Caged Bird

By the time the sky had fully brightened and the sun had risen in the east.

Hinata Hyuga came to the small river and found Doichi Hyuga, who was training.

"Brother Dao Yi!"

"I'll demonstrate a set of martial arts techniques for you. Watch carefully and remember them."

Doichi Hyuga stood in a loose stance, yin and yang divided beneath his feet, his hands relaxed and graceful.

As he assumed the opening stance, wind and water stirred!

His movements were slow yet unbroken, smooth and perfectly rounded. His whole body moved as one, coordinated and unified.

"So... so beautiful... no, that's not right... so cool..."

Hinata's little face flushed red, and stars seemed to shine in her eyes.

Doichi Hyuga exhaled and drew his stance to a close. A dragon of breath shot across the river's surface, sending ripples spreading in every direction.

"Did you remember it all?"

"Ah~? I... I... I'm sorry, Brother Dao Yi!"

Hinata lowered her head in shame and started rubbing the hem of her clothes again. It's over! I was too busy watching Brother Dao Yi just now. I only remembered a tiny bit...

Doichi Hyuga rubbed Hinata's little head, making her lower it even further.

Little Hinata really was the cutest—soft, adorable, and easy to tease.

"Then we'll keep going! This time, you have to focus!"

Doichi Hyuga demonstrated it twice more in succession. Hinata finally nodded to indicate that she had it.

Next, Hinata practiced the form while Doichi Hyuga helped her adjust and break down the key points and essence of every movement.

Once Hinata's movements had begun to look decent, Doichi Hyuga carefully explained the core philosophy behind Tai Chi.

They trained for nearly two hours, and it was almost time for school. Hinata hurried off, leaving behind one sentence before she went: "Father wants to see you!"

Hyuga Hiashi usually had a habit of doing his morning training in this forest as well. However, they had always stayed far apart and rarely interacted.

Not long after his fight with Itachi Uchiha began, Doichi Hyuga sensed someone watching.

When he swept the area with his Byakugan, he saw Hyuga Hiashi a kilometer away, observing their fight with his Byakugan activated.

Doichi Hyuga could only complain inwardly: Hyuga Hiashi, with those thick brows and big eyes, you actually learned to peep from Itachi Uchiha. That's such a shameless move. What a dog.

When he arrived at the clan head's residence, a Hyuga Clan member with the Byakugan stood before the door.

"Senior Tokuma!"

"Please come in. The clan head is waiting for you."

Tokuma Hyuga stepped aside from the doorway, then turned and left.

Pushing the door open, Doichi Hyuga found Hyuga Hiashi occupied with the tea ceremony.

"Clan Head!"

"Have a seat, Dao Yi."

Hyuga Hiashi finished pouring the tea and placed one cup in front of Doichi Hyuga.

Doichi Hyuga took a small sip, then set down his cup.

Hyuga Hiashi refilled it while Doichi Hyuga watched quietly.

The two sat facing one another in silence, each waiting for the other to speak first.

They traded cup after cup like old friends of many years, slowly draining the pot.

"How have things been at the hospital? Has anything been difficult for you?"

He was so composed at such a young age, like an old fox.

Hyuga Hiashi sighed helplessly and could only be the first to break the strange atmosphere.

"Very well. The seniors have all taken good care of me."

"If you need anything, you can tell me. The clan will help you. If... you wish to take Tsunade as your teacher, the clan is willing to support you with all its strength."

One wanted to ask, while the other played dumb. Hyuga Hiashi could only continue making his moves, opening with an emotional appeal.

"Thank you, Clan Head!"

"Your parents gave their lives for the Hyuga Clan, and your father died for me."

"As clan head, I owe them a great deal. So long as it does not violate the clan's rules or the village's laws, I will do my utmost to grant your requests."

Hyuga Hiashi pressed on, emotional appeal version 2.0. Let's see how you deal with this.

"As a branch family member of the Hyuga Clan, it is my duty to protect the main family. I have always remembered the clan's kindness in allowing me to grow up safely."

To be fair, Hyuga Hiashi had treated him rather well. Regardless of his intentions, Doichi Hyuga had received genuine care.

