Over the next few days, nothing went wrong.
Because Sasuke had attacked those people directly last time, they now had a training ground to use every day.
That saved them quite a bit of trouble, and Sasuke was happy to take it easy.
Weekend.
Sasuke sat in the Uchiha training ground.
A strange expression crossed his face.
"What's Neji doing?"
"The mission progress is shooting up!"
Sasuke stared at the panel showing the mission progress at [62%], completely dumbfounded.
That morning, it had still been [18%].
How had it shot up to [62%] in just half a day?
Could that guy be romancing himself?
At the Hyuga Clan compound.
"Neji, have I improved a lot this time?"
Hinata looked at Neji expectantly.
After training together over the past few days, Hinata wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.
Neji seemed to be treating her better.
Before, he would defeat her without hesitation every time, then leave coldly.
He wouldn't even say a single unnecessary word to her.
But now, things were clearly different.
Not only would he patiently correct her mistakes in Gentle Fist, he would even demonstrate the proper techniques for her.
"A lot."
"Your strength, speed, and precision have all improved."
"I'll have to pick up the pace with my training too, or you'll catch up to me soon, Hinata."
Neji smiled faintly as he spoke.
"Mm!"
Seeing Neji smile, Hinata smiled too.
"Neji."
Just then, Hyuga Hiashi's voice carried over.
"Clan head!"
At the sight of Hyuga Hiashi, the smile vanished from Neji's face.
The man before him looked a lot like his father.
His uncle, the head of the Hyuga Clan.
This man...
This man...
Neji's thoughts grew tangled again.
His father had died because of this man.
No matter what the reason, a boy couldn't suppress those feelings.
"Stay for dinner tonight."
"I've already arranged everything."
"You two go take a bath, then come to the living room."
Hyuga Hiashi spoke in his usual icy tone, then turned and left.
Once he was out of the training room, a smile appeared at the corner of Hyuga Hiashi's mouth.
He knew Hinata's progress better than anyone.
And seeing how close Neji and Hinata had become made Hyuga Hiashi even happier.
He was just so used to being stern that he always kept the same expression.
"At this rate, I should be able to fulfill the promise I made you..."
Hyuga Hiashi looked up at the sky, the smile at his lips turning bittersweet and hopeful.
In the living room.
"Neji, have you run into any problems with your training lately?"
"Have you found a breakthrough in your Gentle Fist training?"
"And Hinata—has she become an unsuitable opponent for you?"
Faced with Hyuga Hiashi's sudden concern, Neji looked a little at a loss.
They hadn't had this kind of relationship before...
Neji answered most of Hyuga Hiashi's questions honestly.
When it came to Hinata, Neji said he was still willing to spar with her.
"Neji, come with me."
After speaking, Hyuga Hiashi rose and headed toward the back courtyard.
Soon, the two of them stood before a finely furnished room.
"Creak..."
They opened the door and stepped inside.
"This is Hizashi's room."
"Seeing how you are now, I think I can tell you some things."
"You hate me, don't you?"
Hyuga Hiashi suddenly spoke.
Neji had already been bewildered when Hyuga Hiashi brought him to his father's room.
Those words left him utterly at a loss.
Had he shown something just now?
"It's right to hate me."
"I wronged Hizashi. This was my fault."
"Hizashi asked me to leave this for you."
Hyuga Hiashi walked to a cabinet, took out a notebook, and handed it to Neji behind him.
"This..."
Neji opened the notebook and froze.
[Neji, I don't know how old you are now, but I believe you've let go of your hatred.]
[I was an unworthy father, but I still hoped I could leave you something, so I wrote this notebook.]
[The Hyuga Clan's rules are simply the way they are. Don't blame your uncle; he was powerless to resist them.]
[Your uncle and I were very close brothers...]
[If you're reading this, you've grown up. Listen to your uncle. He'll tell you everything you need to do next.]
[One last thing: I'm sorry, Neji...]
By the time he finished reading, tears covered Neji's face.
He set the notebook down heavily and looked at Hyuga Hiashi in confusion.
"You lost your father, and I lost my brother."
"I promised Hizashi that if you could let go of your hatred on your own, then we would be the ones to break these so-called rules!"
"This is the understanding I came to too late, paid for with my brother's life!"
Hyuga Hiashi told Neji what they would do next.
"Break..."
"The rules..."
No one knew what the two of them discussed after that.
But when Neji left, his eyes were more resolute than ever.
[ Ding, congratulations, Host. You have completed the mission...]
[Body +10, meridians expanded by 10%, Gentle Fist: Tai Chi.]
At the same time, Sasuke had just finished training when the system notification appeared before him.
"Huh?!"
"It's already complete?"
Sasuke was stunned.
He'd still been fretting over how to deal with the hatred in Neji's heart!
How had the mission suddenly completed itself?
Only when energy surged through his body did Sasuke believe he wasn't dreaming.
Information about Gentle Fist: Tai Chi also appeared in his mind.
"This..."
As Tai Chi merged into his mind, Sasuke lost the ability to think about anything else.
The changes of the universe reflected within him.
The subtleties of Taiji let his mind roam free.
Sasuke sat cross-legged where he was, closed his eyes, and began to sense this profound mystery.
At the same time, in the Hokage Office.
"How are things going?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the scroll in his hands and looked at the person before him, who wore an armband—Uchiha Shisui.
"Everything is on track."
"The Uchiha have fully accepted me now, and I've gathered a group of trusted followers."
"Now, as the Military Police Force's deputy chief, my authority is second only to the clan head's."
"And I've successfully spread the Will of Fire throughout the Military Police Force."
Shisui respectfully reported his recent mission progress to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Before you continue