Izumi's steps were light, and a gentle smile hung on her little face. The beauty mark beneath her left eye added to her already delicate features. Though she was still a little girl who had not yet grown into her looks, it was clear she was a budding beauty.
She trotted over to Yuzuru Hyuga, panting. "Long time no see!"
"Mm, long time no see." Yuzuru Hyuga gave her a gentle, easygoing smile. With his glasses, he looked more mature, refined, and mild-mannered than children his age. Combined with his handsome features and warm smile, he seemed exceptionally approachable.
Izumi was drawn in by his dazzling smile. For a moment, she forgot to reply and could only huff as she caught her breath. It was not until he helplessly reached out and lightly poked her forehead that she snapped back to herself. "Ah, right!"
Blushing, she straightened up, clasped her hands in front of herself, stood properly, and then abruptly bowed. "Thank you for taking me home last time."
"You only scraped your leg. You could have made it home without me." Watching her exaggerated bow nearly throw her off balance, Yuzuru Hyuga barely managed not to laugh.
Izumi raised her head, her little face utterly serious. "But my leg really hurt."
The little girl's solemn insistence that her injured leg had truly hurt was both adorable and amusing to Yuzuru Hyuga. He could only smile and shake his head.
"It doesn't hurt now, does it?" he asked.
"Mm! Izumi is going to become a ninja someday, so little injuries like that are nothing!" She held her head high.
"So it really hurt?"
"Mm! It really hurt!"
Yuzuru Hyuga could not hold it in any longer and laughed out loud.
Izumi did not quite understand, but she knew she had made herself look silly. Lowering her head, she rubbed the tip of her shoe against the ground. "But it really did."
"I know. Sorry." Yuzuru Hyuga paused after speaking, then said, "Hasn't your mother told you not to run around lately? You need to listen to your mother and behave."
"Dad and Mom both went out on missions. Auntie said it was fine as long as I got home before dinner!"
Izumi looked entirely justified, apparently still unaware of what it meant for her parents to be sent out on missions at a time like this.
Though Yuzuru Hyuga vaguely remembered her, all he knew was that this little girl would probably become part of the Uchiha Clan someday—and become Itachi Uchiha's first love.
He knew nothing about her parents. It was not as if he were some kind of Hokage encyclopedia.
After a moment of silence, he still said nothing more. He only smiled gently. "I see. But you still can't run around everywhere lately. There are lots of bad people outside. Once your father and mother come back, the bad people should have been driven away. You can come out and play then."
"If there are bad people, then..." Izumi suddenly became bashful. She kept stealing glances at him and whispered, "Would you protect me?"
Yuzuru Hyuga truly could not understand the thought process of a four-year-old girl. Compared to her, he preferred that relatively mature little brat Itachi. Still, he answered gently, "Mm."
Izumi's face instantly turned bright red. She shyly hooked her fingers together, staring at her pretty little dress. "So... um, thank you!"
"Huh?" Yuzuru Hyuga looked baffled. Wasn't this just a hypothetical situation? Why did she look as though he had already saved her from bad people?
Izumi quickened her pace. "Anyway, anyway, that's that. I-I have to buy soy sauce for Auntie. The next time Yuzuru comes out, can you take me along to play?"
"My house is around the corner from the convenience store. Go inside, third floor, door number two."
"The spare key to the house..."
Yuzuru Hyuga raised a hand in front of her face, signaling for her to stop talking.
"I got it. Third floor, door number two."
Izumi caught the faint scent of incense on his hand.
"Mm." Blushing, she fell silent.
"The soy sauce?" Yuzuru Hyuga reminded her.
Only then did Izumi snap back to her senses. "Ah, I have to buy soy sauce. Um, thank you!"
He watched her jog away, vanishing around the street corner like the wind.
Yuzuru Hyuga did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Did this count as stealing Itachi's girl?
Faced with a little girl's innocent affection, he could only shake his head and feel sorry for her. It probably would not be long before her parents told her the sad truth: Hyuga Clan members only married within the Hyuga Clan. By then, she would probably understand that some feelings were destined to end without result.
To preserve their so-called pure bloodline and protect the so-called Byakugan, the Hyuga Clan had always chosen marriage partners from within the clan.
Not to mention that she carried Uchiha blood.
A marriage between a Hyuga and an Uchiha? The thought alone was enough to give the old Third a heart attack, send Danzo into rabid-dog mode, and make Konoha's council of elders stay up all night drafting eighteen letters urging them not to marry.
He looked up. The First Hokage on Hokage Rock smiled down at the village.
Is this the Konoha you wanted, Hashirama Senju?
But no matter what he wanted to do, his top priority was to return and study Sealing Technique.
If he could not even handle the Caged Bird on his forehead, then dreaming of anything else was pointless.
Quickening his pace, Yuzuru Hyuga returned to the estate. Before entering, he halted, stood properly to one side, lowered his head, and waited respectfully.
Several boys older than him merely glanced indifferently at the green mark on his forehead with their Byakugan, then raised their chins and strode through the gate without a care.
"Young Master Yuzuru."
