Hinata's Panic

For several days in a row, Hyuga Hinata had been meeting Uchiha Ao using a Shadow Clone.

At the abandoned training ground.

Hinata's Shadow Clone had just finished a set of Gentle Fist techniques and hurried over to Uchiha Ao's side without a moment's delay.

"Ao... Ao-kun, Father agreed to let my real self go out tomorrow," the Shadow Clone said, clutching the hem of her clothes. A blush spread across her face, and her voice carried a hint of shyness and anticipation. "When that time comes, I'll finally be able to meet you for real."

Facing him, this Shadow Clone, while still somewhat shy, was far more composed than before.

Uchiha Ao was quite satisfied with his own training, but satisfied as he was, he still felt a bit puzzled by the Shadow Clone's words.

Why had Hiashi Hyuga suddenly let Hinata out?

After pondering for a long while without reaching a conclusion, he could only attribute it to Hiashi's soft heart, deciding he could no longer bear to keep Hinata confined to the house.

The next morning, inside the Hyuga Clan estate.

"Father, I'm heading out," Hyuga Hinata said, bowing her head before Hiashi.

"Mm, return early," Hiashi Hyuga said indifferently.

Hinata nodded and turned to leave.

Hiashi Hyuga watched Hinata's retreating back, his fingers tapping three times against the armrest.

Two ninjas from the Hyuga branch family immediately emerged from the shadows, both of them Byakugan users skilled in long-range reconnaissance.

"Follow Hinata and monitor her closely. You must not allow that Uchiha brat to have any overly intimate contact with the young lady."

"Yes!" The two branch family ninjas flashed away, turning into two phantoms as they quietly followed behind Hinata.

Hiashi gazed calmly at the estate gate; he had actually known about the interactions between Hinata and Uchiha Ao for a long time.

The reason he had never interfered, and had even tacitly allowed the boy to enter the Hyuga estate, was primarily because Hinata's progress was linked to that brat.

As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan, Hinata could be close to commoners or maintain good relations with the Hokage, but her dealings with the Uchiha Clan had to be handled with caution.

This was not because he held a grudge against the Uchiha.

If war were to break out in Konoha, he would even be grateful to have such a powerful group of people as allies.

It was just that the current situation in Konoha was treacherous, and he found it difficult to see through.

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

Hiashi Hyuga sighed softly, his fingers idly tracing the patterns of the Hyuga family crest.

He understood the high-level balancing acts of Konoha's leadership, but he could not grasp the various power struggles hidden beneath the current undercurrents—the Third Hokage appeared gentle and magnanimous, yet he tacitly allowed Danzo to suppress the Uchiha; the Nara and Akimichi clans remained close to the Hokage while keeping a distance, while the Aburame and Inuzuka clans had vaguely chosen their sides.

As the Uchiha Clan was marginalized, the Hyuga family had become an "old, influential clan that could be won over" in the eyes of Konoha's top brass. This invisible shackle forced him to tread carefully at every step.

"Hinata, you are the future successor; you must understand that everything must be for the sake of the clan..."

Meanwhile, Hinata quickened her pace on the forest path.

By the creek in the distance, where fallen leaves drifted through the air, Uchiha Ao was wiping a shuriken.

"Ao-kun!" Although she "saw" Ao-kun every day through the shared memories of her Shadow Clone, standing before him in the flesh made her heart flutter in a way that simple memory sharing could never replicate.

Uchiha Ao tossed several shuriken into the air. Bang, bang, bang—the crisp sounds of metal striking metal rang out in succession.

The shuriken in the air collided with one another, strangely altering their trajectories before striking the bullseye ten meters away with pinpoint accuracy.

"Ao-kun, that's... that's amazing!" With the dynamic vision granted by her Byakugan, Hinata clearly saw the trajectory of the shuriken. The more she understood the principles behind it, the more she marveled at the exquisite technique.

"Hinata, do you think this technique is practical?" Uchiha Ao remained unmoved by the praise, posing a question instead.

"It's useful! It's unexpected and can catch the enemy off guard." Although she hadn't officially become a ninja, she had learned enough to understand that on the battlefield, beyond raw strength, a "surprise attack" was often the key to victory.

During the Third Shinobi World War, the Yellow Flash relied on the mobility of the Flying Thunder God to traverse the battlefield, leaving his enemies completely helpless.

Wasn't that devious enough?

Uchiha Ao chuckled, spinning the final shuriken on his fingertip. "It might be useful against Genin or Chunin, but against a Jonin, it's unlikely to have much effect."

He raised his hand and threw the shuriken, intentionally missing the bullseye this time. "If one has strong sensory abilities and dynamic vision, these can be easily dodged."

When he mentioned "sensory abilities," he deliberately emphasized his tone—ever since Hinata approached, he, possessing the Otsutsuki Bloodline, had sensed the trackers behind her.

It seemed Hiashi still didn't trust him.

However, these two Hyuga clansmen did not step forward to stop him; perhaps Hiashi's goal wasn't to force him away from Hinata.

Hiashi Hyuga was a smart man. He wouldn't let Hinata get too close to the Uchiha Clan—this was evident from the fact that he had grounded Hinata after her first day of training.

Perhaps Hiashi Hyuga had already sensed the high-level moves being made against the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Ao thought silently to himself.

He didn't intend to say anything, though. Since Hiashi Hyuga didn't object, he could complete his main quest even faster.

After half a day of training, Hinata was drenched in sweat, her legs feeling as heavy as lead, and her body swayed as she began to tip forward.

Uchiha Ao was quick-witted and caught her by the waist. Feeling her trembling frame in his arms, he showed a rare, helpless expression. "Let's stop here for today."

"Alright," Hinata replied, her voice listless.

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

Clear water poured from the bottle's mouth. As Hinata tilted her head back, a few stray locks of hair fell against her flushed cheeks.

She finished drinking and was just about to offer her thanks when she saw Uchiha Ao suddenly reach out, his fingertips gently brushing a blade of grass from her temple.

The gesture made Hinata's heart skip a beat, and her cheeks instantly burned with heat.

Uchiha Ao, on the other hand, looked as composed as ever. Seeing her blush, he couldn't help but look puzzled. "Why is your face so red? Could you be suffering from heatstroke from training too hard?"

As he spoke, he reached out to check her forehead, startling Hinata into scrambling backward until the back of her head hit the tree trunk with a dull thud.

"I-I'm fine!" Hinata stammered, her hair trembling with the movement. "It's, it's just a bit hot."

Uchiha Ao nodded, accepting her explanation.

It was indeed stiflingly hot today; it was a pity that this ninja world lacked air conditioning.

It was truly baffling, given that they already had televisions and refrigerators.

However, for someone like him who possessed the Otsutsuki Bloodline, such weather was no different from any other day.