They're Already Dating?

The next day.

In the courtyard of Hinata's home, Hiashi Hyuga paced back and forth with a deep frown.

He had just learned from Kurenai that Hinata and Neji had faced each other in the preliminaries.

And when Kurenai learned that he did not know about it, she actually refused to tell him the result, saying that since neither Neji nor Hinata had mentioned it, it would not be appropriate for her to say anything.

It was torturing Hiashi Hyuga beyond measure.

Although he was certain Neji had won, for some reason, he could sense a trace of anticipation in Kurenai's expression.

It was like knowing full well he would not win the lottery, yet still buying a ticket anyway. He just wanted to know the result.

After quite a while.

Hinata, who had only just woken up, finished washing up and walked out, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

The moment she stepped out of the house, she saw Hiashi Hyuga pacing around the courtyard.

Father?

She asked in confusion, "Father, what are you doing?"

She was finally awake.

Hearing Hinata's voice, Hiashi Hyuga's furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

He had spent all this time waiting for Hinata to wake up.

He knew the Chūnin Exams had surely exhausted her these past few days, and he could not bear to disturb his daughter's rest. Yet he was anxious, so he had simply paced around here.

Hiashi Hyuga calmed his emotions and walked over to Hinata.

"Hinata, I heard you ran into Neji in the preliminaries?"

"So you already knew."

Hinata scratched her cheek.

Hearing Hinata's usual tone, Hiashi Hyuga's heart suddenly sank, and that tiny sliver of anticipation from before fell straight to the bottom.

So Neji had indeed won, just as expected.

Then he thought of Neji's hatred toward the Main Family and Branch Family system.

Hiashi Hyuga asked worriedly, "Neji didn't hurt you, did he?"

Hinata shook her head.

"No. Brother Neji conceded."

"Mm, that's good."

Hiashi Hyuga had just turned away when his eyes widened, and he quickly turned back around.

"What did you say? Neji conceded? You mean you won your match?"

"Yes."

Hiashi Hyuga frowned deeply.

Whenever Hinata and Neji trained together, he was always present to watch, and Neji would occasionally reveal killing intent.

That was enough to show how deeply he hated the Hyuga Clan's Main Family and Branch Family system.

This time, Neji had encountered an opportunity to prove before outsiders that even as a member of the Branch Family, he could still defeat someone from the Main Family—yet he conceded?

Had he finally accepted such a system?

Hiashi Hyuga's gaze became somewhat desolate.

His faith in the Hyuga Clan's system had wavered ever since Hizashi's death.

But such a deeply rooted system was not something he could change alone. When it came to the survival of the Hyuga Clan, even his status as clan head was no match for those elders.

"Why did Neji concede? Was he afraid of hurting you?"

Hinata's eyes darkened.

Even though I won, Father still instinctively thinks Brother Neji let me win, doesn't he?

After all, in all our previous sparring matches, I was always the one who lost.

Father never had any expectations of me, did he?

But I want Father to acknowledge me too, even if only once.

"Father, Brother Neji didn't go easy on me this time..."

Hinata raised her head and looked straight at her father, Hiashi. Tears seemed to swirl in her reddened eyes.

Seeing Hinata's red-rimmed eyes, Hiashi Hyuga instantly understood what his daughter's brief words were trying to say.

His heart softened at once.

Ever since he had shifted all his focus onto training Hanabi, it had been a long time since he had seen Hinata hold back tears like this.

Hiashi Hyuga slowly crouched down and wiped away the tears Hinata could no longer hold back.

In a gentle tone, he said, "I was wondering why I hadn't seen my little crybaby in so long. Turns out she grew into a big crybaby."

His ever-furrowed brow finally relaxed, and he revealed a kind smile.

Hinata could no longer suppress her emotions. She wrapped her arms around her father's neck and sobbed.

After father and daughter embraced for a long while, Hinata finally calmed down.

"Can you tell Father how you defeated Neji?"

Hinata nodded and wiped away her runny nose.

She told Hiashi Hyuga about the course of the battle and the conversation between her and Neji.

When he heard that Hinata had used the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm at the end, Hiashi Hyuga's hands gripping Hinata's shoulders began to tremble.

He asked excitedly, "You're saying you've already mastered the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?"

"When did you learn it? Show me!"

Hinata nodded.

"Byakugan."

She activated her Byakugan and gathered Chakra in her palm.

Then she struck at a potted plant in the courtyard from a distance.

A tremendous force burst forth at once.

The branch struck by the high-density Chakra mass snapped cleanly in two.

It really was the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

Hiashi Hyuga's eyes widened as he muttered,

"No wonder Neji conceded."

The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist was exceptionally powerful in close combat. By combining pressure-point strikes with the Byakugan, it could seal an enemy's Chakra.

But once the battle turned into long-range combat, it lost its advantage.

Having the Byakugan's extreme range of vision yet only being able to fight at close quarters was like taking an eight-power scope to fight the enemy with bayonets.

The Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm was a taijutsu developed to make up for the Hyuga Clan's lack of long-range attack options.

It gathered one's Chakra in the palm and struck the Gentle Fist through the air.

Hiashi Hyuga asked hesitantly, "Did you learn it on your own too?"

He did not remember ever teaching Hinata the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. Hinata had not even mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, so why would he have taught her the more difficult Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?

"No, Father."

Hinata shook her head.

Hearing her answer, Hiashi Hyuga's brow knitted together.

"Not self-taught? Then how did you learn of this technique?"

Neji Hyuga was called a Byakugan genius largely because he had taught himself both the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven. Under the Hyuga Clan's system, members of the Branch Family were not qualified to learn such techniques.

This also meant that even though he was from the Branch Family, because he had learned these two techniques on his own, the clan elders had no way to do anything to him.

"It was Feng An. During training, Feng An taught me this move."

After thinking about it, Hinata decided to tell Hiashi Hyuga.

"What? Feng An knows the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?!"

Hiashi Hyuga was shocked.

"I think so, but I've never seen Feng An use it..."

During training, she had only heard Feng An explain the principles to her. She had never seen him personally demonstrate it.

Hiashi Hyuga fell into thought.

Although the Gentle Fist's Eight Trigrams Palms was one of the Hyuga Clan's secret techniques, it was not entirely impossible to comprehend on one's own. After all, Neji had figured it out himself.

The Gentle Fist needed to be paired with the Hyuga Clan's unique Byakugan to reach its full potential.

And Feng An was not a member of the Hyuga Clan. Even if he had comprehended the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, he would not be able to use it as Hyuga clan members did, to strike pressure points from afar.

Still, Hiashi Hyuga solemnly instructed Hinata,

"Don't let anyone else know about this. If the clan elders ask, say that I taught you."

Seeing the seriousness on her father's face, Hinata nodded in agreement.

Hiashi Hyuga believed his daughter had learned the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm from Feng An, but what about the other clan members?

Especially those elders. If they found out, they would surely first suspect that Hinata had learned it and then passed it on to an outsider. They would definitely accuse her of leaking the Hyuga Clan's secret techniques.

"Are you still training today?"

Hinata shook her head. "Kurenai told us to rest for a few days."

Hiashi Hyuga nodded.

"That's good too. Then go get some rest."

Hinata said awkwardly, "Well, actually, I have plans with Feng An today..."

Hiashi Hyuga raised a brow.

They're already dating?

Then he said calmly, "All right. I approve."

"Thank you, Father!"

Hinata's lips curled up uncontrollably.

She felt that her father was especially kind today.

Hiashi Hyuga cleared his throat. "I happened to want to meet Feng An as well. I'll go with you."

"Huh?"

"Ah!!"