Give Me One Reason Not to Hit You

"Are you really that pleased with yourself just because you defeated a Hyuga?"

With his brows tightly furrowed, Uchiha Chisaku sternly questioned Mikoto.

"Or do you think defeating a Hyuga is something worth celebrating?"

Uchiha Chisaku turned and headed outside, speaking without looking back.

"Continue training. Your next target is Senju Nawaki."

"Yes."

Lowering her head and listening as Uchiha Chisaku's footsteps faded into the distance, Mikoto answered quietly.

After a long while, watching Uchiha Chisaku's figure disappear completely, Mikoto gently rested her hand on the hilt of her blade.

"Shing!"

A clear blade cry rang out. A wooden post in the dojo was severed and fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Mikoto lifted her head slightly, a self-mocking smile appearing on her face.

It really was different from before...

"Lost?"

At Shuji's House, Kiyosada's voice sounded the moment Shuji stepped through the door.

"Yeah."

Shuji nodded upon hearing that, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and headed straight for the bathroom.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shuji had already entered the bathroom.

"He lost, yet he's acting like nothing happened?"

Watching Shuji's figure gradually vanish, Kiyosada blinked blankly and asked Chinatsu beside him in disbelief.

This kid... he really did have a good mentality...

"Mm. I haven't hit him in a year."

Chinatsu raised a brow at that, casually replying while she ate.

"Personally, I don't think beating and scolding can solve every problem."

Kiyosada pursed his lips and glanced at his wife.

"After all, Shuji hasn't slacked off in his training, has he? His current training has already reached a point of saturation. Putting more pressure on him would be useless."

"And as a medical ninja, let alone losing to Uchiha Mikoto, who possesses the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, I wouldn't consider it particularly shameful even if he lost to Hiashi."

"I think Dad is right."

Just as Chinatsu was about to say something, Shuji's voice suddenly rang out.

Chinatsu froze. Turning toward the sound, she saw Shuji poking his head out from the bathroom, and a surge of anger immediately rose within her.

She directly hurled the chopsticks in her hand at him!

"Ah!"

Seeing this, Shuji let out a strange cry and swiftly pulled his head back inside.

"That brat..."

With a helpless sigh, Chinatsu muttered under her breath and reached for the chopsticks that had originally been prepared for Shuji.

"Pfft~"

At that moment, Hinagiku could not hold it in any longer and laughed out loud.

"What are you laughing at? I haven't even talked about you yet. What's the point of sparring with Hizashi every day? You need to spar more with classmates like Hiashi, Mikoto, and Nawaki."

Chinatsu's gaze immediately fell on Hinagiku as she spoke reproachfully.

"Even if you can't defeat them, you can still gain more combat experience."

After a pause, Chinatsu continued speaking to Hinagiku.

"I understand."

The smile on Hinagiku's face immediately vanished. She silently nodded and continued taking small bites of food.

"Honestly... not one of you puts my mind at ease."

Chinatsu glanced at Hinagiku and said unhappily.

Jonin had their own circles. Back when Shuji had repeatedly defeated Uchiha Mikoto, who knew how many people had envied Chinatsu for giving birth to such a talented son.

But now that Shuji had lost, Chinatsu did not even dare imagine what her friends would say tomorrow.

Honestly...

A moment later, Shuji emerged from the bathroom and almost instantly sensed the low pressure in the room.

Pursing his lips, Shuji silently walked toward the dining table.

"Stand right there!"

His body, halfway into sitting down, instantly froze in midair.

With a helpless sigh, Shuji straightened up.

At the same time, Shuji discreetly glanced at his father, Hyuga Kiyosada.

Sensing Shuji's gaze, Kiyosada calmly lowered his head. Through his Nen Energy perception, Shuji keenly noticed that even Hyuga Kiyosada's breathing had slowed considerably.

You...

"Look at me."

Chinatsu's voice rang out again. Shuji, who had been about to look at Hinagiku, could only turn to Chinatsu.

"Give me one reason not to hit you."

With her arms crossed over her chest, Chinatsu quietly looked at Shuji. At that moment, the oppressive atmosphere fully took shape.

"This past year, I put more of my energy into practicing the Mystical Palm Technique, so I neglected my taijutsu training somewhat."

Shuji pursed his lips and spoke to Chinatsu.

"Then what direction will your training take from here?"

Chinatsu nodded at that, apparently accepting Shuji's explanation.

Mastering an A-rank Medical Ninjutsu at the age of six fully demonstrated Shuji's talent and diligence.

Because of that, Chinatsu's tone softened somewhat.

"Next... I'll put the Gentle Fist aside for a while longer."

Shuji blinked as he spoke to Chinatsu.

"Hah!"

Chinatsu froze upon hearing that, but as soon as she reacted, the rage she had been suppressing shot straight to her head.

You really want to get hit!

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. Calm down."

Seeing this, Kiyosada hurriedly grabbed his wife. While soothing Chinatsu, he looked toward Shuji.

"You've already learned the Mystical Palm Technique. You can already be called a medical ninja. What else do you want to train in next?"

This brat... why did he seem a little stupid today?

The Shuji from before had never said something Chinatsu did not want to hear while she was angry.

But out of trust in Shuji, Kiyosada still did his best to give him a second chance to explain himself.

Shuji gave Kiyosada a grateful look, then turned to Chinatsu.

"Teacher Tsunade taught me a new technique today. It's an S-rank medical Sealing Technique."

"Hmm? The Yin Seal?"

Chinatsu froze and asked Shuji.

Feeling his wife's body relax, Kiyosada also released the arm he had been holding.

Hmph, this brat...

There was now a little more gratification in Kiyosada's gaze toward Shuji.

As expected of my son.

"Mm. I told my teacher that I would learn this technique within two years. Teacher Tsunade didn't believe me. She said that if I could learn it within two years, she would teach me another S-rank ninjutsu."

Shuji nodded as he spoke to Chinatsu.

"Mm, then the Gentle Fist can indeed be put aside for a while."

Chinatsu pursed her lips, cleared her throat, and sat up straight, speaking to Shuji in an entirely natural manner.

Chinatsu understood the priorities clearly. The Gentle Fist could be learned at any time. To put it harshly, after Shuji graduated from the Ninja Academy, Chinatsu could even keep him at home and stop him from going out to take missions.

But a technique like the Yin Seal, which was immensely useful to taijutsu-type ninjas, was not something one could casually get the chance to learn.

"Still, since you lost, there has to be a punishment."

At last, Chinatsu said to Shuji.