Endurance Means Keeping an Open Mind and Holding Your Ground

"Endurance is not about admitting defeat; it is about faith and conviction."

"To endure means to be open-minded and to hold firm."

This was a phrase Hyuga Qinglan had heard in his first life.

Back then, he was huddled in a rented room, eating instant noodles while scrolling through his phone, thinking the words sounded nice but never taking them to heart.

He never expected that these words would eventually find a use in the world of ninjas.

He considered himself to have lived up to every meaning of that phrase in this life.

From standing guard for the main branch to serving as their sparring partner, and then taking on the various arduous missions assigned within the clan grounds.

He had endured it all.

All for the sake of one day being able to remove the Caged Bird and swim free like a fish in the ocean.

But when he heard once again that this young lady of the main branch, who couldn't even perform the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms without stumbling, actually wanted to drag him along to the Mist Battlefield to throw their lives away.

He finally reached his breaking point.

"Miss Yumi, you are joking again."

Hyuga Qinglan forced himself to soften his tone, speaking as lightly as if he were coaxing a child.

"I am not joking."

Hyuga Yumi's expression turned cold instantly, her gaze sweeping calmly across his face.

"Hyuga Qinglan, recognize your situation."

"Do not think that just because you are the bodyguard my grandfather arranged for me, you can obstruct my will."

"Guidance on my training is fine, but please do not point fingers at my decisions."

"Also, have I not told you that if you refuse a third time, I will make you regret it?"

As she spoke, she suddenly raised her hands and formed the Ram seal.

The pain came abruptly, instantly causing Hyuga Qinglan to lose the ability to stand, his body collapsing to the ground.

He felt as if a dull blade were churning inside his brain, as if his very mind were about to burst.

"I let it slide the first and second time."

"Do you really think I have a good temper?"

Hyuga Yumi looked down at him from above, her voice as cold as tempered ice.

"If it weren't for Grandfather Tianyun constantly saying you have high talent and have self-taught the Sixty-Four Palms, I wouldn't even consider taking you to the Mist Battlefield."

Hyuga Qinglan clutched his forehead and rolled on the ground, yet he remained silent. Cold sweat had already soaked his back, and blood began to spill from the corner of his mouth, which he forcibly clamped shut.

"Remember this lesson..."

"The next time will not be this simple."

Hyuga Yumi withdrew her hands from the seal, watched him coldly for a moment, and then turned to leave.

As she reached the door, she tossed out a sentence in an indifferent tone:

"I am definitely going to the battlefield. As for you?"

"If you don't want Grandfather Tianyun to punish you, then just be obedient."

The sound of her footsteps faded away, leaving him alone on the ground.

Hyuga Qinglan's face was deathly pale. He tremblingly propped himself up, watching that receding figure.

Scenes of humiliation and suppression flashed through his mind, memories that made him grit his teeth and swallow his bitterness.

"..."

He could endure.

But that did not mean he was a doormat.

Fate had never bestowed anything upon him, and he had never believed in fate.

To survive in this perilous ninja world, everything he had achieved along the way was due to his own efforts.

"I just didn't expect that the scroll I had only just collected would have to be handed over."

Hyuga Qinglan held his forehead and slowly climbed to his feet. His eyes flickered with uncertainty before he finally left the training ground of the luxurious mansion.

"Qinglan, is this what your squad found on the Rock Battlefield?"

Inside a luxurious mansion located at the very center of the clan grounds, Hyuga Hiashi sat opposite Hyuga Qinglan.

He picked up the ancient scroll from the desk, and the more he read, the more shocked he became.

He had long known of the scroll's existence, but Qinglan had been on the battlefield and hadn't had the chance to hand it over yet.

He had assumed it was just ordinary research material prepared by another ninja village to capture the Byakugan, at most containing some tired, old clichés.

Unexpected...

The contents recorded within were actually the origins of their Hyuga clan.

Furthermore, they matched perfectly with certain fragmented records in the main branch's secret archives, even including the names of past prodigies that only the main branch was supposed to know.

Judging by the wear on the scroll and Qinglan's behavior, he likely hadn't read it himself.

But that was for the best... knowing too much as a member of the branch family wouldn't be good for him.

If this scroll was authentic...

"Clan Leader, I originally intended to hand this to you this morning, but I was called away by Yumi for sparring practice, which delayed me."

Hyuga Hiashi snapped back to reality, took a deep breath upon hearing this, and signaled for his wife to pour Hyuga Qinglan a cup of tea.

Lowering his voice, he made one final confirmation.

"Does the Hokage... or Jiraiya know about this scroll?"

Hyuga Qinglan shook his head, nodded slightly to Hyuga Ayano in thanks, and spoke slowly: "Clan Leader, the moment I saw the Hyuga clan insignia on the cover of the scroll, I hid it away."

"Neither the Hokage nor Jiraiya knows. Not even the members of my squad are aware of this."

"Good... very good..."

Hyuga Hiashi let out a sigh of relief, a smile finally appearing on his face.

He looked at the contents of the scroll once more, and this time, his heart surged with even greater excitement.

Because...

"The Byakugan can actually evolve to the next level, just like the Sharingan..."

"As expected, our ancestors did not deceive us..."

Hyuga Hiashi thought to himself.

Whenever he recalled the elders of the main branch nagging him in his youth about how glorious the Hyuga clan once was and how he must lead them to become the number one clan in Konoha, he felt the heavy burden on his shoulders.

Unexpectedly...

Unexpectedly, what the elders said was actually true.

The Hyuga clan really was that powerful in the past.

After a moment of silence, he offered a gentle smile.

"Qinglan, you may go now. You've worked hard during this time. The clan will be holding a celebration soon, so get some rest... As for your reward, it will be issued after the main branch finishes their deliberations."

"Yes!"

Hyuga Qinglan downed the tea in one gulp; it had already gone cold, but he didn't mind.

He stood up and bowed, and just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard Hyuga Hiashi add: "Hyuga Yumi has a rather willful temperament, just like her grandfather."

"Qinglan, I know you are a good child, so please bear with your younger sister."

Hyuga Qinglan paused, turned, and bowed.

"I understand, Clan Leader."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded in satisfaction, and only when the figure had completely disappeared from the room did he let out a laugh.

"Hahahaha..."

The laughter echoed through the empty hall, carrying a sense of unbridled triumph.

"Why does my husband laugh?"

"The Hyuga clan is finally going to surpass the Uchiha and stand at the pinnacle of Konoha."

Hyuga Hiashi smiled faintly, his steps as light as a child's, leaving behind only a single instruction.

"Notify all members of the main branch; we are holding a meeting in the conference room to discuss a major matter."

"Yes."

Although Hyuga Ayano didn't understand why her husband was laughing, she knew better than to press him if he wasn't willing to say more.

As a woman of the household, she naturally understood these principles.

However...

Her gaze fell once again on the teacup Hyuga Qinglan had used, where traces of him still faintly lingered on the rim.

"Throw this tea set away and replace it with a new one."

Her voice was calm, as if she were ordering something perfectly ordinary.

"Yes, My Lady."