Gifts

In the hall of Hyuga Hiashi's mansion, Hyuga Hiashi and Meicun Hyuga reached an agreement and resumed their conversation, leaving Tianyun Hyuga off to the side.

Tianyun Hyuga was a little bored, so he found a seat to rest. Just as he sat down, he caught sight of Hinata Hyuga peeking out from behind a round pillar on the left side of the hall.

But Hinata Hyuga soon noticed that Tianyun Hyuga was staring at her. She quickly pulled her head back and hid behind the pillar, no longer sneaking peeks.

Of course Tianyun Hyuga remembered what Hinata Hyuga looked like, but he had little interest in little kids. When she hid herself, he simply closed his eyes to rest, looking thoroughly indifferent.

Meicun Hyuga was in a good mood and paid little attention to Tianyun Hyuga. All her attention was on Hyuga Hiashi.

Hyuga Hiashi, however, was different. Tianyun Hyuga was the main focus today, so he kept glancing at him and noticed his indifference. That told Hyuga Hiashi that winning over Meicun Hyuga alone probably would not earn Tianyun Hyuga's goodwill. He would have to give the boy something worthwhile.

Having decided to win Tianyun Hyuga over, Hyuga Hiashi no longer hesitated. He told Meicun Hyuga directly, "Miss Meicun, I've prepared three scrolls of the Hyuga Clan's Ninjutsu. Take them home with you later and help Tianyun train properly! I hope he can become a genius of the Hyuga Clan."

Meicun Hyuga was overjoyed. Although Hyuga Hiashi had not mentioned the rank of the Ninjutsu, she already knew without being told that they had to be at least B-rank. Members of the Hyuga Clan could freely practice ordinary Ninjutsu; there was no need for scrolls.

"Thank you, Lord Clan Head! Thank you!" After thanking Hyuga Hiashi, Meicun Hyuga was about to pull Tianyun Hyuga over to thank him again, only to find the boy nodding off. Furious, she decided to give the disobedient Tianyun Hyuga a proper scolding once they got home.

As for scolding Tianyun Hyuga here in the hall, Meicun Hyuga would never do that. She still needed to maintain her image in front of the Clan Head.

Hyuga Hiashi did not particularly mind. Tianyun Hyuga belonged to the Hyuga Clan, after all, and he had plenty of opportunities to gradually win the boy's loyalty to the clan. He waved to the guard who had been waiting nearby, having him hand the three Ninjutsu scrolls to Meicun Hyuga.

Once Meicun Hyuga took the scrolls, Hyuga Hiashi told her, "Madam Meicun, I still have matters to attend to, so I can't keep you company any longer. At five tomorrow afternoon, I'll have Hinata visit your home to learn the New Gentle Fist Ninjutsu from Tianyun."

Meicun Hyuga quickly nodded. "You're too kind, Lord Clan Head. I'll make proper preparations and make sure Tianyun teaches the young lady diligently."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded in satisfaction. "Then I won't see you out, madam. If you'd like to stay here a while longer, feel free. If you'd rather go home, you can leave on your own! We're all fellow clansmen, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."

How could Meicun Hyuga dare linger in the Main Family's home? She had already felt somewhat uncomfortable coming here. Now that Hyuga Hiashi was leaving, she had no wish to stay any longer and hurriedly said her farewells. "Lord Clan Head, I still need to go home and prepare lunch, so I won't take up any more time here. I'll take Tianyun home now..."

"All right, go ahead!" Hyuga Hiashi did not stop them. He sent one of the guards at the door to escort Meicun Hyuga and Tianyun Hyuga out.

Tianyun Hyuga was already deeply annoyed at having been outmaneuvered by Hyuga Hiashi. The moment he heard Meicun Hyuga say they were leaving, he stood up, hurried to her side, and followed her out of the hall.

After Meicun Hyuga and Tianyun Hyuga had left the hall and disappeared from sight, Hyuga Hiashi looked in the direction Tianyun Hyuga had gone and sighed. "The Third Hokage really is clever. Tianyun Hyuga truly is different. It seems trying to win over Meicun Hyuga was the wrong plan. I should be winning over Tianyun Hyuga directly."

Nisshu Hyuga emerged from the shadows of the hall, approached Hyuga Hiashi, and asked, "Clan Head, what do we do now? What if Tianyun Hyuga refuses to hand over the New Gentle Fist? That's a powerful A-rank Ninjutsu. In the hands of our Hyuga Clan, it might even reach S-rank."

Hyuga Hiashi shook his head. "Don't worry. Tianyun Hyuga is smart. He'll hand it over. We just need to give him a little incentive, or he might drag things out and take his time teaching us..."

"He's just a Branch Family disciple. Why not simply order him to hand it over? Why go to all this trouble?" Nisshu Hyuga asked with a slight frown.

Hyuga Hiashi glanced at Nisshu Hyuga and answered calmly, "They didn't choose to become members of the Branch Family. If the Main Family keeps taking without giving anything back, sooner or later the Branch Family will remain united with us in appearance only. I don't want the Hyuga Clan to end up like that. Don't say such things again."

After reprimanding Nisshu Hyuga, Hyuga Hiashi thought for a moment and continued, "I heard the Third Hokage paid Tianyun Hyuga ten million to buy that Ninjutsu. Our Hyuga Clan can't be too stingy, either. Find an opportunity to give that brat Tianyun Hyuga ten million. Make sure Meicun Hyuga doesn't know. From what I've seen, that brat really likes money. He might keep all the money the Third Hokage and I give him for himself. If it ends up in Meicun Hyuga's hands, he certainly won't be happy."

"Uh, he's just a kid. How can he like money so much? I really don't understand," Nisshu Hyuga muttered helplessly before answering Hyuga Hiashi. "Understood. Rest assured, Lord Clan Head. I'll make the proper arrangements."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded. "Then that's settled! I still need to speak to Hinata and tell her to study hard with Tianyun Hyuga tomorrow and learn that New Gentle Fist as soon as possible. With it, our Hyuga Clan might grow stronger again and keep the increasingly crazed Uchiha Clan in check."

As the head of his clan, Hyuga Hiashi knew something of the Uchiha Clan's troubles. To ensure the Hyuga Clan's safety, he felt it necessary to strengthen their precautions against the Uchiha Clan.

As Hyuga Hiashi's personal guard, Nisshu Hyuga naturally knew about the Uchiha Clan's troubles as well. After hearing Hyuga Hiashi's words, he solemnly took his leave and went to deal with the matter of Tianyun Hyuga.

Meanwhile, our Tianyun Hyuga was enduring endless torment, because on the way home, Meicun Hyuga kept asking:

"Tianyun, what's this New Gentle Fist about?"

"Tianyun, did Lord Hokage come to see you? What did he say to you...?"

"Tianyun, what was that attitude toward Clan Head Hiashi just now? Are you asking for a beating...?"

"And who exactly taught you that New Gentle Fist? Why have I never heard of it? Show me a few punches when we get home..."

Tianyun Hyuga did not answer a single one of Meicun Hyuga's questions. Finally, just as she was about to explode, he activated his Byakugan. Meicun Hyuga was so shocked that she forgot every question she had just asked. She hurriedly scooped him up and examined his eyes from every angle, trying to see whether his Byakugan was fake.