Will there be plenty of time in the future?
No. Did I, Hizashi Hyuga, need to wait for some future day to get revenge on my own son!?
From time to time, Hizashi Hyuga lowered his head to look at the unfilial son who had kept him from sleeping soundly for days, a "kind" smile on his face.
Ever since his wife had rolled her eyes at him once, Hizashi Hyuga had not spoken to him for days. Yet now, he kept flashing him "smiles."
Yuzuru Hyuga had to admit, it was downright terrifying.
Yuzuru Hyuga was dressed in white. His mother had combed his hair until it was soft and neat, and behind his black-rimmed glasses, his childish face looked utterly harmless. Holding his father's hand as they made their way toward the Hyuga Clan ancestral hall, he politely greeted everyone they encountered by name.
"Father, if Lord Hiashi sees that kind of smile, he might misunderstand." To make Hizashi Hyuga act normal again, Yuzuru had no choice but to whisper a reminder beside his father's leg.
Hizashi Hyuga restrained his smile but did not reply.
The father and son soon arrived at the ancestral hall.
By then, most of the Hyuga Clan had already gathered there, dressed neatly with faint sorrow on their faces.
This was destined to be a sorrowful moment. Many Hyuga clansmen who had died in the war would now become nothing more than cold words recorded in the clan genealogy.
Hyuga Hiashi stood solemnly before the ancestral hall, with several Main House elders beside him.
As the head of the Branch House, Hizashi naturally had the right to stand at his side. Yuzuru Hyuga followed closely behind him.
To Yuzuru Hyuga, the tedious and drawn-out ceremony was nothing but a time-wasting performance. Hyuga Hiashi shed tears before the crowd and delivered an impassioned speech for the fallen clansmen. Afterward, Hizashi Hyuga spoke on behalf of the Branch House as well.
In summary: those who died were good Hyuga, those still alive should take pride in them, and when similar opportunities came along in the future, those who needed to die would still have to die.
Naturally, Yuzuru Hyuga remained outwardly composed. He kept in step with his father, looking sad when he should look sad, applauding when he should applaud, and appearing full of fervor when he should appear full of fervor.
Among the list of fallen ninja, Yuzuru Hyuga heard many familiar names. Many of them had smiled as they held him, respectfully calling him young master and seeing him as the hope and future of the Branch House.
Was he sad?
Of course he was.
But more than sadness, he felt that their sacrifices had not been worth it.
How many Branch House members possessed exceptional talent, yet because of their so-called Branch House status, received no proper education, could not learn powerful taijutsu or ninjutsu, and were reduced to cannon fodder?
If the Hyuga Clan had treated every clansman equally and taught each of them with care, would it have been difficult to cut this death list in half?
"Yuzuru." Hizashi Hyuga patted his head, dispersing his chaotic thoughts. Yuzuru instinctively looked up and saw Hyuga Hiashi smiling at him.
Hyuga Hiashi said softly, "Do you have confidence in the match later?"
What match?
Yuzuru Hyuga quickly went over Hyuga Hiashi's long-winded speech in his mind and finally found the answer. Smiling, he said, "Yes, Clan Head."
"Good. Your father said your strength already surpasses that of ordinary eight- or nine-year-old children, so we did not place you in the children's group during the match assignments." Hyuga Hiashi looked at him curiously.
"Please look forward to my performance." He smiled gently, and the confidence in his words surprised Hyuga Hiashi somewhat.
The strange, half-smiling expression on Hizashi Hyuga's face gave Hyuga Hiashi pause. After pondering for a moment, he resumed his lengthy speech to the crowd below.
Yuzuru Hyuga merely answered his father with a dry smile. So this was your method of revenge? Foolish father. Head of the Branch House, yet this was all you could do.
A clan martial arts tournament.
That was Yuzuru Hyuga's simple summary of what was about to happen.
To ease the clansmen's grief over the deaths, Hyuga Hiashi had decided to use a competition among the younger generation to raise morale.
Nothing was more inspiring than seeing the future hope of the Hyuga Clan with one's own eyes.
As long as the children demonstrated promising potential in their matches, Hyuga Hiashi could deliver another speech. Then today's event would conclude perfectly: mourning the past while looking forward to the future.
The previous few times had followed roughly the same pattern.
Naturally, it was mostly a stage for the Main House. Against taijutsu like the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Branch House children who had only learned the basics of the Gentle Fist usually could not hold out for long. By the end, the tournament became a showcase for the Main House children, deepening the Branch House's awe while encouraging most of the clan.
The children's group went first, limited to those under six years old.
"First match: Hyuga Kou versus Hyuga Koumae." Having finished his formal remarks, Hyuga Hiashi finally stopped talking.
The open space before the ancestral hall had already been cleared. The adult Hyuga Clan members stood in two lines, the Branch House on one side and the Main House on the other, facing each other. The empty ground in the middle was reserved for the children's matches.
Hizashi Hyuga, Hyuga Hiashi, and several elders sat on chairs brought over before the ancestral hall, serving as judges and supervisors.
Hyuga Koumae was a Main House child, while Hyuga Kou was from the Branch House.
Both were four years old, the same age as Yuzuru Hyuga.
The two children marched to the center of the grounds, brimming with fighting spirit, while the clansmen behind them generously offered words of encouragement.
