第22章 :雏田的修行

The exclusive training ground of the Hyuga Clan's Main House, its bluestone floor gleamed with a cold, hard sheen beneath the morning light.

Hinata was knocked to the ground once again.

Her slender palms pressed against the rough stone slabs, rubbed raw and red. Sweat slid down her pale cheeks, mixing with the tears at the corners of her eyes—tears of pain or grievance, she did not know. Three meters away, Hiashi Hyuga stood with his hands behind his back. The wide sleeves of his white robe did not stir in the slightest, and on the face that resembled Hinata's by seventy percent, there was only cold disappointment.

"Get up." Hiashi's voice was not loud, yet it cracked through the air like a whip. "I demonstrated the opening stance of the Gentle Fist Third Form: Revolving Palm seven times. Can't you even remember the direction chakra flows through the meridians?"

Hinata bit her lower lip and shakily pushed herself up. She had only just turned six. Children her age were still learning the most basic chakra extraction at the Ninja Academy, while she was already being required to master an advanced technique of the Hyuga Clan's secret Gentle Fist. This was not instruction. It was torture.

"Father, I..." Hinata's voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

"Gather chakra at the Laogong Acupoint in your palm, reverse it along the Pericardium Meridian to Danzhong, then divide it into two streams and send it into your eyes." Hiashi cut her off, speaking as swiftly as if reciting scripture. "Why can't you manage such a simple route?"

Hinata lowered her head. She could feel chakra darting wildly through her body like a flock of startled birds, utterly unwilling to obey her. Every time she tried to circulate it along the route her father described, a needle-like pain stabbed through her chest, and all the chakra she had gathered instantly scattered.

"Again." Hiashi took two steps back and assumed the opening stance. "If you don't learn it today, you don't eat lunch."

Hinata took a deep breath and formed hand seals before her chest. Chakra rose from her lower abdomen and climbed through her meridians. Everything went smoothly until it reached her chest—then that familiar sense of blockage appeared again, like an invisible wall lying across her meridians. She gritted her teeth and forced her chakra against it. Agonizing pain exploded at once.

"Ungh!"

Hinata let out a muffled groan and staggered backward. The backlash from her chakra left a sweet taste in her throat. She clutched her chest, her little face deathly pale.

Hiashi's gaze turned completely cold.

"Trash." He spat out the word and turned toward the tea table at the edge of the training ground. "The eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan's Main House can't even learn the most basic Gentle Fist. Do you know that children from the Branch House could already complete a full set of Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms at your age?"

Hinata stood where she was, her shoulders trembling faintly. It was not that she did not work hard. Every day, she rose before dawn to practice, refusing to rest until her hands were swollen red and her chakra exhausted. But some things could not be changed through effort alone.

"I'm sorry..." Her voice caught.

Hiashi did not turn around. He lifted his teacup and took a sip. "Keep practicing. Practice until the sun goes down."

Silence settled over the training ground. Only Hinata's suppressed sobs remained, along with the faint disturbances in the air caused by her repeated failed chakra circulation. The sun climbed higher, and the temperature rose. The bluestone slabs began to burn. Sweat soaked through the back of Hinata's training clothes, and her palms had been scraped open from repeatedly bracing herself against the ground, blood seeping through the broken skin.

After another failure, she finally could not endure any longer. She collapsed onto the scorching stone slabs, burying her face in her knees.

Footsteps came from the side entrance of the training ground.

They were very light and steady, the deliberately restrained pace unique to Branch House members. Hinata hurriedly wiped away her tears and looked up, seeing a young man in plain white training clothes enter—it was Hyuga Xiao, the older Branch House brother who worked as an assistant instructor at the Ninja Academy.

Xiao held a bundle of cleaning tools, as though he had just finished cleaning and happened to be passing by. Seeing the scene in the training ground, he paused briefly before bowing toward Hiashi. "Clan Head."

Hiashi glanced at him without speaking, tacitly allowing him to enter.

