At the same time, at the Hyuga Clan Mansion.
Hinata finished washing up, packed her schoolbag, and came to the front gate to wait quietly.
Just like Sakura Haruno, she wanted to walk to school with Takasaki.
The night before, Hinata had wrestled with whether to go to Takasaki's home early and wait for him outside.
But whenever she thought about it, she would burrow under the covers, her cheeks turning red despite herself.
Takasaki had called her his wife so many times in his Diary that it was honestly too embarrassing.
As the Hyuga Clan's young lady, waiting for Takasaki at her own gate was the greatest effort she could manage, given her naturally shy disposition.
The sky grew brighter and brighter.
The shutters of Ichiraku Ramen slowly rolled up, and the shop opened for business.
More and more students with schoolbags passed the Hyuga Clan Mansion. They munched on the soy milk and bread they'd brought along as they headed toward the Ninja Academy.
Hinata kept waiting quietly, occasionally craning her head to glance toward Takasaki's home, her pretty face tinged with a faint blush.
The feeling was strange.
She was a little afraid Takasaki would realize she was waiting for him, yet at the same time, she was afraid he wouldn't show up.
After all, this was a chance for Takasaki to write about her in his Diary, and she didn't want to miss it.
What embarrassed her was that, being naturally shy, she couldn't help thinking Takasaki was such a jerk whenever she imagined what he'd written about her in his Diary.
He kept calling her his wife.
In reality, she hadn't even held a boy's hand before. How was she supposed to accept being treated as another boy's wife already?
Meanwhile,
Neji finished washing up, strapped on his ninja tool pouch, and left his room, heading for the mansion's gate.
Having graduated from the Ninja Academy a year before Hinata, he headed to the Hokage Building as usual to check for mission requests that suited him.
The Hokage Building posted all kinds of mission requests every day for ninjas to choose from. Completing them earned various rewards and merit.
Of course,
Neji hadn't passed the Genin exam yet. He was just an ordinary ninja, so the missions he could take were never very difficult.
Finding lost cats and dogs or unclogging drains were common jobs.
Neji didn't complain about that.
But today, as he went to the Hokage Building to check the mission list, he carried a special hope.
Might he receive a mission related to the Caged Bird mark?
He had always believed that fate couldn't be changed.
But after what had happened with Takasaki yesterday, and hearing the things Takasaki had said to him, his deeply rooted beliefs had begun to waver.
He stepped out through the Hyuga Clan's gate and saw Hinata standing beside it with her schoolbag. She was craning her neck and rising onto her toes as she peered toward the intersection, as if looking for someone.
Neji asked curiously, "Hinata, what are you doing here? Aren't you going to school?"
"I'm waiting for someone," Hinata replied naturally.
"Who?"
"I'm waiting for..."
Hinata's lips parted, and a faint blush spread across her pretty face. She lowered her head slightly. "Takasaki."
Even a boy like Neji, who had no romantic experience, could tell what was going on from her bashful expression. "Looks like Clan Head was right."
"What?"
"You really do like Takasaki."
"What? No... No, I don't..." Hinata hurriedly denied it.
Takasaki was such a lecher. How could she like him?
It was true that Takasaki liked her, but that didn't stop him from liking other girls too.
Anyone normal would find that unacceptable.
"I'm your cousin. You don't have to deny it in front of me." Neji smiled and shook his head. "I went to apologize to Takasaki last night. He didn't mind my earlier disrespect at all. He's a good person, and even Clan Head doesn't oppose the two of you getting together."
Hinata's face flushed even redder.
She didn't reply before Neji left. She simply lowered her head and quietly played with her fingers.
Only after Neji had walked some distance away did the flush on Hinata's face begin to fade. Her feelings were complicated.
Her cousin, who had once been distant from her, seemed to treat her a little better because of Takasaki.
Her father, who had always been strict with her, had also grown gentler because of Takasaki.
It seemed that ever since she had taken the initiative to approach Takasaki yesterday and invited him to her home, her relationship with her family had improved. Their home felt warmer and more harmonious.
The feeling was truly wonderful. After all, deep down, she was someone who cared a lot about family.
But judging from what Takasaki had written in his Diary, he definitely wouldn't be a family-minded person in the future.
At that thought, Hinata lightly kicked a pebble by her foot and muttered under her breath, "Takasaki, you big jerk. Would it kill you to be faithful?"
The pebble bounced a few times after Hinata kicked it, then rolled to a stop in front of Naruto, who was wearing an orange tracksuit and carrying a schoolbag.
"Hinata!" Naruto turned toward her and waved with his usual careless enthusiasm.
"Good morning, Naruto," Hinata replied politely.
"Have you had breakfast?"
"Not yet."
"Let's go get ramen! Uncle Teuchi's shop is open. I'll treat you!" Naruto said eagerly.
Naruto was worried about the Graduation Exam that day.
He knew a little about the Three Body Technique, but when it came to the written test on theory, he was completely clueless.
Fortunately, their teacher, Kurenai Yuhi, had already announced the seating plan, and Hinata's seat was near his.
If Hinata was willing to help him cheat, he might be able to scrape through.
So it wouldn't hurt to treat her to a bowl of ramen and get on her good side.
He was poor, but he could still afford one bowl of ramen.
"No, thanks. I don't like ramen," Hinata politely declined Naruto's invitation, even adding a little white lie.
The reason was simple.
She was afraid Takasaki might get the wrong idea.
Naruto left dejectedly, forced to hurry and find another classmate who could help him cheat on the exam.
Konoha Bay Apartments.
Takasaki had no idea that the lovely Sakura Haruno from a civilian family and Hinata, the beautiful heiress of the Hyuga Clan, were waiting for him in different places, hoping to walk to school together.
Even if he had known, he probably would have felt a little thrilled before getting right back to grinding his proficiency.
The things he wrote in his Diary were just sweet talk to placate the system. Women were important, sure, but strength mattered more.
He hadn't slept in.
In fact, he'd barely managed a full night's sleep.
Before going to bed, he'd set the alarm clock on his nightstand. Once his chakra had fully recovered, the alarm would wake him and remind him to get up and grind his ninjutsu.
When his chakra ran out, he'd go back to sleep.
Then the alarm would wake him again, and he'd grind his ninjutsu.
He repeated this all night long. He'd gone to the bathroom to shower four times alone, drenched in sweat each time.
His training was so intense that even during his brief, fragmented naps, Takasaki dreamed he was grinding his ninjutsu proficiency.
Most of the time, he was training the Clone Technique.
It wasn't that Takasaki didn't want a full night's sleep. He simply knew his strength was far too poor right now, and that if he didn't work hard early, he'd have plenty of chances to suffer later.
Fortunately, all that effort was clearly paying off.
At 7:30 in the morning,
"Clone Technique!"
Takasaki formed Hand Seals on the balcony. With a poof, a cloud of smoke appeared beside him. When it cleared, his clone stood there.
His Hand Seals and chakra flow were both so practiced that they were almost frightening.
At the same time, a sudden flash of insight came to Takasaki.
It was as though he'd grasped something and suddenly understood the Clone Technique on a deeper level.
He checked the Clone Technique's stats: [Level 3 Clone Technique (240/500)]
When a ninjutsu reached level 3, its casting efficiency doubled, and its power increased by 100%.
Doubling the casting efficiency was easy to understand: it meant forming Hand Seals faster.
The 100% increase in power showed directly in the ninjutsu's effects.
"Clone Technique!" Takasaki formed a single seal with one hand.
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