Hyuga Natsu, the Soft Target

"By the way, Samui still isn't back?"

Yukiyo Yasukawa shook his head. "She took Atsui out. I reckon it'll be a while yet."

"All right. Tell her not to stay out so late next time."

Samodo frowned slightly.

There were only thirty minutes until closing. Samui would probably return right at the last minute again today, just so Atsui could get more accustomed to life in Konoha.

Not long after Yukiyo Yasukawa left, Kiyoshi could feel the watchful gazes steadily fading.

He did not like being watched.

No one had watched him last time because Samui had been there. This time, Samui was not around.

"Sorry to trouble you, Kiyoshi."

Natsu Hyuga sat down, delicately brushing aside her hanging dark green short hair with slender fingers as she patiently waited for fresh squid sushi.

To guarantee freshness, this shop prepared its squid sushi only after slaughtering the squid on the spot, so there was always a wait.

Kiyoshi sat down as well, raising his eyes to examine the minor character before him, someone who had appeared only briefly in the original story.

"Natsu Hyuga, I heard the Hyuga Clan has a system of main and branch families. Is that true?"

Kiyoshi brought up the matter.

The Hyuga Clan was divided into the main family and branch families. Members of the main family did not need the "Caged Bird Curse Mark," while members of the branch families were required to bear it.

Once branded with this cursed seal, every branch family member's life and death rested on a single thought from the main family. They could activate the cursed seal at will and kill them.

It could be said that if you were born into a branch family of the Hyuga Clan, your whole life was decided.

Natsu Hyuga froze slightly, then nodded. "Yes."

Her voice was so calm that it barely rippled. As her dark green short hair swayed, it revealed the silk ribbon tied around her forehead.

This was not exactly a secret. Many people in the village knew about it.

But what did knowing change?

No one could change it.

Thinking of that, Natsu Hyuga only hoped the shop would finish making the squid sushi faster. She still had other desserts to buy afterward.

If she got home earlier, perhaps she would not be scolded.

"I see."

Kiyoshi nodded.

The entire world of Naruto seemed to take defying fate as its main theme, yet at its core, it was fate through and through.

The son of a hero was still a hero. The son of a savior was still a savior. Then the son of a scapegoat would still be... a scapegoat.

Naruto often spoke of hard work and following his Nindo, of believing neither in heaven nor fate.

Yet Naruto himself was one of the greatest beneficiaries of fatalism, and he had never realized it.

Not until Neji's final words.

The shuriken Naruto had thrown during the Chunin Exams struck him viciously at that very moment.

Even when Naruto governed as the Seventh Hokage, the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird system still existed.

"Natsu Hyuga, would you be willing to spar with me in taijutsu?"

"...Me?"

Natsu Hyuga was taken aback.

She remembered that Kiyoshi's grades in class had been quite outstanding. He had arrived only recently, yet he was already among the best.

His talent was far, far greater than hers.

"I've always been curious about the Gentle Fist Art. Sparring once shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Kiyoshi smiled.

The real reason, of course, was to see whether he could trigger a trait. Besides, when picking persimmons, you picked the soft ones.

Natsu Hyuga's strength could only be called fairly average.

Kiyoshi was not familiar with any other members of the Hyuga Clan.

Besides, final exams were coming up soon. There was no time to wait for another round of matching with some Hyuga Clan member.

He would apply for Early Graduation next month.

There would be no further growth from remaining at the Ninja Academy, and they had already taught all the E-rank ninjutsu they could teach.

The first few years focused on building foundations. After that, each semester tested one of the Three-Body Technique, followed by one final assessment before graduation.

There was no need for Kiyoshi to stay there any longer. Once he started carrying out missions, he would instead gain access to more ninjutsu.

"Um... all right. But it's a little crowded here. Let's go outside later."

Natsu Hyuga glanced around.

If Kiyoshi had not been a regular customer, they would not even have been able to buy squid sushi today. Leaving just like that would be a little too much.

Hearing Natsu Hyuga's answer, Kiyoshi waited patiently as well.

About ten minutes later, Yukiyo Yasukawa brought over a gift box containing the packaged squid sushi.

The two went outside and found an open space.

Perhaps because she still had to return later, Natsu Hyuga walked quickly.

The evening air was bitingly cold as Kiyoshi and Natsu Hyuga stood in the middle of the clearing.

"Then... I'm starting."

Natsu Hyuga wanted a quick battle.

Kiyoshi nodded.

The next moment, veins bulged at the corners of Natsu Hyuga's eyes as Chakra gathered in the network of channels around her eyes.

"So much Chakra, and..."

The Byakugan's penetrating vision allowed Natsu Hyuga to clearly see the chakra network within Kiyoshi's body.

As well as the faintly radiating electric current beneath his skin.

Natsu Hyuga's pale white eyes fixed on Kiyoshi, every organ within him laid bare before her.

"He can actually confine lightning beneath his skin and use it to temper his body?"

Natsu Hyuga was astonished inwardly.

She instantly realized that this had to be some special form of Nintaijutsu.

Kiyoshi's control over Lightning Release Chakra had reached such a level.

At the Ninja Academy, she had never seen anyone train their body the way Kiyoshi did.

Lightning was dangerous, after all!

One careless mistake could char the skin and even destroy the chakra network that carried chakra pathways.

Natsu Hyuga thought of a taijutsu freak, Might Guy.

Even someone as devoted to taijutsu as Might Guy trained in very traditional ways.

Kiyoshi's method had truly opened Natsu Hyuga's eyes.

Ordinarily, the Hyuga Clan rarely used the Byakugan to peer at others, as it was extremely impolite and could even be considered a provocation.

If she had not been sparring with Kiyoshi, Natsu Hyuga probably would never have discovered this.

"Don't lose focus in a fight."

Kiyoshi refined Chakra beneath his feet and suddenly dashed forward.

Natsu Hyuga hurriedly assumed a Gentle Fist Art stance and began dismantling Kiyoshi's attacks.

The technique most commonly used by every member of the Hyuga Clan was the Gentle Fist Art. They rarely used other ninjutsu or genjutsu.

They also made relatively little use of ninja tools.

Thus, they began systematic training in the Gentle Fist Art at a very young age.

Bang!

Natsu Hyuga blocked Kiyoshi's straight punch with her arm. Before she could catch her breath, Kiyoshi followed with a backhanded elbow strike.

Natsu Hyuga immediately pulled back. Chakra burst from the chakra points at her fingertips, forming a small ring of chakra threads.

As she continuously swung them, they resembled a translucent membrane.

Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes slightly. Looking at the opponent giving it her all before him, he felt somewhat relieved.

Natsu Hyuga could basically only defend passively.

The Gentle Fist Art she used was merely the most basic form of Gentle Fist.

Sure enough, it was best to pick the soft persimmons.

Now he only wondered whether she would trigger a trait.

If she had used the Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms or Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation, Kiyoshi would have had a difficult time dealing with her.

Unfortunately, Natsu Hyuga was from a branch family. Not only was her talent mediocre, but she could not even learn those advanced clan Gentle Fist Arts.

Such secret techniques either required a genius's own insight, or they would remain forever beyond one's reach.