The Hyuga Clan's Genius

As time passed, Kushina Uzumaki gradually came to feel that she belonged in Konoha, thanks to the company of Tsunade, Mito Uzumaki, Nawaki, Uchiha Yi, and Uchiha Mikoto.

Kushina knew war could break out at any moment. She did not want Konoha to suffer the same fate as Uzushio Village.

She did not want Yi and the others to go through what she had endured, either.

Hyuga Rinka glanced at Kushina, unsure what had prompted her words, then introduced herself. "I'm Hyuga Rinka. I specialize in Gentle Fist. There's nothing I particularly like or dislike.

"As for my dream, I suppose it's to become strong enough to control my own fate!"

"To become strong and control your own fate? Not a bad ambition." Tsunade gave Rinka a searching look. The Hyuga Main Family might not be a bunch of idlers, but few of its members were truly driven.

She had not expected someone from the Hyuga Clan who wanted to grow stronger to join her team. She would see just how far Rinka could go.

Rinka met Tsunade's gaze with quiet confidence. Tsunade was one of Konoha's finest female Ninja, and Rinka hoped to learn from her.

"All right. I have a fair idea of Yi and Kushina's abilities. You'll fight Yi next so I can see what you can do. Give it everything you've got, or you'll lose badly." Tsunade glanced at Yi with a mischievous glint in her eyes and pointed at him.

Kushina was too young and had trained for too little time. She probably could not beat Rinka. Yi, however, was another matter.

Tsunade doubted anyone their age could match Yi. Nawaki could not, and even Minato Namikaze would have a hard time catching up. Only Jiraiya remained convinced that Minato would one day catch up to Yi, perhaps even surpass him.

Yi could take Rinka down a peg and make the proud young lady a little more cooperative on the team.

How Yi and Rinka got along afterward was not Tsunade's problem.

If they proved compatible, they would naturally learn to work together seamlessly. Jiraiya and Orochimaru rarely got along, yet in battle, they could still trust each other with their backs.

If they could not work together, she would not waste much effort on it. Once war broke out, Kushina would return to school, and Yi could join Nawaki's team.

As for Rinka, she belonged to the Main Family. The Hyuga Clan probably would not want her sent to the battlefield.

Tsunade had no trouble accepting that possibility.

"Yes!" Rinka was taken aback for a moment. She had not expected Tsunade to ask her to fight Yi, but it suited her just fine. She wanted to see what the Uchiha Clan's top genius could do.

After all, Rinka herself was arguably the Hyuga Clan's hidden top genius. She was no weaker than Hyuga Hiashi, despite being a year younger.

This was a chance for the Hyuga Clan's top genius to test the Uchiha Clan's top genius.

Uchiha Fugaku: I'm the Uchiha Clan's top genius.

Rinka looked at Yi with a fierce desire to fight. Yi sighed helplessly. As expected, Tsunade was not going to make things easy for him.

"Then I look forward to our match." Yi formed the Seal of Confrontation toward Rinka. She returned it, then darted toward him like a leopard and struck with her palm.

Yi quickly blocked, and the two fell into a Taijutsu exchange. He parried Rinka's attacks one after another.

The sharp smacks of their blows rang across the training ground without pause. Tsunade watched with a curious expression. Yi was stronger than Rinka; that much was certain.

Young as he was, Yi already had the strength of a Chunin. But Rinka's performance still exceeded Tsunade's expectations. The girl was impressive.

More strikingly, their fight looked like a match between two members of the Hyuga Clan. Tsunade could have understood it if Yi had activated his Sharingan and copied Rinka's moves, but he had not even activated it.

The Sharingan was not the Byakugan with its extraordinary power of perception, yet Yi was fighting Rinka using the Hyuga Clan's own methods.

Anyone who did not know better might have thought Yi was a Hyuga too.

Fortunately, Yi was not using Gentle Fist. Otherwise, the Hyuga Clan might have raised an uproar.

But Yi was not having as easy a time as Tsunade imagined. He intended to defeat Rinka with Taijutsu alone while guarding against her strikes to his Chakra Points. If he slipped up and lost, he would never live it down.

Rinka kept attacking, growing more anxious and angry with every strike. Yi seemed to know Gentle Fist inside and out. Each time she attacked, he was already in position to block her.

His Taijutsu surpassed hers, and he understood Gentle Fist. Rinka soon realized both things, but that only made her more determined to win.

Pressing her attack without pause, she drew a deep breath. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Finally using it?

A faint smile touched Yi's lips. The instant Rinka's first palm struck him, his figure dispersed into a shadow.

"A clone? A Shadow Clone! When?" Rinka startled. As she activated her Byakugan and searched for Yi, his voice suddenly rang out. "Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"

Something seized Rinka's ankles. Before she could resist, the force dragged her into the earth, leaving only her head above ground.

Yi appeared beside her. Looking up at his handsome face, Rinka could not hide the frustration on her own.

"That's great! Yi, you won!" Kushina cheered.

"Kushina, she's your teammate too!" Tsunade shot her an exasperated look, then walked over to Rinka and helped Yi pull her free. As she did, she asked him, "Earlier, you formed the signs for a Shadow Clone and the Transformation Technique with one hand, using a stone by your foot as cover. But Rinka has the Byakugan. How did you know it wouldn't see through your trick?"