Chapter 139 (Patreon)

“Gentle Fist!”

“Eight Trigrams: Thirty-Two Palms!”

Hinata could now perform the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms without stopping.

Her palms struck Yujiro one after another.

Yujiro stood still and took every hit.

At her current level, her strikes weren’t much stronger than one of his maids massaging his shoulders and legs.

That told him everything he needed to know about her strength.

After delivering the final strike, Hinata stepped back and tried to catch her breath.

Yujiro hadn’t moved from where he stood.

Hinata’s palms, on the other hand, had turned red.

She had clearly given it everything she had.

Yujiro smiled.

Despite being born into the Hyuga clan, Hinata wasn’t spoiled like some children from powerful families. She took her training seriously and never tried to avoid hard work.

She worked hard, always tried to improve, and treated others kindly.

Who wouldn’t like a girl like that?

“All right. My turn.”

Yujiro grinned and vanished.

Hinata’s eyes widened.

Even with her Byakugan, she couldn’t find him.

Before she could react, Yujiro appeared directly in front of her.

His fist was already coming toward her.

Even her Byakugan could barely follow it.

Hinata shut her eyes and braced herself.

One second passed.

Then another.

The blow never came.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes.

Yujiro was holding one finger in front of her forehead.

He lightly flicked her.

“Ow!”

Hinata flinched.

For a moment, she thought her legs might give out. Not because the flick had hurt, but because of the fear she had felt just before it.

The tension left her body all at once, and tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them.

“Did I scare you?”

Yujiro lowered his hand and scratched the back of his head.

He had only meant to surprise her a little.

Maybe he had gone too far.

Hinata’s tears began to fall.

Yujiro drew a breath, unsure of what to do.

No wonder everyone liked her so much. If Hinata asked him for something while looking like this, he doubted he could refuse.

Hinata rubbed her eyes while stealing a glance at him.

Seeing Yujiro so flustered made her feel a little better.

She had heard plenty of rumors about him.

People described Yujiro as a monster whose presence alone could terrify other shinobi. They said he was cold-blooded and could kill without the slightest hesitation.

But the person standing in front of her was nothing like those rumors.

He was simply Yujiro-nii-san.

“Yujiro-nii-san...I-I’m all right.”

Hinata wiped away her tears and gave him a small smile.

“You’re all right?”

Yujiro stared at her.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Hinata nodded.

“Good.”

A relieved smile appeared on Yujiro’s face.

Truthfully, he had never been good at comforting girls.

His relationships with the women back home had somehow fallen into place on their own. Even Yujiro wasn’t sure how it had happened. Before he knew it, they had simply become part of his life.

“Um...Yujiro-nii-san, can I ask you a favor?”

Hinata held the hem of her clothes with her left hand. With her right, she lightly tugged at Yujiro’s sleeve.

“What is it?”

“Father has been asking me every day to bring you to the Hyuga compound. I think he wants to invite you over.”

Hinata lowered her voice.

“Would you come to our compound at noon today?”

“As a guest?”

Yujiro was a little surprised.

There was probably more to it than that.

Still, he wasn’t going to refuse Hinata.

“Sure.”

“But...”

Yujiro rubbed his chin and looked her over.

Hinata stiffened under his gaze. By the time he finally looked away, she was already sweating.

“Yujiro-nii-san...is something wrong?”

“I want you to team up with me.”

“Eh?”

Hinata blinked.

“From here on, we’re a team. We’ll track down Kiba and Shino. Those two got away earlier.”

Yujiro smiled.

“You’ll take the lead. I’ll stay close and support you.”

“Okay!”

Hinata’s face lit up.

Nothing made her happier than getting the chance to team up with Yujiro.

“All right. Let’s move.”

With that, the two of them disappeared from the training ground.

The Hyuga compound stood near the center of Konoha.

The Hyuga were one of the village’s major clans.

Over the past few days, however, unrest had spread through the compound.

It had been suppressed quickly, but the problem itself remained.

“Haah...”

A long sigh came from the main residence.

Hiashi Hyuga sat at the head of the table.

Seated across from him was his younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga.

Thanks to Yujiro’s intervention, the Hidden Cloud had never gotten the chance to seize the Byakugan.

Because of that, Hizashi was still alive.

“Brother, we must settle this properly.”

Hizashi’s expression was serious.

“Konoha’s clans have finally stabilized. They stand together now.”

“Even the Uchiha are united. We cannot allow the Hyuga to split apart.”

“Haah...”

Hiashi looked tired.

“This isn’t a problem we can solve in a day or two.”

“The Hyuga clan has been divided into the main branch and the cadet branch since the Warring States Period.”

“The Caged Bird curse mark has existed for just as long.”

“I’ve stopped placing it on children born into the cadet branch.”

“But the older generation is still bound by it.”

The resentment within the Hyuga clan had existed for generations.

Until now, the main branch had always kept the cadet branch under control. That was why the conflict had never developed into anything serious.

For the moment, the members of the cadet branch were only voicing the anger they had kept buried for years.

After all, who would willingly accept having their entire life controlled from birth?

“Then perhaps we should speak to Minister Yujiro.”

Hizashi spoke without hesitation.

He still remembered the way Yujiro had fought on the battlefield.

It was the first time he had ever looked at another shinobi with such respect.

“All right.”

Hiashi immediately nodded.

“Hinata told me yesterday that Yujiro would be at Team Eight’s training ground today.”

“Then let’s go. Now.”

“Brother, you’re going yourself?”

Hizashi stared at him in surprise.

Hiashi raised an eyebrow.

“Of course I am. And you’re coming with me.”

“It has nothing to do with his position.”

“This is Yujiro we’re speaking of.”

Hiashi rose from his seat.

“He is the God of Konoha.”