There was no doubt about Hinata's potential.
She was the same girl who had caught the eye of that blind Ōtsutsuki—Ōtsutsuki Toneri—at a glance. He had wanted to marry her and be with her for a thousand years. And even with Naruto, whose lineage was of mixed blood, she gave birth to Boruto—who inherited a pure Jōgan.
Hinata's talent was in no way inferior to Naruto or Sasuke.
In fact, Yoru couldn't help but speculate—
What if Hinata hadn't chosen Naruto, but instead had been with Toneri Ōtsutsuki—a pure-blooded descendant of Hamura with even greater innate potential?
Yoru suspected that, in that case, Boruto's power might have been magnified several times over—perhaps even surpassing the average Ōtsutsuki entirely.
The Jōgan… was just that overwhelming.
Even among the Ōtsutsuki, the Jōgan was an extremely rare, nearly mythical eye. Yet Hinata had managed to produce it. The title "Byakugan Princess" wasn't just for show.
Which raised a question:
Why, with such incredible ancestry and exceptional genes, did this Byakugan Princess—this prodigy whose bloodline threw back to ancient Ōtsutsuki—not show any outstanding performance in the original timeline? Not in the early arcs, not mid-series, not even in the later parts?
Not only was her power level unremarkable among the Konoha 12, but even within the Hyūga clan, she was below average!
The answer was simple.
It was right in front of Yoru's eyes.
"Mizukage-sama! What do you mean by that?!"
Faced with Yuki Yoru's blunt and sweeping criticism—one that essentially invalidated all of the Hyūga's education methods—Hiashi's brow furrowed deeply.
As a clan with a thousand-year legacy, the Hyūga naturally had their own methods of raising the next generation.
That system might not be the only reason the Hyūga had remained powerful for so long, but it was certainly a major factor.
And yet, Yuki Yoru had completely dismissed it.
If Hiashi didn't already know how outmatched he was, he might have responded with a full Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms on the spot.
"Hiashi," Yoru began smoothly, "you're the head of the Hyūga clan. Tell me—why do the missions assigned by Hidden Villages come with rankings and different reward levels?"
"Uh..."
Yoru's sudden topic switch threw Hiashi off, but he composed himself and answered:
"Because the difficulty and danger levels vary. If we didn't categorize missions, it would not only create huge problems for our shinobi—it would also mess up village income and resource management."
"Classifying missions by difficulty and payout allows shinobi to take on suitable assignments and earn fair rewards, which keeps the village running smoothly."
Yoru nodded with approval.
Now this was the difference between talking to a clan head and talking to a hot-blooded genin. Hiashi wasn't a Kage, but as the Hyūga clan head, he clearly understood larger systems.
"Since you understand that principle, then you should understand this too."
Yoru gestured at the upright and formal little Hinata sitting beside them.
"You want Hinata to showcase extraordinary talent and take on the future burdens of the Hyūga. But you've thrown every bit of pressure at her all at once. You haven't categorized anything. You haven't adjusted for her level. You're just dumping the full weight of expectation on her."
Hiashi's face shifted slightly. "You're saying…"
"Hungry bodies have no strength. Beautiful talents stay hidden without nourishment. You've wrapped her in etiquette, bound her in rules. She's like a caged bird, head bowed under the weight of chains and expectations."
"No matter how gifted she is—under that kind of double-sided pressure, she'd fade into the crowd like anyone else."
Yoru shook his head, downed the rest of his sake, and casually placed a piece of sushi in front of Hinata.
"Eat, child. The world is vast—but your stomach is the foundation. If you don't eat your fill, how can you have the strength to become someone the world needs?"
That said, Hiashi finally began to grasp what Yoru was getting at.
Even so, part of him still couldn't believe it.
Was the heiress of the Hyūga clan really being starved?
She was only three years old! How much could she possibly eat?
"Go on," he said, noticing Hinata fidgeting, unsure if she should eat.
"Listen to Mizukage-sama. Eat until you're full."
"Yes, Father. Mizukage-sama."
