Three Years Flew By

Time flew by, and nearly three years had passed since they last got together.

A lot seemed to have happened during those three years, and yet it also seemed as if nothing had changed. Hyuga Gen still went to school with Hyuga Natsu and Zhihui, just as he always had.

There had been some changes, at least. All three had grown quite a bit taller, and Natsu and Zhihui had blossomed into increasingly lovely young women.

At Hyuga Natsu's suggestion, Yu Zhihui had grown her hair long. Her flowing purple hair fell over her shoulders, giving her an even more gentle and graceful air.

By contrast, Hyuga Natsu had gone for a short haircut, which made her look even more lively and adorable. In Shippuden, Hyuga Natsu's looks were hardly any less striking than Hinata's.

With Hyuga Gen's advice, Natsu now looked every bit as beautiful as Hinata. She had even outdone Hinata in the one feature Hinata took pride in: her chest.

That was because Hyuga Natsu was now a petite girl with a very ample bust.

Like a little songbird, Hyuga Natsu chirped away in the middle, never running out of things to say. To her right, Yu Zhihui listened quietly, only offering a few words when Natsu asked what she thought.

Watching the two of them chatting and laughing beside him, looking like such a perfect couple, Yu Zhihui felt a little envious. A hint of sadness flickered across her face and was gone.

At some point, she had realized that she seemed to have fallen for Hyuga Gen. Maybe she had liked him from the moment they first met. Apart from her mother, no one had ever stood up for her the way he had. He had taken quite a beating back then, but to her, he had been her hero.

Or perhaps it had been their interactions afterward. Though he came from the prestigious Hyuga Clan, he treated people warmly and had not the slightest trace of arrogance. Even when a young shop assistant brought him his food, he always said thank you.

More importantly, he was special. There seemed to be nothing he didn't know about. Ice cream, barbecue, hot pot, and all sorts of other novel things—their incomparable flavors had given her a uniquely wonderful experience.

Her family's life had changed because of him, too. Her mother had certainly helped, but she knew that without him, she wouldn't be living a life free from worries about food and clothing, full of hope and happiness.

Whenever she saw her mother scrimping and saving for her, working tirelessly until calluses formed on her hands and wrinkles appeared on her forehead, growing thinner by the day, her heart ached. She wanted to help her mother, but there was only so much she could do.

But thanks to him, everything had started to get better. Things were still not easy, but they were incomparably better than before. At least her mother no longer had to do grueling labor or work from dawn till dusk; now she only had to manage a few people.

He had done so much, yet always said it was all thanks to her mother, and that he had simply stumbled upon an opportunity to earn some pocket money. But she knew that without her mother, someone else could have taken her place. Without his ideas and suggestions, though, they never could have made it.

Though she liked him, she could only bury those feelings deep in her heart. The two standing beside her were the ones who made a couple—a couple anyone would envy.

Anyone with eyes could tell that Hyuga Natsu liked Hyuga Gen. The way she looked at him was different: her eyes sparkled, and she gazed at him with a tender smile.

"Big Brother Gen, I heard Big Brother Uchiha Itachi became a Chunin, and he even passed the Chunin Ninja Exams all by himself."

"Yeah."

Hyuga Gen sighed. Events were unfolding just as they had in Shippuden. Itachi's two teammates had died on a mission, leaving him with no choice but to take the Chunin Ninja Exams alone.

It was undeniably a sad story. But all people would notice was how powerful Uchiha Itachi was—he had passed the Chunin Ninja Exams all by himself.

"But I still think you're more amazing, Big Brother Gen. You can make so many delicious things."

Seeing Hyuga Gen looking a little down, Hyuga Natsu thought he felt inferior because Uchiha Itachi had become a Chunin, so she quickly added,

"You're such a clever little thing."

Hyuga Gen gently pinched Hyuga Natsu's cheek.

"Ow, ow! Don't pinch my cheeks. It'll make me less pretty."

Hyuga Natsu puffed out her cheeks, looking utterly adorable.

"Natsu, how's your Gentle Fist coming along? I'll teach you a powerful move after school."

How dare you underestimate me? I'll show you just how amazing I am.

Hyuga Gen hadn't been idle over the past three years. Whenever he had free time, he trained. His chakra reserves and control had improved tremendously, and he had also developed his own original jutsu.

Besides that, he had learned Rotation and the Rasengan. Learning Rotation had taken quite a bit of effort—about three months. The Rasengan, on the other hand, hadn't taken long at all. He had learned it in just two days and was able to use it proficiently within a week.

During his training, he had realized that Rotation and the Rasengan were quite similar. The Rasengan spun inward to condense chakra, while Rotation spun outward to deflect physical attacks.

Hyuga Gen had to admit that Rotation was genuinely difficult to learn without a certain amount of talent. You had to release chakra from the tenketsu all over your body while keeping the amount released from each one balanced. If the balance was off, it wouldn't be much use. In short, it had to form a sphere.

Talent really was important. Think of Hinata in Shippuden. Was it that she hadn't tried hard? No, she had worked very hard. But even in the end, she still hadn't learned Rotation.

Genius was one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. But without that one percent of inspiration, your ninety-nine percent of perspiration was useless.

The Rasengan was described in great detail in Shippuden, so Hyuga Gen had picked it up with ease. The part that took him the longest was keeping it stable.

Hyuga Gen had also improved his physical fitness considerably. Sparring with wooden dummies for so long had greatly increased his ability to take a hit.

When it came to genjutsu, Hyuga Gen had mastered Genjutsu Release and could cast a few simple illusions. Shippuden also explained the theory behind dispelling genjutsu in detail, and he could now apply that knowledge correctly.

Hyuga Gen had spent quite a bit of time studying Fuinjutsu over the past three years. Now he could use scrolls to perform simple sealing techniques, but it bothered him that he had no access to more advanced Fuinjutsu.

"Really? What move is it?"

Hyuga Natsu looked at Hyuga Gen eagerly, trusting everything he said without question.

The last time he had said he would teach her a new move, she had learned to use the Byakugan afterward. That had kept her happy for a long time.

Of course, the important thing was that Hyuga Natsu had already awakened the Byakugan during the incident when Hyuga Gen had been beaten. Otherwise, no matter how much he taught her, it would have been useless.

"You'll find out after school today."

Hyuga Gen left her in suspense. He had already decided to teach Hyuga Natsu Rotation. Once she learned it, she would have another way to protect herself.

Perhaps Hyuga Gen's influence was the reason Hyuga Natsu trained with such dedication, too. She had gone through several wooden dummies at home. Her Gentle Fist was not much weaker than Hyuga Gen's, either, since they often practiced together.

"Zhihui, you have quite a talent for genjutsu. But if you want to improve further, you'd be better off finding a good teacher."

Hyuga Gen had learned of Yu Zhihui's talent for genjutsu from Hyuga Natsu. He had previously asked Yu Zhihui to help test his resistance to genjutsu and his ability to dispel it, and had discovered that she really was quite good.

But if she wanted to make further progress, she would be better off finding a good teacher. A skilled teacher's guidance could make all the difference. Naruto in Shippuden was a perfect example. Before meeting the Pervy Sage and after meeting the Pervy Sage, he was practically a different person.

"Mm, I understand."

Hearing Yu Zhihui say that, Hyuga Gen didn't say anything more. He didn't know much about genjutsu himself, so all he could do was offer a suggestion.

Hyuga Gen thought of what would happen tomorrow. Should he say something or not?