Even after being branded a dead last, he had never faced reproach from his clansmen. He, Doichi Hyuga, had not been born a bloodthirsty killer, so what else was there to say?

"As for requests, if I think of something one day, I'll definitely come trouble you, Clan Head."

"Mm. Your performance at the Ninja Academy was originally poor, and I felt deeply guilty over it. I believed I had failed your father's final request. Only after you displayed a talent for medical ninjutsu did I finally breathe a sigh of relief."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded in satisfaction, his face carrying the look of someone remembering an old friend.

"I never expected that you would possess not only medical talent, but also such astonishing talent in the Gentle Fist. To comprehend the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm on your own already makes you a rare genius. Have you mastered Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven?"

Although the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm was easier to learn than Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, both were secret techniques never passed down outside the Hyuga main family.

"I've already mastered it."

There was nothing to hide. Hyuga Hiashi could not do anything to him anyway.

"Haha! Good! Good!"

"Can you tell me about what happened this morning? What was going on between you and Itachi Uchiha?"

Seeing that the groundwork had been laid, Hyuga Hiashi fired a straight question directly at him.

Adult old foxes were generally like this. They always liked speaking in circles, only getting to their true purpose after circling around enough.

"That? It was nothing. Just a spar between classmates."

Doichi Hyuga laughed it off and answered perfunctorily.

Although they were not in the same class, it was indeed true that they were students of the same year.

"I saw Itachi Uchiha's eyes! If you could suppress the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, then your strength has already surpassed mine."

Hyuga Hiashi had a clear understanding of his own strength. He would not arrogantly believe that he could stand against a Mangekyō Sharingan.

The Mangekyō Sharingan was not a secret among the major ninja clans. There were even old monsters still alive who had personally witnessed Uchiha Madara's terrifying power.

As one of the Ninja World's three great dōjutsu, the Uchiha Clan produced generation after generation of geniuses, suppressing the Hyuga Clan for nearly a thousand years.

The Hyuga Clan's historical records, intelligence, conjectures, and research concerning the Uchiha Clan were already exceedingly detailed.

One could only say that the person who understood you best was always your enemy.

"This? Ahaha... probably not yet? Clan Head, you flatter me!"

"Itachi Uchiha only used one dōjutsu. I haven't seen his other dōjutsu or the legendary power of a god. I don't believe I defeated him. Besides, we were too close to the village, so there was no way he could have gone all out."

There was no harm in revealing some of his strength. His treatment within the clan could improve accordingly as well.

"It is truly rare for you to remain so calm and clear-headed... If I had not watched you grow up, I would have doubted your real age."

Hyuga Hiashi gained a few more degrees of appreciation for Doichi Hyuga.

A real Hyuga youth: train, be proud, show off!

A fake Hyuga youth: train, be humble, hide his strength!

"By the way, Clan Head, I want to learn sealing techniques."

"Fine. I will do my best to gather sealing techniques for you. What is it? Do you have thoughts about the Caged Bird?"

Hyuga Hiashi gazed gently at Doichi Hyuga as he asked in an apparently casual tone.

"To me, the Caged Bird is not an obstacle. This world is the greatest Caged Bird... The strong will ultimately become strong, while the weak will always find excuses for themselves."

"You're right. The main family is confined to the clan grounds. Are we not caged birds as well?"

Hyuga Hiashi was deeply moved, and his tone carried profound helplessness.

"Dao Yi! I want to entrust Hinata and Neji Hyuga to you. I hope you can agree to this request."

Hyuga Hiashi bowed slightly, showing complete sincerity.

"Alright! Clan Head, I accept."

Doichi Hyuga bowed in return.

Herding one sheep was herding; herding two sheep was the same. It would also be a form of adjustment and verification for himself while he trained them.

Hinata often ran out after dinner. As a seasoned doting father, Hyuga Hiashi naturally could not have been completely unaware.

The first time Hinata went looking for Doichi Hyuga, this old father had watched for quite a while with his Byakugan activated.

Using the Byakugan within the clan was strictly forbidden, since it could easily violate the privacy of other clansmen.

Thus, after that incident, Hyuga Hiashi had not spied on Doichi Hyuga's home again.

Doichi Hyuga knew this perfectly well. His powerful spiritual perception was not just for show.