"Hinata, you've been working hard lately."
Natsuki's voice reached Hinata's ears, instantly painting her cheeks crimson. She nodded.
"Yes, I want to keep up with you, Natsuki. I don't want to be left too far behind.
"I want to fight alongside you in the future.
"Not like during the Chunin Exams incident, where I had to be protected.
"I know I can do it."
The gentle and introverted Hinata, easily flustered by anything, would become exceptionally brave and strong for the one she loved.
"I'll train with you then.
"But, when I'm not around, don't overdo it. Make sure to get plenty of rest. Balance is important.
"Continuous high-intensity training can easily hurt you."
Natsuki released the arm he had around Hinata, and gently ruffled her hair.
The young girl had started to grow her hair out; it was a bit longer than her previous bob.
She looked really charming.
"Mm-hmm, I understand."
Treated so tenderly by Natsuki, Hinata shyly lowered her head again, a faint wisp of steam rising from her hair.
She dared not meet his eyes.
Suddenly, the hand ruffling Hinata's hair was removed by another small, delicate hand.
It was placed on her head instead.
"Hey, Natsuki, no fair! Can you train me too?
"I also want to be as strong as you.
"Especially that flying ability of yours, Hanabi really wants to learn it!" Little Hanabi clutched Natsuki's arm, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.
She knew that Natsuki had helped her sister awaken her Tenseigan.
She was much smarter than her dumb sister; since childhood, everyone in the clan, even her father, had said she was more talented.
So, as long as Natsuki was willing to help, she could definitely awaken that beautiful and powerful Tenseigan.
Then, the three of them could soar through the sky together.
Flying freely in the sky like a bird was a universal dream, even more so for ninjas who leaped from rooftop to rooftop.
One reason was speed, but another was the thrill of gliding through the air.
Hearing this, Natsuki switched from ruffling to knocking, tapping Hanabi lightly on the head. "What are you getting excited about?
"Tenseigan isn't something just anyone can awaken."
Hanabi immediately puffed out her cheeks, retorting, "I'm more talented than my sister; I can definitely awaken it!"
"Haha, it's good that you're spirited! Since you're so confident…hmmmm
"Alright! I'll teach you the method of awakening it."
Natsuki laughed heartily, placing his hand on Hanabi's small head, messing up her soft, long hair.
"It's a difficult process though, so you have to put in ten times more effort than others. You can't even think of slacking off!"
Hanabi's face immediately drooped. "Ah? Why do I have to put in ten times the effort?
"Brother Natsuki, you're being biased, aren't you?! You tell my sister to rest well, but you tell me to train harder.
"Is it because sister is more obedient? I can be obedient too!"
These words made Hinata's face flush red.
She could only bury her head in Natsuki's arms, not daring to make a sound.
Where was this brat learning all these terms from?
"Hah, you're five years younger than your sister, shouldn't you be naturally putting in ten times the effort?"
Natsuki couldn't help but knock on Hanabi's head again.
This little girl was much mature than her looks suggested, much more lively than Hinata ever was at her age.
"Oh, that makes sense?"
Hanabi tilted her head with a thoughtful expression on her face.
She realized she really did need to double her efforts to make up for the age difference.
"But, in our usual sparring, if sister doesn't use her Tenseigan, she can't beat me. Father always praises me for that!"
"Idiot, that's because your sister doesn't want to hurt you, so she lets you win. Do you really think you can beat her now?" Natsuki's hands moved incessantly.
"Ah, Natsuki, stop hitting my head! If you hit it me again, I'll really become an idiot!"
…
On the calm water's surface, two figures, one tall and one short, stood facing each other.
Natsuki felt it was necessary to teach Hanabi a lesson for her arrogance, to prevent her from becoming more complacent.
After all, while few of her peers could surpass her, there were countless others in the ninja world who were stronger.
In battles between ninjas, a moment of carelessness could lead to death.
Therefore, any sign of arrogance and carelessness must be nipped in the bud.
Hanabi had even proposed a water-based battle this time.
She had mastered skills like water walking and tree climbing at a young age and could easily stand on the water's surface using chakra.
The rule of this spar was simple: whoever lost their chakra control first and fell into the water would be declared the loser.
The Hyūga Clan was famous for its Gentle Fist, a unique fighting style that allowed the user to inject chakra into an opponent's body, disrupting their chakra flow.
If a vital point was struck, it could seal the opponent's ability to use chakra, crippling their movements.
In their usual training, Hanabi's Gentle Fist was superior to Hinata's.
Therefore, she was confident in making her sister fall into the water first.
"Alright, begin!"
"Hinata, don't you dare hold back this time, and no Tenseigan.
"Teach that sister of yours a good lesson." Natsuki, acting as the referee, shouted from the shore.
Usually, in front of their father, Hinata never dared to use her true strength for fear of hurting Hanabi.
"Uh, okay, Natsuki."
But hearing Natsuki's instruction, Hinata shook off all her reservations.
Hinata's initially innocent and concerned gaze towards Hanabi immediately sharpened.
This was the first time Hanabi had seen such an aggressive sister.
In their previous sparring sessions, Hinata always appeared weak and hesitant to use force, much to their father's disappointment.
After all, weakness and compassion were undesirable traits for a leader in the cruel ninja world,.
Could it be that her sister had been holding back all along? Hanabi was a smart girl and this tought suddenly flashed through her mind.
'Wait, would I be beaten badly? Wouldn't that be embarrassing, especially in front of Natsuki?'
An idea sparked mind at that time; her Sister was rather naive afterall, she could probably try to trick her.
Thinking of this, Hanabi put on an exaggeratedly frightened expression and shouted:
"Eh? Seriously, sister? You become so scary after just a few words from Natsuki!
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
This immediately broke through Hinata's sharp gaze. "Ahh?
"How could that be? I would never do anything like that to you..."
And that giave Hanabi the perfect opportunity!
Seeing her sister in a daze and her guard down, a glint flashed in Hanabi's eyes, and a sly smile briefly touched her lips.
Her small, white foot tapped the water's surface, creating ripples as she pounced like a tiger toward Hinata.
Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palm!
Accupoint Sealing!
With a single palm strike aimed at Hinata's lower body, she declared, "Sister, you're as naive and innocent as ever."
…