Chapter 3: The Lion Raises Its Head
So far,
Shinji Hyugano longer harbored any fantasies about being able to unleash the Tenseigan like in fanfiction, break free from the Caged Bird Seal, stage a coup, rewrite the Hyuga clan's contradictory system, marry Tsunade, and ascend to the Hokage throne—such daydreams.
Thirteen years spent in the Hyuga clan,
The reality,unlike his fantasies, had already made him recognize the truth of the matter.
To be honest,
Within the Hyuga clan,the unpleasant aspects included having to serve the main family like servants, bowing and scraping, and kneeling in deference.
But the treatment provided by this clan was absolutely comprehensive.
Not only were meals and lodging provided,but the village's orphan allowance, the clan's supplementary allowance, and the elders' private gifts were never late, not even for a day. In addition, they were allocated houses upon reaching adulthood and even had wives assigned to them—internal clan policies.
Besides ninja-related scrolls and tools,
Instruction from high-level ninjas was extremely expensive and not easy to obtain from outside.
The Hyuga branch family's livelihood,from birth to death,
This clan had arranged everything perfectly for you.
This was also the twisted reality of the main and branch family system of the Hyuga clan.
The real reason why this system had been maintained to this day was simple:
Money.
This clan was truly rich,and they were willing to spend it...
Under such circumstances, even if there was much dissatisfaction with the branch family system, it was only suppressed among the individuals and the contemporary group of clan members born into it.
But understanding did not mean acceptance.
Shinji Hyugawouldn't kowtow to anyone, but he would bow at a 90-degree angle and offer the standard formal greetings. The deeper, more personal displays of submission—he would at most accept some superficial daily etiquette.
So,
Even knowing that he didn't have the talent to be a ninja,
He still wanted to become a Chunin.He would risk his life to avoid having to live...
A life of utter dependency,of kneeling and kowtowing!
However, at this moment,
Faced with this genius girl from the branch family and her extremely serious promise to him,
Shinji Hyugasuddenly fell silent.
Hyuga Natsu was his wife—the one assigned to him by his clan; she was his fiancée.
He had never anticipated this.
In the future,Hyuga Natsu, who would survive Pain's Assault and the Fourth Shinobi World War as Hyuga Hanabi's personal maid, was now joining Hyuga Genkou's guard and would fight in the Third Shinobi World War alongside him.
"What's wrong, Shinji-kun? You look terrible..."
"It's nothing."Shinji took a deep breath, raised his head, and smiled at his young fiancée with narrowed eyes.
"Alright.""That sounds weird, Shinji-kun. Just call me 'Lion'."
"A lion?"Hyuga Natsu couldn't help but chuckle.
"Calling you that makes it sound like I'm laughing."
"Yes."Shinji Hyuga suddenly spoke, "I will protect you."
Hearing this, Hyuga Natsu was taken aback. She looked up, her delicate, curled eyelashes fluttering, and her face flushed slightly.
"What did you say?"
"Never mind.""Let's go, Natsu. Please take me to see Young Master Genkou."
Half an hour later, Shinji met the unfortunate young master—the one whose Byakugan would later be stolen by Kirigakure's Ao—in the reception room of the main family mansion.
This young master of the main branch of the Hyuga clan,Genkou, looked very young, only around eighteen years old. He was wearing a white kimono and had typical Hyuga features.
With black hair,white eyes, and well-proportioned features, he resembled an adult version of Neji Hyuga, except for the absence of the Caged Bird seal on his smooth forehead.
"You are... Shinji Hyuga?"
At this moment,Hyuga Genkou was holding a printed resume, comparing it to Shinji Hyuga, who was sitting upright in front of him, looking him up and down.
"I've heard of you."
"Your grades at the Ninja Academy were somewhat unbalanced across different subjects?"
"Yes."Shinji Hyuga nodded.
"In terms of academic subjects,I got full marks in the three basic courses of mathematics, chemistry, and physics, but zero in all the others."
"As for ninja skills,I got a perfect score in basic swordsmanship, barely passed ninja tool throwing, taijutsu, and the Three Basic Techniques, but failed all the other courses."
Hyuga Genkou flipped through the resume, then questioned, "Why is there such an imbalance in your studies?"
Shinji Hyugaimmediately replied, "Because I needed to train in taijutsu with Might Guy and his father, and I also needed to go to Konoha Hospital to learn the basics of medical ninjutsu."
Hyuga Genkou frowned slightly,then asked, "Why follow Might Guy and his father to learn the Konoha Strong Fist? Isn't the Gentle Fist taught by your clan better than those low-level taijutsu?"
Faced with this question,Shinji Hyuga dared not be negligent and answered plainly:
"I have studied both the Strong Fist and the Gentle Fist,but the Strong Fist is better at improving basic physical fitness and can help me accelerate the process of awakening the Byakugan."
Hearing that it was to awaken the Byakugan, Hyuga Genkou's expression softened slightly.
There are two types of people who leave a lasting impression during school years:top-ranking geniuses and pathetic underachievers.
Those who come from the most prestigious family in Konoha and are considered the worst of the worst are even more conspicuous.
Shinji Hyuga'slack of talent as a ninja was well-known to Hyuga Genkou. Born with very little chakra, he was somewhat unqualified even as an ordinary ninja, let alone as a member of the Hyuga clan.
Hyuga clan ninjas require an exceptionally large amount of chakra compared to ordinary ninjas to activate their Byakugan.
After realizing that the other party had been acting unusually at the Ninja Academy in order to awaken the Byakugan,Hyuga Genkou couldn't help but glance at Shinji Hyuga with a hint of acknowledgment for his persistence.
Prior to this,including himself, no one in the clan believed that Shinji Hyuga could awaken the Byakugan within three years of graduation. However, unexpectedly, during last year's Chunin Exams, he had actually awakened the Byakugan ahead of schedule and made it to the final tournament.
Even Uchiha Obito,who was considered the worst student at the time, couldn't defeat him.
Hyuga Genkou then continued to ask:
"So,you learned medical ninjutsu during your time at the ninja academy? What kind of medical ninjutsu do you know?"
"Grade D:Chakra Healing Technique, Chakra Needle and Thread Technique; Grade C: Epidermal Suturing Technique; Grade B: Fine-Scale Pathogen Extraction Technique."
"Not bad."Hyuga Genkou nodded, giving Shinji Hyuga a slight smile.
"With such circumstances,not only have you awakened the Byakugan, but you've also mastered so many medical ninjutsu. Shinji, you've worked incredibly hard."
"He's not quite qualified as a reconnaissance ninja,but he's quite good as a medical ninja, which fills a gap in the clan for this type of ninja."
He considered it carefully for a while, then thought of the message the clan elder had just sent via a messenger, and began to make arrangements:
"I will report this matter to the main family.From now on, the clan will train you more in the direction of a medical ninja."
"Once the village's transfer order is issued,I will arrange for you to stay at the rear camp to learn from the medical ninjas there."
Hyuga Genkou closed the resume and looked at the boy sitting respectfully before him.
"Do you have any objections?"
"Yes."Shinji Hyuga suddenly raised his head, his expression solemn.
"Hmm?"
"I request to join the team as a member of your personal guard."
Hyuga Genkou frowned, placed the resume folder on the table with a soft thud, and gave him a cold look.
"I told you,as a reconnaissance ninja, you're not good enough."
Shinji Hyuga raised his head, his white eyes, hidden beneath his thick bangs, gleaming with unwavering determination as he insisted:
"I can!"