Early in the morning, before dawn had fully broken, the gate of the Hyūga compound was pushed open. Hyūga Hiashi left in a hurry, dark circles prominent under his eyes. Because of Feng An, he hadn't slept well all night. Every time he drifted off, he dreamed of his daughter Hinata and Feng An flirting shamelessly. The worst was when they leaned in for a kiss. Fortunately, he always woke up just before it happened.
He couldn't wait any longer; he had to get Kurenai Yūhi to kick Feng An out of Team 8 immediately. He moved swiftly, leaping across rooftops, taking the most direct route. The noise woke many people before they had even gotten up. "It's those damn shinobi again," they cursed, hurling insults after him. But Hiashi moved too fast for the sound to reach his ears.
Swoosh. Hyūga Hiashi dropped from a roof and landed before Kurenai Yūhi's residence. Kurenai, who was watering her flowers, sensed someone approaching. She leaned out her window and saw Hiashi standing there, anxiety written all over his face. Kurenai was puzzled. She knew Hyūga Hiashi was the patriarch of the Hyūga clan, but they had little interaction.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
Hiashi saw her and hurried forward. "Kurenai, I have something to discuss with you."
As he approached, Kurenai noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "Come in and tell me," she said, setting down her watering can and opening the door.
Once inside, Hiashi seemed unwilling to waste a moment. "Kurenai, can that student named Feng An be transferred to another team?"
Kurenai raised an eyebrow. She had been confused, but now she understood why Hiashi had come so early. A parent trying to break up a young couple.
"Senior, Feng An's situation is very special."
"I know no jōnin wanted him. Don't worry, I can have an elite from my clan instruct him personally," Hiashi offered, thinking Kurenai was concerned about the teacher-student relationship. He was deliberately vague—who knew if the "elite" would be a jōnin or a chūnin?
He thought his offer was generous enough. He'd inquired and learned Feng An was dead last in the academy, with mediocre grades and no displayed talent. But Kurenai simply shook her head.
"Senior, you misunderstand. What I meant was that Feng An is a special case. In my opinion, he is worth cultivating."
Hiashi was stunned. He hadn't expected a refusal. Giving up a last-place student to curry favor with the leader of Konoha's strongest clan? A win-win no matter how you look at it. He pondered and concluded Kurenai had anticipated his visit and was using this as a pretext to extort benefits. It can't be that Feng An is actually talented, right?
Calming himself, Hiashi forced a smile. If it's benefits she wants, the Hyūga clan's resources can easily satisfy her. "Afterwards, I will give you one million ryō from my personal funds."
Kurenai frowned. "What do you take me for?"
Not enough? "Two million ryō," Hiashi said in a low voice. In his view, this was far more than a last-place student was worth, but for his daughter's sake, he was willing to take the loss.
Kurenai's gentle eyes turned cold. "I don't know what gave you the impression I am someone who would sell out a student. Please leave."
Hiashi's face paled. He hadn't expected her appetite to be so large. Two million ryō wasn't enough! Only S-rank missions offered rewards over a million, and those were exclusively for Kage-level shinobi. Kurenai had only recently been promoted to jōnin. Even if she could solo an A-rank mission (worth ~150,000 ryō), she'd need over a dozen to earn two million—discounting the immense risk and time cost. If she took lower-risk C-ranks (30,000 ryō) or D-ranks (5,000 ryō), it would take her months of nonstop work to earn that sum.
He stood up abruptly. "Hmph! Greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Is a useless student worth two million ryō?"
Kurenai had addressed him respectfully as 'senior' due to his status as Hyūga clan head, not wanting to make an enemy. But in her view, his behavior was an insult. She also stood, her tone calm but firm. "Feng An is a student I have chosen. In my opinion, he is no worse than Hyūga Neji."
Since entering the academy, Hyūga Neji had been hailed as the most talented youth of the Hyūga clan—a fact that secretly galled the main family, as their reputation was being upheld by a branch member's genius.
Hiashi's expression soured. Neji was a thorn in his side. Though from a branch family, he had to admit the boy's talent. "How can a loser who barely graduated surpass Neji?" This was just a ridiculous excuse for her greed, he thought.
Kurenai looked at him coldly. "The 'trash' you mentioned has already mastered the Great Fireball Technique."
"It's just a C-rank ninjutsu. It only means he works hard."
"Have you ever seen a newly graduated genin casually release a massive fireball five meters in diameter?"
Hiashi scoffed, "Hmph, five meters, so what?" Wait. "Five meters in diameter?!" His eyes widened. Releasing a five-meter fireball proved mastery. Even Uchiha Sasuke, a genius as renowned as Neji, would find that difficult. Five meters was actually Feng An holding back; he could easily manage ten, with minimal chakra cost.
Is he really not a failure? Hiashi felt something was off. "Then why does he maintain the image of being last in his class?"
Kurenai also shook her head slightly. "I don't know either. Perhaps it's just his nature."
Hiashi's expression relaxed. "My apologies. I misunderstood earlier, and my tone was too aggressive."
"I know you are very protective of your daughter. Don't worry, I won't let them do anything inappropriate." Seeing his apology, Kurenai offered him a way out, reassuring him she would look after Hinata. Whether she actually would later was up to her mood; Hiashi couldn't control that.
"Sorry for the disturbance." Hyūga Hiashi turned and left. He now urgently needed to verify if what Kurenai had said was true. He quickened his pace, heading home."If what Kurenai said is true…"
*****
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