Rotation! Life Return!

"Ah! It's Yuzuru!!!"

When Yuzuru Hyuga appeared at Izumi's doorstep, before he could even greet her, the girl who opened the door happily cried out.

Yuzuru Hyuga blinked, and the girl immediately covered her flushed face. "I haven't even combed my hair yet. Mom!"

She turned and hurried back inside. The ninja couple sitting in the living room looked at each other, then rose together.

"Come in first."

Before the beautiful woman could ask anything, Yuzuru Hyuga politely bowed slightly. "I'm Yuzuru Hyuga, Izumi's friend. I'd like to take Izumi out for a while today. Would that be alright?"

"Of course." The moment they saw his pale eyes, the couple understood who he was.

"My name is Kawai Hazuki. I'm very happy you came to visit. She's mentioned you quite a lot at home. Have a seat. Would you like some snacks?"

Mrs. Kawai smiled gently. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, she had changed her surname after marrying this Chunin from the village, greatly enjoying the peaceful life she had found away from the Uchiha Clan.

"Mrs. Kawai, Mr. Kawai, I'll wait for Izumi outside. Please excuse me." Yuzuru Hyuga remained standing at the door, his expression apologetic as he bowed. He had no intention of going inside.

Once he went in, basic hospitality would compel them to prepare something. Too troublesome.

The couple exchanged a glance. Izumi's mother quickly went to help tidy her hair, then sent the red-faced but delighted little girl to Yuzuru Hyuga's side.

"Izumi, don't cause little Yuzuru any trouble!"

Izumi grinned. "I know! Mom, we're leaving!"

She grabbed Yuzuru Hyuga's sleeve.

Yuzuru Hyuga still lowered his head slightly in a proper gesture. "Please excuse me. My first visit was rather abrupt."

"You really are something." Mr. Kawai seemed somewhat unaccustomed to it. As a civilian ninja, he simply had no idea how to respond while looking at Yuzuru Hyuga's polite, refined, and noble demeanor.

It seemed that none of the other Hyuga Clan members he had seen in the village were like this, right?

Yuzuru Hyuga smiled and nodded. "Yes, I understand. Then, shall we be going?"

"Please be careful."

After bidding farewell to Izumi's parents and walking downstairs, she excitedly took Yuzuru Hyuga's hand. "What are we going to play? How about house in the park? Or ninja games?"

Weren't those both just playing house?

Yuzuru Hyuga looked apologetic. "Izumi, I have something I'd like to ask of you."

"What is it? As long as it's something I can do!" Rather than finding it troublesome, she became even more excited.

"Your mother is from the Uchiha Clan, right?" Yuzuru Hyuga asked.

Izumi froze, then bit her lip. "Mm."

She had always thought it was a secret and had never told anyone—the Uchiha Clan's reputation in the village had never been very good.

"Could I ask you to go to the Uchiha Clan compound and call someone out for me? Itachi Uchiha."

After Yuzuru Hyuga finished speaking, Izumi hesitated for a long time before finally nodding. "I don't know if I can. I've never been to the Uchiha Clan compound either."

"It's fine. Just go and tell them. When Itachi comes out, tell him I'll be waiting at the usual place. Oh, the usual place is the park. You'll come later too, right? This afternoon, I'll take you to play ninja games."

Yuzuru Hyuga paused as he spoke. Thinking about it carefully, serious training was part of ninja games too, wasn't it?

He would teach her how to refine chakra first. After all, she was a girl who could awaken a Three Tomoe Sharingan in those related novels. Her talent should be pretty good.

Izumi had no idea that the ninja games of her dreams were about to change completely. She happily said, "Leave it to me!"

Thus, she bravely headed alone to the Uchiha Clan compound. Unsurprisingly, she was stopped at the entrance, but no one made things overly difficult for a child. Once she said she wanted to see Itachi Uchiha, someone went to fetch him.

Not long after, a bewildered Itachi Uchiha appeared at the entrance. After Izumi whispered a few words to him, he silently nodded and politely asked her to wait a moment.

After returning home to notify his family, he followed Izumi to find Yuzuru Hyuga.

In the park, Yuzuru Hyuga stared ahead with his Byakugan, seemingly lost in thought.

Izumi happily wanted to run over and greet him, but Yuzuru Hyuga waved her off. Feeling wronged, she followed his gesture and stood in the corner of the park.

