Although Hyuga Ao had long since noticed that the people inside had finished talking, they seemed intent on testing her patience and did not speak until three hours later.
"Come in."
Hyuga Ao entered and gave a slight bow. "Head of the Clan."
Hyuga Hayato rose and slowly paced over to Hyuga Ao. The imposing presence of a veteran Elite Jonin filled the room.
"A method of gathering the strength of your entire body, keen perception, a solid foundation in the Gentle Fist, and you can even use Rotation. Not bad. The younger generation of the Branch Family has finally produced a promising talent. Would you mind telling me about it?"
Hyuga Ao felt her breathing hitch. She immediately adjusted herself to withstand the pressure of Hyuga Hayato's presence.
At the same time, Hyuga Hayato's presence suddenly grew stronger. Every cell in Hyuga Ao's body told her that the person in front of her was watching her. A glance from the corner of her eye confirmed it—Hyuga Hayato had already activated his Byakugan.
Old fox. Hyuga Ao cursed inwardly.
Since that was the case, she would compete with him in acting.
Relying on the control granted by Embryonic Breathing, Hyuga Ao quickly fine-tuned her gaze, breathing, heartbeat, and expression. At the same time, she considered how to answer.
"Head of the Clan, Ao'er was born with relatively strong perception. After practicing the Gentle Fist and learning acupuncture techniques, I could vaguely sense my own acupoints without relying on the Byakugan, and could control the opening and closing of some of them."
"So with a technique like Rotation, Ao'er could use it after understanding its principles. At the same time, because of this perception, Ao'er was naturally able to understand how to exert force. Practicing the Gentle Fist came very easily to me. It was as if I simply knew how to exert force and how to strike with my palm correctly."
That was Hyuga Ao's explanation.
Don't ask. If you ask, the answer was simply that she had extraordinary talent. Wasn't bloodline the most trusted thing in fiction? I'm a genius. Do you believe me?
The truth!
Hyuga Hayato opened his Byakugan and carefully observed Hyuga Ao's heartbeat, expression, and blood flow, discovering that she was not lying.
Immediately, Hyuga Hayato was overwhelmed with delight. She had remained composed and neither servile nor overbearing under the pressure of an Elite Jonin's presence. Combined with this talent, she ought to remain in the Hyuga Clan. She ought to become his daughter-in-law.
The Hyuga Clan had struck gold this time. Hyuga Hayato could not help but sigh in admiration.
Once he was certain, Hyuga Hayato withdrew his pressure and immediately became amiable. His entire expression turned benevolent.
"Ahem. Hyuga Ao—no, Ao'er. Do you usually have any difficulties in life? Is your monthly allowance enough?"
Hyuga Ao felt relieved when she heard this. It seemed the Main Family wanted to win her over. Then I'll just follow the usual procedure. She replied:
"Head of the Clan, the clan has never withheld any of my monthly allowance. Along with my parents' savings, I have enough for food and drink and don't have any difficulties."
The smile at the corners of Hyuga Hayato's mouth grew even wider.
"Then does anyone usually bully you? If so, don't worry. I'll stand up for you."
"Head of the Clan, the clan rules are strict, and no one usually bullies me."
"Hmm." Hyuga Hayato pondered for a moment before changing the subject. "Ao'er, do you know what situation our Hyuga Clan is currently in?"
"The shinobi world has enjoyed peace for a long time, with no wars abroad. Konoha was thriving, with no internal troubles either. Within the village, we are the largest shinobi clan besides the Uchiha Clan. Naturally, the clan's current situation is excellent."
"Alas." Hyuga Hayato sighed. "Ao'er, you only know one side of the matter. The shinobi world's situation only appears peaceful right now. In truth, under the surface, dark currents have long been surging, and war could break out at any moment."
"And the Uchiha are growing increasingly arrogant. That is why the village hopes to support the Hyuga Clan in going head-to-head with them. But to be honest, the Hyuga are no match for the Uchiha."
Hyuga Hayato paused. "Do you know why?"
"Why?"
Hyuga Hayato stared at Hyuga Ao, his tone heavy.
"That is because the Hyuga have no shinobi at the Kage Level. We have no Kage of our own, so we lack the confidence to speak. When something truly major happens, we must have someone at the Kage Level."
Hyuga Ao looked up in surprise. "Kage Level?"
"Kage Level refers to experts whose strength has reached the level of the Hokage. The Kage of every village are all at this level."
After saying that, Hyuga Hayato placed a hand on Hyuga Ao's shoulder and said to her earnestly:
"And now, I see hope for a Hyuga Kage in you."
"So, what do you say? Are you willing to take me as your teacher and shoulder this banner?"
Seeing that Hyuga Ao did not speak, Hyuga Hayato continued:
"I guarantee that if you become my disciple, you will receive the same treatment as Hiashi. Money, medicinal herbs, equipment, and teachers—none of these will be lacking. Moreover, once you become my disciple, I guarantee that no one from the Main Family will ever use the Caged Bird on you again. What do you say? Are you willing?"
