After returning to Leaf Village, Tianyi's schedule was packed to the brim.
The Newspaper Agency's affairs, the base's progress, the preliminary preparations for Tsunade's campaign—every matter required his personal attention.
But one day, a letter from the Hyuga Clan interrupted his busy routine.
The messenger was a Chunin from the Hyuga Main House. Holding the letter in both hands, he was so respectful he was almost humble. "Lord Tianyi, the clan head invites you to gather at the clan grounds."
Tianyi accepted the letter and unfolded it. The handwriting was neat and concise, personally written by Hyuga Hiashi. Its general meaning was an invitation to discuss some matters at the clan grounds. He put the letter away and nodded.
After being away from the Hyuga Clan Grounds for many years, Tianyi found that the place that had once made him feel suffocated had changed drastically.
The Hyuga Clan was no longer the Hyuga Clan it had once been. The words Tianyi had spoken to Hiashi when he left the Hyuga Clan Grounds years ago had been like a seed, taking root and sprouting in Hiashi's heart.
As the Main House elders who stubbornly clung to tradition stepped down one after another, the Hyuga Clan's authority finally fell into Hyuga Hiashi's hands.
Over several years, he had gradually erased the divide between the Main House and Branch House, abolished those outdated rules, and led the Hyuga Clan from isolation toward openness.
Though the Hyuga Clan remained one of Leaf Village's great clans, its atmosphere had completely changed.
When Tianyi arrived at the Hyuga Clan Grounds, he saw Hyuga Hiashi standing at the gate from afar, personally waiting to receive him.
Hiashi wore a dark kimono, with the clan's short sword at his waist. He stood tall and looked composed. When he