Konoha, Year 57, July 23rd.
Konoha, Hyuga Clan Residence.
Thud, thud, thud...
A series of crisp, yet heavy, impacts echoed through the dojo of the clan leader's residence.
Looking through the scene, two children, a boy and a girl, were engaged in a taijutsu match.
The loud sounds were coming from their hands.
At this moment, Hinata and Hyuga Neji had their temples bulging with veins, their hands blurring into shadows as their fingertips were surrounded by blue chakra flames, targeting each other's pressure points.
Each strike failed to land. Before their attacks could reach the opponent's body, the other would block them or find a gap, forcing the attacker to shift from offense to defense.
The constant clash of chakra created waves of pressure.
This kind of pace tested their willpower. A single moment of carelessness could lead to losing everything.
As expected, after dozens of exchanges, a sharp sound of impact ended the battle.
Bang!
With Neji's eyes wide in disbelief, Hinata, with a serious expression, pressed her fingers onto his body, mercilessly sending chakra into him.
In that instant, the chakra in Neji's hands vanished.
Then, a torrential series of attacks struck him, each one embedding chakra into his body, blocking his chakra flow while causing intense pain.
But Neji gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a scream of agony.
After a series of blows, Hinata retracted her hands, her temples relaxing. She looked down at the fallen Neji and gently spoke, "Neji-nii, thank you for the lesson."
From a distance, Hyuga Hiashi, her father, couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Then, seizing the opportunity while Hinata wasn't looking, he stiffened his face and, with no expression, turned to Neji, saying, "Neji, go and treat yourself."
"Understood, Clan Head."
Neji lowered his head, hiding the bitterness and hatred in his heart. He stood and slightly bowed to Hinata, saying, "Thank you, Miss Hinata, for the lesson."
With that, he turned and left.
Hinata didn't notice the emotional shift in Neji.
After completing the "Family Monthly Examination," she immediately approached her father, her face full of anticipation, and said, "Father, may I take Hanabi out to play?"
"Mm, go ahead," Hiashi nodded.
"Thank you, Father."
Hinata flashed a faint smile and quickly ran out of the dojo, taking three-year-old Hanabi with her to find Izayoi to play.
It had been three years since they first started training together.
Over the past three years, Hinata's transformation was evident from her victory over Neji and the change in Hiashi's attitude.
This wasn't her first time defeating Neji.
Since the beginning of the year, she had been winning every match with him.
By the second half of the year, she had begun to dominate him.
The Gentle Fist technique, especially when it came to striking pressure points, tested not only the Byakugan but also chakra control.
And when it came to chakra control, only Izayoi could surpass Hinata among her peers.
Even Sakura, with her purple-level chakra control, couldn't match Hinata's, who had been practicing the Gentle Fist every day.
Defeating her once-feared cousin had allowed Hinata to undergo a complete transformation, making her more confident.
Both Hiashi and the clan elders had unanimously decided that Hinata would be the next heir to the main family.
As a result, many clan elders had been urging Hiashi to keep Hanabi confined to the "cage bird" seal.
However, Hiashi had refused, using the excuse of wanting to give Hanabi a happy childhood, and planned to make a decision when she turned twelve.
At the same time, Hiashi no longer stopped Hinata from spending time with Izayoi, even though he could see their relationship changing.
He even allowed Hinata to take Hanabi out to find Izayoi.
No one knew that Hiashi was secretly scheming.
He seemed to be planning something big, hoping both his daughters could avoid being trapped by the cage bird seal.
Izayoi, of course, was completely unaware.
He thought that Hinata and Hanabi were allowed to go out because of Hinata's excellence and the fact that she had secured her position as the clan heir.
As for Hinata's growing bond with Izayoi, which could lead to Hanabi being branded with the cage bird seal prematurely, Izayoi never considered it.
Even if he had known, he wouldn't have minded.
The cage bird seal was just a curse mark.
In terms of rank, it was even inferior to Orochimaru's curse seals of the earth and heaven.
Even if the Hyuga Clan didn't have a method of undoing the cage bird seal, once Izayoi mastered Yin-Yang Release, he could easily break it.
Even if Hanabi were to be branded with the seal, it would only be temporary pain.
After all, the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War had already passed, and Hanabi hadn't even graduated from ninja school yet.
Whether the Byakugan had flaws or not didn't matter at all.
Thud, thud, thud...
"Onī-chan, I'm here to play with you. Open the door!"
The sound of knocking and the childish voice echoed into Izayoi's ears.
When he opened the door, two figures appeared before him.
The shorter figure immediately pounced on him, hugging his waist and shouting, "Onī-chan, let's go out and play!"
Hanabi, now three years old, was dressed in a custom-made pink kimono, a habit she had already developed at such a young age.
Her black short hair covered her ears, and her bangs were parted in the middle.
With her baby-faced, round cheeks, she looked incredibly adorable, making people want to pinch her.
And Izayoi did exactly that.
Pinching Hanabi's small face, Izayoi smiled and asked, "Sure, what do you want to do today, Hanabi?"
To Izayoi, Hanabi's surroundings seemed to shimmer with bubbles of various colors.
[Princess of the Byakugan (Gold)]
[Kekkei Genkai · Byakugan (Purple)]
[Otsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)]
[Chunin Qualities (Blue)]
[Chakra Control (Blue)]
Compared to ordinary civilians and ninja clan children, Hanabi's attributes were quite impressive.
The only difference from Hinata was the gold-level "Princess of the Byakugan."
In the movie, where the Byakugan was taken by Otsutsuki Toneri and evolved into the Tenseigan in just a few days, Hanabi's Byakugan was almost of the same high purity.
She was just one level away from having the same attribute level as Hinata.
The rest of her attributes were identical to Hinata's, making her a weaker version of her older sister.
Like Hinata, she also had the potential to change her fate.
Izayoi, naturally, adored this cute and promising little sister-in-law.
"I want to eat sticky rice dumplings, and I want to ride high!" Hanabi stretched on her toes, trying to climb onto Izayoi's shoulders.
"Alright, today, Hanabi's in charge."
Izayoi ruffled Hanabi's small head and then crouched down, allowing her to climb onto his shoulders.
Holding her hands, he stood up, turned to Hinata, who was smiling at them, and instructed, "Hinata, close the door."
"Yes."
After the door was closed, Izayoi took the two sisters out to the bustling shopping street.
Since Hinata's mother passed away, the two of them had slowly transitioned from just being a pair to a trio.
He still remembered how Hinata cried her heart out that day.
Before Hanabi grew up, only Izayoi and her mother had given her the warmth and love she needed.
After her mother's passing, Hinata's dependence on Izayoi had grown to a new level.
Their relationship had gradually transformed into something deeper since that day.
Not wanting Hanabi to end up like herself, Hinata became even more dedicated to her training, hoping her younger sister could grow up happily.
Whenever she had the time, she would take Hanabi out to find Izayoi.
To Hinata, Izayoi was better at taking care of children than their father was.
Their father's imposing presence and serious expression, along with the high-pressure way he educated them, would have made Hinata collapse without her mother's support.
Now that her mother was gone, Hinata couldn't let Hanabi walk the same painful path she had.
Looking at Hanabi, who was sitting on Izayoi's shoulders with a big smile on her face, Hinata was more certain than ever that her decision had been right.