At those words, Hyuga Ao finally nodded in satisfaction and bowed.
"This disciple, Hyuga Ao, pays respects to her teacher."
"Good, good, good." Hyuga Hayato helped Hyuga Ao up. "What do you think of your Young Clan Head?"
"Huh?" Hyuga Ao was confused. The formalities had already been completed, so why was he bringing up Hyuga Hiashi again?
In truth, Hyuga Ao's thought process had not shifted yet. If she were still a man, things might have ended there.
But she was a woman now. How could he let someone else benefit from the disciple he had painstakingly cultivated? Naturally, he had to keep the benefits within the family.
Although she was somewhat bewildered, Hyuga Ao still described her impression of Hyuga Hiashi.
"The Young Clan Head is broad-minded and warm-hearted. He values relationships but is not good at expressing himself. Overall, he is a good person."
"Then are you willing to have him become your future husband?"
The truth was finally revealed!
Hyuga Ao felt that she had been tricked. Everything today had appeared to be a discussion with her, but in reality, she had never had any room to refuse.
She had anticipated all of that. But she truly had not expected this final move.
How sinister. So this was his true objective. Everything before this had merely been groundwork!
Hyuga Ao cursed inwardly, but she knew that she had to agree now. Even if she wanted to refuse, she had no room to do so.
I've been tricked, Hyuga Ao thought. But at this moment, she could only agree. She would agree for now. As for the future—well, who could say?
"This disciple is willing."
"Good! Good! Good!" Hyuga Hayato paid no attention to Hyuga Ao's expression. In his eyes, she had neither the possibility nor the need to refuse.
What was wrong with becoming the clan leader's wife? Besides, the Caged Bird was not meant to be a mere decoration.
Hyuga Hayato continued, "Good. Then I'll give you a mission."
Hyuga Ao returned home with a dark expression. She finally understood what today had been about.
The Hyuga's consistent policy was to draw closer to the Hokage, and the key to the next Hokage was the Jinchuriki. The people around the Jinchuriki were the most likely to become Hokage.
Therefore, after learning of Hyuga Ao's relationship with Kushina, it was inevitable that they would try to win her over.
Then, during the process of winning her over, they had discovered an unexpected bonus—her strength. The Main Family had realized that she was one of the Hyuga Clan's rare geniuses, while the Hyuga were indeed in desperate need of a genius due to the gap in their current strength.
Thus, Hyuga Hayato had decided to bind Hyuga Ao to the Hyuga Clan completely, tying her to the Main Family's chariot.
The mission Hyuga Hayato had given her was actually quite simple. She could command the Hyuga's manpower and resources as she pleased, as long as she maintained a good relationship with Kushina. She could even appropriately teach Kushina some of the Hyuga's techniques.
That was because only Hyuga Ao could do this now. Anyone who approached Kushina after she became a Jinchuriki would be marked, but Hyuga Ao would not.
Therefore, the Hyuga Clan needed to use Hyuga Ao to draw closer to Kushina, thereby getting closer to the next Hokage.
"Alas." Hyuga Ao did not want to think about these things anymore. She gazed up at the pure, transparent moon in the sky, thinking of Kaguya above it and the Tenseigan above that, until her mind gradually emptied.
She imagined those powerful forces and began to yearn for strength. Only strength could guarantee freedom.
At this moment, Hyuga Ao truly began to crave becoming stronger.
Coming back to herself, Hyuga Ao sorted through today's gains and losses.
Today's gains were actually quite substantial. First, she had obtained the full support of the Hyuga Clan. In the past, Hyuga Ao had not dared to train her body too harshly because she lacked enough resources to sustain it.
But now that she had the Hyuga Clan's full support, most of the scheming and petty struggles in Konoha had moved away from her. She could focus on developing herself and grow in peace.
Strictly speaking, she had only agreed to become engaged to Hyuga Hiashi, and that was a matter for the future.
"Hmph!" Hyuga Ao calculated the timing. Hinata belonged to the baby boom that followed the end of the Third Shinobi World War. In other words, Hyuga Hiashi had originally married after the war ended, so things would probably be about the same for her.
A dark look appeared in Hyuga Ao's eyes. "If I still haven't removed the Caged Bird after the Third Shinobi World War, I'll have no choice but to take a gamble."
Hyuga Ao rubbed her little face and sighed wearily. If her old man were still around, would there be so many problems?
"Keep it up, girl."
"However, today I also saw the Hyuga Clan clearly. The Hyuga of today are merely a grand building maintained by the Caged Bird. Those at the top only want to cling to the old ways and preserve the status quo, without any thought of changing it. They place all their hopes in others."
"But although the Caged Bird appears solid, once there is hope of breaking it, the Hyuga Clan will immediately fall apart."
"The Main Family has long since become tiresome!"
Before you continue