Arrival at the Hyuga Compound
The gates of the Hyuga estate loomed tall and stark, built from pale stone and ancient wood, carved with the symbols of lineage and legacy. A pair of stoic guards stood at attention, their white eyes scanning every movement with unwavering precision.
Renji approached slowly, dressed in a simple, clean yukata. He wasn't sure if it was the right attire, but he remembered somewhere in his past life—or whatever that was—that diplomacy often started with humility.
One of the guards stepped forward.
"State your name and purpose."
"Renji," he said clearly. "I was invited for training. This." He held up the scroll with Hiashi Hyuga's official seal.
The guard examined it for a moment, then nodded. "Follow."
The walk through the compound was silent, serene. Manicured gardens. Raked sand. Gentle water features trickling beneath sakura trees. But the air… the air watched you. That's what it felt like. A thousand eyes from behind silk doors and sliding panels. Judging. Measuring.
He stopped in front of a wide courtyard. There stood two figures.
One was Hiashi Hyuga, poised and imposing, arms behind his back, face unreadable.
The other…
Hinata.
She wore a light lavender training robe with the Hyuga crest on her shoulder. Her hair was pinned back in a neat knot, but a few strands curled softly around her cheeks. When she saw Renji, her posture straightened—then relaxed again.
"You came," she said, smiling softly.
He bowed, slightly awkward. "Thank you for the invitation, Lady Hinata."
Her cheeks flushed. "You don't have to be formal."
Hiashi cleared his throat. "You'll spar with Hinata and Neji. Observation only today. No jutsu. I want to see how you move."
Renji turned to the other end of the courtyard.
Neji Hyuga.
Younger than he would be in the Chūnin Exams, but already radiating precision. Even standing still, his eyes made Renji feel like his skin was being peeled back and studied.
Neji nodded. "I hope you don't disappoint."
Not planning to, Renji thought.
Match One: Gentle vs. Fluid
Neji and Renji stood across from each other in the ring marked by pebbles and garden lines. Hiashi and Hinata stood at the edge, watching closely.
Neji took his stance: Jūken—Gentle Fist. Classic Hyuga. Arms raised, fingers pointed like fangs. Center of gravity perfectly balanced.
Renji… didn't take a stance.
He just breathed.
Neji's brow lifted faintly. Arrogance? Or confidence?
Then, in a blur, Neji charged.
Renji dodged.
Not with a backstep. Not with speed.
With intuition.
He leaned around Neji's strike like it was a breeze. Slid through the gap, turned behind him in a slow spin, and flicked Neji's sleeve.
"Too slow," Renji said with a calm voice.
Hiashi's eyes narrowed. That movement… it's like water—but with purpose.
Neji's frustration ignited. His strikes came faster now—precision bursts, chakra-threaded touches aimed for chakra points. Renji ducked under a sweeping palm and spun with a leg sweep of his own—catching Neji off guard.
Their legs clashed.
Neji recovered mid-fall, flipping back.
"You're… weird," Neji muttered. "You don't block. You don't attack. You just flow."
"I listen to your body," Renji replied. "It tells me everything."
Hinata looked stunned. Her father, however… wasn't blinking.
"Again," Hiashi said. "With chakra."
The Warning
After the spar, Renji found himself seated on a cushion in a private room, served tea by one of the branch family servants. Hinata sat beside him, fidgeting with her sleeves.
"You were amazing," she said. "Even Neji was impressed. Though he'd never say it."
Renji chuckled, then turned serious. "What… was your father thinking the whole time? I felt like he was studying me like a threat."
Hinata bit her lip. "He… noticed something."
Before she could say more, the door opened.
An elder of the clan entered—gray hair, old robes, a face wrinkled with years of suspicion. He had no name that Renji knew, but he could feel this man's authority like pressure in the room.
"Boy," the elder said. "Where did you learn to move like that?"
Renji met his eyes calmly. "I… don't know. It just feels natural."
"Natural," the old man echoed, as if tasting poison. "That was not taijutsu. That was reaction without thought. That is something ancient."
Silence.
The man stepped closer.
"Do you hear them? The voices from the past?"
Renji froze.
The elder's voice dropped. "You are a vessel. I don't know for whom. But I warn you—if you bring danger to this village, or to Lady Hinata, the Hyuga will remove you."
He turned and left as swiftly as he entered.
Hinata was pale.
Renji exhaled slowly. "Well. That was charming."
Moonlight Confessions
Later that evening, Renji sat atop the Hokage Monument with Naruto and Hinata. Naruto was loudly trying to balance a stick on his nose while Hinata giggled.
Renji was quiet.
Then Hinata whispered, "Do you think… you were someone else before?"
Renji's heart stopped.
"Why do you ask?"
She didn't answer directly. She just looked at him—saw him—and smiled faintly.
"Because you feel like you belong… but you don't belong anywhere."
Renji swallowed. "That's exactly how I feel."
Their fingers brushed.
For a moment—just a moment—their hands locked.
And under the moonlight, something changed between them.
End of Chapter 12