Only then did Xiao walk toward the pool at the edge of the training ground and begin washing a rag. His movements were unhurried, but while bending over, his eyes quietly swept toward Hinata.

Byakugan, activate.

His vision instantly pierced through flesh and bone, reaching the depths of her meridians. In Xiao's eyes, the flow of chakra within Hinata's body was perfectly clear—this was not "a lack of effort" or "poor talent," as Hiashi claimed. It was a congenital meridian blockage. Near the Danzhong Acupoint in her chest, where three major chakra meridians converged, lay a dark mass of congestion, nearly solid in form. Any chakra attempting to pass through it would be weakened by more than half. Forcing its way through would only cause backlash.

Worse still, because Hinata had spent so long forcing herself to train under such blockage, her meridians had already suffered subtle damage. Those cracks resembled icy fractures in porcelain, slowly widening with every chakra impact.

Xiao lowered his eyes and continued washing the rag. The sound of splashing water concealed the slight change in his breathing.

After finishing his tea, Hiashi rose and glanced at the sky. "I need to meet with the Hokage this afternoon. Keep practicing on your own. I'll inspect your progress before dinner."

With that, he left the training ground without looking back.

The heavy wooden doors shut, leaving only Hinata and Xiao in the training ground. Hinata sat blankly on the stone floor. After a long while, she realized she was still in front of someone else. She hurriedly tried to stand, but her numb legs gave out, and she fell back down.

Xiao walked over at that moment.

He crouched in front of Hinata, bringing his gaze level with hers. It was a clever angle, neither making the eldest daughter of the Main House feel looked down upon nor making him seem overly humble. He took a clean handkerchief from his robes and offered it to her.

"Wipe your face, Lady Hinata." Xiao's voice was gentle, like snowmelt in early spring. "The stone is very hot. Sitting on it too long will hurt your skin."

Hinata accepted the handkerchief blankly. It carried a faint, clean scent of soapberry. She wiped the sweat and tears from her face, and a small patch of the cloth soon became wet.

"Th-thank you..." she said softly.

Xiao did not rise. Still crouching, he looked at Hinata's scraped palms. "The difficulty in the opening stance of the Gentle Fist Third Form: Revolving Palm lies in splitting the chakra at the Danzhong Acupoint and sending it into the eyes, right?"

Hinata looked up in surprise. "How do you know?"

"I saw the Main House's teaching scrolls at the Ninja Academy." Xiao smiled. It was a faint smile, yet somehow reassuring. "But what the scrolls do not say is that some people are born with narrower meridians near the Danzhong Acupoint. Forcing chakra through the standard route will only yield twice the effort for half the result."

Hinata's eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed again. "Father said that was just an excuse..."

"The clan head is right." Xiao's words startled Hinata. "For most Hyuga Clan members, it truly is an excuse. But Lady Hinata, you are different."

He extended a finger and lightly pointed at the Laogong Acupoint in Hinata's palm. The motion was so gentle that he did not actually touch her skin, only hovered a layer of air above it. Yet Hinata could feel a warm, gentle current of chakra seep in through that point, like spring water soaking into parched earth.

"Relax. Don't resist," Xiao said quietly. "Follow my guidance."

That chakra was thin and soft, completely unlike her father's domineering and forceful style. It entered through the Laogong Acupoint, slowly traveling upward along the Pericardium Meridian, but just before reaching the Danzhong Acupoint, it suddenly turned.

"The standard route goes straight through, but your meridians here..." Xiao lightly pointed three inches above Hinata's wrist. "There is a side branch. It is very narrow, almost impossible to see, but it is open."

Hinata held her breath. She could clearly feel that warm chakra bypassing the blocked area in her chest, winding upward along a tiny meridian she had never known existed, and finally reaching her eyes without obstruction.

Buzz—

Her Byakugan activated on its own.

Though it lasted only an instant before shutting off, Hinata had never experienced such a sensation of chakra flowing freely. Her eyes widened as she looked at Xiao.

