Set a Goal

Hizashi Hyuga's heart still trembled a little, and his feet involuntarily shifted back a few steps, but when he realized it, how could he be afraid of trash like this? So he put on a fearless face and stepped forward again.

But Hizashi's legs were already shaking uncontrollably, and Hyuga Matsuba saw it all.

"I'll let you off this time." Hyuga Matsuba decided not to pursue it further. If he threw this punch and beat him so badly his own father wouldn't recognize him, the clan head would definitely come looking for trouble.

When the clan head showed up at his door, it wouldn't be something settled with just a few words.

"What are you so cocky about! I'm telling you, just wait. Once I master a few new ninjutsu, I'll beat you so badly you won't know which way is north!" That brat Hizashi Hyuga, seeing that Hyuga Matsuba had really walked off, started acting tough again.

"Idiot! You think you can beat me senseless? With your level, I don't even bother to acknowledge you."

Hyuga Matsuba, who had clearly already walked away, heard this and couldn't hold back. He turned around and came back to stand in front of Hizashi.

"Do I need to show you what I'm capable of? Have you never been hit before and don't know what pain is?"

Hyuga Matsuba was genuinely angry now, his hands clenched into fists.

"You piece of trash, what do you think you're doing!"

Hizashi Hyuga's feet kept shuffling backward, fear gripping his heart.

"I see your father just popped you out, but never taught you how to be a person. Don't you know you can't have both face and a beating? Clinging to your pride means suffering the consequences!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Hyuga Matsuba's fist landed on Hizashi Hyuga. Both were four-year-old kids, and Hizashi had clearly sensed the punch coming, but he just couldn't dodge it.

The fist collided with Hizashi's body like a drum being struck.

After a few thuds, Hyuga Matsuba finally walked away satisfied.

Hizashi Hyuga was now beaten to the point he couldn't get up, lying on the ground, unable even to cry out in pain.

"I almost forgot!" Hyuga Matsuba suddenly turned back and snarled at Hizashi. "Do you know what to say when you get home? Say you couldn't see the road and tripped, got it? If you don't understand, I'll have to teach you this lesson with my fists again."

Hizashi trembled on the ground, thinking Hyuga Matsuba hadn't had enough and was coming for another punch, but it was just this.

"Deaf?"

Hizashi scrambled up and nodded, his voice shaking: "I, I heard you. I definitely know what to say."

Truth be told, even if Hyuga Matsuba hadn't come back to say this, Hizashi wouldn't have wanted to tell anyone. After all, Hyuga Matsuba was widely recognized as trash too. Getting beaten up by trash like that—if word got out, how could he ever show his face again?

Hyuga Matsuba got the answer he wanted and felt great. Being a bully was this satisfying. "Have I turned bad?" Hyuga Matsuba silently asked himself.

Only after confirming Hyuga Matsuba was really gone did Hizashi Hyuga's tears finally break free. He'd been so tense he'd nearly wet himself, couldn't even cry properly, and his heart was full of grievances he couldn't express. Now that the back mountain was empty, crying here meant no one would see.

Already off the back mountain, Hyuga Matsuba heard Hizashi's wailing from far away. The sound was way too loud.

"Serves him right. Scared to death, can't beat me, and still puts on airs like a big shot. This is what you get!"

Hyuga Matsuba finally returned home and started his usual prayer routine, even bathing and burning incense, hoping for some dumb luck today.

Burning incense, Hyuga Matsuba knew it was just feudal superstition, but better to believe than not—maybe it would work!

"I don't lack anything right now, but please, grant me some powerful treasure, something to boost my abilities or a weapon to take down others!"

Hyuga Matsuba finished all the preparations, sat down, and muttered to himself.

After a year of this, he'd already reached a high level of ability. What remained was steady training. Once he reached a certain level, even against a foe as strong as Kaguya Otsutsuki, the two might be evenly matched.

He closed his eyes. Now he just needed to calm down and slowly begin.

Once he settled and quieted, Hyuga Matsuba found he could clearly sense everything around him—the rustle of wind and grass, the shifting of stars—all within his perception.

And the longer it went on, the wider his range of perception expanded. Time passed bit by bit, and now he could clearly feel the entire clan.

Hyuga Matsuba kept his eyes shut for a long time. When he opened them, his azure Tenseigan emitted a faint blue glow, strikingly conspicuous in the pitch-black night.

"It seems my Observation Haki has improved significantly this year too. That's an unexpected bonus."

Calling it an unexpected bonus was because Observation Haki was usually honed through battle. Only in such situations could a person's potential be constantly pushed, steadily raising their ability.

So this boost to his Observation Haki was a real surprise for Hyuga Matsuba. Even if the skill didn't help him much, progress was always good.

"Time for the lottery."

Hyuga Matsuba smoothly entered the system. He didn't need to communicate with it anymore; he knew where the lottery page was.

Once inside the lottery, he needed to click twice. The first click refreshed the wheel's items, and the second drew his prize.

This time, there were ten prizes in total.

They were: Bloodline Limit: Magnet Release, Gate of Babylon, Zoan Type: Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the top-tier Rumble-Rumble Fruit, My King's Excalibur, Endless Millennium: Temporal Distortion, Bloodline Limit: Lava Release, Zanpakuto: Sode no Shirayuki, Armament Haki, and the Hogyoku.

These items dazzled Hyuga Matsuba's eyes, but he had to admit some were useless.

Take Gate of Babylon, for example. It sounded impressive, but it was empty inside. No idea what use it had—probably a favorite for show-offs.

And the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? Hyuga Matsuba didn't even know how to rate it. It was worse than Gate of Babylon.

The rest were decent, but what really tempted Hyuga Matsuba were the Hogyoku and Endless Millennium's skill, Temporal Distortion.

The Hogyoku's effect went without saying—it was a bug in the world of Bleach. If he drew that, Hyuga Matsuba would fear nothing.

As for Temporal Distortion, as the name suggested, it allowed travel through different time and space. In a fight, where could an opponent catch him? Seeing his shadow would count as a loss.

Even Hyuga Matsuba, who had already reached a certain level, was incredibly envious of this thing. It was just too tempting.

His excitement was beyond words. Hyuga Matsuba clicked the lottery a second time. Unlike his previous three draws, this time he was completely zen, his heart utterly calm.

The pointer slowly turned, and who would have guessed it finally stopped right on the black dividing line between Armament Haki and the Hogyoku—could it be that both items were being given to Hyuga Matsuba?

"Holy shit! Heaven has opened its eyes! Now I'm invincible—with the Hogyoku, everyone who sees me from now on will have to call me grandpa!" Hyuga Matsuba was about to leap to the sky.

But don't celebrate too early; nothing was settled until it was actually in hand.

Just then, the system suddenly spoke up.

[Lottery system lag detected. This draw is voided. Please try again.]

Hyuga Matsuba's grin had nearly stretched to his temples, but who knew this piece-of-crap system would choose this moment to say it lagged? Life really was full of ups and downs—Hyuga Matsuba's mood now felt like a straight roller coaster ride.

"System, if you dare show your face, I'll beat you so hard your own mother wouldn't recognize you." Hyuga Matsuba felt completely played.