System Rewards

The smell of disinfectant seeped into his nostrils.

When Hyuga Xiao opened his eyes, he saw the stark white ceiling of a Konoha Hospital ward. Sunlight slanted in through the window, cutting a sharp boundary of light and shadow across the wall. He tried moving his fingers. His joints felt faintly sore, but the agonizing pain of his chest being pierced when he had nearly died was gone.

"Awake?"

The medical ninja in the white coat was a middle-aged woman. She was writing something on a clipboard without even looking up. "You got lucky. Your heart was half an inch off. The chakra surgery was successful. Rest for another two days, and you can be discharged."

Xiao said nothing. He merely quietly sensed the changes in his body.

A faint numbness from the chakra sutures remained around his wound, but something deeper, something more fundamental, was awakening within him. His vision was clearer than ever before—not in terms of distance, but in layers. He could see the tiny specks of dust floating in the air, slowly spinning in the light. He could see the pale blue halo of chakra flowing through the medical ninja's meridians, though it was still hazy, as if viewed through frosted glass.

[ Ding! ]

A cold mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

[ Destiny node "Hinata's Kidnapping" successfully intercepted ]

[ Reward settlement: Byakugan purity +5% (current total purity: 6%) ]

[ Caged Bird Seal removal progress: 0.1% ]

[ Destiny Points obtained: 100 ]

[ Host has completed a major destiny interception for the first time. Additional reward: Byakugan basic ability enhancement—dynamic vision increased by 30%, X-ray vision range increased by 50 meters ]

Xiao's breathing paused almost imperceptibly.

He slowly raised his right hand and spread his fingers before his eyes. Through his skin, he could see the outline of his bones. Deeper still, he could see the subtle tremors of blood flowing through his vessels. This was not the perspective of an ordinary Byakugan, which could only see chakra meridians. This was true X-ray vision—though for now, it was limited to superficial tissue and required concentration to maintain.

But this was a qualitative transformation.

The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, before awakening, could only be considered an excellent sensory bloodline limit. Its true power would not reveal itself until its purity reached a certain threshold: the terrifying ability to see through matter and perceive the essence of chakra flow.

And now, with only 6% purity, he had already touched that threshold.

"System," Xiao silently called out in his mind. "What are the specific effects of increasing purity?"

[ Byakugan purity represents the degree to which the host's bloodline approaches the Ōtsutsuki Source ]

[ For every 1% increase, basic abilities—field of vision, X-ray depth, and chakra perception accuracy—are enhanced by 5% ]

[ At 10% purity, "Byakugan: Pressure" will be unlocked—capable of mentally suppressing Hyuga Clan members with lower purity than the host ]

[ At 30% purity, the Byakugan will evolve into the "Pure Eye," gaining preliminary abilities to see through spatial rifts and perceive the essence of souls ]

[ At 50% purity or above, the Tenseigan evolution path may be activated ]

Xiao closed his eyes and digested the information.

A 0.1% Caged Bird Seal removal progress sounded insignificant, but it was a breakthrough from zero to one. It proved that the system's power could indeed shake that curse etched deep into his soul. And then there were the 100 Destiny Points...

"What can Destiny Points be used for?"

[ Destiny Points may be used for: 1. Exchanging for temporary ability trial cards, such as the acquired Tenseigan Chakra Mode; 2. Exchanging for special items in the system store; 3. Accelerating bloodline purity growth—100 points may be exchanged for 0.5% purity ]

[ Warning: Excessive reliance on Destiny Points to accelerate growth will intensify the rate of "Divine Erosion" ]

A faint curve touched Xiao's lips.

The law of price. As expected, there was no such thing as a free lunch. But this was exactly what he wanted—where there were clear rules, there were loopholes to exploit. Divine Erosion? Then he would counter it with enough Humanity Anchors.

"Xiao?"

The ward door was gently pushed open, and Hinata poked half her body inside. She had changed into a clean, light-colored kimono. Her eyes were still a little red and swollen, but they were no longer as hollow as before. When she saw Xiao awake, her eyes brightened briefly. Then she lowered her head again, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers. "Um... how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Xiao's voice was a little hoarse. "Is the young lady all right?"

"I'm fine." Hinata walked in with a food box in her hands. "Father said... you were the one who saved me. Thank you."

Her voice was soft as she said it, but Xiao could see the rhythm of chakra flowing within her body—steady, yet tinged with disorder. It was an outward manifestation of emotional turmoil.

"It is only right for the Branch House to protect the Main House," Xiao answered in the most standard, gentle tone of a Branch House member.

Hinata bit her lip and placed the food box on the bedside table. "I had the kitchen prepare some porridge. You... you lost a lot of blood. You need to replenish yourself."

"Thank you, young lady."

