Chapter 19: Izayoi and His Little Sister-in-Law

  Konoha Year 57, July 23rd.

  Konoha, Hyūga Cn Grounds.

  Thwack, thwack, thwack...

  Within the dojo of the cn head's residence, a series of crisp yet heavy impact sounds echoed continuously. Peering inside, one would see two children, a boy and a girl, engaged in intense Taijutsu sparring. The rapid sounds emanated from their hands striking against each other.

  Both Hinata and Neji Hyūga currently had veins bulging near their temples, indicating their Byakugan were active. Their hands moved in blurs, fingertips wreathed in a blue chakra aura, striking towards each other's vital points. Every strike failed to nd cleanly; before contact could be made, it was either blocked by the opponent or deflected as they exploited an opening, forcing the attacker to switch from offense to defense. The constant collision of their chakra generated roaring shockwaves. This high-paced exchange tested one's willpower immensely. A momentary pse in concentration could allow the opponent to seize an opening, leading to total defeat.

  Sure enough, after dozens of rounds, a single crisp striking sound ended the battle.

  Thwack—

  As Neji Hyūga's eyes widened in disbelief, Hinata, her expression serious, nded a finger strike squarely on his body, mercilessly injecting chakra into him. Instantly, the chakra flowing through Neji's hands dissipated. Immediately following this, a storm-like barrage of attacks rained down upon him, each strike infusing chakra into his body, sealing his chakra flow while simultaneously inflicting intense pain.

  Despite the agony, Neji Hyūga clenched his teeth, refusing to cry out. After the combination ended, Hinata retracted her hands, the bulging veins near her temples subsided. Looking at Neji, who had colpsed onto the ground, she said softly, "Neji-niisan, thank you for the guidance."

  Witnessing this scene from nearby, Hiashi Hyūga's face couldn't help but break into a gratified smile. He quickly masked it before Hinata looked over, his expression becoming stern and impassive again as he addressed Neji, "Neji, go get treated."

  "Yes, Lord Hiashi," Neji replied, lowering his head to hide the resentment and hatred in his heart. He rose, gave Hinata a slight bow, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Lady Hinata." Then, he turned and left.

  Hinata didn't notice the subtle shift in Neji's emotions. Having completed her 'family monthly assessment,' she immediately went to Hiashi Hyūga, her face full of anticipation. "Father, I'd like to take Hanabi out to py, may I?"

  "Mm, go ahead," Hiashi Hyūga nodded.

  "Thank you, Father." Hinata gave a slight smile, then jogged out of the dojo to fetch Hanabi, who was now three years old, intending to take her out of the compound to py with Izayoi.

  Exactly three years had passed since Hinata first started training with Izayoi. The extent of her transformation in these three years was evident from her victory over Neji Hyūga and Hiashi's current attitude. This wasn't the first time she had defeated Neji. Since the beginning of the year, she had won every spar against him. From the tter half of the year onwards, she had even begun to show overwhelming dominance.

  The pressure point striking technique tested not only the Byakugan but also chakra control. And in terms of chakra control, among their peers currently, only Izayoi could surpass Hinata. Even Sakura Haruno, whose trait rank for chakra control was Purple, couldn't match Hinata's current level, as Hinata practiced her pressure point strikes daily. Defeating her cousin, whom she had always feared, marked Hinata's complete metamorphosis; she had become thoroughly confident.

  As a result, both Hiashi Hyūga and the Main Family elders had unanimously decided: Hinata was the future heir to the Main Family. Consequently, several Main Family elders were urging Hiashi Hyūga to apply the Caged Bird Seal to Hanabi. However, Hiashi refused, using the excuse that after his wife's passing, he wanted to give Hanabi a happy childhood, deying the decision until Hanabi turned twelve.

  Simultaneously, Hiashi Hyūga no longer interfered with Hinata and Izayoi's association, even though he noticed their feelings for each other were gradually undergoing a fundamental change. He even permitted Hinata to take Hanabi out of the compound to py with Izayoi.

  No one knew Hiashi Hyūga's hidden thoughts. He seemed to be pying a very intricate game, possibly aiming for a future where neither of his daughters would receive the Caged Bird Seal.