When he saw Itachi Uchiha appear, his Byakugan returned to normal. "Long time no see, Itachi."

Itachi Uchiha gave a quiet hum. He seemed much better now, and asked calmly, "What is it?"

"Morning training."

As soon as Yuzuru Hyuga spoke, Itachi Uchiha did not cooperate like before. He merely shook his head. "I don't want to—"

The sound of slicing wind reached his ears almost the instant he spoke. Itachi Uchiha instinctively twisted aside and reflexively drew a kunai, slashing forward.

Damn it! Itachi Uchiha's pupils widened slightly. Yuzuru Hyuga's sudden attack had made him strike with full force on instinct, and for the current Itachi Uchiha, striking with full force meant going for the kill!

The sharp kunai swept toward Yuzuru Hyuga's neck, but in the next instant, Yuzuru Hyuga's calm eyes vanished from before Itachi Uchiha. In their place were a puff of smoke and a wooden log.

Substitution Technique.

The Substitution Technique, already raised to its maximum level, was an ability Yuzuru Hyuga could use with merely a thought. In terms of mastery of this technique alone, even the Fourth Hokage at the height of his fame might not have matched him.

Itachi Uchiha's kunai stabbed into the log. The next moment, a chakra-wrapped fist smashed into his shoulder and back, sending him flying forward.

"You!" He furrowed his brow.

Then he realized that Yuzuru Hyuga had no intention of stopping at the right point as before.

After he rolled to his feet, Yuzuru Hyuga was already upon him, veins bulging around his Byakugan.

The Byakugan watched the acupoints inside him, glowing with a faint blue light, as Gentle Fist strikes battered Itachi Uchiha like a raging storm.

Though he had no idea why his friend had suddenly gone mad, the emotions Itachi Uchiha had been suppressing were ignited at that moment as well.

He suddenly hopped backward. The instant he threw the kunai in his hand, both hands swiftly pulled multiple kunai from his ninja tool pouch.

If there was one technique Itachi excelled at most right now, it was undoubtedly his Kunai Throwing Technique.

Though he was only four years old, he could already send multiple kunai flying along different trajectories in an instant, striking every vital point on an enemy's body and even sealing off their room to evade.

However, just as Itachi worried that he might have been too ruthless.

Expressionless, Yuzuru Hyuga simply planted his feet, assumed a strange opening stance, then suddenly spun around once.

Itachi Uchiha's pupils contracted!

"Rotation!"

A thunderous shout rang out.

A pale blue vortex flashed strangely through the air for a moment, and the kunai were ruthlessly knocked away, scattering in all directions.

Then, with a single charge, Yuzuru Hyuga crossed several meters. Before Itachi Uchiha could throw another kunai, Gentle Fist strikes rained down repeatedly, striking acupoints all over his body as Itachi stared in disbelief.

His chakra flow stagnated.

His limbs slipped out of control.

His breathing stopped.

The damage caused by Gentle Fist striking acupoints varied each time, but at this moment, Itachi Uchiha felt the familiar yet terrifying emotion that had consumed his thoughts for days.

Death.

A pale fist stopped before Itachi's face. The wind raised by its violent force made his eyes sting, sending the loose hair over his forehead flying wildly.

"You're already dead."

Yuzuru Hyuga slowly straightened.

Itachi Uchiha lay on the ground in silence.

Only then did Izumi recover from the sudden, "terrifying" fight in the distance. Crying loudly, she shouted, "Stop fighting!"

Once she realized the fight was over, she sniffled and crouched on the ground, hugging her knees as she sobbed.

Yuzuru Hyuga blinked and looked at Itachi. "You go comfort her."

"It's not my fault." Itachi lay on the ground, staring at the blue sky with a lifeless expression.

Yuzuru Hyuga curled his lips and held out a hand.

After hesitating for a moment, Itachi reached out, grabbed it, and stood up.

"So, does life and death really require so much thought?"

Yuzuru Hyuga's words struck at Itachi Uchiha's concerns.

Looking at Yuzuru Hyuga's expression, Itachi Uchiha silently shook his head.

"You don't understand—"

Itachi Uchiha thought, You haven't seen that field of corpses with your own eyes. You haven't personally ended someone's life. How could you understand the weight of all this?

Yuzuru Hyuga gave a mute laugh. In the end, he merely rubbed his hair. "I only know that standing still won't help you find the answer."

