Kiyonari's Severe Dependence

At night, the moonlight was swallowed by thick layers of clouds.

Hinata Hyuga held her shoes in her hands, stepping out of her room barefoot, each step taken with extreme caution. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and 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 carefully within the Hyuga Clan Grounds, finally stopping before an ordinary wooden door.

With her hand suspended in the air, Hinata worried she might have found the wrong place and double-checked for a moment before gently knocking on the door.

"Knock, knock."

The sound was so soft it was almost inaudible, but Hyuga Kiyonari, who happened to be awake inside, caught the faint movement.

Who could it be at such an hour?

He rose and walked to the door, pulling it open without a second thought.

Outside, the moonlight happened to peek out from the clouds, casting a hazy silver rim around the petite figure standing there.

Hinata kept her head bowed, her long, lavender-blue hair falling to cover most of her face, but Kiyonari still caught sight of her reddened eyes and tightly pursed lips at a single glance.

At this very moment, it felt like... back in his previous life, when you were about to ride your electric scooter to work and suddenly discovered a kitten curled up in a ball inside the thick windshield cover, looking at you with teary eyes.

A flicker of surprise quietly leaped into Hyuga Kiyonari's eyes.

Feeling his gaze, Hinata gathered her courage and looked up, revealing a pair of endearing eyes.

"Kiyonari-kun... I wanted to ask if you would go eat Yakiniku with me... is that okay?"

Kiyonari didn't ask any further questions; he simply looked at those eyes that seemed on the verge of shattering and nodded gently.

"Alright, wait for me a moment."

He turned back into the room, quickly threw on a warm coat, and by the time he came back out, he had everything settled.

The two left the Hyuga Clan Grounds in silence. The streets of Konoha were still brightly lit, and as they walked into Yakiniku Q, the warm, smoky air instantly enveloped them, forming a sharp contrast to the coldness of the clan grounds.

As soon as they were seated, Kiyonari took charge of ordering. After consulting Hinata's preferences, he ordered a large platter of top-tier Wagyu beef in one go.

Soon, a burly waiter, clearly a member of the Akimichi Clan, walked over carrying a wooden tray piled high with bright red meat slices with distinct marbling, looking almost like a small mountain.

The waiter set the meat platter heavily on the table and scratched his head in confusion as he looked at the delicate boy and the fragile girl before him.

"Excuse me, are there other guests joining you? This portion..."

Hinata's face turned beet red instantly. She lowered her head in embarrassment, her index fingers twisting back and forth anxiously.

Before she could explain, Hyuga Kiyonari calmly picked up the tongs, his expression composed as he laid a slice of succulent beef onto the sizzling grill. Instantly, the meat began to emit an enticing, crackling sound.

"No, that's all. I have a big appetite, sorry for the trouble."

"Oh."

The waiter replied, stopped asking questions, and turned away with a smile.

Hinata looked up, staring blankly at Kiyonari, watching him skillfully flip the meat on the grill and place the perfectly cooked pieces into her bowl.

"Eat up, young lady."

From the moment she knocked on his door, Kiyonari's series of actions acted like a warm palm, gently smoothing out the creases in Hinata's heart.

She looked at the piece of beef in her bowl—perfectly grilled, slightly charred at the edges, yet still tender and juicy inside—and swallowed her saliva involuntarily.

"Mm."

Hinata nodded slightly, picked up her chopsticks, and lifted the meat to her mouth for a small bite. The warmth and rich aroma of the meat exploded in her mouth, and a wave of heat seemed to slide down her esophagus into her stomach, soothing her cold, anxious internal organs.

The two ate in silence for a while. The meat on the grill made a pleasant "sizzling" sound, and the noise of the surrounding diners seemed to become a distant background hum. In this small sanctuary built of the aroma of grilled meat, Hinata's tense nerves finally found a moment of respite.

She set down her chopsticks, her other hand resting anxiously on her knee, and after hesitating for a long time, she asked him in a voice that was almost ethereal.

"Kiyonari-kun... if... if there is a great difficulty before me. One I cannot solve at all, or even... even one I cannot understand... what should I do?"

Hyuga Kiyonari looked up, his gaze falling on Hinata's anxious face.

He certainly knew she wasn't referring to difficulties in her studies or ninjutsu training. In a sense, the heavy burden capable of crushing anyone was entirely brought about by him.

But she would never know the truth, and he would not point it out. He simply placed the grilled meat onto a side plate before answering her in a calm and firm voice.

"What makes you feel lost isn't the difficulty, but the lack of a goal."

Hearing this, Hinata looked over, puzzled.

Kiyonari met her confused gaze and asked in return: "In the process of practicing the Gentle Fist Technique, what do you think constitutes mastering the Gentle Fist?"

Hinata thought for a moment and replied: "Mastering the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms?"

Kiyonari continued: "Then... the general concept of practicing the Gentle Fist Technique has now become the concrete goal of mastering the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."

"But you cannot cross the process and reach the end all at once. So, you must first master the Eight Trigrams Two Palms, then the Four Palms, the Eight Palms, the Sixteen Palms... and finally the Sixty-Four Palms. A difficult training task is thus slowly broken down into small, manageable goals. Solve the most urgent problems first, starting from where you can. Do you understand?"

"...I do."

Hinata nodded vigorously. Although her movements still held a trace of hesitation, she was much better than before.

The meat on the grill continued to sizzle. Seeing her lost in thought, Kiyonari picked up a piece of cooked meat, wrapped it in fresh lettuce, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Mmm~"

Delicious!

He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction; truly, the only downside to good food was the price. Of course, he never touched sashimi, no matter how expensive it was.

Though Kiyonari's words lacked any profound logic, they acted like a key, sliding into the tangled lock of Hinata's heart and producing a crisp "click."

Following his advice, if she were to turn the vague goal of "saving the Hyuga Clan" into something concrete, it would have to be "changing the system between the Main House and the Branch House."

Yet, what exactly were the conflicts between the Main and Branch Houses, and where should she even begin? Hinata still couldn't figure it out. But one thing was clear: simply abolishing the Caged Bird seal was by no means a good idea.

However, the most pressing issue at hand was naturally the impending Kumogakure delegation; they absolutely could not be allowed to die in Konoha.

But how, specifically, should she go about it?

Just like training in the Eight Trigrams Two Palms—even if that was already a very specific goal—it still required someone to teach her and guide her through the basics.

Sigh... if only there were someone who could help me and think of a solution together.

Hinata gripped her chopsticks in frustration. Just then, a piece of grilled meat landed quietly in the bowl before her. Her attention was instantly drawn to the pair of chopsticks that had delivered the meat, and the person holding them.

That's it!