  Izayoi, naturally, was completely unaware of these underlying motives. He simply assumed Hinata and Hanabi's freedom to go out was because Hinata's excellent performance had solidified her position as the Hyūga heir. As for the possibility that Hinata securing her status might lead to Hanabi receiving the Caged Bird Seal earlier, Izayoi hadn't considered it. Even if he had known, Izayoi wouldn't have been overly concerned. The Caged Bird Seal was just a type of curse mark. In terms of rank, it wasn't even comparable to Orochimaru's Earth or Heaven Curse Marks. Even if the Hyūga cn had no method to remove the Caged Bird Seal, once Izayoi mastered Yin-Yang Release, he could remove the curse mark himself. Even if Hanabi received the seal, it would only be a temporary pain. After all, by the end of Shippuden in the original story, she still hadn't graduated from the Ninja Academy; whether her Byakugan had any 'defects' from the seal was rgely irrelevant to her path.

  ...

  Knock, knock, knock...

  "Onii-chan! I came to py! Open the door quickly!" The sound of knocking, accompanied by a child's clear shout, reached Izayoi's ears.

  Opening the door, he saw two figures, one tall and one short, standing before him. The shorter figure immediately dashed forward, hugging Izayoi's waist and exciming, "Onii-chan, let's go py!"

  Hanabi, now three years old, was dressed in a custom-made pink kimono; even at such a young age, she had already developed the habit of wearing one. Her short bck hair just covered her ears, and her bangs were parted in the center. Her small face, full of baby fat, was round and adorable, making one irresistibly want to pinch her cheeks.

  And Izayoi did just that. Gently pinching Hanabi's cheek, Izayoi smiled, "Alright, what does Hanabi want to py today?"

  In Izayoi's eyes, several bubbles of varying colors floated around Hanabi.

  【Princess of the Byakugan (Gold)】

  【Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan (Purple)】

  【ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)】

  【Jonin Aptitude (Blue)】

  【Chakra Control (Blue)】

  Compared to commoners and children from ordinary ninja cns, Hanabi's stats were incredibly luxurious. The only area where she fell short of Hinata was the rank of her Princess of the Byakugan trait, which was Gold instead of Red. Given that her Byakugan was stolen by Toneri ōtsutsuki in the movie and evolved into the Tenseigan within days, Hanabi's Byakugan purity must also be extremely high. She was just one rank away from being on the same level as Hinata in that regard. Her other traits were identical to Hinata's, making her essentially a slightly weaker version of Hinata, but still possessing the potential to defy her fate.

  Izayoi was naturally quite fond of this cute and incredibly potential-filled "little sister-in-w."

  "I want to eat sticky rice dumplings, and I want to ride high-high!" Hanabi demanded, standing on her tiptoes, trying to climb onto Izayoi.

  "Okay, today, whatever Hanabi says, goes." Izayoi ruffled Hanabi's hair affectionately, then crouched down, allowing her to sit astride his shoulders. Holding Hanabi's small hands securely, Izayoi stood up and instructed Hinata, who was watching them with a smile, "Hinata, close the door."

  "Yes."

  After closing the door, Izayoi carried Hanabi on his shoulders, with Hinata walking alongside, as they headed towards the bustling shopping street. Since Hinata's mother had passed away unconsciously, their outings as a pair had gradually become outings as a trio. Izayoi vaguely recalled Hinata crying heartbrokenly on that day. Before Hanabi grew older, only her mother and Izayoi had provided the gentleness and care she craved. After her mother's passing, Hinata's reliance on Izayoi reached an even deeper level. It was from that day onwards that their feelings began to undergo a fundamental change.

  To prevent Hanabi from becoming a second version of herself, Hinata trained even harder, wanting her younger sister to grow up happy. Whenever she had time, she would bring her sister out to find Izayoi, because in Hinata's eyes, Izayoi was better at taking care of children than her father. Her father's aura was too intimidating; his stern expression and high-pressure education methods... if not for the love her mother had given her, Hinata would have broken down long ago. Now that her mother was gone, Hinata couldn't let Hanabi follow the same path.

  Seeing Hanabi sitting on Izayoi's shoulders, her face beaming with smiles, Hinata felt her decision was absolutely correct.