"Kou, you can do it!" Naturally, Yuzuru Hyuga was no exception.
He stood at the front of the Branch House line. His voice was not loud, but it was clear enough for young Hyuga Kou to hear. Kou turned to look at him and clenched his fists. "Yeah!"
Yuzuru Hyuga usually did not play much with the little brats of his clan, but with his status, strength, and mature temperament, he had already become the "leader" among Branch House children his age without even trying.
Hyuga Koumae, meanwhile, appeared very calm. Although he was not an outstanding genius within the Main House, when facing a Branch House child of the same age, he was composed and confident.
"Begin!"
And then—
The pathetic pecking match that followed made Yuzuru Hyuga reluctant to watch. Compared to his fights with Itachi and Shisui, calling these children's exchanges a "fight" was less fitting than calling them a "brawl."
The two children traded punches and kicks, shouting and grunting. Scattered Gentle Fist moves were occasionally, and unreliably, imbued with chakra. After fighting for ages and rolling around in the dirt, all they managed was to give Hyuga Kou a bloody nose.
Once Hyuga Kou sat on the ground clutching his nose, whimpering and unable to rise, the victor had been decided.
Hyuga Koumae jumped about on the field in celebration, drawing waves of applause from the Main House.
The Branch House members had long been used to this. Their expressions did not change, and they lightly applauded Hyuga Koumae as well.
"It's all right." Yuzuru Hyuga stepped forward and helped Hyuga Kou up, unconcerned by the child's filthy clothes or the ridiculous mixture of tears, snot, and blood on his face. Hyuga Koumae looked at him somewhat provocatively, but Yuzuru simply returned a gentle smile, entirely unconcerned.
Hyuga Kou endured the pain as Yuzuru supported him, sniffling, "It hurts."
"It's all right. It'll stop hurting soon." Yuzuru Hyuga took out a handkerchief and wiped his face, then helped him back to the Branch House line.
A Hyuga medical ninja came over and treated him briefly, stopping the nosebleed.
Hyuga Kou looked dejected. "Sorry... I lost."
Yuzuru Hyuga only encouraged him gently. "It's all right. As long as Kou trains hard, you'll definitely win next time."
"Yeah!" As Hyuga Kou's father prepared to take him away, Kou looked at Yuzuru Hyuga with admiration. "Young Master Yuzuru, you'll win too, right?"
Hyuga Kou's father hurriedly covered his mouth.
Although Yuzuru Hyuga's "genius" reputation had long spread throughout the Branch House, truthfully, everyone only praised him because of his status and maturity.
People praised their own. If they did not praise their own people, who would?
Yuzuru Hyuga had never demonstrated his current level of strength either.
Therefore, Hyuga Kou's father was afraid that after his child said such things, Yuzuru Hyuga would end up getting thoroughly beaten by a Main House child. Would that not cause trouble?
"Yes, I'll definitely win." Yuzuru Hyuga smiled and gave him a firm answer.
Hyuga Kou's father smiled bitterly. "Then... Young Master Yuzuru, good luck!"
Yuzuru Hyuga smiled and nodded.
In the children's group matches that followed, the Main House won six out of seven bouts. The only loss was a boy fighting a girl—there was a slight imbalance in the children's gender ratio, so that match pitted a Branch House boy against a Main House girl. Relying on a slight weight advantage, he used the "Gentle Fist" to make the little girl cry and ultimately won.
Yuzuru Hyuga gently encouraged and comforted every Branch House child who fought. For a time, he stood out considerably. When Hyuga Hiashi noticed, he could not help teasing Hizashi Hyuga with a smile, saying his son had the bearing of the next head of the Branch House.
Hizashi Hyuga merely smiled, but Yuzuru Hyuga's thoughtful expression put him on guard. This brat seemed to be planning something again.
"The children's group matches are over."
When Hyuga Hiashi said this, both the Branch House and Main House members were visibly stunned.
What about Yuzuru Hyuga?
Their gazes all turned toward Hyuga Hiashi. The next moment, they heard news that shocked them greatly.
"Due to the vast difference in strength, Yuzuru Hyuga of the Branch House will participate in the youth group matches ahead of schedule."
"First match: Yuzuru Hyuga versus Hyuga Katon."
When Yuzuru Hyuga stood before Hyuga Katon, who was a head taller than him, smiling as he formed the Seal of Confrontation with one hand.
The whispers spreading through the Branch House could no longer be contained.
This is unfair, isn't it? Young Master Yuzuru is only four this year, but Katon has already graduated. He's even a Genin of Konoha.
Why!? Young Master Yuzuru definitely wouldn't lose against children his own age, but against these older kids...
Even as he noticed those words, Yuzuru Hyuga spoke up. Smiling, he announced, "Katon, I was the one who proposed fighting above my age group to my father. So there is no need to hold back. Treat me as an equal opponent, and let us have a fair fight."
Hyuga Katon had been conflicted, feeling that bullying a child seemed a little embarrassing. Hearing Yuzuru Hyuga's words, he relaxed and smiled. "No problem, Yuzuru."
He assumed his opening stance and smiled confidently at Yuzuru Hyuga. "Come on! Attack me with everything you have!"
But Hyuga Katon regretted it very quickly.
Before you continue