Xiaojin Isn't a Little Chick

"You really want to go to the Ninja Academy? Didn't you used to refuse to become a ninja?"

After they'd finished eating, Hyuga Kamen thought he'd misheard when he heard Hyuga Gen say he wanted to go to the Ninja Academy.

He knew just how much his grandson didn't want to become a ninja. He'd tried all kinds of ways to persuade him, even forcing him, but none of it had done much good.

Now, hearing him suddenly say he wanted to go to the Ninja Academy, how could he not be shocked? He'd already decided to send him to an ordinary school next year.

"Yes, I want to go to the Ninja Academy."

Hearing Hyuga Gen say this left Hyuga Kamen feeling conflicted. Ever since Hyuga Gen's parents had been killed in battle, Hyuga Kamen had no longer planned to let him become a ninja.

After all, Hyuga Gen was his only remaining descendant. If he became a ninja and died too, their branch would die out.

"Ahem. Actually, I think you were right before. There's nothing great about being a ninja. I'll send you to an ordinary school next year."

Hyuga Gen looked at Hyuga Kamen speechlessly. If you really thought that, why did you pressure me so much before? Still, he understood Hyuga Kamen better now. His parents were gone, after all.

"No, I want to go to the Ninja Academy. I was little and didn't know any better before. Now I've grown up, and I want to become a ninja like my parents and do more for the village."

Hyuga Gen put on an expression as though the village meant everything to him, and he'd gladly go through fire and water for it.

"Well, all right."

Hyuga Kamen looked at Hyuga Gen strangely, finding it hard to believe his grandson had come to this realization. Ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, he'd found Hyuga Gen increasingly hard to understand.

But he knew that once the boy made up his mind, not even eight oxen could drag him back. He might be young, but he had quite a temper and was extremely stubborn.

If that was what he wanted, then so be it. After Hyuga Gen's parents died, Hyuga Kamen had stopped caring about much. All he wanted was for Hyuga Gen to live happily. If he wanted to go, what more was there to say? Let him go.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and before long, it was nearly time for the Konoha Ninja Academy to start its new term.

"Brother Gen, where's Xiaojin?"

"I don't know. They've run off somewhere."

Hyuga Gen was a little helpless. Lately, Xiaojin was nowhere to be seen. He had no idea where they'd gone to sneak some food.

Xiaojin was the little creature that had hatched from an eggshell. Hyuga Gen had noticed their beak was golden yellow, so he'd named them "Xiaojin."

At first, Hyuga Gen had thought Xiaojin was a chicken. They'd been raised plump and white, and looked much like a fat, juicy chicken. But as time went by, Hyuga Gen realized they weren't a chicken at all—they were an eagle.

That's right, an eagle. A golden eagle. When he discovered what they were, Hyuga Gen was overjoyed, and his dream of becoming a Divine Eagle Hero awoke. From then on, Xiaojin's days of having food brought to them and being waited on hand and foot were over.

"You look like a ball of fat, without a muscle on you. How can you call yourself an eagle?"

"The king who soars through the sky still can't even fly. Is that acceptable?"

From then on, Xiaojin lived a "horrific" life, falling straight from heaven into hell. Every morning, Hyuga Gen dragged them out for a run, then taught them to fly.

"You've been taught for so long and still can't fly?" Hyuga Gen brought Xiaojin to the edge of a cliff and tossed them down. If they couldn't fly, they could just fall to their death. What use were they otherwise?

Xiaojin looked at their master with indignation. But indignation wouldn't help; they still had to fly, or they'd really fall to their death. They had no choice but to flap their wings as hard as they could.

Sure enough, the method worked pretty well. That was how Xiaojin learned to fly.

Learning to fly was only the beginning. They'd have to carry him through the air someday, so they had to learn to fly with extra weight. What? They couldn't fly with a load and didn't want to try? Hyuga Gen headed for the cliff again.

As long as it didn't kill them, he'd push them to their limits. Xiaojin grew rapidly over those six months, making even more progress than Hyuga Gen.

Once Xiaojin learned to fly, they became much harder to catch. And so began the battle of wits between Hyuga Gen, Hyuga Natsu, and Xiaojin.

After trying a few times, Hyuga Gen realized Xiaojin was just a silly eagle. It hadn't taken much effort for the two of them to catch them.

"I'm not stupid! You city folk are just too good at this stuff. Couldn't you leave an eagle with a little dignity?"

Hyuga Gen knew it was still easy to catch Xiaojin because they weren't big enough yet. Once they grew larger, catching them wouldn't be so easy.

"Oh, Xiaojin isn't here. What a shame—I made them a new outfit."

Hyuga Natsu looked disappointed.

"Good thing they're not here."

Hyuga Gen's mouth twitched. He silently thought to himself.

Lately, Hyuga Natsu had been learning to make clothes with her mother. She kept wanting to use Xiaojin as her model. Of course, she'd tried using Hyuga Gen before, too. After trying it once, he refused to do it again, and Xiaojin had proudly taken over as the model.

Ever since, you could occasionally see a flashy eagle dressed in a jumble of red and green. Judging by how much Xiaojin liked dressing up, Hyuga Gen would've thought they were a female eagle if he hadn't known their sex.

This flashy eagle had become famous throughout the Hyuga Clan Compound. Everyone knew they belonged to Hyuga Gen.

Why did everyone know? Because Xiaojin had caused plenty of trouble, and many people had come to the house to complain. Once they learned what had happened, they didn't say much about it. After all, most of the clan members had received help from Hyuga Kamen at one time or another.

After that, though, Xiaojin settled down and stopped causing so much trouble. The main reason was that Hyuga Gen had passed a message through Hyuga Kamen: if Xiaojin caused trouble again, people could just beat them to death.

Once everyone learned they belonged to the Kamen Family, they felt awkward about laying a hand on them. But they really had no other choice, so they could only come and complain.

Whenever someone came to complain, Hyuga Gen would catch Xiaojin and put them through some inhuman training. That helped a lot.

They still snuck out to steal food sometimes, though, and did their best not to be seen. Of course, avoiding notice wasn't easy, because they were in the Hyuga Clan, and the Byakugan wasn't just for show.

Once they reached a certain age and had enough chakra, most people could awaken the Byakugan. It was only a matter of when. The earlier they awakened it, the greater their talent.

Neji had awakened his Byakugan at four, and he wasn't called a genius of the Hyuga Clan for nothing. Rotation and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms weren't techniques just anyone could learn.

Besides, as someone from the Branch House, Neji's Byakugan didn't give him a full field of vision; it had a one-degree blind spot. Even so, he'd learned Rotation and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms at such a young age. Just imagine how talented he was.

Hinata was from the Main House, yet she still hadn't learned Rotation. Talent really mattered.

Perhaps Xiaojin had influenced him. Hyuga Gen noticed that the once lifeless, stern Hyuga Clan had gained a little vitality. But that liveliness didn't last long.

"Natsu, I'm going to the Ninja Academy. Do you want to come with me?"