"Th-this is..."

"A shortcut." Xiao withdrew his hand and stood. "Lady Hinata, the reason you could not learn the Revolving Palm was not because you did not work hard, nor because you lacked talent. Your body's structure is simply a little different from the standard model. Of course you would fail if you forced yourself to follow that model."

Hinata rose as well, though her legs were still weak from crouching too long. She looked at Xiao, and for the first time, a different light appeared in her pale eyes. "Then... then how should I practice?"

Xiao looked around, confirming that no one else was present in the training ground before lowering his voice. "I'll teach you a breathing method. Circulating chakra according to this rhythm can temporarily widen that side branch meridian. Practice every day, and after three months, it should be able to handle the chakra flow of the standard route."

"A breathing method?"

"Yes. It's simple, listen—" Xiao demonstrated. "Inhale for four seconds, hold for two, exhale for six. The key is that when you exhale, imagine chakra rising from your lower abdomen and traveling once along the route I just guided you through. Practice thirty times every morning and evening. Before practicing, stretch for ten minutes to relax your shoulders, neck, and chest."

Hinata carefully memorized it, then tried it once. Strangely enough, after her breathing rhythm changed, the familiar blockage in her chest actually eased somewhat.

"It really... feels much smoother," she murmured.

Xiao watched the joy emerge on her face, and something faintly stirred in the depths of his eyes. But it quickly settled, returning to calm.

"Do not tell anyone about this breathing method, including the clan head," Xiao said. "Let it be a secret between us, all right?"

Hinata nodded hard. "I promise!"

She practiced several more times, each attempt smoother than the last. The long-lost sensation of controlling her chakra nearly made her cry. She looked up at Xiao. This older Branch House brother stood quietly nearby, his gaze resting on the woods beyond the training ground, his profile appearing slightly blurred in the sunlight.

"Brother Xiao..." Hinata called him that for the first time. "Why are you so kind to me?"

Xiao turned around.

Sunlight shone from behind him, outlining his body with a faint halo. His expression was hidden in shadow, impossible to see clearly. The training ground was quiet, save for the cicadas singing from the distant woods, one cry after another tearing through the summer air.

After a long time, so long that Hinata thought he would not answer, Xiao finally spoke softly.

"Because..." His voice was quiet, as if speaking to himself. "We are both caged birds, Lady Hinata."

Hinata froze.

She saw Xiao raise a hand and lightly touch the spot on his forehead hidden beneath his forehead protector. Though she could not see it, Hinata knew what was there—the Caged Bird Seal, the brand carved into every Branch House member from birth, symbolizing absolute obedience and control.

And what about herself?

Hinata lowered her head and looked at her hands. Though she was the eldest daughter of the Main House, her father's cold gaze, the demands she could never meet, all those words of "you must" and "you should"... were they not another kind of cage?

"I should go." Xiao stepped back two paces, returning to the respectful posture of a Branch House youth. "Please continue practicing, Lady Hinata, but remember not to overdo it. Meridian damage needs time to heal. Excessive training will only be counterproductive."

He bowed, then picked up his cleaning tools and walked toward the side entrance of the training ground.

Hinata stood where she was, watching his back disappear beyond the door. The training ground became quiet again. The sunlight was still scorching, and the bluestone slabs were still burning hot. But something had changed.

She took a deep breath and assumed the opening stance of the Gentle Fist.

This time, working with that secret breathing rhythm, her chakra smoothly bypassed the blockage in her chest and slowly traveled upward along that tiny side branch meridian. The flow was still weak, and she was still far from fully performing the Revolving Palm, but—

She could see it.

That path was right there.

Hinata closed her eyes and continued practicing. Sweat once again slid down from her forehead, but this time, the corners of her lips lifted into an almost imperceptible smile.

Outside the training ground, Xiao leaned against the wall and looked up at the sky.

