Three Great Sage Lands

Half an hour later, Feng An arrived at the Hyuga Clan gates with Hinata on his back.

Creak—

Hanabi Hyuga happened to push the door open and startled Feng An. He hurriedly set Hinata down.

"What are you two doing?!"

Hanabi Hyuga puffed out her cheeks and questioned them.

The moment she opened the door, she noticed their flustered movements. She seriously suspected they had been doing something shameful.

Feng An shot her a glare. "You little brat, you scared me."

"It's nothing, Hanabi. Go inside first."

Hinata pushed Hanabi Hyuga back toward the gates.

Hanabi Hyuga was so small that, even though she did not want to go in, Hinata easily picked her up.

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she said with a wicked grin, "Sis, you don't want Dad to find out about the redheaded bad guy, do you?"

At that, Hinata immediately covered her mouth, signaling for her not to tell their father, Hyuga Hiashi.

If her father learned that they were still seeing each other, then given how strict he was, Feng An would definitely be put in a difficult position.

Hanabi Hyuga pulled away the hand covering her mouth.

"I won't tell Dad, but only if you answer one question, Sis."

"Fine, ask."

Hinata agreed without hesitation.

But Hanabi Hyuga asked a question that made her mind go blank.

Hanabi Hyuga leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Sis, are you dating the redheaded bad guy?"

Hinata's little face instantly flushed crimson, and she quickly shook her head.

"No."

Hanabi Hyuga's cheeks puffed up roundly. "Sis is lying!"

"I'm going to tell Dad about the redheaded bad guy."

As she turned around, Feng An flashed forward, grabbed the back of her neck, and lifted her away from the entrance.

"Who are you calling a redheaded bad guy?"

"Hmph, you're the only redhead here. Who else could I mean?"

"That's rude. Call me big brother."

Feng An gently tugged at her chubby little cheeks.

Hanabi Hyuga bared her teeth and cried, "Sis, save me!"

Feng An said with a grin, "Now you know to call your sister for help? Weren't you about to tattle on her just now?"

Hinata stepped closer. "Feng An, she won't really tell on us."

Her relationship with Hanabi was usually very good. Though Hyuga Hiashi made them fight each other, it had not affected the bond between the sisters.

Feng An stopped bullying Hanabi Hyuga and set her down.

"Your sister saved you. If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't let you go today unless you called me big brother."

The moment Hanabi Hyuga landed, she kicked at his leg.

Feng An easily dodged and flicked her forehead at the same time.

"Ow."

Hanabi Hyuga clutched her forehead and ran behind Hinata with tears welling in her eyes.

"Bad guy, why aren't you leaving yet?"

Feng An smiled and raised his left hand in a forehead-flicking gesture, then tapped the air.

Hanabi shrank her head back in fright.

"Hanabi, who's outside?"

Hyuga Hiashi's voice came from within.

All three of them jolted in alarm.

The next second, Hyuga Hiashi stepped over the threshold.

Before he could speak, Feng An, who had no time to slip away, spoke first.

"Good evening, Uncle. It's so late. You're still awake?"

With a guy like you around, how could I sleep? Could I possibly sleep? My precious daughter is about to be tricked away, and you expect me to sleep?

That was what he thought, but his expression did not change in the slightest.

Hyuga Hiashi said blandly, "You're Feng An, correct? I heard no teacher was willing to take you?"

Starting with such a sharp question... Looks like I left a terrible impression on my future father-in-law.

I need to find a way to get rid of that bad impression.

Feng An composed himself. "That was true before, but now Kurenai is training me together with Team 8."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded. "I see."

No wonder Hinata is always with this brat. They're in the same class.

No, tomorrow I'll go see Kurenai and have her kick him out. If this continues, it'll be too late once those two really develop feelings for each other.

He's a dead last. If I use my status as the Hyuga Clan head to apply a little pressure, Kurenai will surely agree. Then I can arrange for this brat to go to another jonin, so Hinata won't have to worry about him either.

Hinata quietly watched the two of them talk without interrupting.

Last time, Hyuga Hiashi had clearly stated that he did not want her associating with Feng An.

Though she had made her stance clear back then, having her father discover them again so soon still left her flustered. She did not know what to do.

Hanabi Hyuga, beside her, noticed Hinata's state.

She stood on tiptoe and leaned close to Hinata's ear. "It's okay, Sis. Dad definitely won't make things difficult for the redheaded bad guy."

Hinata bit her lip, hoping that was true.

Feng An scratched his head. "Then, Uncle, I'll be leaving first."

Hurry up and leave. Every extra minute you stay, my daughter is in danger for another minute.

Hyuga Hiashi nodded and forced out a kind smile. "All right. Goodbye."

Feng An waved in Hinata's direction.

"Hinata, I'm leaving. See you tomorrow."

"Ah, okay. See you tomorrow, Feng An."

Lost in thought, Hinata was a little distracted and raised her small hand as well.

But when she saw Hyuga Hiashi glance sideways at her, she lowered the hand she had wanted to wave.

The three of them then entered the house and sat on the floor.

The room was so quiet that they could hear each other's faint breathing.

This doesn't look good. It doesn't have much to do with me, so I should slip away.

Hanabi Hyuga shifted her body, trying to sneak off.

Just as she had moved halfway, Hyuga Hiashi's voice reached her.

"Hanabi, what was your sister doing outside just now?"

Hanabi Hyuga pouted. This has nothing to do with me, yet I'm being stuck in the middle. On one side is my caring sister, and on the other is my strict father.

Even without turning around, she could feel Hinata's burning gaze on her.

Hanabi Hyuga cursed Feng An inwardly.

"It's all the redheaded bad guy's fault!"

Meanwhile, Feng An returned home and eagerly continued investigating what he had discovered during the day.

As he guided Yin Release Chakra into the Fengchi Acupoint, he entered that clear and lucid state again.

He began absorbing Natural Energy to balance the fusion of Yin and Yang.

This time, it did not last long. After only an hour, he voluntarily withdrew from the state.

"Why is there so little Natural Energy in the shinobi world? Do I really have to find those Sage Lands to absorb Natural Energy in large quantities?"

Feng An did not want to visit the Three Great Sage Lands. It was not that he did not want to learn Sage Techniques, but the thought of those human-sized toads covered in slime made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

The other two, Slug Forest and Ryūchi Cave, had barely been introduced in the Hokage world setting, so he had no idea where either place was.

"Should I look for Orochimaru?"

The moment that thought appeared, he discarded it.

Orochimaru and Danzō barely did anything humane in the early days. If I go there, won't I end up locked in a cultivation tank? At the very least, she'll definitely plant a Cursed Seal on me.

It had not been easy to make a breakthrough with his Kekkei Genkai, and he did not want to give up so easily. But for now, he could only set it aside.

He then spent another half hour studying the Illusion Technique on the scroll before finally going to sleep.