Itachi Uchiha remained silent. Yuzuru Hyuga could not be bothered to painstakingly persuade this stuffy fellow any further. If he did not want to speak or accept it himself, nothing anyone said would help.

Compared to talking things out, which was slow and did not grant experience points.

Yuzuru Hyuga preferred another method.

"Starting today, train here every morning."

He gave Itachi Uchiha no chance to refuse. "Otherwise, I'll personally go to the Uchiha Clan compound and find you."

"Beating the Uchiha Clan Head's son in front of him would definitely be interesting." The smile on Yuzuru Hyuga's lips made Itachi Uchiha's mouth twitch slightly.

So what exactly had he been thinking when he became friends with someone like this?

Itachi Uchiha fell into deep thought.

"Go comfort her!"

Why was a little brat thinking about all this nonsense? Couldn't he be as simple as other children?

Yuzuru Hyuga kicked him in the butt. Itachi Uchiha wordlessly turned his head and glared at him, but seeing Izumi crouched there sobbing, he still felt pity for her. With a sigh, he walked over and comforted her softly.

Izumi ignored him, merely looking at Yuzuru Hyuga with watery eyes.

Itachi Uchiha gave Yuzuru Hyuga the same dead-fish stare as Kakashi—You do it.

Yuzuru Hyuga helplessly walked over. As he passed Itachi, he did not forget to mutter under his breath, "Can't even comfort a child, yet you're thinking about life's great questions."

Itachi puffed up his cheeks in anger and said nothing.

Yuzuru Hyuga crouched down, and with only a few words, wiped away Izumi's tears. Soon, she was once again smiling as she clung to Yuzuru Hyuga's arm, full of energy.

Yuzuru Hyuga gave Itachi a contemptuous look.

Itachi Uchiha wanted to go home.

"Ninja games! Ninja games! Itachi, come too!"

Izumi happily grabbed his sleeve as well.

Itachi Uchiha looked at Yuzuru Hyuga speechlessly. He wanted to refuse, but did not know how to say it. Then he suddenly recalled what had just happened and could not help asking, "Was that Rotation you used just now?"

"Yes." Yuzuru Hyuga gave him the answer.

"But isn't that—" Itachi Uchiha hesitated.

After parting with Yuzuru Hyuga last time, he had asked others about the Hyuga Clan.

The Main House and Branch House were no secret. He quickly learned about Yuzuru Hyuga's circumstances and had even felt sorry for him all along, but he had not dared ask, afraid of hurting his friend.

But.

Rotation was the Hyuga Main House's secret technique. How had someone from the Branch House learned it?

Yuzuru Hyuga merely blinked. "I understood the principle, tried it casually, and learned it."

"To be precise, when I woke up this morning, I thought about beating you up. Gentle Fist alone might not make things crushing enough, so I considered Rotation and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. I haven't figured out the Sixty-Four Palms yet, but Rotation was surprisingly simple, as long as your chakra control is strong enough."

Itachi Uchiha's mouth twitched. "I see!"

"Ninja games, ninja games!" Izumi urged.

"Mm. The first act of ninja games: Ninja Academy."

"Itachi Uchiha, as the Fifth Hokage, I appoint you as a schoolteacher. Your current mission is to guide Izumi in completing the Chakra Refinement Technique."

"This is an E-Rank Mission. Completion reward: dango! Failure penalty: twenty Combat Training sessions."

"Begin now!"

"Yay! Yuzuru! I want dango!"

Watching Izumi's eyes sparkle, Itachi Uchiha sighed and held his forehead. She's only thinking about dango. Won't I still be the one doing the Combat Training?

Staring at Yuzuru Hyuga's damnable, wicked grin, Itachi Uchiha made up his mind.

After going home today, he would find Shisui and talk to him.

Shisui would definitely help him beat this guy up badly!

After handing Izumi over to Itachi Uchiha for instruction, Yuzuru Hyuga breathed a sigh of relief and slipped off to the side.

If a four-year-old girl really dragged him into playing ninja games, he could forget about doing anything else that afternoon.

He opened the System Panel.

Looking at the words on it, he could not help smiling.

Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation (A): Level 1 (79/1600)

But in truth, what delighted Yuzuru Hyuga was not this A-Rank secret technique that he had initially mastered in a flash of inspiration.

It was—

Chakra Refinement Technique: Life Return: Level 1 (21/1600)

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