The guards on duty at the entrance were naturally Hyuga Clan ninja as well. Those tasked with guarding the house and grounds naturally had to be the most loyal and trustworthy "good dogs."
Therefore, they were all Branch House ninja.
Yuzuru Hyuga smiled and looked up at the Branch House ninja, whose expressions were complicated. He merely said gently, "You've worked hard. There have been far fewer ninja rotating shifts at home lately, haven't there?"
"Yes. It used to be three shifts a day, but now sometimes we can't even change shifts once a day." A blunt middle-aged ninja had his resentment stirred up.
Another Hyuga ninja shot him a glare, then smiled. "Young Master Yuzuru, it's fine. At a time like this, we should work even harder to contribute to the clan."
Yuzuru Hyuga seemed thoughtful, but his expression did not change. He merely continued smiling gently. "Ah, I see. Understood."
He turned and entered the estate. The Hyuga Clan's wealth was evident everywhere: towering walls, beautiful brick and tile, and structures that blocked out the sky.
If Yuzuru Hyuga had to describe it—
It was like a giant birdcage.
Nominally, the Main House and Branch House residential areas were about the same size. After all, they still had to preserve the appearance of being one family.
Yet the boundaries were distinct. Once he passed through a gate leading to the Branch House's rear courtyard, he no longer had to worry about constantly running into Main House members.
Spotting a maid he knew well, Yuzuru Hyuga stopped. "Sister Riko, could I trouble you with something?"
Hyuga Riko stopped and hurriedly replied with respect, "Young Master Yuzuru, please tell me."
They lacked the talent to become ninja, yet carried the Byakugan—eyes with "extremely high tactical value." They could only become maids and serve the clan.
If they were lucky, perhaps they could become the wife of an outstanding clan ninja. If they were unlucky, they would likely just be paired with Hyuga men who also lacked cultivation talent, hoping to bear a child capable of becoming a ninja and changing their fate.
Thus, even as the son of the Branch House head, Yuzuru was a figure as towering as a mountain to them.
"Don't be so nervous. How have the clan members responsible for patrols and guard duty been eating these past few days?"
He asked with a smile.
Riko naturally told him everything she knew. "Their shift changes generally don't happen at mealtimes. Most of the time, they probably just make do with soldier pills."
"If they're on duty at home, how can they not even get a hot meal? Others may not care, but we should show consideration for our own people." Yuzuru Hyuga spoke as if casually, then said, "Have the kitchen prepare more food. Even if manpower is scarce, they can always make time to rotate for one meal."
"The weather is getting hot. Have fresh well water put in their canteens regularly, or arrange some cooling drinks for them."
"How have you been lately?"
Riko firmly remembered everything he had said before that, but his final question left her somewhat at a loss.
"M-me?"
"Mm. Didn't Sister Riko cut her hand some time ago? Did you go to the hospital to have it checked?"
"Ah! It was just a minor injury! Young Master Yuzuru, you don't need to worry about me!"
As an eighteen-year-old young woman, Riko had never imagined that a four-year-old child would show concern for her.
Yuzuru Hyuga smiled softly. "But scars wouldn't look nice either. Mother has some very good ointment. I'll get some for you."
"No need, it already scarred over. It's nothing!" Riko refused again and again.
But Yuzuru Hyuga merely waved to her and headed toward the rear courtyard on his own.
She stood there blankly, her heart filled with complicated yet warm emotions. It was difficult to imagine that a grown adult could feel so honored and moved by just a few words from a child.
"Young Master Yuzuru... really is a good person."
"If only he were from the Main House."
She thought that if Yuzuru Hyuga belonged to the Main House, perhaps the Branch House would have a better life.
Thinking of this, she felt even more regret and sorrow for Yuzuru Hyuga. Such a gentle and exceptionally gifted genius had been branded with the Caged Bird mark simply because he was Lord Hizashi's son.
The Caged Bird mark was not merely a restraint. To maintain the curse mark, it continuously drained the victim's chakra, especially impairing the abilities of the Byakugan.
Furthermore, once someone became part of the Branch House, it meant they would forever be denied taijutsu that could greatly enhance the Byakugan's combat abilities, such as Rotation and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Whether taijutsu or ninjutsu, these techniques were passed down orally within the Main House. The Branch House had no right to learn them.
One could imagine how tragic that was for a genius—no matter how much more talented they were than the Main House members, inequality in resources and knowledge would leave them suppressed beneath those Main House members, gradually reduced to mediocrity.
Riko sighed and stopped thinking about it.
Her circumstances were even worse than those of ordinary Branch House members. Though it was difficult to accept, what could she do?
The Caged Bird was on her forehead too!
After returning to his room, Yuzuru Hyuga first asked his mother for some ointment and had another maid deliver it to Riko. He chatted briefly with his mother, but his mother, who had always been somewhat frail, soon grew tired and wanted to rest. He checked on Neji, then returned to his own room.
After casually finding a sheet of paper, he held his breath, focused his mind, and extended a finger.
"Let's set a small goal first."
"No matter the cost, first work hard to fill up the experience bar for Finger Seal!"
Then he would break through the limit and see whether his system could make the simple yet useless Finger Seal break through its limits and be reborn from its cocoon!
Before you continue