Hinata's Unease

For several days in a row, Hyuga Hinata had met Uchiha Ao through her Shadow Clone.

At the abandoned training ground.

Hinata's Shadow Clone had just finished a set of Gentle Fist techniques when she hurried over to Uchiha Ao.

"Ao... Ao-kun, Father agreed to let my real self go out tomorrow." The Shadow Clone clutched the hem of her clothes, her cheeks flushing as her voice carried a hint of shyness and anticipation. "Then I'll finally be able to meet you in person, Ao-kun."

When facing him, this Shadow Clone was still somewhat shy, but she was much more at ease than before.

Uchiha Ao was very pleased with how well he'd trained her. Still, despite his satisfaction, he found the Shadow Clone's words a little puzzling.

Why had Hyuga Hiashi suddenly let Hinata out?

After pondering it for a while without reaching an answer, he could only conclude that Hiashi had taken pity on her and could no longer bear to keep her confined at home.

The next morning, inside the Hyuga Clan compound.

"Father, I'm heading out." Hyuga Hinata lowered her eyes and bowed to Hiashi before her.

"Mm. Be back early," Hyuga Hiashi said flatly.

Hinata nodded and turned to leave.

Watching Hinata's retreating figure, Hyuga Hiashi tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest three times.

Two Hyuga Branch Family shinobi immediately appeared from the shadows. Both were Byakugan users skilled at long-range reconnaissance.

"Follow Hinata and keep a close watch. Don't let that Uchiha brat get too close to the young lady."

"Yes!" The two Branch Family shinobi flashed away, turning into a pair of shadowy blurs as they quietly followed Hinata.

Hiashi gazed calmly at the compound's gate. He had actually known about Hinata's dealings with Uchiha Ao for some time.

The reason he had never interfered—and had even tacitly allowed Ao into the Hyuga compound—

was mainly because Hinata's progress was tied to that boy.

As the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter, Hinata could be friendly with commoners and get along with the Hokage, but she had to be cautious about associating with the Uchiha Clan.

It wasn't because he had anything against the Uchiha.

If war broke out in Konoha, he'd even be glad to have such a powerful group as allies.

But Konoha's current situation was so murky that he could hardly see through it.

And the Uchiha Clan had long been relentlessly targeted by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others.

Hyuga Hiashi let out a quiet sigh, his fingers idly tracing the pattern of the Hyuga Clan crest.

He understood the Konoha High Command's tactics for keeping rival forces in check, but not the power struggles beneath the current undercurrents. The Third Hokage seemed gentle and magnanimous, yet he tacitly allowed Danzo to suppress the Uchiha. The Nara and Akimichi Clans were close to the Hokage but still kept their distance, while the Aburame and Inuzuka Clans seemed to have quietly chosen sides.

As the Uchiha Clan was pushed to the margins, the Hyuga Clan had become "an old clan worth winning over" in the eyes of Konoha's leaders. This invisible shackle weighed on him, forcing him to tread carefully at every turn.

"Hinata, you're the future head of the clan. You must understand that the family always comes first..."

Meanwhile, Hinata quickened her pace along the forest path.

By the stream, where leaves fluttered in the distance, Uchiha Ao was polishing the shuriken in his hand.

"Ao-kun!" Though the shared memories of her Shadow Clone meant she saw Ao-kun every day in a sense, now that she was truly standing before him, she could hardly suppress the flutter in her heart. It was completely different from simply sharing memories.

Uchiha Ao casually threw several shuriken. "Clang! Clang! Clang!" Their crisp metallic impacts rang out one after another.

The shuriken collided in midair, two by two, changing course in strange ways before striking the bullseye ten meters away with perfect accuracy.

"Ao-kun, you're so... so amazing!" Thanks to the dynamic vision granted by her Byakugan, Hinata could clearly see the shuriken's trajectories. The more she understood how the technique worked, the more she marveled at his skill.

"Hinata, do you think this technique is practical?" Uchiha Ao wasn't swayed by her praise. Instead, he posed a question.

"It is! It catches the enemy off guard and leaves them no time to react." Hinata wasn't yet officially a shinobi, but having grown up around them, she still understood that on the battlefield, aside from strength, a surprise attack was often key to victory.

During the Third Shinobi World War, the Yellow Flash had used the Flying Thunder God's mobility to zip around the battlefield. His enemies couldn't do a thing about him.

How was that not unfair?

Uchiha Ao scoffed, spinning the last shuriken on his fingertip. "It might work against Genin or Chunin, but it won't do much against an elite shinobi."

He raised his hand and threw the shuriken, deliberately sending it wide of the bullseye this time. "If they have strong sensory abilities or dynamic vision, they can dodge these with ease."

When he said "sensory abilities," he deliberately emphasized the words. Ever since Hinata had approached, his Otsutsuki Bloodline had alerted him to the people tailing them from behind.

Looks like Hiashi still doesn't trust me.

But the two Hyuga hadn't come out to stop him. Perhaps Hiashi's goal wasn't to make him stay away from Hinata.

Hyuga Hiashi was a smart man. He wouldn't let Hinata get too close to the Uchiha Clan. That much was clear from how he'd confined Hinata to her room after her first day of training with him.

Perhaps Hyuga Hiashi had already sensed the Konoha High Command's designs on the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Ao thought silently.

But he had no intention of saying anything. Since Hyuga Hiashi didn't object, he could finish his main quest sooner.

After half a day of training, Hinata was drenched in sweat. Her legs felt as heavy as lead, and her body staggered as she pitched forward.

Uchiha Ao reacted in the nick of time and caught her around the waist. Feeling her trembling in his arms, he showed a rare hint of helplessness. "That's enough for today."

"Okay..." Hinata answered weakly.

"Rest a while. I'll take you for barbecue." Uchiha Ao took the water bottle he'd brought from his ninja pouch, unscrewed the cap, and held it out to Hinata. "Drink some water first."

The clear water poured from the bottle as Hinata tilted her head back, a few loose strands of hair falling beside her flushed cheeks.

After drinking, she was just about to thank him when Uchiha Ao suddenly reached out and gently brushed a blade of grass from her temple.

Hinata's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks instantly grew hot.

By contrast, Uchiha Ao looked perfectly calm. Seeing her blush, he couldn't help asking in confusion, "Why's your face so red? Did the training tire you out so much that you're getting heatstroke?"

As he reached to feel her forehead, Hinata panicked and stumbled backward, her head thumping against the tree trunk.

"I-I'm fine!" Hinata stammered, her hair tips trembling with the motion. "I'm just a little hot."

Uchiha Ao nodded, accepting her explanation.

It really was stifling today. Too bad this shinobi world didn't have air conditioning.

It already had televisions and refrigerators... It was hard to make sense of.

But for someone with the Otsutsuki Bloodline, weather like this felt no different from usual.