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It was noon.
Unkawa Hyūga walked back from Konoha Hospital toward the Hyūga compound, glancing down at his bandaged hand.
Thanks to this body's increasingly powerful self-healing ability, the wound on his palm had actually healed completely while he was still on the way to the hospital.
But to avoid unnecessary attention, he had made another cut on the same spot.
Even so, the medical ninja at the hospital were still impressed—such strong regenerative abilities were rare indeed.
Of course, there were other reasons why Unkawa did it this way.
"..."
As he pondered, Unkawa had already reached the edge of a training ground. He looked up and saw the figure standing there, surrounded by several people bowing respectfully.
Hyūga Hana, the daughter of one of the main house elders in the Hyūga clan. (Previously called Ai)
Her long black hair shimmered under the sunlight like flowing ink. The sixteen-year-old girl's rosy cheeks still bore the softness of youth, but her white eyes were sharp as ice-edged blades.
"Get out of my way!"
She kicked the branch member kneeling before her without hesitation, and the man gritted his teeth through the pain, not daring to show even the slightest sign of complaint or resentment.
"Useless."
Hana scowled at him before sweeping her gaze over the others, her tone exasperated. "All of you are useless! Not one of you dares to fight back. Father actually sent these useless excuses to protect me?"
The surrounding branch members lowered their heads, their attitudes respectful and submissive, too afraid to argue or act out of line.
Because that main house elder only had one daughter, who had been spoiled since childhood. Her personality was brash, spoiled, and arrogant.
If that were the only issue, it wouldn't be so bad—many main house children were like that.
Unfortunately, she also loved confrontation and competition, always wanting to go off to the battlefield and kill enemies.
This time, she had been denied again by her father when she asked for permission to leave the village, and now she was taking out her frustration on them, demanding they fight her at full strength.
Not only would fighting at full strength risk accidentally injuring her, but any misstep or defiance would trigger the cursed seal's torment.
Right now, even being insulted and beaten lightly was a relief compared to the soul-wrenching agony of the seal. If Hana wanted it, they'd even crawl on the floor and bark like dogs.
"Wait a second." As if noticing something, Hana frowned and asked coldly, "Aren't we missing someone?"
At her words, the branch members slightly raised their heads, exchanging brief glances, all realizing who was absent.
"Hana-sama," one of the branch members, the one who had blocked Unkawa earlier that morning, finally spoke up, bowing respectfully. "It's… him."
"Hana-sama, I'm here."
Before he could finish, a familiar voice interrupted him, making his body stiffen as the dull ache in his bruised abdomen flared up again.
Hana turned her head, seeing Unkawa approaching, and coldly remarked, "I was wondering who was missing. It's you, the useless one."
Unkawa ignored her sarcasm, lifting his bandaged hand slightly and lowering his gaze. "Apologies, Hana-sama. My hand is injured, so I might not be able to—"
Whiz!
A sudden whistling sound pierced the air. Instinctively, he turned his head to dodge, and the punch barely missed his ear, sending a gust of wind through his ponytail.
Unkawa calmly lifted his lowered brow, meeting a pair of emotionless white eyes.
"Don't talk nonsense," Hana said coldly. "Let me see if you've improved at all."
With that, Hana retracted her fist and extended her palm, thrusting it forward toward Unkawa's chest.
But in the next instant, his figure moved away as if floating on the wind, evading her strike like a falling leaf.
A flicker of surprise crossed Hana's eyes. A cruel vein bulged around her eye sockets as she took up the true starting stance of Gentle Fist.
Then, in the blink of an eye, her right hand became a blur, three fingers coming together to strike at Unkawa's left shoulder.
"..." Seeing this, Unkawa sighed inwardly. "She doesn't want to take no for an answer."
Well then.
Unkawa slowly closed his eyes.
Sure enough, he once again entered that fully focused state, where all physical senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch—were shut out, leaving only spiritual perception.
Crunch!
His body twisted backward sharply, and Hana's fingertips barely brushed his nose, leaving a two-inch deep palm print on the wooden post behind him. Splinters rained down onto his lashes, carrying the bitter scent of pine resin.
Hana's punches and palms came fast and furious, but to Unkawa's perception, they were agonizingly slow.
The boiling blood within his body surged like a tide, burning hot like molten lava, allowing his body to match the speed of his thoughts.
He felt like the only normal-speed presence in a slow-motion film, freely navigating the elongated timeline.
"What the hell?"
Watching her every move effortlessly dodged by Unkawa—who had his eyes closed—Hana narrowed her eyes, her expression turning excited. But her movements grew increasingly frantic.
Unkawa could "see" that each of her attacks, though fierce, left her ribs wide open with every turn.
In the next second, seizing the moment of her mistake, Unkawa's palm rose from his chest like a fish twisting its body, grabbing Hana's wrist. His other arm locked hers in place, twisting with a force that sent a jolt through her bones.
Crack! Crick!
Two sounds rang out in quick succession.
One was a bone shifting.
The other was a bone snapping back into place.
The movement was smooth and practiced, giving her no chance to scream. Only a flash of sharp pain remained.
Before she could recover from the shock, Unkawa moved again.
His body trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly, and a clear, penetrating force shot through his muscles from his spine to his arms, like a whip cracking across the air.
Boom!
The sound was like a bamboo pole bending to its breaking point and suddenly snapping, accompanied by a thin mist bursting into the air like a veil.
The blow struck Hana's arm blocking in front of her, sending her staggering backward as if struck by a hammer, her balance failing as she nearly fell flat on her face.
If she fell too disgracefully, it would be hard to explain.
Unkawa sighed, reaching out and grabbing her collar with a rough yank.
The girl's body crashed into his chest, the sweet scent of orange blossoms mixing with sweat. Her heart pounded against his shirt, loud and erratic.
"Enough fun, Hana 'sama'," Unkawa opened his eyes, staring into her trembling ones, his voice laced with bitterness as he lowered his voice. "If you really want to go to war, at least understand this…"
"In this blood-soaked land, in this cruel family, your survival is because many lives have been sacrificed."
"One who lives must be worthy of such sacrifice."
"Unfortunately, in my eyes, you aren't."
Saying that, he lifted his head, released Hana's wrist, and pushed her away.
Ignoring the looks of shock, fear, and awe from those around him, Unkawa gave a slight bow to Hana before turning and walking away.
Facing away from her, his expression was calm, his steps steady as he exited the training ground.
But the moment he stepped out, a familiar prompt echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Your lie has been identified as [False Affection][Flirting], Hana experiences intense emotional fluctuation, reaching the level of [Self-Doubt], gaining 300 Reality Points...]
"...Tsk," Unkawa's smile vanished as he muttered under his breath, "That's slander."
"I can't bring myself to deceive a woman."
After saying the joke, his peripheral vision caught sight of a familiar figure rushing out from another estate, a young face filled with anger.
That was…
Hyūga Neji.
"Oh look," Unkawa narrowed his eyes with a smirk. "My protagonist has arrived."
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