Spring nights were prone to rain. A fine spring drizzle drifted outside the prison cell. Qing Yan stood outside like an iron tower, utterly ignoring the slight chill. The young man beside him, holding a katana, shifted from time to time, adding a touch of life to the otherwise static scene.
Inside the cell, the nine exquisite dishes on the table had already gone cold. Hyuga Hiashi sat with his eyes closed in thought. After a while, he opened them and stared at Ming Jing. "What do you plan to do?"
Ming Jing glanced at Hizashi Hyuga and said, "All we need is for Mr. Hizashi to fake his death once. I am confident I can deceive everyone."
"Including Fugaku, who has the Sharingan?" Hyuga Hiashi asked. He understood that the Sharingan possessed some resistance to genjutsu. Combined with Fugaku Uchiha's strength, ordinary genjutsu would probably not fool him.
"Even the Mangekyō Sharingan might not be able to see through my genjutsu." Ming Jing smiled confidently. The genjutsu recorded in The Goose Illusionary Book was worlds apart from the genjutsu of the Naruto World. They were not even part of the same system. He refused to believe the Sharingan could see through it.
"If you can save Hizashi, I can do everything in my power to bring about an alliance between our two clans!" Hyuga Hiashi said seriously. No matter how he looked at it, the Hyuga Clan would not lose out in this matter. He had no reason to refuse.
"Very well. Consider it a token of my sincerity." After thinking it over, Ming Jing did not refuse. After all, he had had other motives from the very beginning.
"Wait." Hizashi Hyuga spoke up at that moment. Looking at Ming Jing, he asked, "Although your words sound convincing and sincere, how can we trust that everything you said is true? After all, the current head of the Kurama Clan is Koji Kurama, not you, Akira Kurama!"
"Please take a look at this, gentlemen. I believe it will prove my words." Ming Jing calmly extended his hand. Tsukishiro Yuexi took a letter from her robes and placed it in her Young Master's hand. Ming Jing received it, held it up with both hands, and presented it to Hyuga Hiashi.
Hyuga Hiashi nodded slightly to himself. Akira Kurama had shown him, the head of the Hyuga Clan, ample respect.
He accepted the letter and opened it. It was personally written by Koji Kurama, with Koji Kurama's private seal stamped at the bottom. Its meaning could be summed up in one sentence: everything Akira Kurama did represented the will of the Kurama Clan.
After Hyuga Hiashi finished reading, he passed it to Hizashi Hyuga. Once Hizashi had read it, Hiashi continued, "Since there is a personal letter from the Kurama Clan Head, you appear worthy of trust. Although we have not yet formed an alliance, I would still like to know how you intend to ensure that both sides will honor it after the alliance is made."
Hearing that, Ming Jing practically wanted to give Hizashi Hyuga a thumbs-up!
This uncle's assist was absolutely perfect!
Ming Jing immediately straightened his expression, adjusted his collar, and respectfully cupped his hands in a bow to Hyuga Hiashi. "This junior recently heard that Mr. Hiashi has a daughter, gentle and elegant, fresh and adorable, a perfect wife and homemaker. I have admired her for a long time, waking and sleeping with her in my thoughts. If you do not find me unworthy, I humbly ask that you give your daughter's hand in marriage to me."
Holy shit!
The two Hyuga brothers were both stunned by Ming Jing's behavior!
Hizashi Hyuga looked at Hyuga Hiashi as if to say, If I remember correctly, Brother, your Hinata is only two years old, right? Fresh and adorable, sure, but what the hell does "a perfect wife and homemaker" mean?
Hyuga Hiashi shot him a look back. I fucking want to know how this brat in front of us knows my little Hinata is a perfect wife and homemaker!
What do we do now? Hizashi Hyuga threw him another look. This brat sounds so serious. It looks like he really intends to marry Hinata!
I want to know what to do too! Hyuga Hiashi squeezed his eyes. Isn't this way too early to be talking about? It was quite impressive that the Byakugan could be used like this!
Hizashi Hyuga glanced at Ming Jing and continued signaling with his eyes. Anyway, get him to stand up first! Keeping his waist bent like that must be tiring!
"Cough, cough, cough..." The two brothers finally finished their silent exchange. Hyuga Hiashi cleared his throat and changed the subject. "What were we talking about just now?"
"Mr. Hizashi asked how this junior would ensure the reliability of the alliance. In my humble opinion, nothing can strengthen an alliance more securely than a marriage bond," Ming Jing said with a serious expression.
Holy shit! He fucking circled right back to it!
