Hyuga Ao

[Congratulations, Host, on completing the main quest: Caged Bird Longing for Freedom]

"Finally completed." Hearing the system's notification, Uchiha Ao wasn't surprised at all.

Hinata was no longer the timid little girl she'd been back then.

"But this reward..." Looking at the Byakugan in the system inventory, Uchiha Ao chose to extract it directly.

The next moment, he felt a cool sensation in both eyes, as though a gentle energy were slowly flowing into them.

He'd been worried the pain would be unbearable, but the reality took him completely by surprise.

There wasn't the slightest discomfort. The Byakugan simply melded into his body, as though it had always belonged there.

Uchiha Ao tried blinking, and his field of vision suddenly expanded.

Everything within several kilometers became crystal clear to him.

"This range seems wider than an ordinary Byakugan's."

Uchiha Ao casually picked up a mirror from beside him. Reflected in it were eyes of a clear, pale blue.

Unlike the characteristic bulging veins around the eyes of the Hyuga, the skin around his Byakugan was smooth, while fine golden patterns shimmered deep within his pupils.

"I didn't expect to awaken the Byakugan before the Sharingan." Uchiha Ao didn't know what to make of it.

But didn't the Ōtsutsuki Clan members who hadn't eaten the God Tree Fruit have only the Byakugan, and not the Sharingan?

In a way, his current situation was more in line with the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

At the thought, Uchiha Ao's mind stirred.

Now that he'd obtained the Byakugan, perhaps he could use the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist techniques, too.

The essence of the Hyuga Gentle Fist lay in "striking the chakra points." Using the Byakugan to locate an opponent's chakra points, the user could disrupt their chakra circulation with a gentle force.

He closed his eyes and carefully recalled every detail of Hinata's practice: the movements of the Gentle Fist, the way she applied force, and the paths chakra followed through her body. As he revisited those memories, everything grew clearer.

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Ao slowly drew on the chakra within him. The pale blue light in his eyes swirled more and more intensely.

He raised his hands and assumed the opening stance of the Hyuga Gentle Fist, palms cupped and fingertips trembling slightly.

"Form without spirit." Uchiha Ao frowned at the first move he'd performed.

His hands had taken the proper Gentle Fist stance, but he still couldn't do it the way Hinata could.

"So that's it..." Uchiha Ao studied the chakra pathways in his hands, a hint of understanding dawning on him.

Although he could see chakra flowing through the Byakugan, he had no idea where the body's chakra points were or how they were arranged.

"I'll go to Konoha Hospital sometime and see if they sell a chart of the chakra points." Having made up his mind, Uchiha Ao left his room.

The moment he opened the door, Uchiha Ao spotted Sister Izumi sitting in the living room.

"Sister Izumi, you skipped school again?" Uchiha Ao asked in confusion.

Uchiha Izumi had been happy to see her younger brother emerge from his room, but his very first question made her smile freeze in an instant.

"What? Is it so surprising that I didn't go to school?" Uchiha Izumi snapped her book shut, her tone clearly angry. "Were you off looking for Hinata again?"

"Ha... ha, of course not." Uchiha Ao gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm coming with you."

Without waiting for her brother's agreement, Uchiha Izumi strode over to the entryway.

Her wooden sandals clicked crisply against the floor. First, she hooked her toes neatly into the straps, then slammed her heels into the indented soles, making the wind chime hanging beneath the eaves jingle.

Uchiha Ao had to admit one thing.

Sister Izumi's feet were beautiful!

"What are you standing there for?" Uchiha Izumi urged, seeing her brother frozen in place.

"Coming, coming." Snapping out of his daze, Uchiha Ao hurried after Sister Izumi. But as they walked side by side, he couldn't help glancing again at the ankle barely visible beneath her wooden sandal.

Uchiha Izumi seemed to notice where her brother was looking, and the corners of her tightly pressed lips suddenly lifted despite herself.

Heh, she'd long since figured out what her brother liked.

It seemed unbelievable to her, but he was her little brother. She had to indulge him.

Uchiha Izumi deliberately slowed down. Her wooden sandals tapped out a lively rhythm against the flagstones as her toes slipped deftly against the straps, revealing more of her fair ankles.

The two soon arrived at Konoha Hospital. As they entered, the scent of disinfectant mixed with medicinal herbs washed over them.

Uchiha Izumi led her brother down the corridor with practiced ease. Her wooden sandals tapped against the polished floor with a crisp patter.

"Sister Izumi, how do you know this hospital so well?" Uchiha Ao asked, looking surprised.

Uchiha Izumi paused. The teeth of her wooden sandal traced half an arc across the floor, and when she turned, her hair brushed against Uchiha Ao's nose.

"Our school brought us here before."

Uchiha Ao raised his brows slightly, accepting Sister Izumi's explanation.

Lowering her voice, Uchiha Izumi continued, "Want your big sister to show you the human specimens in formalin? Those bodies cut open from throat to belly are a lot more vivid than a chart of chakra points."

"Uh... I'll pass, Sister Izumi. I'm still young." Uchiha Ao found that sort of thing nauseating and promptly rejected the offer.

At that, Uchiha Izumi burst out laughing. She reached out and gently flicked Uchiha Ao on the forehead. "Scaredy-cat."

She turned on her wooden sandals, sending a breeze swirling around her, and headed deeper into the hospital. "Never mind. Let's take care of what we came for first."

Uchiha Ao didn't notice the regret on Sister Izumi's face.

What a shame. She wouldn't get to see her little brother get scared, run into her arms, and beg for a hug.

They rounded a corner, and Uchiha Izumi stopped in front of a copper door engraved with a medical emblem.

She knocked a few times with her knuckles, and the door opened at once.

"Izumi-chan! What are you doing here?"

A head with twin ponytails poked out from the doorway, its round face beaming with delight.

"My little brother wants a chart of the chakra points. I remembered your mother's been bringing you to the hospital to study lately, so I thought I'd come by and see you." Uchiha Izumi replied with a smile, taking her brother's hand.

"Oh, I see! Come on in!" The girl with twin ponytails eagerly opened the door wider, revealing a room filled with medical books.

She wore a slightly oversized white coat, and the gold nameplate pinned to her chest gleamed under the lights. The name "Tsukino Chinatsu" was engraved on it. "As it happens, I've put together a super-detailed chart of the chakra points!"

Tsukino Chinatsu bounced over to the bookshelf, her wooden sandals tapping cheerfully against the floor.

She rose onto her tiptoes, her fair ankles barely visible beneath her loose trouser cuffs.

Uchiha Ao's gaze immediately darted over. Tsukino Chinatsu didn't notice, but Uchiha Izumi, standing beside him, did.

Uchiha Izumi's smile instantly froze, and her grip on her brother's hand tightened slightly.

Just as Uchiha Ao was wincing from the squeeze and about to explain, Tsukino Chinatsu spoke up.

"Found it!" She turned around with a yellowed scroll in her arms and came over to them. "I secretly took this from my grandpa's study. Even my mother doesn't know!"

Uchiha Izumi raised her brows, amusement flickering in her eyes. "You're still as daring as ever, Chinatsu."

She took the scroll and unrolled it. Fine text and diagrams of the human body's chakra points gradually spread out beneath the lamplight, with a few crooked notes scrawled along the edges.