Motivation to Become Stronger

Watching Fuyuki leave, grumbling and cursing, a faint smile appeared on Hyuga Hiashi's face.

In front of the clan members, he had to play the part of an imposing Clan Head. He had to put the interests of the family and the collective first in everything, and could not let too much personal feeling show.

But there was one exception. He didn't want his twin children to fall out over the Caged Bird, the way he and his own twin brother had.

In the Hyuga Clan, aside from the heir to the Main Branch, every clan member had the Caged Bird Seal placed on them at the age of three and had to live as a Branch Family member. There were few exceptions, unless their Byakugan was exceptionally pure and their ocular power extremely strong!

Three was the age when children began training in chakra. Anyone with chakra could activate the Byakugan, and the clan elders would test the Hyuga children. If their Byakugan wasn't pure enough, they could only become members of the Branch Family.

Hiashi had never dared let the twins take this test. The standards were too harsh—practically impossible for an ordinary person to meet. So he kept putting off the elders' endless nagging, claiming he couldn't decide which child would inherit the Main Branch.

After all, that was how things stood now: the eldest daughter lacked the temperament and ability, while the eldest son had both, but hadn't inherited the advanced Gentle Fist Technique. You can decide which of them is suitable! I just can't make up my mind.

And now that he'd made another account, he could put the elders off for a few more years. What a sweet deal!

The elders were helpless, too. The Clan Head kept putting off his decision, and they had no authority to decide for him. All they could do was nag him to hurry up. Once he chose the heir to the Main Branch, they could begin their gifted-child training.

Hiashi was simply being a deadbeat about it. If he could stall until every last elder was in the coffin, then whatever the results of the Byakugan purity test, it would be up to him—the Clan Head with the most seniority—to decide.

He didn't want to abolish the Caged Bird system. Without the Caged Bird Seal, the Hyuga clan members would be like fat ducks carrying scallions around with them. Every faction and village would covet their Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan. Any Hyuga who dared leave Konoha would surely disappear.

Those who disappeared all met terribly tragic ends.

What's more, the Caged Bird had a hidden purpose. It was a secret that would overturn everything the Hyuga clan members believed, known only to the Main Branch Clan Head. Passed down by word of mouth, it concerned the core power of the Hyuga Clan.

"Hinata, Fuyuki, Hanabi..."

Hiashi murmured their names with a smile, then returned to his usual poker face and resumed playing the part of the Clan Head.

In the side courtyard of the Hyuga Main Family estate.

"Here, I asked Sister Fei to save you some snacks."

Back in the side courtyard, Hinata brought a plate of delicate afternoon treats from her room so her poor little brother, who'd missed dinner, could enjoy his big sister's affection. "Hurry up and eat!"

"Mm, thanks, Hinata. Having a big sister who's the perfect homemaker really makes life so much easier!"

As Fuyuki ate, he couldn't resist teasing his kind and caring sister.

He couldn't understand what Hiashi had to complain about. He had such a considerate, warm-hearted daughter, yet he always wore a sour face and was so strict with Hinata.

He must never have seen the era of information overload, with its bulletproof vests and shoddy cotton coats—the heroines who seemed high-quality, yet hid a Frostmourne beneath that cozy exterior.

"As your big sister, isn't taking care of you only natural?"

Hinata's voice was a little, but there was no noticeable pause as she said this. It showed that, in her heart, it was simply what she was supposed to do; it didn't make her feel awkward or embarrassed.

"When you say that, don't forget our mother, who just gave birth to Hanabi and is still recovering. If she finds out that her eldest daughter has taken over her duties as a mother after only a few days, she'll let out a little whimper."

Fuyuki kept smiling, but judging by the way the corners of his mouth were steadily rising, he seemed pretty happy.

Hearing that, Hinata cried out, "Huh? Is that a thing? I-I-I-I wasn't trying to take Mother's place, I..."

"Stop stammering and get some rest. You have Taijutsu class first thing tomorrow morning. If you oversleep, the Clan Head's face will be blacker than the bottom of a pot." Fuyuki reached out and started ruffling Hinata's hair. Damn Naruto. After marrying Hinata, he got so busy with his Hokage duties. If he loves the Hokage that much, why didn't he marry Kage Rock and smooch it instead?

"I'll find a chance to beat him up someday!"

"Mm."

Hinata answered softly, then slapped away her little brother's hand as it messed up her hair.

She was the great Lady Big Sister! How could she let her little brother give her a Head-pat Kill whenever he pleased?

She was the one who should be ruffling her little brother's hair!

After watching Hinata return to her room to rest, Fuyuki sat down at the tea table and took a black-covered book out of thin air.

The book always floated beside him, but no one had ever been able to sense or touch it.

Fuyuki opened the page on the Spirit Binding Technique and began reviewing what he'd learned that day.

He'd successfully formed a "vehicle" that day, but when he tried to give the summoned creature a mind, there was a sense of disconnect, like looking at flowers through fog. He couldn't give it precise commands.

Fuyuki guessed he simply lacked practice. There was nothing wrong with his magic; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to form a chakra vehicle properly and grant one to a summoned creature.

Besides reviewing, he also planned to study the next stage of magic!

He wanted to summon a High-ranking Elemental Spirit. The main use of Low-ranking Elemental Spirits was to serve as cannon fodder. Only once he could summon high-ranking elementals and a Spirit King would Fuyuki dare say he could dance freely through the Ninja World.

Honestly, he quite liked Uchiha Madara, that smooth-talking show-off. After coming to the world of Naruto, his goal had been to become as overwhelmingly powerful and slick-tongued as Madara.

To achieve his goal, Fuyuki studied occult knowledge quite seriously. In the morning, he trained in Taijutsu with the other clan members. In the afternoon, he skipped class to study ninjutsu. At night, he sat at the tea table, drinking tea and eating Senbei while reading the Magic Book or the basics of ninjutsu.

This life wasn't dull at all, because Fuyuki could feel that he really was getting stronger. What he was doing wasn't meaningless.

With positive feedback, it came naturally to work hard at training. Getting stronger was something you could reap right away. If it were like studying hard for decades without knowing whether you'd ever pass the exams, Fuyuki would have gone off to live like a rich young master long ago. He could occasionally tease his sisters or the maids; life would be wonderful.

"Wait, tomorrow morning isn't Taijutsu class. Tomorrow's the clan's monthly Martial Arts Tournament!"

At the beginning of every month, the Hyuga Clan held matches for all its members to test whether they'd been slacking off the previous month.

It was also a way to strengthen their unity.

Fuyuki dreaded the monthly tournament, but not because he was afraid of losing to the other kids his age. His magic was just too powerful, and it often caused serious accidental injuries that were a pain to treat.