Noon light washed over the village.
Hyūga Shinya returned from Konoha Hospital toward the clan compound, eyes briefly lowering to the bandaged hand.
The wound had already healed.
It had healed on the way there.
To avoid unnecessary attention, he had reopened it.
Even then, the medical-nin had remarked on the abnormal recovery rate.
That reaction was expected.
It was also deliberate.
Shinya halted near a training ground.
Ahead stood a girl surrounded by several Hyūga branch members.
Hyūga Aoi.
Daughter of a main-family elder.
Sixteen. Black hair. Pale eyes without warmth.
"Get out of my sight."
Her foot lashed out.
A kneeling branch member was kicked sideways. He muffled the pain without protest.
"Useless," Aoi said flatly, eyes sweeping across the others. "All of you. Not one of you dares fight back. Is this what Father assigned to protect me?"
Heads lowered.
No response.
Aoi's temper was infamous. Spoiled. Violent. Untouchable.
Her desire to enter the battlefield had been rejected again. This was the result.
"Wait."
Aoi frowned.
"Isn't one missing?"
The branch members exchanged brief glances.
They knew who.
"Aoi-sama," the guard from earlier began carefully—
"I am here."
The voice cut in cleanly.
The guard stiffened. His abdomen throbbed in sympathetic memory.
Aoi turned.
Her eyes landed on Shinya.
"So it's you," she said coldly. "The defective one."
Shinya inclined his head slightly, raising his bandaged hand. "My apologies, Aoi-sama. I was injured. I'm not suited for training today."
The strike came immediately.
He tilted his head. The fist passed close enough to stir his hair.
Aoi's eyes were empty.
"Enough talk," she said. "Show me."
Her fist became a palm, driving straight for Shinya's chest.
He withdrew with minimal movement. The strike passed through where he had been.
Aoi's expression sharpened. Veins surfaced around her eyes as she shifted into proper Gentle Fist form.
Her fingers spearheaded toward his shoulder.
Shinya assessed the trajectory.
Troublesome.
Remaining passive was no longer an option.
He closed his eyes.
Breathing stabilized.
Sensation narrowed.
Sound, heat, contact. Suppressed.
Only spatial awareness remained.
Aoi's strike skimmed past his face, gouging into the wooden post behind him. Wood fractured.
Her tempo increased.
But to Shinya, it slowed.
Every transition exposed gaps. Ribs. Balance points. Overextension.
He stepped inside.
One hand slid along her arm and caught the wrist. The other locked the elbow.
A clean twist.
Crack.
Then immediate correction.
Click.
Dislocation. Reduction.
Before pain could manifest, Shinya moved again.
Force traveled up his spine and released through his shoulder.
A compact impact struck Aoi's guard.
She staggered backward, barely stopping herself from collapsing.
Too conspicuous.
Shinya caught her collar and pulled her upright.
"We're done, Aoi-sama."
He opened his eyes.
Lowered his voice.
"You talk about the battlefield. Then understand this."
"This clan survives because others absorb the cost."
"Lives are spent so you can stand untouched."
"If you intend to live on that ground someday, you should be worthy of that exchange."
"You aren't."
He released her and stepped back.
A brief bow.
Then he turned and left.
Silence trailed him.
As he passed the edge of the field, a notification surfaced.
SYSTEM LOG
Interaction Classification: Emotional ManipulationTargets: Hyūga AoiResponse Recorded: Cognitive destabilizationResult: Resource Gain +300 Units
"Defamation," Shinya muttered quietly. "I don't deceive women."
At the edge of his vision, movement caught his attention.
A boy ran from another courtyard. Young. Angry. Bitter.
Hyūga Neji.
Shinya's gaze sharpened.
"…There you are."