Within his Byakugan vision, he could clearly see the chakra flow inside Hinata's body gradually becoming orderly. That breathing method was not some secret technique exchanged from the system—it was merely a chakra-guiding method he had improvised based on his Byakugan observations and basic medical ninjutsu knowledge.

But as long as it worked, that was enough.

[System Notification: Intervened in Hinata Hyuga's fate node "Despair of Meridian Blockage." Fate disruption +3%. Current Hinata favorability: 21 (Trust)]

[Warning: Excessive intervention in the cultivation of the Main House's direct bloodline may arouse Hiashi Hyuga's vigilance. Host, carefully assess the risks.]

Xiao closed his eyes.

Words he had copied yesterday in the Branch House library surfaced in his mind—records of how the Caged Bird Seal had devolved from a protective measure into a tool of oppression, and obscure passages hinting at how the Leaf Village's upper ranks treated the Hyuga Clan as a bargaining chip to restrain the Uchiha.

Risk?

He had long lived within the greatest risk of all. The seal on his forehead could take his life at any moment with a single thought from the Main House. Compared to that, what was Hiashi's vigilance?

"Caged Bird..."

Xiao softly repeated those words, his fingers unconsciously brushing the skin beneath his forehead protector. It felt faintly hot—not because the seal had activated, but because something deeper was awakening.

He turned and left the training ground area, walking steadily toward the secluded courtyard where Branch House members lived. Along the way, he encountered several Branch House clansmen. They all respectfully bowed to him—after all, he was now an assistant instructor at the Ninja Academy, which gave him some standing among the Branch House.

Xiao returned every greeting, his expression gentle and humble, perfectly fitting the image of a "loyal and devoted" Branch House youth.

Only he knew what was growing wildly beneath that shell.

Returning to his humble residence, Xiao closed the door and slowly slid down against it to sit on the floor. He removed his forehead protector, revealing the blue-black seal in the center of his forehead. Its patterns were complex and vicious, like a ghostly hand gripping his skull tightly.

Byakugan activated, his vision turned inward.

He could see that the seal's roots had already burrowed deeply into his brain, completely entwined with his brainstem and chakra meridian system. Any attempt to forcibly remove it would result in instant brain death.

But at the deepest part of those roots, Xiao saw an extremely faint fluctuation of power, different from the seal itself.

It was the change produced after the "Genjutsu Talent Fragment" rewarded by the system yesterday had fused with him. Though weak, it was indeed eroding the foundation of the seal bit by bit, like a drop of water slowly seeping into a crack in stone.

"Ten percent..."

Xiao recalled the system's notification regarding the progress of removing the Caged Bird Seal. At this rate, if he could continue intercepting women with great fortune and gain more rewards, completely removing the seal would not be beyond reach.

And Hinata was undoubtedly the easiest to approach and the most important target at this stage.

"A cultivation relationship of redemption and rebellion..."

Xiao tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile devoid of warmth.

He put his forehead protector back on and rose to the window. Beyond it lay the Hyuga Clan Grounds. The Main House's luxurious courtyards stood at the center like a white fortress, while the humble homes of the Branch House members surrounded them like servants, lowly and submissive.

But it would not remain this way for long.

Xiao closed his eyes and began refining chakra. He used the same breathing rhythm Hinata had just practiced—that technique was equally effective for him, perhaps even more so. His Byakugan was purer, allowing him to control every inch of chakra flow through his meridians with greater precision.

Warm, gentle chakra circulated along a specific route, gradually washing through the meridians that had grown weak beneath the seal's long suppression. Pain surged through him, as though countless fine needles were piercing his body. Yet Xiao did not even furrow his brow.

Compared with death, what was pain?

Compared with having his fate controlled by others forever, what was this little torment?

He took a deep breath and continued training.

Outside the window, the sun began to set, dyeing the white buildings of the Hyuga Clan Grounds blood-red. From the direction of the training ground, he could faintly hear the subtle sound of wind stirred by Hinata's Gentle Fist practice.

Everything had only just begun.