Kiyonari's Severe Dependency

At night, the moon was swallowed by thick clouds.

Hinata Hyuga carried her shoes in her hands as she crept out of her room barefoot, placing each step with utmost care. Her heart pounded wildly. It wasn't until she had climbed over the courtyard wall that her tense body finally relaxed a little.

She put on her shoes and searched the clan grounds carefully, eventually stopping in front of an ordinary wooden door.

With her hand hovering in the air, Hinata worried she had come to the wrong place and checked carefully once more. Only then did she gently knock on the door.

"Knock, knock."

The sound was so faint it was almost inaudible, but Hyuga Kiyonari happened to still be awake and caught the tiny noise.

Who could it be at this hour?

He got up and went to the door, then opened it without giving it much thought.

Outside, the moon had just emerged from the clouds, casting a hazy silver outline around the petite figure standing there.

Hinata kept her head bowed. Her blue-violet hair fell around her face, hiding most of it, but Kiyonari still saw her red-rimmed eyes and tightly pursed lips at a glance.

At that moment, it was like... in his previous life, just as he was about to ride his electric scooter to work, he suddenly found a tiny kitten curled up behind the thick windshield curtain, gazing at him with tearful eyes.

A flicker of delight quietly surfaced in Hyuga Kiyonari's eyes.

Feeling his gaze, Hinata gathered her courage and raised her head, revealing a pair of eyes that tugged at the heartstrings.

"Kiyonari... I'd like to invite you to eat barbecue... Would you come?"

Kiyonari didn't ask anything. He simply looked at those eyes that seemed ready to shatter and gently nodded.

"Sure. Just give me a moment."

He turned and went inside, quickly throwing on a warm coat. When he came back out, he was ready to go.

The two left the Hyuga Clan Grounds without a sound. The streets of Konoha were still brightly lit, and as they entered Yakiniku Q, the lively warmth enveloped them at once, a stark contrast to the chill of the clan grounds.

As soon as they sat down, Kiyonari took charge of ordering. After asking Hinata what she wanted, he ordered a generous platter of the finest wagyu.

Before long, a burly server, clearly a member of the Akimichi Clan, came over carrying a wooden tray. It was piled high with vivid red slices of meat, each marked with distinct marbling, almost like a little mountain.

The server set the platter down heavily and looked at the refined-looking boy and delicate girl before him, scratching his head in confusion.

"Excuse me, are there any other guests joining you? This is quite a lot..."

Hinata's face turned bright red. She lowered her head in embarrassment, her index fingers nervously twisting together.

Before she could explain, Hyuga Kiyonari calmly picked up the tongs and laid a beautifully marbled slice of beef on the sizzling grill. It began to crackle enticingly at once.

"No, I just eat a lot. Sorry for the trouble."

"Oh."

The server acknowledged him and didn't ask any more questions, smiling as he turned and left.

Hinata looked up and stared blankly at Kiyonari as he expertly turned the slices of meat on the grill and placed the perfectly cooked ones in his bowl.

"Go ahead and eat, young lady."

Ever since he'd opened the door, everything Kiyonari had done had been like a warm hand gently smoothing the creases in Hinata's heart.

She looked at the slice of beef in her bowl, cooked just right, with lightly charred edges and a tender, juicy center. She swallowed unconsciously.

"Mm."

Hinata nodded slightly, picked up her chopsticks, and lifted the meat to her lips for a small bite. Its warmth and rich aroma burst across her palate, and a stream of warmth seemed to follow it down her throat into her stomach, soothing her cold, uneasy insides.

They ate quietly for a while. The meat on the grill crackled pleasantly, while the chatter of the other diners seemed to fade into the distance. In this little haven built from the aroma of barbecue, Hinata's taut nerves finally found a moment of relief.

She set down her chopsticks and rested her other hand uneasily on her lap. After hesitating for a long time, she asked in a voice so faint it almost drifted away.

"Kiyonari... If... if there's a huge problem in front of me, and I can't solve it at all—not even understand it... What should I do?"

Hyuga Kiyonari raised his head, his gaze settling on Hinata's anxious, awkward expression.

Of course, he knew she wasn't talking about difficulties with her studies or ninja training. In a sense, that crushing burden, enough to break anyone, had come from him.

But she would never know the truth, and he wouldn't bring it up. He simply placed the cooked meat on a plate beside them, then answered in a calm, certain voice.

"It's not the problem that's leaving you lost. It's that you don't have a goal."

Hinata looked at him, confused.

Meeting her puzzled gaze, Kiyonari asked, "While training in the Gentle Fist Technique, what would you say it means to have mastered the Gentle Fist?"

Hinata thought for a moment, then answered, "Mastering the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms?"

Kiyonari continued, "Then... the vague idea of training in the Gentle Fist Technique has become a concrete goal: mastering the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."

"But you can't skip straight to the end. First, you have to master the Eight Trigrams Two Palms, then the Four Palms, the Eight Palms, the Sixteen Palms... and finally the Sixty-Four Palms. That way, a difficult training task is gradually broken down into smaller goals. You tackle the most urgent problem first, starting with what you can manage. Do you understand?"

"...I do."

Hinata nodded firmly. A trace of hesitation still lingered in her expression, but she was doing much better than before.

The meat continued to sizzle. Seeing her lost in thought, Kiyonari picked up a cooked slice, wrapped it in a fresh lettuce leaf, and popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm~"

Delicious!

He closed his eyes in contentment. As expected, the only downside to good food was the price. Of course, he never ate sashimi, no matter how expensive it was.

Kiyonari's words weren't especially profound, but they were like a key turning in the lock of Hinata's confused, troubled heart, clicking into place.

Following his advice, she needed to make the vague goal of "saving the Hyuga Clan" more concrete. That meant "changing the system of the Main Family and the branch families."

But Hinata still couldn't figure out what conflicts existed between the Main Family and the branch families, or where she should start. One thing was clear, though: simply abolishing the Caged Bird system was definitely not a good idea.

For now, the most pressing matter was the approaching Kumogakure delegation. She absolutely couldn't let them die in Konoha.

But what could she actually do?

It was like training in the Eight Trigrams Two Palms. Even though it was already a very specific goal, she still needed someone to teach her and help her get started.

Sigh... If only someone could help me think of a solution.

Hinata gripped her chopsticks in frustration. Just then, a cooked slice of meat was quietly placed in her bowl. Her attention was instantly drawn to the chopsticks holding it—and to the person holding them.

I've got it!