"Lord Hizashi."
Aoran bowed according to his memories, his attitude natural. He needed to quickly make those around him accept the reality of his recovery.
Hizashi, relieved, helped him up: "You are Masahiko's child, there is no need for formalities. It's good that you can speak."
"Before, my mind felt like it was constantly trapped in a fog, completely unable to see the path outside."
"Now that the fog has cleared, I have also woken up."
Aoran's tone was steady, "Thank you for taking care of me all these years. From now on, I can take care of myself."
Hizashi was somewhat surprised by his maturity.
Indeed, after Masahiko was killed in action, Hizashi secretly arranged for members of the Hyuga Branch Family to look after this child who couldn't awaken his eyes, allowing Aoran to grow up safely.
Ding, a new mission has been found. host, please check it!
Mission: Hizashi, you died so tragically.
Mission Description: The Substitution Death Incident is approaching. Please find a way to keep Hizashi alive.
Reward: Determined based on the method of completion.
Aoran's heart clenched. Hinata's birthday was approaching, and this uncle who cared for him was about to die because of Kumogakure's conspiracy?!
Meanwhile, Hizashi was surprised to see Aoran speaking so coherently. He hadn't expected Aoran to not only stop being foolish but also appear quite intelligent now.
"Tell me what happened."
Hizashi also wanted to figure out exactly what had transpired.
Aoran suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, organized his story, and then spoke:
"When I woke up, I was being carried away by two masked men in white. They didn't realize I was awake. After locking me in a room, they said they were going to the Hyuga Clan Compound to 'check the situation' and then left."
Hizashi's expression darkened.
[They really want to use the Hyuga as a pawn?]
"Later, I quietly broke the ropes and ran away."
Aoran's excuse was a bit clumsy, but considering Aoran's previous foolish behavior, Root's carelessness made sense.
Hizashi sighed, marveling at Aoran's good luck: "Tell Hayato the location, and then go back and rest."
"We will handle the rest."
"I understand, Lord Hizashi."
After Aoran described the location of his confinement in detail, Hayato took the order and went to investigate.
He glanced at his mission. After a moment of thought, he decided that he needed to quickly build trust with Hizashi in order to help him overcome this disaster.
Of course, he only decided to do this because he knew Hizashi's character.
Seeing that only the two of them were in the room.
Aoran whispered, "Lord Hizashi, I have something else I need to tell you."
With a bang, he released the Transformation Jutsu, revealing the Byakugan in his right eye.
Hizashi's pupils constricted. He quickly closed the door and let out a breath: "When did you awaken the Byakugan?"
"During the kidnapping. I relied on X-ray Vision to find an opportunity to escape."
Hizashi's expression was complicated, eventually turning into a sigh: "You must never expose this Byakugan in front of others, otherwise..."
His expression was gloomy, as he recalled the helplessness of being a member of the Hyuga Branch Family.
Aoran calmly replied, "I understand, Lord Hizashi. I also do not want to become part of the Branch Family."
Hizashi looked at Aoran in surprise, only to find him looking calm and mature.
"Lord Hizashi, I knew everything that was happening around me before, but I just couldn't respond."
"I am naturally very clear about what the Branch Family represents."
"In fact, over the years, I have even learned Chakra Control Exercises and the basic Three Body Technique."
"So, you don't need to treat me like a child."
Hizashi activated his Byakugan in astonishment and found that a stream of Chakra was indeed flowing within Aoran's body.
His expression changed several times, and then, with a sigh of relief, he patted Aoran's shoulder and said contentedly:
"Your father was exceptionally gifted, and sure enough, your talent is not inferior."
"Now that you have suddenly regained consciousness, you have transformed from the idiot you once were into a genius."
"Your father left behind some Ninjutsu he specialized in at home. Practice them diligently."
"Strive to awaken the Sharingan as soon as possible, so you can be safer."
Aoran performed a hand seal for the Transformation Jutsu, turning into an adult with fully white eyes:
"I plan to take missions under a false identity to familiarize myself with the Byakugan as quickly as possible."
