Hyuga clan compound.
Servants hurried along the covered corridors in wooden clogs, the paper lanterns in their hands flickering to life one after another.
Today was the third birthday of the Hyuga main family's heir.
It was also the day the other branch family children would have the Caged Bird seal etched onto their foreheads.
In the center of the courtyard, three-year-old Hyuga Hinata was surrounded by maids making the final adjustments to her outfit. She wore a light pink kimono with the Hyuga clan crest embroidered along the hem, and her porcelain-white cheeks were tinged red by the glow of the evening sky.
One maid knelt on one knee to tie a pale purple sash around her waist.
"Milady, deep breath."
Hinata obediently pulled in her little tummy. The motion made her unconsciously lift her chin a bit, and in that instant, she vaguely caught a glimpse of something flicker at the far edge of the courtyard.
Out of her line of sight, under the eaves of the corridor, two boys were hiding in the shadows of a pillar, looking every bit like they were up to no good.
"Neji, that's your little sister, right?" Hyuga Kiyonari lowered his voice, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Told you she's cute, didn't I?"
Neji's gaze wavered for a moment, but quickly returned to calm. He turned away with feigned indifference and said in a tone that suggested it had nothing to do with him, "We should head back. Don't keep Father waiting."
Only… the sunset left his tightly pressed lips nowhere to hide.
Hyuga Kiyonari could swear to the heavens: ever since he met Neji a year ago, this was the first time he'd seen the corners of Neji's mouth curve up this much!
"Pfft—hahaha…"
In the end, he just couldn't hold it in. Hadn't he gone through all that trouble dragging Neji out here and boosting him up to peek over the wall exactly for this moment?
Just as Kiyonari was about to crack a joke, Neji—who knew his personality all too well—bolted first. In the blink of an eye, Kiyonari was the only one left outside the courtyard.
He raised a hand to touch the cloth band tied around his forehead, glanced in the direction Neji had run off, and strolled after him at an unhurried pace.
"The Caged Bird, huh…"
My name is Hyuga Kiyonari. I'm three years old, living in a one-room house in the northeast corner of the Hyuga compound. Single.
I don't have a system. I don't have any outstanding talent. My bloodline is only slightly better than that of an ordinary person.
My parents are dead. The condolence money from the village isn't much; I suspect certain people skimmed off the top. Fortunately, the Hyuga clan is still relatively generous. The branch family orphans get a monthly living stipend, so I'm letting the condolence money thing slide.
Of course, I'm saying all this just to tell you that I don't have any grand ambitions.
I don't want to be Hokage, and I don't care about being the best. That's how I choose to live in this world, and I know that's what happiness means for me.
In short, I'm here to coast.
Average talent is fine by me.
Most Hyuga ninja end up as scouts anyway. Even on the battlefield, as long as I'm careful, I should be able to avoid the really dangerous monsters. Pick the weakest opponents, take the safest missions, and when Pain attacks Konoha, I'll just submit a request to go on an out-of-village mission in advance.
The Caged Bird seal? Whatever.
Worst case, after I graduate, I'll just stay out of the main family's way, do my best to lower my presence, and live like I'm invisible. If that doesn't work, I'll apply for a transfer to serve as a guard ninja at the Daimyo's residence. In the end, we're all just trying our best to live.
Hyuga Kiyonari suddenly stopped and smacked his forehead. "Almost forgot—I still need to prepare a birthday present for Hinata."
The main house might not care about a gift from a branch family kid, but as a branch member, at the very least you have to show the right attitude.
Konoha's shopping street was as lively as ever. Kiyonari stopped in front of a ninja tool shop, squinting at the elegant tools displayed in the window. The silver blades gleamed under the lights, but the numbers on the price tags made the corner of his eye twitch.
"Tch…"
He clicked his tongue and decisively turned away, heading for the stationery shop next door. The bell above the door chimed crisply as he pushed it open. The store was small but neatly organized, with all kinds of stationery arranged in order from cheapest to most expensive.
As the saying goes: when you're giving a gift, you want the worst cost-performance ratio possible.
Kiyonari kept his eyes on the tags on the top shelf as he walked in, and quickly found the perfect target: a notebook priced at three hundred ryo.
For three hundred ryo, you could get the most expensive notebook in the shop—a cover stamped with gold foil, a refined paper scent, and ultra-thin pages. One look and you'd know it was high-end. But if you spent that same three hundred ryo on a planner or letter paper instead, you'd only get the basic stuff—nothing fancy, not even a nice pattern.
At the counter, he casually grabbed a standard blue gift box—the kind that, once tossed into a pile of other presents, would vanish from sight at a glance.
"The total is three hundred and eighty ryo," the shopkeeper lady said with a warm smile.
Kiyonari counted out three paper notes from his wallet, mentally calculating: saved twenty ryo from the budget—later I can add a fried egg to my ramen at Ichiraku.
Just then, the shopkeeper grabbed a red bean cake and handed it to him. "Here you go, kiddo. Make sure to come support Onee-san's business again, alright?"
Kiyonari played along like a pro. "Once I start school, I'll definitely bring my classmates over."
As he stepped out the door, he suddenly remembered something and ran back in to borrow a pen. On the inside cover of the notebook, he scrawled boldly:
"Happy birthday, Hinata-sama
—Hyuga Kiyonari"
"Perfect! Saved money on a greeting card, too!"
He put the notebook and the red bean cake together in the gift box, tied a bow on it, and—mission complete!
Feeling very satisfied, Kiyonari clapped his hands and headed back toward the Hyuga compound.
It wasn't until the lively banquet had finally started to wind down that Hinata managed to quietly slip away from all the watching eyes. She hid in the shadowy corner of a covered walkway and hurriedly loosened her sash.
"Phew…"
Hinata let out a tiny breath, her cheeks flushing faintly.
Then her stomach let out a very soft "guu~". Hinata quickly pressed her hands to her belly and looked around to make sure no one had heard.
In the main hall, Father was still talking with several clan elders, and the guests were standing around chatting in small groups. If she went back in now to get food, she'd definitely be noticed… As she thought that, Hinata's eyes suddenly lit up.
That's right—the presents! Everyone brought so many gifts. There might be something tasty in there!
On tiptoe, she slipped like a little cat into the side room where the gifts were being stored. The mountain of gift boxes piled up under the lights looked like a hoard of shining treasure chests.
Hinata carefully began opening them one by one. Most of the boxes held exquisite kimonos, jewelry, or ninja tools.
After opening enough of them, she started to notice a pattern—basically, the fancier the box looked on the outside, the less likely it was to contain food.
Hinata blinked her pure white eyes and let her gaze sweep over the pile. Soon, she spotted a plain light-blue gift box sitting on the floor a short distance away.
She scampered over, picked it up, and as soon as she opened it, a strong red bean fragrance rushed out. Inside was a red bean cake wrapped in oiled paper, with a black notebook tucked underneath.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Hyuga compound, in a cramped one-room house…
Hyuga Kiyonari was sprawled out on his bed in a big starfish pose. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, a flat, emotionless mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Suitable actor detected. Grand Director System activating…]
"Huh?!"
Kiyonari shot upright, all traces of drowsiness gone, eyes wide. "Wait—change of plans!"