Refusal × Fishing

"No."

Nara Dan flatly rejected Hyuga Nana's request. He could guess some of what the Hyuga Clan had in mind.

Do I look that desperate? Would I really go after a girl who's barely a teenager?

Nara Dan grumbled to himself. As far as he was concerned, the only person he was currently involved with was Kurenai Yuhi. He usually kept to himself and led a clean, quiet life.

Still, he wasn't surprised. Political marriages were an important way for great clans to win allies, just like Hinata's future match with Naruto.

If you were talented enough, you didn't even need to go looking. The great clans would be lining up to offer their daughters to you.

What's more, Nara Dan possessed an advanced Taijutsu Secret Technique that the Hyuga Clan lacked, one that was practically decisive in importance.

The Hyuga Clan has probably been trapped in that position for years.

The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist was a complete system, but it couldn't even get a foothold in battles between top-tier fighters. That had left the clan in a very awkward position.

Unlike the Senju Clan or the Uchiha, who could reliably produce a Kage Level powerhouse every generation or every few generations,

the Hyuga were always just an afterthought on the battlefield where the strongest fought. They seemed powerful, but couldn't break into Konoha's core decision-making circle.

Otherwise, Hizashi Hyuga would never have been ordered to take his own life in such a humiliating way.

"Don't bother me unless it's related to training."

Nara Dan issued his ultimatum coolly, seemingly giving her no consideration at all.

"How heartless, Teacher Nara. You're not giving me an inch."

Hyuga Nana looked a little dejected, but her thoughts were already turning as she recalled the careful instructions the clan head had given her several days earlier.

"Nana, your mission is very important to the clan,"

Hyuga Hiashi said gravely as he looked at Hyuga Nana, who was kneeling beside him. The words that followed were shameless, to say the least.

"Though the Hyuga are known for the Gentle Fist, we're also trapped by it."

"Dan-kun is the only one who has the crucial knowledge needed to bring about a qualitative change in the Gentle Fist."

"He could even change the awkward position Taijutsu occupies throughout the entire Ninja World."

As clan head, Hyuga Hiashi naturally had a keen eye. He could see Nara Dan's potential.

Nara Dan's talent was nothing like Tsunade's or the Raikage's.

They either relied on the Senju's vast reserves of Chakra, which they could expend freely, or on a Lightning Release Secret Technique that pushed them to the brink of death.

Neither was Taijutsu that could be developed sustainably. They were Nintaijutsu.

By contrast, Nara Dan, born into the Nara Clan, had built himself up from nothing, going from zero to a hundred through Taijutsu. The value of what he'd inherited was self-evident.

And that was without mentioning how worthy Nara Dan himself was of winning over.

"You don't need to resent Dan-kun. Just get along with him."

"He may seem to care only about strength and training, but he's actually a man who values loyalty and affection."

"If he develops feelings for you, he'll naturally tie the Hyuga to the same cause."

Night fell over the Nara Clan's courtyard.

Nara Dan sat quietly in meditation, with a long pause between each breath.

In the cool night air, long jets of breath could be seen streaming evenly from his mouth. His lung capacity was astonishing.

Earlier, Nara Dan had often practiced Dynamic Meditation, or focused mainly on it, building strength and tempering his body,

trying to refine his physique until it was flawless.

But ever since hitting a bottleneck half a year ago, he'd spent more time on Quiet Meditation, gathering his spirit, honing his will, and controlling the body's tiniest movements.

After all, the body, mind, and spirit were all essential. Breaking through a Taijutsu bottleneck often required the support of the mind.

Nara Dan's muscles were tightly knit, rising and falling in rhythm with his breathing.

They rippled as if they had a life of their own, giving him an uncanny air of harmony.

It was clear that Nara Dan had achieved an extremely high degree of control over his body.

He could command muscles that ordinary people couldn't train or control, such as the pectoralis minor, the muscles in his neck and shoulders, and his glutes, as easily as moving his own arms.

"I'm still a little short."

Nara Dan murmured to himself.

He could clearly sense that barrier. It wasn't Copper Head Iron Bone or Blood Energy Pillar.

Strictly speaking, those two blue Talent Entries were both offshoots of Iron-Eating Gold-Devouring. As long as he kept training steadily, or found some rare, nourishing treasure,

they would naturally evolve into purple Talent Entries, or even something higher.

Nara Dan was talking about the Talent Entry he had earned through years of hard training: Taijutsu Mastery. Just as its description said, he was no different from Mike Guy at his peak.

But Mike Guy at his peak could only shine for a brief moment, sacrificing his life to earn the title of strongest in Taijutsu.

In fact, even Mike Guy couldn't maintain Kage Level strength in his normal state.

It was true that the human body had its limits in the Ninja World. It couldn't reach the level of moving mountains and filling seas, like the people in One Piece or those spiky-haired maniacs.

So most ninja focused on developing the applications of Chakra. Taijutsu was usually an afterthought—even for Tsunade and the Raikage.

The essence of Tsunade's Nintaijutsu was an extension of the Senju Clan's Sage Body, while the essence of the Raikage's Nintaijutsu lay in the transformation of Chakra's nature.

Nara Dan was trapped at that same barrier, but he was luckier than Mike Guy.

He had the Cheat System and other Talent Entries, which let him display strength far beyond what Mike Guy could manage at the same age.

He could even use Secret Techniques that would overburden an ordinary Taijutsu ninja for extended periods, or even as part of his normal routine.

But in terms of the essence of Taijutsu, he wasn't fundamentally different from Mike Guy. The difference was only in degree.

"Hopefully, the seeds I planted today will sprout."

Nara Dan recalled the day's assessment, a hint of urgency flashing in his eyes.

War was drawing near. Even for someone who had always grown at a rapid pace, the pressure wasn't nonexistent.

There were plenty of people in this world stronger than him. In fact, there were a lot of them.

Just then, a servant slipped in and reported to Nara Dan,

"My lord, a boy named Hatake Kakashi is outside and says he wants to see you."

A flicker of surprise crossed Nara Dan's eyes. He hadn't expected Kakashi to be the one who came.

Well, look at you, Kakashi, with that serious face. I thought you were an honest guy, but you're craftier than a woman.

He'd indeed gone fishing during the assessment of the trio that day.

On the surface, he'd rejected Hyuga Nana's advances, but he'd left himself some leeway by saying not to disturb him unless it was about training.

That had two meanings. On one hand, he was telling the Hyuga Clan to stop scheming all the time. Women weren't chains that could bind him.

On the other, he hadn't shut the door completely. If the Hyuga Clan wanted to cling to him, that was fine too.

But he wasn't interested in anything except training, so they'd better let him look over all their secret Gentle Fist techniques and manuals.

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