Hizashi nodded in approval: "Be careful. Go light some incense for your father first."
His words made Aoran's heart skip a beat, as he was just wondering when he should go steal the body.
"Yes, I will go now."
...Aoran arrived at the Hyuga Clan's Graveyard.
Whether it was the Hyuga Clan or the Uchiha Clan, because they possessed a Bloodline Limit, their bodies were generally buried in their own family graveyards.
They would not be buried in the Konoha Memorial Stone graveyard.
And Obito's grave was just a cenotaph, so it didn't matter where he was buried.
In a corner, the body of his cheap old man was already placed in a coffin.
A young man was standing in front of the grave. That was Hitomi, who was also Masahiko's disciple.
A shovel stood beside him; clearly, he was there to do manual labor.
"Aoran, I heard you're not foolish anymore?"
Hitomi, who had already accepted his teacher's death, did not sound particularly sad.
Instead, there was a hint of joy.
Aoran gave Hitomi a steady bow:
"Brother Hitomi, thank you for coming to send off Dad. You must have worked hard."
Hitomi laughed wryly and ruffled Aoran's hair: "You really aren't foolish anymore, just too polite."
"There's nothing hard about it."
Aoran did not reply, but simply walked and stood beside the coffin.
"Brother Hitomi, can I stay alone with Dad for a while?"
Hitomi pondered briefly, guessing that the child probably had something he wanted to say to his father.
"Then I'll come back later."
He didn't ask further, and they both walked away.
After watching the two walk far away and turn a corner, Aoran immediately came to the coffin.
He pushed the coffin lid open with force.
Fortunately, the coffins here were not customarily sealed with nails, or he really wouldn't have been able to open it.
Looking at his pale-faced old man lying in the coffin, Aoran calmly pulled out a scroll.
He unrolled the scroll, which had the character "Corpse" written on it. Aoran performed a hand seal according to the knowledge in his memory.
With a bang, Masahiko's body was sealed inside.
This was obtained from Orochimaru, specifically for storing corpses.
He then quickly closed the coffin lid and rapidly covered the coffin with dirt.
By the time Hitomi returned, Aoran had already finished filling the grave mound.
Hitomi just sighed and said a few words to Aoran, naturally not going to open the coffin to check... Aoran returned to the traditional Kyo-machiya Residence.
Passing through the Karahafu Entrance, he walked straight up to the second floor and pushed open Masahiko's study.
He began sorting out all the Ninjutsu notes and miscellaneous documents.
Masahiko hadn't collected much Ninjutsu. Although he was a Jonin, he had fewer than ten Ninjutsu scrolls in total.
The Hyuga Clan spent most of their time studying Gentle Fist; other Ninjutsu were merely supplementary.
Aoran sorted through them, putting those he could use on one side and those he couldn't on the other.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, Wind Release: Wind Control, Shadow Clone.
His old man had Wind Chakra nature, and these two Wind Release techniques were both for auxiliary use.
Seeing the Shadow Clone Jutsu made Aoran overjoyed. He considered this the most valuable Ninjutsu.
He had a Cheat System, so his Chakra reserves would definitely not be low in the future. With the Shadow Clone, his future actions would be much more convenient.
Other useful things included techniques like Lip Reading Technique and Cipher Technique.
Don't underestimate the Lip Reading Technique. When combined with the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, it is unbeatable for reconnaissance.
They can know what you are saying and doing from several kilometers, or even dozens of kilometers away.
This kind of intelligence gathering capability made the Hyuga the most popular people in the Mission Hall, bar none.
This is also the basic skill set for the Hyuga as reconnaissance specialists.
Aoran directly tossed aside the other Gentle Fist techniques.
One must know that most people in the Ninja World have high attack and low defense, and kiting from a distance is the safest method of combat.
He looked at the description of the enhancement points on his Template.
(Acquire enhancement points and Trait Badge by altering the life trajectory of original story characters.)
His current strength was still weak, making even saving Hizashi difficult.
Aoran decided to first familiarize himself with the Byakugan's usage before acting quickly.
He already had the best candidate in mind for changing destiny...