Izayoi and His Little Sister-in-Law

Konoha Year 57, July 23.

Konoha, Hyuga Compound.

Bang, bang, bang...

A series of crisp yet heavy impacts rang out from the training hall within the Clan Head Residence.

The scene revealed a boy and a girl engaged in taijutsu sparring.

That string of sounds had come from their hands.

Hinata and Neji Hyuga both had veins bulging at their temples. Their hands blurred into afterimages, blue chakra flames coiling around their fingertips as they struck at each other's acupoints.

Not a single strike landed. Before touching the body, each attack was either blocked by the other party or forced to halt when its flaw was exposed, shifting from offense to defense.

The constant collisions of chakra created roaring shockwaves.

But such a rhythm greatly tested one's willpower.

The slightest lapse could allow the opponent to seize a weakness and lead to total defeat.

Sure enough, after several dozen exchanges, a crisp jab brought the battle to an end.

Smack—

Under Neji Hyuga's wide-eyed, suddenly shocked gaze, Hinata's expression turned stern as her finger landed on his body, mercilessly driving chakra into him.

In an instant, the chakra in Neji Hyuga's hands vanished.

Then, a barrage of attacks descended upon him like a raging storm. With every strike, chakra seeped into his body, sealing his chakra flow while inflicting intense pain.

Yet Neji Hyuga gritted his teeth and refused to let out a scream.

After the combo ended, Hinata lowered her hands. The veins at her temples receded as she looked at Neji Hyuga, who had collapsed onto the floor, and said softly, "Brother Neji, thank you for your guidance."

At the sight, Hyuga Hiashi could not help but reveal a gratified smile from where he stood nearby.

Then, before Hinata could look over, his face tightened again. Expressionless, he said to Neji Hyuga, "Neji, go receive treatment."

"Yes, Clan Head."

Neji Hyuga lowered his head, concealing the resentment and hatred in his heart. Rising to his feet, he gave Hinata a slight bow. "Thank you for your guidance, Young Lady."

With that, he turned and left.

Hinata did not notice the change in Neji Hyuga's emotions.

Having completed the Clan Monthly Exam, she immediately went before Hyuga Hiashi and asked eagerly, "Father, I want to take Hanabi out to play. Is that alright?"

"Mhm, go ahead." Hyuga Hiashi nodded.

"Thank you, Father."

Hinata smiled faintly, then jogged out of the training hall. Taking three-year-old Hanabi with her, she left the compound to go play with Izayoi.

It had been exactly three years since she had first gone out to train with Izayoi.

Over those three years, Hinata had changed enormously. Her victory over Neji Hyuga and Hyuga Hiashi's attitude made that plain.

This was not her first time defeating Neji Hyuga.

Since the beginning of the year, she had won every match against him.

From the latter half of the year onward, she had gradually begun to crush him outright.

The Pressure Point Strike tested not only the Byakugan, but also Chakra Control.

And among those their age, only Izayoi had better Chakra Control than Hinata.

Even Sakura Haruno, whose trait rank was purple, still had poorer Chakra Control than Hinata, who practiced the Pressure Point Strike every day.

Defeating the cousin she had always feared had allowed Hinata to transform completely, making her so much more confident.

Whether it was Hyuga Hiashi or the Main Family's Clan Elders, they had all unanimously decided that Hinata would be the future Main Family Successor.

Because of this, quite a few Main Family Clan Elders urged Hyuga Hiashi to place the Caged Bird Seal on Hanabi.

However, Hyuga Hiashi refused, using his wife's passing and his desire to give Hanabi a happy childhood as excuses, saying that he would wait until Hanabi was twelve before deciding.

At the same time, Hyuga Hiashi no longer prevented Hinata from spending time with Izayoi, even though he could see that their feelings for each other were gradually undergoing a qualitative change.

He even allowed Hinata to take Hanabi out to play with Izayoi.

No one knew what Hyuga Hiashi was planning.

He seemed to be playing a very big game, wanting neither of his daughters to receive the Caged Bird Seal.

Naturally, Izayoi knew nothing about this.

