Hiashi's Change

The Hyuga Clan estate.

"Xiaoxue, I'm ready!" Hinata's Shadow Clone held Xiaoxue and rubbed its chin, feeling a little excited.

This was the first time she had defied her father's decision. Though she was only using a Shadow Clone to stand in for her, and it didn't really count as defying him completely, she still felt a strange emotion welling up inside her.

Xiaoxue gave a "meow" in reply.

Humans sure were strange. They made going out so complicated.

Unlike a cat like her, Xiaoxue could go wherever she wanted, and when she got hungry, she could ask Ao for dried fish.

Xiaoxue rolled over in Hinata's arms.

Seeing how lazily Xiaoxue lounged, Hinata couldn't help but feel a little envious.

As the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter, she had to be better than everyone else.

More than ten minutes later, Hinata's Shadow Clone and Xiaoxue vanished on the spot, leaving behind wisps of smoke.

Meanwhile, at the abandoned training ground.

Uchiha Ao's Shadow Clone sat cross-legged on a stone pillar.

"About time." Uchiha Ao's Shadow Clone climbed down from the pillar and went to an open patch of ground.

After taking out the blood his main body had prepared for him, he slapped it onto the ground, and chakra surged through his body.

"Summoning Technique!"

With a "poof," the smoke cleared, and Hinata and Xiaoxue appeared in front of him.

"Hinata." Uchiha Ao stood up, dusted off his hands, and greeted her.

"Ao... Ao-kun..." Hinata said softly, holding Xiaoxue as steam seemed to rise from the top of her head.

Though she was only a Shadow Clone, there wasn't much difference between her and her main body.

In fact, in some ways, she was even shyer than her main body.

Hinata thought to herself: What should I do? What should I do? I have no idea how to face Ao-kun.

Waaah, main body, come save me!

The Shadow Clone felt like she was about to fall apart.

Watching Hinata stand there, frozen and at a loss, Uchiha Ao helplessly rubbed his forehead.

After a few days of training with him, Hinata's main body had finally stopped stumbling over her words when she talked to him.

But this Shadow Clone was somehow even shyer than the main body.

"Hinata..." Before Uchiha Ao could finish, Xiaoxue leaped from Hinata's arms into his.

"Ao, I want dried fish!"

The cat was hungry.

"Didn't your main body give you a piece of dried fish?" Uchiha Ao asked in confusion.

"One piece isn't enough," Xiaoxue protested.

"Fine, fine." Luckily, his main body had anticipated that Xiaoxue's appetite wouldn't be satisfied with just one piece and had prepared a few extra.

Xiaoxue happily ran off to the side with the dried fish.

"Hinata, today's task isn't much different from before. We'll work on controlling your chakra again," Uchiha Ao said, turning back to her.

Hinata stammered for a long while before finally managing to say, "O-okay... Ao-kun."

Seeing her like this, Uchiha Ao sighed softly, then said gently, "Don't be nervous. Relax, just like when we practiced before."

Hinata lightly bit her lower lip and nodded, her fingertips twisting her sleeve without thinking.

She wanted to act normally around Ao-kun too, but she was just too nervous.

Uchiha Ao led Hinata to a riverside. Clear water shimmered in the sunlight, and the gentle murmur of the current brought a little life to the quiet training ground.

Pointing to the river, he said gently, "Today we'll practice Water Walking. It's a great way to train your fine control over chakra."

Hinata nodded slightly.

Hinata nodded slightly, then recalled the details of her earlier tree-climbing practice and gathered chakra in her feet.

She took a deep breath and slowly lowered one foot toward the water.

Uchiha Ao watched quietly from the side without stopping her.

With the way this Shadow Clone was feeling, it would take her a while to get the hang of it.

Better to let her face failure first and gradually overcome her nervousness through setbacks.

Sure enough, the moment Hinata put her foot on the water, her chakra went out of control like a kite with a broken string. With a splash, she plunged into the river.

She flailed about in a panic before surfacing, her hair plastered to her cheeks and water dripping from her chin.

"Cough... cough, cough..." Hinata choked on a few mouthfuls of water and grabbed a rock jutting out from the bank. Her head drooped, water still dripping from her hair. "Ao-kun, am I... useless?" Her voice trembled, hurt brimming just beneath the surface.

Uchiha Ao hurried over and pulled Hinata out of the water.

"It's okay, Hinata," Uchiha Ao said soothingly.

Meanwhile, at the Hyuga Clan estate.

Hinata's main body knelt at the edge of the clan's training ground, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Lady Hinata, it's time for Gentle Fist sparring." The voice of a Main Family guard interrupted her thoughts.

Hinata hurried to her feet, but when she caught sight of her father, Hyuga Hiashi, out of the corner of her eye, her heart leaped into her throat.

Hiashi stood with his hands behind his back. The Hyuga Clan crest behind him gleamed coldly in the setting sun. "Hinata, show me one of our clan's forms. Let me see if you've improved lately."

Hinata forced down her nerves and slowly took her stance.

She took a deep breath and assumed the opening stance of Gentle Fist. Turning her palm slightly, she let chakra begin to flow through her pathways.

Hiashi's gaze swept over Hinata again and again. Each glance felt like a heavy hammer striking her taut nerves.

Hinata clenched her teeth. Her fingertips trembled, but she did her best to keep her movements steady.

The Gentle Fist forms unfolded beneath her hands, each kick and palm strike carrying the Hyuga Clan's signature grace and precision.

The child had improved.

Hyuga Hiashi couldn't help nodding.

As the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter, she needed enough strength to earn everyone's respect. Otherwise, how could she inherit his position as clan head one day?

Without sufficient strength, how could she protect the clan?

While Hyuga Hiashi was lost in thought, Hinata finished her forms.

Hinata lowered her hands and stood still, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Damp strands of hair clung to her cheeks.

Hyuga Hiashi paced with his hands behind his back, his dark robe sweeping over the ground with a faint rustle.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly struck out with his palm. A blade of chakra wind skimmed past Hinata's ear and split a stone lantern at the edge of the training ground in two.

"An enemy won't wait for you to catch your breath in a real fight." Hyuga Hiashi's voice was as cold as ice. "If you can't even control your breathing, how will you hide your weaknesses?"

Hinata stumbled half a step backward, scraping her palm against the stone table and leaving a bleeding wound.

"Yes, Father!"

Hyuga Hiashi stared at the blood on his daughter's palm. His throat bobbed, but in the end, he didn't soften his tone. "However..."

He paused deliberately, watching Hinata jerk her head up. Her eyes, so like her mother's, were filled with surprise and hope. "You managed to keep your forms steady when I attacked. I suppose that counts as some improvement."

Hinata's eyelashes fluttered violently, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

In her memories, her father's approval had always been followed by even stricter demands. Now, that one casual sentence made her eyes sting.

Before she could speak, Hyuga Hiashi had already turned away, his wide sleeves billowing in the evening breeze. "Go tend to your wound. Tomorrow, you'll train at the hour of the Rabbit."

"Yes!" This time, her reply ended on a cheerful note. As Hinata turned, she met the guards' astonished gazes.