Hyuga Natsu hadn't heard what Hyuga Genko was babbling about,
and even thought he was rather noisy,
She only tilted her head up with faint anticipation, looking ahead as if searching for something, or perhaps hoping for something.
It wasn't until Hyuga Genko repeated himself, louder this time and with a hint of nervousness, that she heard him:
" Natsu, once we're back in the village, let's get married!"
"Huh?" This time, Hyuga Natsu had heard him.
She looked at Hyuga Genko in astonishment, finding the whole thing utterly absurd.
Hyuga Genko, however, looked at her earnestly and said:
"Become my wife, and you can join the Main House. The Caged Bird Seal can't be removed, but from now on, no one will see you as a member of the Branch House."
"You'll enjoy all the privileges of the Main House. You won't have to go out on dangerous missions anymore, or have to defer to the other members of the Main House..."
Hyuga Natsu cut him off. "Young Master Genko, I'm Hyuga Yu's fiancée."
"I know. That strange Genin from the Branch House, right?"
Hyuga Genko furrowed his brows and gave a snort of laughter.
"You asked me once before not to let him take part in this mission."
Hyuga Natsu shook her head. "Then you should know—"
Hyuga Genko interrupted her, fixing her with a deep gaze.
"You and him are close? But what does that matter? Marriages in the Branch House are arranged by the Main House. I can end your engagement with a single order."
"If you ask me, you should be thinking more about yourself—"
"You've worked hard, saving money by taking missions ever since you became a ninja. But what are you saving up for? Isn't it to have a better life?"
"Become my wife, and you'll be the lady of the Main House. Everything you want can be yours if you accept my proposal!"
"And as a husband, surely I'm far better than that Hyuga Yu, aren't I?"
"A cowardly Genin who had to get you and Elder Chōkō to pull strings just to get assigned to me—aren't you ashamed to be with a man like that?"
Hyuga Natsu suddenly laughed.
People really did laugh when they were at a loss for words.
She didn't want to argue with him anymore about Hyuga Yu.
She blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at Hyuga Genko, pretending to hesitate as she asked:
"But, Young Master Genko, why are you suddenly proposing to me? What kind of person do you think I am?"
Hyuga Genko lied without batting an eye. "Because I've always kept an eye on you. I fell for you a long time ago."
"I've seen how loyal, reliable, and hardworking you are. And... you're really cute!"
Hyuga Natsu nodded along, like a lovestruck girl dazzled by sweet talk.
"What else? What else?"
Seeing that Natsu had taken the bait, Hyuga Genko's eyes lit up. He showered her with one flattering line after another.
"Of all the people in the Hyuga Clan, you're the only one who makes me feel something special. It's a wonderful feeling, like..."
And yet,
What about Hyuga Natsu?
As he poured out words that could have won over almost any lovestruck girl, her thoughts drifted back to the past.
She had asked someone the same question before. It was the year she graduated from the Ninja Academy, when she first learned that Hyuga Yu was to be her husband. She had asked him:
"Hyuga Yu, what kind of person do you think I am?"
He had kept a straight face and fallen silent for a moment before answering honestly:
"You're hypocritical."
Hyuga Natsu had gotten angry. "Who says that to a girl?"
Hyuga Yu had looked a little uneasy and scratched his head. "Maybe I got the wrong impression. As you can see, I'm not a very good husband. I'll go find Elder Chōkō right now and ask him to cancel our engagement."
"Don't."
Hyuga Yu had frozen. "Why not?"
Hyuga Natsu had smiled and asked in return, "When you talked back to Lord Hiashi, didn't you say you were going to become Hokage?"
Hyuga Yu had lowered his head. "I'm really sorry you had to see that."
Hyuga Natsu had suddenly said, "I believe in you."
"Huh?"
She had stared straight at Hyuga Yu with an unusually serious, burning gaze.
"And I'm going to become the Hokage's wife!"
What did a member of the Hyuga Branch Family need to become Hokage?
First of all, they needed to—escape their identity as a member of the Hyuga Branch Family.
Hyuga Natsu didn't know how to escape that identity. Once the Caged Bird Seal was placed, it would remain forever; even the Main House couldn't remove it.
But according to the theory Hyuga Yu had taught her, every jutsu had a flaw that could be exploited.
The Caged Bird Seal was no exception.
Hyuga Yu had a very thick notebook, filled with information written in a script Hyuga Natsu couldn't understand.
But as someone close to him, she'd gradually sounded out the translations for the twenty-six letters by asking oblique questions. She quickly put two and two together, using phonetic characters to decipher most of the notebook.
The notebook was titled "Conjectures on the Caged Bird."
It listed four possible methods of removing or limiting the Caged Bird Seal, some of which had already been partially verified:
First: Introduce another Cursed Seal and disrupt the order in which the seals took effect, thereby suppressing the Caged Bird's activation. Possible sources of Cursed Seals: Root, the Uzumaki Clan...
Second: Replace the eyes. Replacing the eyes is only a means to an end; the goal is to return to one's ancestral state at the genetic level and trace back the Ōtsutsuki bloodline. Based on the events of The Last, members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan's Branch House can attack the Main House directly and even wipe it out. In other words, the Caged Bird may not have originally been intended as a tool of oppression and control like the one used by the Hyuga Clan today. Could try replacing the eyes with those of another clan, preferably someone from the Main House. Requires mastery of the Curse Removal Technique...
Third: The Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku and the Takenori Clan, distant relatives of the Hyuga. Try extracting the genes of these distant Hyuga relatives and merging them. Gene-fusion research isn't taken seriously at Konoha Hospital; Orochimaru's expertise is needed...
Fourth: Obtain the Caged Bird Seal scroll, study the principles behind the jutsu, and find another way to remove it. The problem is that the scroll is in the hands of the Main House's head, Hyuga Hiashi...
After deciphering the notebook,
and seeing Hyuga Yu grow increasingly despondent after failing the Chunin Ninja Exams,
Hyuga Natsu came up with a bold plan.
"So, Natsu, are you willing to become my wife?"
In the quiet Nameless Forest,
Hyuga Genko suddenly stopped and turned around to block Hyuga Natsu's way, asking anxiously.
Hyuga Natsu's brows furrowed slightly as she came back to her senses.
But she quickly composed herself.
"Sure."
"Rather, it would be my honor. After all, I'm very happy to receive your proposal, Young Master Genko."
Hyuga Natsu smiled at Hyuga Genko. As she watched his Byakugan, a cold killing intent quietly flashed through her narrowed, pale eyes. She smiled and said:
"As long as you make it back to Konoha alive."
"Phew..."
Hyuga Genko finally let out a sigh of relief. Only after Natsu accepted did he feel somewhat safe.
But then—
An ill-timed, indifferent laugh suddenly rang out from in front of them.
Ao of the Mist leaped down from a nearby tree trunk with the team's sensory Jonin and blocked Hyuga Genko and Natsu's way.
"You two, this isn't exactly the place for sweet talk!"
Before you continue