He thought Hinata and Hanabi were allowed to go out because Hinata's outstanding performance had secured her position as the Hyuga Clan's successor.

As for the possibility that Hinata securing her position might cause Hanabi to receive the Caged Bird Seal early, Izayoi had not considered it.

Even if he had known, Izayoi would not have cared.

The Caged Bird Seal was merely a curse mark.

In terms of rank, it was not even as good as Orochimaru's Earth Curse Mark or Heaven Curse Mark.

Even if the Hyuga Clan had no way to remove the Caged Bird Seal, once Izayoi mastered Yin-Yang Release, he could remove the cursed seal just the same.

Even if Hanabi had the Caged Bird Seal branded on her, it would only be a temporary pain.

After all, Shippuden would be over before she even graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Whether the Byakugan had flaws would not matter in the slightest.

Knock, knock, knock...

"Nii-chan, I came to play with you. Open the door already!"

The knocking and childish cries kept reaching Izayoi's ears.

When he opened the door, one tall and one short figure appeared before him.

The smaller figure immediately pounced forward, wrapped her arms around Izayoi's waist, and shouted, "Nii-chan, let's go out and play!"

Three-year-old Hanabi wore a custom-made pink kimono. Despite her young age, she had already developed the habit of wearing kimono.

Her short black hair just covered her ears, with her bangs parted down the middle.

Her chubby little face was round and adorable, making people want to give it a pinch.

And Izayoi did exactly that.

Pinching Hanabi's little cheeks, Izayoi smiled. "Sure. What does Hanabi want to play today?"

In Izayoi's eyes, several bubbles of different colors floated around Hanabi.

Princess of the Byakugan (Gold)

Kekkei Genkai · Byakugan (Purple)

Otsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)

Jonin Aptitude (Blue)

Chakra Control (Blue)

Compared to those commoners and children of ordinary ninja clans, Hanabi's Status Panel was exceptionally luxurious.

The only thing in which she fell short of Hinata was the gold-rank Princess of the Byakugan.

In the movie, Otsutsuki Toneri had taken Hanabi's Byakugan and evolved it into the Tenseigan in only a few days. The purity of Hanabi's Byakugan was likewise extraordinarily high.

She was only one rank away from having traits on the same level as Hinata's.

Her other traits were identical to Hinata's, making her a weakened version of Hinata.

Like Hinata, she possessed the potential to defy fate.

Izayoi naturally adored this cute and incredibly gifted Little Sister-in-Law.

"I want to eat Glutinous Rice Balls, and I want a Shoulder Ride too."

Standing on tiptoe, Hanabi tried to climb onto Izayoi.

"Alright, Hanabi gets to decide today."

Izayoi rubbed Hanabi's little head, then crouched down and let her straddle his shoulders.

Holding Hanabi's little hands, Izayoi stood up and instructed Hinata, who was watching them with a smile, "Hinata, lock the door."

"Okay."

After locking the door, Izayoi took the Hyuga sisters toward the bustling shopping street.

Ever since Hinata's mother passed away, the outings that had once been just Izayoi and Hinata gradually became outings for three.

He vaguely remembered how heartbroken Hinata had been that day, crying as though her heart had been torn apart.

After all, before Hanabi grew up, only Izayoi and her mother had given her the tenderness and care she wanted.

After her mother was gone, Hinata's dependence on Izayoi reached an even deeper level.

It was from that day onward that their feelings gradually began to undergo a qualitative change.

To keep Hanabi from becoming another version of herself, Hinata trained even harder, wanting her little sister to grow up happily.

Whenever she had time, she would bring her sister to find Izayoi.

Because in Hinata's eyes, Izayoi was better at taking care of children than Father.

Father's presence was too frightening. His stern expression and high-pressure upbringing—if not for the love her mother had given her, Hinata would have broken down long ago.

Now that her mother was gone, Hinata could not let Hanabi follow in her footsteps.

Watching Hanabi sit on Izayoi's shoulders with a smile all over her face, Hinata felt that her decision had been absolutely right.