Hyuga Secret Scroll

"I understand." Yuun sighed softly. "As long as Miss Hinata is willing, I have no objections."

"Just as expected of the outstanding young man I admire." Hiashi was already looking at Yuun as if he were his future son-in-law. "If it's you, I don't think Hinata will be unwilling."

"Then I'll leave it to you." Since he had already agreed, Yuun could only resign himself to it. Thinking about it carefully, Hinata was a pretty good choice too. It was hard to say how much resistance he truly felt in his heart.

"When you go back, pack your things." Hiashi patted Yuun's shoulder familiarly. "I've already prepared a house for you. It's nothing too impressive, but it's a small token from me as your future father-in-law."

"Thank you, Lord Hiashi." Though he was not particularly willing to move, Yuun knew that the house he currently lived in was indeed no longer suitable. He had already been planning to buy a house himself, but he simply had not found a suitable one yet.

"You're still calling me Lord?" Hiashi chuckled as he helped Yuun, who was still kneeling, to his feet.

"..." Taking a deep breath, Yuun said respectfully, "Thank you, Father-in-law."

"Haha, I'll entrust this to you for now. These are the Gentle Fist insights left behind by generations of Main House masters. In the future, you must pass them on to your descendants with Hinata." Hiashi took a scroll as thick as Yuun's thigh from the shelf and placed it before him. "I have high hopes for you, the Hyuga Clan's 'White Gale.'"

Looking at the enormous scroll before him, Yuun's breathing grew slightly heavier. Others might not understand, but how could he, someone who had gained so much from the insights Hizashi had left behind, fail to understand? The experiences left behind by predecessors might have been of limited use to those geniuses from wartime, but they would be immensely valuable to Yuun, who lived in an era of peace. Given the Hyuga Clan's long history, the accumulated insights over so many years had to be an astonishing amount. With enough material for comparison and reference, Yuun was confident he could find the path best suited to himself.

"You can study it slowly here, but don't take it outside." Hiashi spoke meaningfully. "Normally, only the clan head is qualified to keep and read this. But you are not an outsider, so I'm letting you look at it first."

"Thank you, Father-in-law," Yuun said sincerely. Hiashi had already gone this far. If Yuun still failed to appreciate the gesture, the consequences would probably be severe.

"Hehe, why thank family?" Hiashi nodded in satisfaction. Talent was a strength, but being tactful on top of that was even better. "Come by often whenever you have time. I usually have to handle clan affairs, so I have limited time to teach Hinata and Hanabi. I'll feel at ease leaving their guidance to you. It's still early, so you can read here for now. I recommend starting with the 'Technique Chapter.' It will benefit you."

"Yes, I understand," Yuun replied quietly.

"Good. I'm looking forward to it." After giving it some thought, Hiashi continued, "Stay for dinner tonight, then we can exchange a few moves."

Yuun's eyes lit up. Hiashi was unquestionably the Hyuga Clan's strongest member. No one in the entire clan surpassed him in either Gentle Fist mastery or combat experience. Fighting him would undoubtedly benefit Yuun greatly.

The chance to spar with Hiashi was incredibly tempting to Yuun. Although he had the insights Hizashi left behind and the Gentle Fist training methods, to put it bluntly, he had always been self-taught. If he truly faced Hiashi, who had trained in the most orthodox Gentle Fist methods since childhood and later gone to war, he likely would not be a match for him. Yet that only made him look forward to it even more—to seeing Hiashi's methods.

After seeing Hiashi off, Yuun impatiently opened the scroll, found the "Technique Chapter" Hiashi had mentioned, and began studying it. Given Hiashi's discernment, since he had specifically pointed Yuun toward this section, it had to be the one most suitable for him.

Unlike what Yuun had imagined, the "Technique Chapter" did not discuss Gentle Fist techniques. Instead, it broadly explained how to fight enemies with Gentle Fist. The entire chapter centered on one word: change. One should respond to the enemy through adaptation, draw the enemy into the control of Gentle Fist, and ultimately subdue the enemy and claim victory amid constant change. These changes included variations in moves, hardness and softness, feints and substance, and yin and yang.

There were also some profoundly abstruse theories afterward. Unable to understand them at all, Yuun simply skipped them. After roughly finishing the "Technique Chapter," he read it again from the beginning. This time, he patiently went through those later theories as well. Since the Hyuga Clan's ancestors had written them onto the scroll, and later generations had not removed or altered them, they had to be useful. It was simply that Yuun's current level was not high enough to understand them.

Fortunately, Yuun had a good memory. After going over them a few times, he had memorized all those "Qian, Kun, Kan, and Dui" terms. Looking up at the sky, he saw that it was not particularly early, though it was not yet time for dinner. Yuun then flipped through the other sections of the scroll.

Strictly speaking, Gentle Fist was not a complete cultivation system. Once each member of the Hyuga Clan reached a certain level in Gentle Fist, they would develop their own different understanding of it, which in turn gave rise to varied techniques. Thus, apart from some commonly used Hyuga Clan moves, the scroll did not record many secret arts.

Even without secret arts, Yuun still carefully read through the insights on those common techniques. If they had endured for so long without being discarded, then those techniques surely possessed their own outstanding qualities.

When Yuun finally came back to his senses from his immersion in the predecessors' insights, the sky had already grown somewhat dark. It was about time for dinner. Pulling his thoughts away from the scroll, Yuun closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. A battle awaited him that evening, and he had to give it his all.

Before long, a servant came to lead Yuun to the dining hall. Slightly tired after reading all afternoon, Yuun put the scroll away and returned it to the shelf before following the servant to eat.

By the time Yuun arrived at the dining hall, Hiashi and his two daughters were already waiting there.

"Sorry, I'm late," Yuun said softly.

"It's fine. Take a seat first." Hiashi pointed to the small table beside Hinata.

"Alright." Yuun sat down as instructed, then quietly greeted the somewhat fidgety Hinata. "Miss Hinata."

"Mm..." Hinata, already somewhat uneasy, seemed to think of something and blushed all the way to her cheeks. It appeared that Hiashi had already spoken to her. Yuun, who had been observing Hinata from the corner of his eye, breathed a sigh of relief. She did not seem unwilling. In fact, Yuun had already made up his mind that if Hinata was unwilling, he would help her refuse.

In truth, Yuun was overthinking it. Given Hiashi's influence over Hinata at this time, even if he had chosen someone Hinata did not like, she would not have dared refuse. Besides, Hinata held some affection for Yuun. What girl had never dreamed of a prince charming? Yuun himself was handsome, his strength far surpassed that of his peers, and that incident from childhood had also left Hinata favorably inclined toward him.