In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed since the Third's special training. During that week, Fuyuki hadn't learned any powerful new ninjutsu, but his Gentle Fist proficiency had shot up.
His Summoning Technique had also gotten a workout, and Fuyuki no longer lacked much real combat experience.
The Third might not have hit hard, but that didn't mean he went easy on the three of them. When it came to hand-to-hand combat, combined with the insight of the Byakugan, Fuyuki wasn't bragging when he said he could beat an ordinary Chunin with ease.
That was, of course, as long as nobody used chakra and they stuck to practicing their hand-to-hand skills.
"Another day full of energy!"
With Hyuga Hiashi staring in astonishment, Fuyuki brazenly skipped class with his maid in front of the entire clan. Under the elders' watchful eyes, he swaggered out of the Main Branch Courtyard and went shopping.
"Hiashi..." The Great Elder trailed off.
Hyuga Hiashi's face darkened, but he carried on with the lesson as if nothing had happened.
That brat was impossible to control. Hiashi had no idea whose genes Fuyuki had inherited. The boy had been born with an attitude that said he was the greatest under heaven. No matter how earnestly Hiashi tried to reason with him, how sternly he glared, or how much he threatened him, Fuyuki remained completely unfazed.
As long as his strength didn't fall behind and he didn't throw noble etiquette out the window, Hiashi couldn't be bothered to keep an eye on him. He wanted to live a few more years, after all, instead of dropping dead from his rebellious son's antics.
Fuyuki hadn't gone to Kage Rock or the woods today. He'd actually come out to enjoy a leisurely day of shopping.
The previous night, Hiashi had told him and Hinata to gather in the Main Branch Courtyard's living room. He said they were going to take the Ninja Academy's October entrance exam. Why? No reason. If they absolutely needed one, then it was because he was their father. Wasn't that enough?
Hiashi was always expressionless and sparing with words. He'd put on a sour face to scare people, and it had to be said, when the Hyuga wore blank expressions, their Byakugan gave them an eerie, sinister look. It was genuinely scary.
Although Hiashi hadn't given them a reason for enrolling, it wasn't hard for Fuyuki to guess what he had in mind.
This year's class at the Ninja Academy was destined to be anything but ordinary. The heirs of Konoha's major bloodline and Secret Technique Clans would all be there. On top of that, the Uchiha, who lived on the next street, had been attracting plenty of attention in recent years. Uchiha Itachi stood out above everyone else at the Academy, and Hiashi had often stared at the ancestral tablets, lost in silent thought, because of him.
So Hiashi was sending Fuyuki and Hinata to the Academy to make connections with the heirs of Konoha's clans—and to put Uchiha Fugaku's second son in his place, so the Uchiha across the street wouldn't get to look down on the Hyuga Clan.
Other than those two reasons, Fuyuki couldn't think of anything that would make Hiashi send him to school.
After all, one of the privileges of being part of Konoha's noble Hyuga Clan was not having to attend the Ninja Academy. They could receive a Forehead Protector directly from the Hokage and take the Chunin Ninja Exams, rather than waste six years of their lives at a boring school.
Of course, it was also possible his Old Father just wanted him out of sight and out of mind.
Since he could attend the Ninja Academy, that meant he didn't have to take part in the Hyuga Clan's training camp. He'd have plenty of time to practice Xuanmo Summoning Magic. If he devoted himself to it for six years, by the time he graduated, he might just be able to take off with a whoosh.
With so much free time on his hands, Fuyuki naturally started paying attention to things besides training.
For example, the weapons shop, the Nara Clan's herb shop, the Yamanaka Clan's flower shop, Yakiniku Q, and all the other stores that appeared so often in the original story. He was especially curious whether Yakiniku Q was really as delicious as people said.
Otherwise, why would Akimichi Choji ask Sarutobi Asuma to treat him to a huge meal there every chance he got?
Unfortunately, Fuyuki's wish was doomed to go unfulfilled. In the muggy heat of May, a dark cloud suddenly drifted across the sky, and fist-sized hailstones began pelting Konoha from above.
