Confrontation

"Stop!"

A figure arrived with astonishing speed using the Body Flicker Technique. It was Hyuga Hiashi, drawn there by the sounds of fighting!

He drove his palm straight toward Genya's back, intending to knock him away and save Neji.

In that split second-

Genya forcibly stopped his fist before it struck Neji, twisting his body in midair with a powerful turn of his waist.

He opened his descending fist into a palm and met Hiashi's strike!

Bang!!!

Their palms collided with a deep, thunderous crash!

A shock wave exploded outward from the two of them, sending dust swirling through the courtyard!

Hiashi had thought he could easily send this arrogant Uchiha brat flying.

Yet in the instant before their palms met, he caught sight of the face that abruptly turned toward him, and... those eerily crimson eyes, spinning furiously!

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan?

Shock rocked Hiashi, sending waves of disbelief crashing through his mind.

How was that possible?

How old was he?

Six?

Even genius had to have its limits...

That instant of shock caused the force behind his palm to falter.

Genya's physique, meanwhile, had been strengthened by the system, and his chakra was extraordinarily active. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan saw Hiashi's momentary opening and the change in his strength with perfect clarity!

The two forces collided!

The force far exceeded anything Hiashi had expected from a child!

He staggered, driven back a dozen stumbling steps by the impact. Only when his back hit the opposite courtyard wall did he regain his footing.

His blood churned within him, his face filled with incredulous horror!

Genya, too, slid several meters backward under the recoil, dissipating the force. Blood rose in his throat, but he forcibly swallowed it down.

He raised his head, his Sharingan fixed firmly on Hiashi. The killing intent in his eyes had not faded, but it now carried added wariness toward a formidable opponent.

Dead silence settled over the courtyard.

Only Hinata's muffled sobs, Neji's pained groans, and Hiashi's breathing remained.

Hyuga Hiashi stared at the eerie three tomoe in the black-clad boy's eyes, feeling the numbness spreading through his palm.

Genya Uchiha...

This boy was terrifying...

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and surveyed the scene.

Neji was gravely injured and coughing up blood. Hinata trembled and wept behind the Uchiha boy's protection, while killing intent still lingered in the boy's eyes.

He instantly understood much of the relationship between his daughter and this Uchiha prodigy.

This Uchiha brat had come for his daughter!

And he had happened to witness Neji attacking Hinata.

After forcing Hiashi back, the crimson faded from Genya's eyes.

He hurried back to Hinata and crouched beside her, his voice trembling slightly.

"Hinata... Hinata! How are you? Where are you hurt? Don't be afraid. I'm here..."

The hurt, fear, and pain Hinata had struggled to hold back burst free the moment she heard Genya's caring voice and met his anxious gaze.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. She raised her battered little hands, trying to grasp something, only for them to fall limply again. All she could do was choke out broken words through her sobs.

"Genya... sob... I... I was so scared... Neji..."

"It's all right now. It's all right. I'm here. He won't dare hurt you again."

Genya's heart ached, and he could no longer spare a thought for anything else.

He reached out with both arms and gently but firmly gathered the trembling, weeping Hinata into his embrace.

One hand softly patted her back while the other stroked her hair as he murmured reassurances over and over.

"Don't be afraid, Hinata. As long as I'm here, no one can bully you."

Hinata leaned against Genya's chest, still slight yet extraordinarily reassuring, feeling its warmth and protection.

It was as though she wanted to pour out all her hurt, pressure, and pain.

Hyuga Hiashi watched the scene with deeply conflicted eyes.

Naturally, he had seen his daughter's injuries and guessed what had caused them.

During their routine training, his frail daughter had once again failed to meet expectations, and the resentful Neji had seized the opportunity to strike too hard.

He felt disappointed in his daughter, but more than that, her injuries pained him, and his worries about the branch family's future deepened.

He shook his head, pushing down his tangled thoughts.

The most important thing now was to handle the difficult situation before him.

In a low voice, he summoned several branch family ninja who had come after hearing the commotion.

"Take Neji away and see that he receives proper treatment."

"Yes, Clan Head!"

The branch family ninja answered deferentially, then hurried forward to carry the barely breathing Neji away.

With Neji taken care of, Hiashi turned his gaze back toward the boy and girl embracing, his brows tightly furrowed.

By then, Genya had managed to calm Hinata somewhat and carefully helped her sit in a relatively clean spot nearby.

After confirming that most of her injuries were superficial and, thankfully, none were life-threatening, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But what rose in its wake was even fiercer anger toward Hiashi as her father!

He stood and turned toward Hyuga Hiashi.

The anger and lingering fear he had suppressed now became pointed accusations.

He forced himself to speak in a relatively "polite" yet hostile tone, barely stopping himself from blurting out the words old bastard.

"Clan Head Hiashi,"

"As Hinata's father and the head of the Hyuga Clan, are you truly unaware of the pressure your own daughter faces in this clan every day, the setbacks she suffers, and even... situations like today, when an older cousin strikes her so viciously? Or do you simply... turn a blind eye?"

His voice was not loud, but every word rang clear and forceful.

"Hinata trains hard every day. Even if her talent might... not quite meet certain people's expectations, can't you see the effort she puts in, or the loneliness and pressure she endures?"

"As her father, what have you given her besides harsh demands and disappointed looks?"

"Standing by unmoved while she gets hurt-is that how the Hyuga Main Family treats its own daughters? What kind of father are you?"

Being questioned like this by a six-year-old child left Hyuga Hiashi visibly embarrassed.

"You Uchiha brat! What do you know!"

"Hinata is a daughter of the Hyuga Main Family, a princess who bears the future and honor of the Hyuga Clan!"

"Her position means she cannot be weak or ordinary! The clan's expectations, the inheritance of the Byakugan, the essence of the Gentle Fist-these are all responsibilities she must shoulder!"

"Strict training and high standards are meant to make her worthy of the Hyuga name, to allow her to protect the clan in the future, rather than be like she is now..."

He glanced at the injured Hinata, who was still sniffling. His gaze was conflicted, but his tone remained unyielding.

"...unable even to defend herself or fight back! Neji was certainly at fault today, but Hinata's own lack of strength was also part of the reason!"

"If she were strong enough, how could she have ended up like this? The Hyuga Clan has no need for a Main Family that cannot protect itself!"

Genya listened to Hiashi's sanctimonious speech.

What bullshit about responsibility and honor. The truth was that this old bastard was a strict father who expected too much from his daughter and knew nothing about tailoring his teaching to her abilities or giving her emotional support.

All he knew was how to force her with pressure and disappointed looks, making Hinata increasingly insecure and timid, leaving her in such an awkward position within the clan that even commoners dared bully her at will!

This old bastard must have stared at her with that disappointed look reserved for a "worthless descendant," day after day, piling unbearable pressure onto her.

Genya looked at Hiashi's stern, rigid face and wanted nothing more than to smash his fist into it.

This old bastard! Fuck him and eighteen generations of his ancestors!

His own parenting had failed, his clan's system was twisted, and he still dumped all the blame on a little girl?

Rage overwhelmed his reason.

Genya could no longer care about etiquette or the man's position as clan head. He unleashed a furious curse.

"That's fucking bullshit!!!"