Simulation, Activate!

Hinata Hyuga took a deep breath, her small palms forming the stance of the Gentle Fist as she charged toward Hyuga Hiashi.

Hiashi merely tilted his body slightly to dodge Hinata's attack, then extended a single finger to tap her wrist, disrupting her follow-up movement.

"Snap!"

The crisp sound echoed repeatedly.

Day after day, this scene played out within the dojo.

Attack, get blocked, get easily subdued. In the past, Hinata's movements would gradually lose form after three or five exchanges, her strength failing her.

But today, something was different.

Instead of retreating and choosing a conservative approach as she usually did after being blocked, Hinata pushed off the tatami with force to steady herself. With her other palm, she attacked Hiashi's lower stance at a slightly awkward angle.

Hyuga Hiashi's eyebrows arched slightly, but he immediately countered, easily neutralizing the move once more. His movements remained unhurried, yet his palms followed her like a shadow, aiming directly at the vital points on her body.

Although Hinata appeared somewhat disheveled, retreating and dodging under her father's offensive, Hiashi saw it clearly: her eyes were not fixed solely on his hands as they had been in the past, but were also tracking his waist and abdomen.

She was searching for his opening.

More accurately, she was seeking an opening to attack!

Good!

Hyuga Hiashi cheered inwardly, though his face remained as calm as an ancient well, and he even accelerated his movements slightly.

He wanted to see just how far Hinata could go this time.

Sweat soon soaked the bangs on Hinata's forehead; her breathing became heavy and rapid, and her stamina was nearing its end.

"Hah!"

She suddenly let out a low cry, charging forward against the palm wind her father had unleashed, and threw a punch with all her might.

A flicker of surprise flashed in Hiashi's eyes. With a slight twist of his wrist, he delivered a seemingly casual palm thrust that precisely intercepted her momentum.

Hinata felt a wave of soft force travel through her punch, causing her to lose control and fall backward, landing on her bottom on the cold floor.

The sparring session was over.

Hinata Hyuga lowered her head, her small fists clenched tightly, waiting for the inevitable reprimand. Because... she still hadn't managed to achieve anything.

The dojo was deathly silent, save for her own heavy panting. It felt as though a long, long time had passed before Hiashi's voice came from above.

"Get up."

Hinata Hyuga braced herself, stood back up, and kept her head bowed, ready to accept the criticism.

However, what she received was a sentence completely beyond her expectations.

"Today... you did well."

Hinata jerked her head up, unable to believe her ears, her pure white eyes filled with shock.

Her father's face still wore that eternal, serious expression, but what he had just said was not "not enough," not "too slow," nor was it the silence of disappointment. It was an affirmation.

This was the first time she had received praise from her father since she could remember.

The door closed softly behind her with a crisp "click," as if sealing off everything outside into another world.

Hinata Hyuga leaned her back against the door, standing dazed for a few seconds, her pure white eyes staring blankly at the familiar furnishings of the room.

"I really can do it."

She held this whisper between her lips, as if responding to a promise made to someone.

Hinata took a black notebook from the drawer and opened it. Waiting for the [Life Simulator] cooldown to hit zero, she immediately selected [Start Simulation].

The results of the previous simulation vanished, and new text leaped onto the page from the first line.

[Year 54 of Konoha, the Kumogakure delegation arrives, and Father becomes increasingly busy. I find an opportunity to slip out of the mansion again, intending to go find Neji.]

[However, just outside the perimeter wall, I discover a suspicious figure. The person has dark skin, looking very much like someone from the Land of Lightning.]

[Now, I have three choices.]

[1. Shout loudly that there is a spy from an enemy village here.]

[2. Ignore it and continue to look for Neji.]

[3. Do nothing and return to my room.]

"Eh?"

Hinata Hyuga was somewhat surprised. Even though the conditions were identical to the last simulation, an extra option had appeared this time.

Should she choose this one?

She subconsciously pinched her fingers. Although Kumogakure had expressed an intention for peace talks, it would still be some time before their envoys could cross the distance between the two nations to reach Konoha.

Never mind, she would stick to her previous plan.

Hinata made up her mind and chose the first option.

[This time, I shout loudly, and that Kumogakure ninja immediately looks toward me.]

His figure rapidly enlarged in my field of vision, and just then, my father, who had already gone to sleep, rushed over and struck the Kumogakure ninja in the chest with a single palm. The man didn't even have time to make a sound before he stopped breathing.

He was dead.

However, the counter-accusation from Kumogakure came unexpectedly. They twisted the truth, claiming that Konoha had acted in bad faith, not only sabotaging the peace talks but also brutally murdering their envoy. They demanded that Konoha hand over the killer as an explanation, or they would respond with war.

If the life of just one person could quell a war, the trade seemed incredibly worthwhile.

It wasn't just the others in the village; even Father began to waver. Not long after, the corpse of the "murderer" was handed over.

Standing side by side with Father, looking at the corpse that shared his exact face, I finally understood.

The "murderer" turned out to be Uncle Hizashi.

"How could it be like this?!"

Young Hinata Hyuga had yet to witness the dark side of the world, let alone comprehend the complex machinations behind it; her tender heart was pierced deeply by this cruel truth.

Just then, a line of text slowly emerged on the paper.

[The world line has been anchored. Would you like to view the results of this simulation?]

Hinata took a deep breath, struggling to control her trembling voice: "View."

[Kumogakure received their explanation, Konoha received peace, and the Hyuga received their clan head. The price for all of this was merely the life of a branch house member.]

[But how could those accustomed to looking down from on high ever lower their noble heads to see that Neji Hyuga had lost his father, or that a child had lost his entire world from that day on?]

[In the 58th year of Konoha, the Uchiha were wiped out in a single night, leaving only one survivor. This incident had a massive impact and seemed to provide inspiration to someone.]

[In the 63rd year of Konoha, Orochimaru orchestrated the Konoha Crush Plan. Neji Hyuga seized the opportunity to kill every member of the main house except for you in an extremely short amount of time, then defected.]

["My foolish little sister, if you want to kill me, then hate me, curse me, and live on in an ugly, desperate struggle."]

[Simulation ended.]

[Evaluation: It's fine to fool the branch house with such things, but don't fool yourself as well.]