With permission from the man she respected most, Hinata beamed with joy and used her chopsticks to pick up the sushi in front of her.
One bite. Then another.
Her actions were slow and elegant. She chewed gently. Everything looked perfectly normal—like any other well-mannered girl eating a meal.
But then…
Hiashi's expression gradually shifted to one of shock. And then disbelief.
One piece after another—Hinata kept eating. And eating.
Before long, she'd consumed a meal fit for an adult man. And she still wasn't done.
She wasn't even full yet.
This couldn't be happening.
Under the watchful eyes of both Yoru and Hiashi, Hinata devoured the entire table's worth of food.
Before Yoru could even say a word, Hiashi ordered the maids to bring out an entirely new round of dishes.
Only after she'd polished off most of the second round did Hinata finally set down her chopsticks and smile adorably at the two men.
"Father, Mizukage-sama… I'm full now."
"So it's just as I thought," Yoru sighed gently, watching her happy expression.
Hiashi was still frozen in place, Byakugan activated—staring at Hinata like she wasn't even his daughter.
People joked that teenage boys could eat their parents out of house and home.
But a three-year-old girl eating as much as two or three adults? That was unheard of.
Is she really Hyūga—or is she from the Akimichi clan?!
Even a toddler from the Akimichi wouldn't eat this much!
"Hiashi, now you understand, don't you? Your daughter—Hinata—has never eaten her fill since birth."
"Because of Hyūga etiquette. Because of her image as the clan head's daughter. Because of a strict father's discipline. Poor little Hinata... she wasn't even allowed to take a second helping at the dinner table."
"And you—expecting her to behave and perform like a prodigy—you judged her with the standards of a fully-fed, well-trained adult."
Yoru sighed again, eyes full of regret.
"A child who has grown up malnourished… The fact that she's even alive and healthy is already a miracle. And you still expect her to shoulder the future of the Hyūga?"
Is that even reasonable?
"So… that's what happened…"
Hiashi looked at Hinata, stunned. Memories flooded his mind—his strict demands for her to always eat just a few mouthfuls to appear elegant, his constant etiquette lessons...
Self-blame. Guilt.
He wasn't just ashamed that the Hyūga nearly lost a top-tier prodigy. He was ashamed as a father—for never noticing his own child's suffering.
For letting a stranger—Yuki Yoru, of all people, a former enemy—see what he had missed all these years.
"Mizukage-sama! As Hinata's father and on behalf of the entire Hyūga clan—I sincerely thank you!"
Hiashi stood and bowed deeply to Yoru with utmost respect.
"It's nothing. I just couldn't stand to see such a brilliant gem covered in dust," Yoru replied casually.
"Your compassion humbles me!"
Hiashi bowed again, deeply.
Hinata, flustered by her father's bowing, quickly stood and followed his example.
Her innocent, earnest movements made Yoru chuckle. He reached over and pinched her blushing cheeks.
She didn't resist. She understood—thanks to Yuki Yoru, her clan had solved a major issue. And she had finally eaten a full meal.
Maybe… she could eat like this every day now!
"Mizukage-sama…"
Hiashi watched Yoru playing with Hinata and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Remembering everything Yoru had just said, he spoke:
"Mizukagesama, you've done a great kindness for my clan and my daughter. Since you and Hinata seem so in sync, may I be so bold... as to ask that she call you—her godfather?"
"Pffft!!"
Yoru choked violently, spraying sake all over Hiashi's face.
"A-Apologies! That was rude of me, Clan Head Hiashi!"
"It's fine," Hiashi replied calmly, wiping his face and smiling. "So, Mizukage-sama—what do you think?"
Godfather?!
Yoru's face twitched. He was completely speechless.
A godfather? An adopted father? Wait—he almost misheard that as "husband"! This wasn't something to take lightly!
You can't just go around handing out "godfather" titles! You ever hear of Lü Bu's adopted son getting anyone killed? And Hinata, though no Lü Bu, was a full-blooded Byakugan Princess.