Fuyuki was stunned. He'd heard of frost falling in June, but why was it hailing in May?
Seriously, the Land of Fire had winters, sure, but they brought heavy snow, not hail!
Natsumi drew her hand to her chest and struck out with her palm. The compressed chakra burst forth, creating a gust of chakra-generated wind that blew away the hailstones about to hit young master Fuyuki. "Young master, we should hurry. With the weather acting so strangely, I'm afraid someone's up to no good again."
The dark clouds overhead contained no chakra, but Natsumi couldn't believe hailstones this deadly could be uncontrolled. This had to be a lone wolf's revenge attack on Konoha.
Konoha had been soaked in blood ever since it was founded. It had no doubt wiped out countless ninja villages and bloodline clans.
Every few years, some surviving member of a bloodline clan who didn't know when to quit would come to Konoha and cause trouble.
But very few ever made it into the village. The Hyuga Clan served as the first line of defense at the border, while the Uchiha Police Force guarded Konoha itself. These lone wolves usually ended up in the hands of the Torture and Interrogation Force before they even encountered the Anbu or ordinary ninja.
"What rotten luck. I finally felt like going shopping." Fuyuki grumbled, then clasped his hands together in prayer. "I hope whoever's controlling the hail drops dead on the spot!"
As soon as Fuyuki finished speaking, the hail overhead stopped. A terrifying gale sprang up instead, sweeping up snowflakes so cold they formed a snowy tornado that slammed down toward Fuyuki's head.
"I hope your whole family has trouble!"
Fuyuki muttered under his breath, then hurried off with his maid.
The caster was still hidden somewhere, and the dark clouds were just a secret technique. Fuyuki wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with chakra. He wasn't some idiot who'd get mad at a cloud formed by a secret art.
The most important thing now was to get away, then use his Byakugan to find the caster and report it to the Anbu!
"Hm? Why is Fuyuki being chased by a tornado?"
The Third was the first to notice something was wrong. He had a crystal ball connected to the Konoha Barrier that let him see any corner of Konoha.
Earlier, while inspecting the nutritional intake of Konoha's residents, the Third had noticed the dark clouds overhead. He'd told the Sensor Division to investigate and sent the Anbu to help anyone injured by the hail.
But while searching for the injured, he came across an extremely comical scene.
A half-meter-wide snowy tornado was chasing after Fuyuki's retreating backside.
The tornado wasn't very fast, though, and couldn't catch up with Fuyuki and Natsumi. The Third could even make out a hint of resentment in it, as if it felt terribly wronged that it couldn't hit the pair ahead.
The Third had been watching with a smile. He knew how strong Fuyuki was, and even if the snowy tornado hit him, all it would do was soak him.
A ninja getting hit by snow? What a joke!
But in the next instant, the dark clouds overhead sent down a bolt of lightning faster than the eye could follow. It struck Fuyuki and Natsumi directly, freezing their leisurely strides in place. The snowy tornado behind them arrived right on cue.
"Young master Fuyuki, are you all right?"
The lightning looked impressive, but it wasn't very powerful. At most, it had the force of a D-rank Lightning Release technique.
However, Natsumi's carefully tended, smooth black hair had turned into a frizzy mess. Her face was smudged black and white, making her look extremely ridiculous.
Fuyuki's eye twitched. He ran a hand over his long hair. Good, it hadn't turned into a frizzy mess. But his clothes were now tattered, and his face and hands were covered in soot.
"Phew." Fuyuki let out a breath, looked up at the dark clouds, and roared, "You're dead! Not even the First Hokage can stop me today! I'm going to kill you!"
Fuyuki had never been known for his temper. It was only because he usually spent time with Hinata and his little sister, two adorable angels who soothed the rage in his heart, that he kept it in check. How could a guy who'd once been active on the battlefields of Zaun have a good temper?
P.S. I got a new phone, and I'm not used to typing on it yet. My typing speed is super slow, and the screen has a green tint. It looks awful, like the eye protection mode is on. It's really uncomfortable.
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