, yet there was no hint of disgust or disdain in his voice.

He turned his head, took out loose clothes from the closet. Fortunately, he had many white robes like bathrobes, and even if they were a bit small, they wouldn't look too awkward to wear.

He casually picked one up and tossed it to Kaoru Hyuga.

Kaoru Hyuga reached out and took it, staring blankly at the white robe in her hands. Then, she suddenly lowered her head uneasily, "Young Master Yuzuru, I'm sorry."

"...Just be yourself."

Just as Kaoru Hyuga was feeling a little elated by those words, she saw Yuzuru Hyuga push up his glasses and add lightly, "Even if you're a pervert."

Kaoru Hyuga bit her lip, but she wasn't sad. It was only because she vaguely felt that compared to the gentle, polite, and mature Young Master Yuzuru, this version of Young Master Yuzuru was even more real—in other words, didn't this mean she was getting closer to Young Master Yuzuru?

What was wrong with me, an eight-year-old, liking a five-year-old Young Master Yuzuru?

She thought, with perfect justification.

"Use my clothes for now. Later, I'll have a maid come and apply medicine for you."

"From today onwards, train with me. Of course, don't reveal Rotation or the Eight Trigrams Palm to others."

"If anyone asks why you're following me."

"Just show them how you look today."

Yuzuru Hyuga smiled faintly, arms crossed, implying something: "After all, if someone wants to add a lock to my cage, who would be more suitable than a Branch Family girl who lost her parents?"

Kaoru Hyuga understood his meaning and read the hidden danger, but she happily said, "Can I be like this outside too?"

"Please restrain the parts of you that aren't perverted."

Yuzuru Hyuga sighed and pushed his glasses up. "Especially don't let Father know."

"Otherwise... he'll be very happy." As if thinking of a certain scene, Yuzuru Hyuga's face showed a hint of displeasure.

"In short, that's how it is."

Without further explanation, he had Kaoru Hyuga wait in the room for a maid to apply medicine to her. After she had tidied up and changed, he returned to the training ground.

Want to follow by my side?

Fine.

Let's see if you can keep up with my training intensity first.

Unexpectedly, Kaoru Hyuga endured very well, and her progress could even be described as rapid—whatever Yuzuru Hyuga said, she grasped it like a monkey whose head had been tapped by Patriarch Bodhi, her speed of enlightenment was astonishingly swift.

This couldn't help but make Yuzuru Hyuga think of true geniuses like Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha. How fast would their progress be?

It wasn't until evening that his mother personally stopped his 'abusive' training, and the training was temporarily halted.

In the evening, Yuzuru Hyuga told Kaoru Hyuga to go back to sleep, while he secretly continued his extra training.

I'll wear you all out, you geniuses!

Only when he was exhausted did he return to his room to rest, satisfied.

The next morning, after attending morning classes with Elder Hyuga, he leisurely headed to school. Interestingly, Kaoru Hyuga had not enrolled in the ninja academy, even though her peers were already in their second year.

Clearly, she had had unique considerations regarding this before, and Yuzuru Hyuga didn't care, nor did he intend to have her enroll.

After school, at the school gate, Yuzuru Hyuga encountered three figures who surprised him somewhat.

It was none other than Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and Izumi, who was smiling brightly and excited about their reunion.

PS: This is not yandere, or at least not the kind of yandere you understand. Please read with confidence. I'm good at writing women. As for the number of female leads: it's highly likely to be multiple female leads, so don't ask again.

Also, regarding some comments in this chapter that I haven't replied to, it's definitely because someone else has already asked. You can find my explanation in the comments section.

For some parts that I consider to be Kishimoto's bugs or incomplete research, I will create/modify and reasonably supplement them (in my opinion), so please don't dwell on them too much. Of course, if there are any strange bugs due to oversight, please feel free to provide feedback, and the programmer will fix them promptly.

That's all! Love you all~