Noon had arrived.
Hyūga Arata walked back from Konoha Hospital toward the Hyūga compound, lowering his head to glance at his bandaged hand.
Thanks to his body's rapidly growing regenerative power, his wounds had actually healed completely on the way to the hospital.
But to avoid drawing unwanted attention, he had deliberately cut his palm again.
Even so, the hospital's medical-nin still marveled at his recovery rate, such a strong self-healing ability was rare.
Of course, there was another reason he did this.
"..."
Lost in thought, Arata soon found himself standing outside a training field. Looking up, he saw a familiar figure surrounded by several deferential attendants.
Hyūga Aoi, daughter of one of the Hyūga clan's main branch elders.
Her long black hair shimmered in the sunlight like flowing silk. Despite her healthy rosy cheeks and faint baby fat that betrayed her sixteen years, her pale eyes were sharp and cold as blades of ice.
"Get out of my sight!"
She kicked a kneeling branch family member without hesitation. The man stifled a groan, holding back pain and resentment, not daring to show even a flicker of defiance.
"Trash."
Aoi shot him a disgusted glare, then swept her eyes across the others around her. "Useless! All of you! Not one of you dares fight back? My father actually sent you cowards to protect me?"
The branch members bowed their heads submissively, not daring to speak.
Aoi was her father's only daughter, spoiled since childhood, arrogant, and willful.
Normally, that would be unremarkable; many main branch children were like that.
But she was different, headstrong and combative, always dreaming of going to the frontlines to kill enemies.
Today's tantrum came after her father once again denied her request to leave the village, so she vented her anger by forcing the branch members to spar with her "at full strength."
Not that they could. Using full strength risked harming her, and even a hint of insubordination meant suffering the agony of the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
A little verbal abuse was nothing compared to that soul-tearing torment. If Aoi wished it, they'd probably crawl and bark like dogs just to avoid that pain.
"Wait." Aoi frowned suddenly, glancing around. "Someone's missing?"
At her words, the branch members exchanged brief glances. They all knew who wasn't here.
"Lady Aoi," one of them, the same man who'd stopped Arata that morning, began cautiously, "it's-"
"Lady Aoi, I'm here."
Before he could finish, a familiar voice cut him off. The man stiffened instantly, feeling a phantom ache flare in his bruised abdomen.
Aoi turned toward the voice, her frown deepening. "So it's you, the useless one."
Arata ignored the mockery. Raising his bandaged hand slightly, he bowed his head. "My apologies, Lady Aoi. My hand was injured, so I may not be able to-"
Whoosh!
A sudden rush of air cut through his words. He instinctively tilted his head aside as a fist grazed his ear, the wind whipping the black hair tied behind him.
Arata calmly lifted his gaze to meet Aoi's emotionless white eyes.
"Enough excuses," she said coldly. "Show me whether you've improved, you waste of space."
Her voice had barely faded before she lunged again, her fist retracting, turning into a palm strike aimed at his chest.
But the next moment, Arata's body moved like drifting leaves in the wind, effortlessly evading the blow.
Surprise flashed across Aoi's eyes. Veins bulged around her temples as she shifted into a proper Gentle Fist stance.
Then her right hand blurred into motion, fingers extended, aimed straight for Arata's left shoulder.
"...What a hassle," he muttered inwardly, sighing.
He hadn't planned to show his strength so soon, but there was no way he'd kneel and play the obedient dog again.
He'd endured for three long years to seize his chance at changing fate, he wasn't about to crawl anymore.
So... should he stay down, or stand tall and make some "profit"?
'I'll stand tall, and earn something while I'm at it.'
With that, Arata slowly closed his eyes.
At once, he entered that state of perfect concentration, shutting off every sense except perception: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, all sealed.
Thud!
His body twisted back just in time; Aoi's fingers grazed his nose and struck the wooden post behind him, leaving a deep dent. Splinters and resin-scented dust rained down on his lashes.
Aoi's rapid strikes came one after another, fierce and fluid, yet within Arata's perception, they moved in slow motion.
Inside him, his blood surged like molten rock, heat coursing through his limbs as his body moved in sync with his sharpened mind.
He was the only one moving at normal speed in a world slowed to a crawl.
"What-" Aoi's eyes widened in disbelief as every strike was effortlessly dodged, by a man who hadn't even opened his eyes.
Her surprise quickly twisted into excitement, her movements growing faster… and sloppier.
Arata "saw" every flaw in her form, each exposed opening when she turned.
Seizing the instant she left her ribs unguarded, his hand darted like a fish, twisting up from his chest to grab her wrist. His other arm locked her elbow, a surge of force flowing smoothly through her joints-
Crack! Crack!
Two quick sounds, one to dislocate, one to reset.
The movements were so clean and practiced that she barely felt pain, only a sharp flash of shock.
Before she could react, Arata's body shifted again. His muscles rippled with a subtle tremor, channeling power from his spine into his arm, whipping it like a lash.
BAM!
It sounded like a bamboo stalk snapping, followed by a sharp burst of mist exploding through the air.
The blow slammed into Aoi's blocking arm, sending her staggering backward several steps. She nearly fell flat-
That'd be too messy.
Arata sighed softly, grabbing her by the collar and yanking her upright.
"Had enough fun, Lady Aoi?"
Opening his eyes, he met her trembling gaze, his tone low and edged.
"If you really want to go to war," he said quietly, "then at least understand this-"
"On this blood-soaked land… in this ruthless clan… you live because others have died for you."
"Those who live must earn that right."
"Sadly, I don't think you have."
With that, he let go and gave her a light push backward.
Ignoring the stunned, fearful, and astonished faces around him, Arata gave a brief respectful bow and turned to leave.
His expression stayed calm as he walked away, until he stepped out of the training field.
Then-
[Ding!]
[Your lie has been classified as "False Tenderness" and "Flirtatious Deception." Hyūga Aoi has experienced strong emotional turbulence reaching the level of "Self-Doubt." You've gained 300 Reality Points…]
"...Tch. That's slander," he muttered, his smile fading.
"Deceiving a woman... that's something I just can't do."
He said it with mock seriousness, but then his eyes flicked to the side, spotting a familiar young face twisted in resentment as the boy rushed out from another courtyard.
That was... Hyūga Neji.
"Oh, look at that," Arata murmured with a grin. "The protagonist has arrived."