Hyuga Hiashi wore a constipated expression, unable to think of anything to say.
At that moment, Hizashi Hyuga cut in. "Mm, what Ming Jing says makes a great deal of sense. But if Hinata marries you, wouldn't the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan end up flowing outside the clan?!"
Nicely done!
Hyuga Hiashi gave his younger brother a thumbs-up inwardly. Ming Jing's sudden attack had thrown him into a panic just now. Now that he had recovered, this matter seemed impossible from the very start!
"This junior has already thought of a solution to that," Ming Jing said with a slight smile. "If a descendant of Miss Hinata and me awakens the Byakugan, then that child will naturally bear the Hyuga surname. If the child awakens the ability to control the five senses, then the child will bear the Kurama surname."
Uh...
The two Hyuga brothers exchanged a look. This solution was so fucking brilliant that, for a moment, they could not find any words to refute it.
Yet Hyuga Hiashi still refused to give up. Gritting his teeth, he decided to play his trump card. "What if this child awakens both the Byakugan and the ability to control the five senses?!"
"Then that child will become the Hokage!" Ming Jing radiated an air of Haki as he declared it with complete confidence.
The Hokage?!
The two Hyuga brothers froze. If Ming Jing and Hinata's future child really awakened both the Byakugan and the ability to control the five senses, becoming Hokage would be inevitable! With the Kurama Clan's wealth, the Hyuga Clan's strength, and that child's own talent, if he did not become Hokage, who would dare to?
This had potential!
Hyuga Hiashi rested his chin on one hand and began to ponder. Hizashi Hyuga, meanwhile, was speechless. There was not even the slightest sign of this happening yet! And shouldn't they at least ask Hinata herself what she thought? Asking a two-year-old child for her opinion...
Hizashi Hyuga suddenly felt a pain in his liver.
"In any case, everything depends on saving Hizashi first!" Hyuga Hiashi made his decision. If Ming Jing truly saved Hizashi, why not marry Hinata to him? They had already agreed that any child who awakened the Byakugan would belong to the Hyuga Clan. That would give them an ally, a son-in-law, and save his younger brother... Hiashi suddenly felt as if he had struck it rich!
Ming Jing nodded. Turning slightly to Tsukishiro Yuexi, he said, "Yuexi, once we return, make arrangements to build a small courtyard beside my Xiaoxiang Bieyuan. I will give you the design later."
"Yes." Yuexi lowered her head and answered softly.
With the serious business concluded, the atmosphere in the prison cell relaxed. Hyuga Hiashi looked at the table full of delicacies and was just about to taste them when Ming Jing had Yuexi call in the young man outside holding the katana. Seeing Hyuga Hiashi's puzzled look, Ming Jing explained with a smile, "The dishes have gone cold, so their flavor is no longer quite authentic. This young man is a member of our Kurama Clan and possesses Fire-nature Chakra. He can heat them up."
That was right—Ming Jing had brought Taichi Odagiri along this time as well. The young man had been diligently practicing his swordsmanship lately, and he had improved considerably. After entering, he gave Hyuga Hiashi a slight bow, then instantly drew his blade and struck nine times in rapid succession. Every strike hit the base of one of the nine bowls. Once he was done, Taichi Odagiri sheathed his katana and left the prison cell again.
"Excellent swordsmanship, excellent technique!" The Hyuga Clan was a taijutsu clan, and both Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga knew quality when they saw it. Both of them recognized Taichi Odagiri's exceptional skill.
"You flatter him, gentlemen. Please, eat." Ming Jing smiled. The reason he had done this was to tell them that the Kurama Clan did not consist of him alone. Neither Tsukishiro Yuexi at his side nor Taichi Odagiri from moments ago was someone an ordinary clan could cultivate.
"Truly delicious." Hyuga Hiashi tasted a Lion's Head Meatball and nodded.
"Since you enjoy it, this junior will send the chef to the Hyuga Clan's residence after we return, so he can cook for you from now on!" Ming Jing smiled proudly. How could the greatness of Chinese cuisine possibly be understood by people like them, who only knew ramen, grilled meat, and curry?
"Mm... in that case, I will gratefully accept." Hyuga Hiashi took another bite of fish-fragrant shredded pork and nodded with reserved composure. But once he tasted the mapo tofu, he could not stop. It was clearly both spicy and numbing, yet he simply could not stop eating it!
Damn it!
Had the Kurama Clan's genjutsu already reached such a level? They could actually plant genjutsu in food!
Before you continue