Yoru glanced down at the bashful little girl. In his mind flashed future images of long-haired, fishnet-clad, fierce Hinata... and an army of Ōtsutsuki descending from the sky to duel him.
Tch… tempting. But still dangerous.
After all, wasn't his whole plan about destroying the Ōtsutsuki anyway?
No. He couldn't accept.
"Ahem. Hiashi, I understand your goodwill. And Hinata and I do get along. But the Hyūga heiress becoming the goddaughter of the Fourth Mizukage... that's not something the rest of Konoha—or even your clan—would take lightly."
Hiashi's face tightened. "Mizukage-sama, you jest. I may not have the same absolute authority as Uchiha Fugaku within my clan, but I am the clan head. Hinata is my daughter. If I say she can take a godfather—who would dare object?!"
"Besides, you are the strongest shinobi of this era. Our villages are allies. For Hinata to call you godfather—it would be her fortune. The Hyūga's fortune. Konoha's fortune!"
"Yes, but... the rumors... you know how people gossip…"
"Mizukage-sama, rest assured! I'll take full responsibility. I'll stake the clan's name to ensure that your reputation suffers no damage!"
"No, no, this still doesn't feel right..."
"It's absolutely the right thing!"
Their polite tug-of-war continued. One retreated, one advanced. Back and forth.
Finally, Yoru sighed heavily.
"Fine. Fine…"
"Hinata is a delightful child with rare talent. I can't just ignore that."
"But instead of a godfather... how about this: I take her as my personal disciple? What do you say, Clan Head Hiashi?"
"Disciple?" Hiashi blinked.
"That's right."
Yoru nodded.
"I may be the Fourth Mizukage, but I've never taken a student. If I can personally guide someone as gifted as Hinata—it would be my honor."
"What do you say?"
Say what?
Of course the answer was YES!
The disciple of a Kage. The student of the strongest man alive. That was as close as you could get to having a guaranteed future.
Everyone knew: Kage's disciples had a 99% chance of becoming Kage themselves.
Sadly, Yuki Yoru was the Mizukage, not the Hokage. So even if Hinata grew into an unstoppable force, she wouldn't become Hokage. And the odds of her becoming Mizukage were practically zero.
But so what?!
Being trained by Yoru meant she'd definitely become one of the strongest shinobi in the world. That alone was more than enough.
Not to mention Kirigakure's vast resources—and their deep research into bloodline limits like the Byakugan.
And let's not forget—Yoru had the corpse of a Moon Ōtsutsuki in his lab!
Everything pointed to one thing:
If Hinata followed Yoru, she would stand at the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
Fugaku had risen with the Mangekyō Sharingan and crushed the Hokage faction. That was when Hiashi finally realized—strength is everything.
If Hinata became that strong, she could easily take a page from Fugaku's playbook and do the same.
If Fugaku could become Hokage—why not Hyūga Hinata?
"It's settled then! Mizukage-sama—consider it a deal!" Hiashi said with a beaming smile, shaking Yoru's hand. "Hinata, come greet your godf—ahem, your teacher!"
Yoru couldn't help but chuckle at Hiashi's enthusiasm. Then he looked to Hinata.
She glanced at her father, then—with his encouraging gaze—shyly bowed to Yoru.
"Mizukage-sensei…"
"No need to call me Mizukage. Just call me Sensei."
"...Sensei."
Hinata repeated the word sweetly, her voice soft and sticky like mochi. Yoru nodded, smiling, and pulled a pale blue crystal from a scroll.
The crystal glowed with a dreamlike sky-blue hue—clearly no ordinary item.
Yoru placed it around Hinata's neck, then lightly tapped her on the back of her neck.
A flash of blue light. A star-shaped cross insignia appeared briefly below the left side of her neck—and vanished just as quickly.
"Mizukage-sama, that was…?"
"Just a little gift—for our first meeting, and your daughter's new apprenticeship."
Yoru gently ruffled Hinata's lavender hair.
"I'm looking forward to it, little Hinata—what you'll become when you fully awaken."