As Hizashi Hyuga was about to sit down, he originally intended to greet Chinya, but unexpectedly, Chinya greeted him first.
Being a member of the Branch House of the Hyuga Clan, Hizashi Hyuga was expected to serve on the battlefield.
During the war, Hizashi once led a group of Branch House Hyuga ninja to assist Orochimaru. In fact, Chinya and Hizashi had crossed paths before.
Back then, however, Chinya had been fully focused on countering the Uchiha Clan, so they had no actual interaction.
Hizashi Hyuga nodded slightly toward Chinya in greeting and said, "Chinya, it's been a long time."
Hizashi's surprise was understandable—after all, Chinya was known for being cold and indifferent, never showing favor to anyone, which left a deep impression on people.
Therefore, when Chinya warmly greeted him, Hizashi felt slightly taken aback.
In terms of status, although Hizashi was the head of the Branch House of the Hyuga Clan—the second most powerful ninja clan in Konoha—and had earned battle merits on the front lines, his rank was practically about equal to Chinya's, or perhaps even slightly lower.
This was because he belonged to the Branch House—even as its leader.
If this were Hiashi instead, even if he had no battle merits whatsoever, his position alone as the head of the Main House of the Hyuga Clan would be sufficient.
The merits and honors earned by the Branch House ultimately belonged to the entire Hyuga Clan—meaning they ultimately belonged to the Main House.
Therefore, Chinya and Hizashi stood as equals, while Hiashi, who had only fought within the Land of Fire, held a higher rank than Chinya.
However, Chinya had no patience for such formalities. Aside from feigning respect for individuals like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo—who he needed to deceive—he now refused to show any respect to Minato Namikaze, the current Hokage.
Chinya glanced at Neji Hyuga, who was sleeping in Hizashi's arms, and smiled as he asked, "Lord Hizashi, what is this child's name?"
Looking at Neji Hyuga in his arms, Hizashi's usually stern face softened into a faint smile. "His name is Neji."
"Neji, huh? Quite a cute kid indeed."
Chinya extended one finger and gently poked Neji Hyuga's chubby cheek.
Neji, who had been asleep, opened his eyes after being poked and stared straight at Chinya.
Just as Chinya was about to pull his hand back, Neji suddenly reached out with his tiny hand and grabbed Chinya's finger, giggling happily.
At that moment, Kushina Uzumaki returned from backstage and saw Neji holding onto Chinya's finger and smiling cutely. It seemed something struck her soft heart, and she quickly walked over to Chinya's side to play with Neji together.
"He's so soft and cute!"
Hizashi smiled at Kushina and asked, "Would you like to hold Neji?"
Kushina replied excitedly, "Can I?"
Hizashi nodded slightly. "Of course. Neji seems to really like both you and Chinya."
"Great! Then I won't be polite and decline!"
Carefully lifting Neji Hyuga from Hizashi's arms, Kushina gently rocked him in her arms. "Little Neji, you really are adorable."
Chinya took a sip of tea, and suddenly an idea appeared in his mind.
Without hesitation, Chinya put the teacup down and turned to Hizashi Hyuga. "Lord Hizashi," he said, "I truly admire Neji. When he grows up a bit, I'd like to accept him as my disciple. Would you be willing to grant this request of mine?"
Hizashi froze halfway through lifting his cup to his lips. He stared at Chinya with a mixture of disbelief and excitement in his eyes.
Chinya was currently one of the strongest individuals in Konoha.
But he had only accepted one disciple so far — Kakashi.
Everyone could see Kakashi's strength within Konoha. Although he hadn't yet become an Elite Jonin, among regular Jonin he was definitely at the top tier.
Certainly, Kakashi possessed excellent talent, but Chinya's guidance played an undeniable role in his rapid growth.
Moreover, everyone knew how seriously Chinya treated Kakashi's training. During wartime, Chinya always brought Kakashi along on missions, both fighting and teaching him simultaneously.
Then there was Chinya's reputation.
Before Minato Namikaze became Hokage, aside from Orochimaru, Chinya was the most famous figure in Konoha.
Kakashi, benefiting from being Chinya's disciple, had already enjoyed great advantages — most notably receiving Obito Uchiha's Sharingan. According to the Uchiha Clan's previous behavior, they would normally have forced Kakashi to hand it over.
Yet due to Chinya's prestige, not a single member of the Uchiha Clan dared to speak out against it.
Of course, the main reason was Chinya's clear stance against the Uchiha Clan, which was already no secret in Konoha.
Still, the fact that Chinya could openly oppose the Uchiha without any consequences was itself proof of his immense influence.
Hizashi fully understood his own situation. As the head of the Branch Family, he had no hope of advancement and was always prepared to sacrifice himself for the Main Family.
Such was the duty of the Branch Family — unavoidable and inescapable.
As the leader of the Branch Family, if he tried escaping such responsibilities, the Main Family would surely make things difficult for the entire Branch Family. Therefore, he absolutely could not run away.
However, Hizashi truly didn't wish for Neji to live a life like his own — always at the mercy of fate, bound like a slave forever serving the Main Family.
If Neji became Chinya's apprentice, even though he couldn't avoid receiving the Caged Bird Seal at age three, at least his life would be protected.
If the Main Family planned to sacrifice Neji in the future, they would need to carefully consider whether they could withstand Chinya's wrath.
Chinya had so thoroughly targeted the once-mighty Uchiha Clan that they couldn't even bring themselves to cross paths with him anymore. The Hyuga Clan would obviously face similar pressure now that he had turned his attention toward them.
In other words, for Neji to gain Chinya as a master was truly a stroke of incredible fortune.
Hizashi immediately replied, "It's truly a blessing for Neji that you've taken an interest in him. Refusing your offer would only betray Neji."
He smiled softly. "I believe Neji will become someone truly remarkable, and I'll hold nothing back when guiding him to greatness."
Upon hearing Chinya's promise, Hizashi Hyuga was filled with excitement.
Originally, he had only come to attend Minato Namikaze's wedding as a formality, never expecting such great luck that his own son would receive Chinya's favor.
Hizashi was overjoyed. Inwardly, he praised Neji for choosing just the right moment to reach out and grip Chinya's hand so perfectly—it was practically a handshake that had grasped an entirely new future!
Hizashi wanted to settle the matter immediately, so he said, "Chinya, in two days I will bring Neji to visit your home. Please excuse our intrusion then."
Chinya nodded. "It would be no intrusion at all for Lord Hizashi to pay us a visit. Kushina and I are truly looking forward to it."
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