Hyuga Hiashi watched his daughter apologize to Hizashi Hyuga, and his expression softened considerably as he asked with concern, "Hinata, you've been missing for a whole day. You probably haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"The clan has always had meals prepared for you. They're still warming in the pot. Should I have someone bring them over?"
Hinata Hyuga nodded, then shook her head. "Father, I am indeed hungry, but food for just me won't do. Prepare the same amount for Roman as well."
"It has to be of the same standard."
Hearing this, Hyuga Hiashi glanced again at the grinning blond Roman standing beside Hinata, and fury rose within him.
But when he thought of the three conditions he had agreed to earlier, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Fine. I'll have someone prepare it and send it to your room once it's ready."
"Alright, then we'll be leaving first." After saying that, Hinata took Roman's hand and prepared to leave. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she turned back to Hyuga Hiashi and said:
"Oh, right. Let my former guard, Hyuga Fuyu, rest and recover properly. After all, she can't even beat me."
"..."
Hyuga Hiashi silently nodded. Then he stood there and watched his daughter skip away with Roman, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
Still, Hyuga Hiashi quickly composed himself and said to everyone around him, "Before my daughter Hinata grows up, information about her being able to defeat a Jonin must never be leaked."
"That's right. I agree."
Hizashi Hyuga was the first to step forward and nod.
After all, he had no desire for news of his defeat at the hands of an underage niece to spread.
If word truly reached Konoha, he would lose all face.
The higher-ups of the Hyuga Main Family in the distance also nodded in agreement. In their eyes, Hinata Hyuga was the future hope of the Hyuga Clan, the new Hyuga Celestial Ninja of this era!
In the future, she might even have a chance of growing into an existence comparable to the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, or Madara Uchiha!
But those were expectations for Hinata's future... The current Hinata could only defeat Jonin. She had merely defeated Jonin and had yet to reach the level of a Kage.
That meant she could still be killed by outside forces. Since that was the case, information about her had to remain confidential.
Thus, the Hyuga Clan's higher-ups reached a consensus and issued a notice to those below:
Members of the Hyuga Clan were forbidden from revealing Hinata Hyuga's true combat strength to outsiders!
Afterward, Hyuga Hiashi, Hizashi Hyuga, and the elders of the Hyuga Main Family went elsewhere for a meeting. The topic was simple: to inquire into more detailed information regarding the Hyuga Clan prodigy, Hinata Hyuga:
When had she learned Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms? And even Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation?
And even Water Release: Wild Water Wave.
As well as the exclusive ninjutsu of the Fourth Hokage's line, the Rasengan?
Faced with the questioning gazes of the Main Family elders and his younger brother, the clan head of the Main Family explained everything he knew, immediately causing immense shock among them:
She had learned on her own, mastering Chakra control methods such as tree climbing and water walking when she was only three years old.
And most importantly, Hinata's Rasengan had not come from the Scroll of Seals. She had recreated it herself when she was four years old.
As for Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms, Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation, and even Water Release: Wild Water Wave... even he, her father and the head of the Hyuga Clan, had not known that Hinata had mastered these taijutsu and ninjutsu.
After their shock subsided, everyone sighed in amazement:
"A genius, a true genius!"
"Hinata has hope of becoming the Hyuga Celestial Ninja of the new era!"
"Once Hinata truly comes of age, perhaps she can lead the Hyuga Clan to rise again. She may even have a chance to ascend to that position and become Konoha's Hokage!"
After everyone had finished marveling, Hizashi Hyuga seemed to recall something and added, "During the battle, I kept using my Byakugan to observe the flow of Chakra within Hinata's body. I confirmed that her Chakra reserves were only at the level of an ordinary Chunin, but at one point, I discovered that her Chakra suddenly increased, reaching the level of an ordinary Jonin!
"If that hadn't happened, there was no way she could have used so many ninjutsu!"
An elder nodded. "I noticed Hinata's increase in Chakra as well."
Hyuga Hiashi also nodded. "The same goes for me. I observed that phenomenon with my Byakugan."
These words gave everyone present an idea:
Could it be that, at such a young age, Hinata had already developed a new technique? A ninjutsu capable of storing the Chakra she normally refined and unleashing it at a crucial moment!
It was possible. Very possible!
After all, this was Hinata, the genius ninja Hinata Hyuga who had once recreated the Rasengan! It was understandable that she could develop a new technique, one capable of storing Chakra...
At that moment, Hyuga Hiashi seemed to think of something and said, "But why does the effect of this technique resemble Lady Tsunade's Yin Seal so much?"
After hearing that, everyone thought it over carefully and felt that the method Hinata had used to make her Chakra surge during her battle with Hizashi Hyuga was indeed extremely similar to the Yin Seal.
Then Hizashi Hyuga spoke again. "Oh, right. I also noticed something during the battle. At that critical moment when Hinata fought me, she released two ninjutsu at the same time!
"They were Reverse Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation.
"And the Rasengan!
"She appears capable of multitasking. Without question, she is a true combat genius!"
Hearing this, everyone became even more convinced that if Hinata Hyuga could truly grow up, she might really become the Hyuga Celestial Ninja of the new era and lead the Hyuga Clan to rise again.
Then everyone thought of something else and began urging Hyuga Hiashi to treat Hinata Hyuga better in the future, to satisfy her requests as much as possible, and to raise her properly.
Hyuga Hiashi was slightly stunned. Then he remembered a request Hinata had made not long ago:
She wanted to be trapped together with Roman!
Did that kind of request need to be satisfied too?
Like hell it did!
No matter what, Roman was only an ordinary person. He could not cultivate Chakra and was not worthy of his daughter!
Meanwhile, Roman and Hinata had already returned to Hinata's girlishly decorated bedroom, where a faint and pleasant fragrance of incense lingered in the air.
As they waited for the servants to bring over the food, they communicated through their exchanged gazes and minds.
Hinata: "A fist really is reason!
"After I gave those stubborn Hyuga Clan members a good beating, Father really agreed to let you remain in the Hyuga Clan. He even agreed to give you the same treatment as me."
"Of course, that was all thanks to you. If you hadn't transmitted the Chakra within you, equivalent to one Kakashi's worth of Jonin Chakra, into my body from afar during the battle.
"And connected your consciousness to my body, using your mind to fight alongside me, allowing me to multitask and use both Rotation and Rasengan at the same time.
"I really wouldn't have been able to defeat Hizashi Hyuga, a Konoha Jonin."
"Piece of cake."
Roman waved his hand, then seemed to think of something. "You and I disappeared together for a day. The Hyuga Clan searched everywhere, so it must have already alerted Konoha. I'm afraid many people in Konoha are already spreading rumors that you eloped with me."
"Why care about them? Besides... in a sense, they aren't wrong. We went to the Chaos Temple together, stayed there for a day, and even held each other... That really could count as eloping.
"And as long as the two of us stay together for a while longer, our strength will rapidly increase and we'll grow at an unbelievable speed, like stepping on our own left foot to climb higher! Then, through one, two, three fetal movements, we'll awaken the Tenseigan and enter Tenseigan Chakra Mode!
"At that point, if anyone in Konoha still dares wag their tongue, then I'll show them what it means when I say I don't eat beef!"
Roman: "Makes sense."
After discussing this mentally, the two of them laughed.
Just then, the voice of a Hyuga Clan servant came from outside the room:
"Lady Hinata, Lord Roman, lunch is ready!"
Before you continue