A brief silence fell between them. Hinata stood beside the bed as if she wanted to say something but did not know how to begin. Xiao did not urge her. He simply watched her quietly—with those eyes that were silently evolving.

He could see the pure Byakugan bloodline of the Main House flowing slowly beneath the smooth skin of Hinata's forehead. It was a brighter, denser blue halo than that of ordinary Hyuga Clan members. At the location of her heart was a warm golden glow, the "High Fortune Core" marked by the system.

[ Current target: Hinata Hyuga ]

[ Trust: 68% ]

[ Bond status: Obsession (preliminary) ]

[ Remaining interceptable destiny nodes: 3 (Chunin Exams Event, Pain Invasion Event, Fourth War Confession Event) ]

"Xiao." Hinata suddenly spoke, her voice very low. "That night... you said Father used me as bait. Was that true?"

Xiao raised his eyes and met hers.

There was fear and confusion in Hinata's gaze, but deep within it was a faint desire for the truth that refused to go out. This young lady, who had always been sheltered in a greenhouse, had finally begun to doubt the world beyond her flowerpot.

"What do you think, young lady?" Xiao did not answer directly, instead responding with a question. "If the Main House truly wanted to protect you, why hide you alone in the most remote room of the estate? Why leave only two chunin guards behind when they knew Hidden Cloud spies had infiltrated? Why did Lord Hiashi take someone disguised as you to the Hokage Tower instead of remaining at your side?"

Every question was like a small hammer striking the glass called "trust" in Hinata's heart.

Her face gradually turned pale.

"But... Father said it was to lure out the spies and protect the village..."

"There are many ways to protect the village." Xiao's voice was calm, as though he were merely stating facts. "But choosing to use his own daughter as bait, while deliberately sending Branch House guards to their deaths, was the cheapest method. Young lady, do you know what would have happened that night if Tokuma and I had not acted in secret?"

Hinata shook her head.

"You would have been abducted by Hidden Cloud. Lord Hiashi would have arrived 'just in time' with the person disguised as you, driven back the enemy, and rescued his 'daughter.' Then he would have sorrowfully announced that three Branch House guards had all died in battle to protect you—when in truth, those three guards never knew your real location. All they had guarded was an empty room."

Xiao paused, allowing those words to ferment in Hinata's mind.

"That way, Lord Hiashi would have shown the Hokage the Hyuga Clan's resolve against foreign enemies, purged several 'disobedient' Branch House members, and used the opportunity to pressure Hidden Cloud for political leverage. And you, young lady, would become the most insignificant figure in this transaction—if you were lucky, Hidden Cloud would trade you for certain benefits. If you were unlucky, you would die during the exchange and become a 'Hyuga Main House daughter who heroically sacrificed herself,' adding another stroke of glory to the clan."

"Stop..." Hinata's voice trembled.

"I'm not saying this because I want you to hate your father." Xiao's tone softened. "I only want you to understand that in this clan, in this village called Leaf Village, some things matter more than family and promises. Interests. Power. The need to preserve the existing order."

He reached out and gently placed his hand over the back of Hinata's hand.

The girl's hand was icy cold, trembling faintly.

"But you are different, young lady." Xiao looked into her eyes. His face was reflected in those pure Byakugan eyes. "There is still a soft place in your heart. That is enough. If you are willing, I can teach you how to protect that softness in this world that devours people."

Hinata's tears finally fell.

She did not pull her hand away. She only nodded forcefully, like a child who had finally found a direction.

[ Ding! ]

[ Hinata Hyuga's trust has risen to 72% ]

[ Bond status deepened: Obsession → Dependence ]

[ Destiny Points obtained: 20 ]

Just then, the ward door was shoved open roughly.

Hiashi Hyuga stood in the doorway, dressed in dark blue clan leader robes, his face utterly expressionless. His gaze first fell on Hinata. When he saw the tear tracks at the corners of her eyes, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before he turned toward Xiao on the bed.

"Hinata, leave first."

"Father..."

"Leave."

Hinata glanced at Xiao, bit her lip, lowered her head, and quickly left the ward. The door shut behind her, leaving only the two of them in the room.

Hiashi walked to the bedside and looked down at Xiao. His Byakugan activated in an instant, veins bulging around his eyes as his gaze swept across Xiao's body like a scalpel—examining his injuries and his chakra condition.

Xiao let him look.

In Hiashi's Byakugan vision, this Branch House youth's chakra was steady, his injuries were recovering well, and his Byakugan purity... seemed slightly more refined than that of an ordinary Branch House member, but was still within normal limits. He could not see the 5% increase in purity, much less the X-ray vision that was awakening.

Because the system's power surpassed this world's methods of detection.

