Seeing that Feng An had completely left, Hinata entered the house and carefully bolted the door. She tiptoed toward the inner room.
"Hinata."
A deep voice sounded. Hinata immediately lowered her head and walked over. "Father."
A man was sitting in the hallway with his arms crossed, seemingly having been there for a long time. It was Hinata's father, Hyūga Hiashi.
"That young man just now was Feng An, wasn't he?"
Hinata nodded. "Yes."
It turned out Hyūga Hiashi had already activated his Byakugan and seen everything that had just happened. Fortunately, Feng An hadn't gotten overly familiar; otherwise, Hiashi would have surely rushed out to intervene.
Hyūga Hiashi pulled Hinata into a brief embrace. "I understand you have feelings for him because he saved you when you were little. But you are the daughter of Hyūga Hiashi, destined to uphold the future of the Hyūga clan. He is not the most suitable person for you."
When Hinata was mocked as a "Byakugan monster" in her childhood, the red-haired Feng An, who had been waiting in a tree, jumped down and easily chased away those foul-mouthed boys. That scene was deeply etched in her mind.
Hinata pulled out of his embrace, raised her fair face, met Hiashi's gaze for a moment, then quickly looked away. "Father, Neji is so excellent. Why can't we place our hopes on him?"
"You are from the Main Family. Neji is from the Branch Family. The Branch Family exists to protect the Main Family!" Hyūga Hiashi seemed angered. He stood up and flicked his sleeves behind him. As he turned to leave, he sighed. "This is the way of our Hyūga clan. In any case, you and Feng An should reduce your interactions."
"I'm sorry. This time… I will not follow your arrangements, Father." Hinata's eyes were red, but her gaze was firm as she walked toward her room.
She didn't fully grasp the importance of the so-called family honor and future Hiashi spoke of. She knew Neji had been extremely talented since childhood, while her own talent was ordinary. Even with immense effort, she couldn't surpass him. Yet, fate had placed her in the main family, burdening her with the identity of the Hyūga heir since birth.
Hearing her words, Hyūga Hiashi clenched his fists, a mix of sternness and reluctance on his face. He had already considered training the more talented Hyūga Hanabi as his successor. Now, seeing Hinata's defiance, he became even more determined to make Hanabi the heir. If Hinata had been more resilient, even without outstanding talent, Hiashi might not have chosen to bypass her.
"But that kid's red hair… an orphan of the Uzumaki clan? If it's the Uzumaki clan now… it's still not enough."
…
On the other side, Feng An had returned to his small house. He didn't go to sleep immediately but instead began refining the fire and earth chakra from his body's cells, drawing them into his dantian to fuse.
As the two pools of blue chakra in his dantian slowly began to spin, a small vortex appeared. The fusion seemed to produce a new chakra nature transformation, but it was minuscule, dissipating the moment he tried to utilize it.
"As expected, it still failed." Feng An had been conducting this research for two and a half years without substantial results. The experiment was his pursuit of a theoretically possible Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit), something typically only achievable through bloodline inheritance.
But he always felt that possessing the corresponding chakra natures might allow one to master a Kekkei Genkai, or even a Kekkei Tōta (Bloodline Trait), later in life. He had tried countless methods—simultaneous release, sequential fusion—all ending in failure.
Once, a thought struck him: what if he used the body's chakra points (tenketsu) to fuse two chakra natures? After extensive experimentation, he found this could indeed catalyze a new nature transformation. The only pity was his inability to stabilize and retain the change.
Years of experimentation had made it a pre-sleep ritual. "Today must be the most exhausting day I've had in years… but it was certainly more fulfilling." In the past, his days were spent wandering and enjoying the scenery.
Feng An took a shower, lay on his bed, and quickly fell asleep.
…
The next day, Team 8, plus Feng An, was training at the grounds. Kurenai Yūhi pointed out their problems and assigned drills targeting their weaknesses.
After addressing the others, Kurenai looked at Feng An. "You…" During yesterday's mission, he was the only one who hadn't shown obvious areas for improvement. "Go play by yourself."
"???" Feng An complained, "I've called you Kurenai-sensei all day, and you're just going to brush me off like this?"
Kurenai squatted down and smiled, pinching his cheek. "I'm not specialized in the powerful ninjutsu suited for you. Would you like to learn genjutsu?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, then come with me this way." Kurenai walked ahead, Feng An following behind, completely failing to notice her subtle hand seals at that moment. Let's see how long it takes you to break free. Genjutsu cannot be mastered through theory alone.
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."
As Feng An walked, he suddenly realized Kurenai-sensei had vanished. "Where's Kurenai-sensei?" He scratched his head, looked back, and found Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba were also gone.
What's going on?
Just as he walked further, a white light flashed before his eyes, and a tantalizing scene unfolded. A group of women, dressed alluringly and exceptionally beautiful, appeared—all figures he recognized: Hinata, Kurenai, Tenten, Tsunade, Konan, Chiyo, Mei Terumī, Temari, Mikoto… It was dazzling.
He swallowed hard. Unlike usual, they had shed their ninja attire for various swimsuits! The sight was overwhelming. As the sensory-type among them noticed him, they all rushed over. Several, like Hinata, ran with a bounce that made Feng An's eyes widen.
"Lord Feng An~~~" Sultry, sweet voices filled the air.
Where is this? Have I stumbled into paradise?!
Just as he opened his arms to embrace them, Chiyo, running at the front with a crazed look, suddenly bisected him at the waist!
Blood splattered on his face. Before he could process it, the paradise of a second ago transformed into hell. The kunoichi weren't fighting for him—they were slaughtering each other! Kurenai, Tenten, Temari, Mikoto… Soon, a large number of women lay in pools of blood, all having shouted his name.
This was a true carnage battlefield!
"Feng An belongs only to me. You can forget about sharing him." Finally, only Hinata remained, her body drenched in blood. She stood in the gore, hands clasped shyly over her chest. "Feng An… you belong only to me…"
*****
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