"You saved Hinata." Hiashi spoke without any discernible emotion. "The Main House will remember this merit. Your allocation of clan resources will increase by thirty percent next month."

"Thank you, Clan Head." Xiao lowered his head in a respectful posture.

"However." Hiashi's tone shifted. "A Branch House member touching the Main House is a grave taboo. This situation was exceptional, so I will not pursue it. But there will not be a next time—Hinata is the Main House's young lady and the future heir to the clan. You should understand your status."

Xiao's fingertips curled slightly beneath the blanket.

Understand? Of course he understood. The Branch House were the Main House's dogs, tools, and expendable goods. If a dog saved its master, the master could reward it with a bone. But if the dog dared wag its tail at its master too eagerly, that was overstepping. That was a crime worthy of death.

"I understand." Xiao's voice remained steady. "I will remember my place."

Hiashi stared at him for several seconds, as though trying to find some flaw in that gentle, obedient face. But he found nothing—Xiao controlled his expression too well, so well that it resembled a carefully painted human-skin mask.

"Recover well."

Hiashi turned to leave. When he reached the door, he stopped again and said with his back to Xiao, "I have already given Tokuma the reward he deserves. You did well this time, but remember—the Hyuga Clan's glory is built upon rules. Once the rules are broken, glory is gone as well."

The door closed.

His footsteps faded down the corridor.

Xiao slowly raised his head. For the first time, a cold, almost inhuman glimmer flashed through his pure white eyes.

He threw off the blanket and stepped barefoot onto the floor. Coldness rose from the soles of his feet, stimulating his nerves. He walked to the window and looked outside—in the garden of Konoha Hospital, several patients were taking a walk. Farther away stood Hokage Rock, the Third Hokage's stone visage silently overlooking the village beneath the sunlight.

He focused.

His vision began to change.

The texture of the wall faded before his eyes. He could see a ninja with a broken bone receiving treatment in the ward next door. Farther away was the medical ninja duty room, where two chunin were chatting. Farther still, at the hospital entrance, Hiashi was taking Hinata into a carriage bound for the Hyuga Estate.

The carriage's wooden frame became translucent in his vision. He could see Hinata sitting inside the compartment with her head lowered, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes. Hiashi sat across from her with his eyes closed, resting. The chakra in his body was as calm and unfathomable as a deep pool.

This was the power of X-ray vision.

For now, he could only see through two walls, and maintaining it for more than ten seconds made his eyes ache, but this was only the beginning.

Xiao withdrew his gaze, and his eyes returned to normal. He raised his hand, looked at the clear lines in his palm, and slowly clenched it into a fist.

The 0.1% Caged Bird Seal removal progress was like a seed buried in frozen earth. It was still weak now, but one day, it would push aside the boulder pressing down on it and break through the soil.

And what he needed to do was water that seed with enough blood and schemes.

"System," he silently called out in his mind. "Exchange for bloodline purity acceleration."

[ 100 Destiny Points consumed. Exchanged for 0.5% Byakugan purity ]

[ Current purity: 6.5% ]

A warm current surged from his heart and flowed through his meridians toward his eyes. Xiao felt his eye sockets grow faintly hot, and his vision sharpened again. He looked at his arm. This time, he could see the network of blood vessels beneath his skin more clearly and could even faintly catch the tiny specks of light generated as chakra flowed through his meridians.

Not enough.

Far from enough.

But at least the path had been carved out.

Xiao returned to the bed and lay down, closing his eyes. His mind began reviewing the entire event: the Hidden Cloud spies, Hiashi's scheme, Tokuma's involvement, Hinata's increased trust... every part of it had unfolded in the direction he had planned.

Except for that spy leader who had swallowed poison and killed himself.

That man had died too decisively. Too decisively to be normal. A Hidden Cloud spy committing suicide after failing a mission? Perhaps such fanatics existed, but Xiao felt that something was wrong. Especially with the system's prompt that "Root forces had intervened."

Danzo.

That old bastard hiding in Leaf Village's shadows had definitely meddled in this matter. What was his goal? To test the Hyuga Clan? Create conflict? Or... use Hidden Cloud's hands to weaken the Hyuga Clan?

A cold smile curved across Xiao's lips.

It did not matter. Scheme all you want. Set your traps all you want. Once my Byakugan purity breaks through 10%, once I can use "Pressure" to directly intimidate ordinary clan members, once the Caged Bird Seal removal progress reaches 1%, 5%, 10%...

I'll show you what a real player is.

Outside the window, the sun began to set, staining Leaf Village blood-red.

In the ward, the youth lay quietly. His pure white eyes slowly moved beneath his eyelids, as though he were having a long, lucid dream.

There was no Caged Bird Seal in that dream.

There was only a pair of azure, star-like eyes powerful enough to split the moon apart.