Morning sunlight filtered through gaps in the courtyard leaves. In the Hyuga residence dojo, Hyuga Hiashi had already been waiting for a while.
"Step… step-step…"
A set of deliberately heavy footsteps approached from far to near, and Hiashi couldn't help frowning.
With a swish, the paper door was yanked open. He looked up—and immediately noticed something was different about Hinata today. Usually she kept her head down, timid and withdrawn. Today, there was a sharpness about her that he couldn't quite name.
This child… what's going on today?
A flicker of doubt crossed Hiashi's mind, but he quickly suppressed it. Whatever change had come over Hinata, as long as it wasn't too disruptive, the established training plan would not be altered. He gave a slight nod, signaling Hinata to stand opposite him.
"Hinata, are you ready?" Hiashi's voice was as cold and strict as ever.
Hinata raised her hands into the opening stance of Gentle Fist. Her body moved with natural coordination—no trace of the forced stiffness that used to come from trying too hard to be "correct." With that single motion, a flash of surprise—and… delight—surfaced in Hiashi's eyes.
"Come, Father."
Her voice was calm, yet Hiashi heard something unusual in it.
"Then begin."
The moment the words fell, a white blur shot out like an arrow loosed from the bowstring.
Hinata!
Hiashi's pupils contracted sharply. In the past, Hinata always waited for him to move first; defense had been the main theme of their sparring. Even though she'd improved slightly over the last month, this kind of fierce initiative—so sharp and aggressive—was a first.
The sudden shift caught him off guard. For an instant he froze, exposing a brief opening—and Hinata's right hand was already stabbing toward his left ribs.
Gentle Fist targets tenketsu points; the style emphasizes precision. Hinata's strike—angle and timing—was nearly flawless.
Rip—
At the last possible moment, Hiashi barely dodged. Hinata's fingertips grazed his clothing by a hair's breadth. Hiashi's left hand flowed into a palm strike toward her shoulder, intending to push her away and regain control of the rhythm.
But just when Hiashi thought that attack was over—
Hinata did something he never expected.
Using her forward momentum, she leapt in, closing distance with a posture that completely abandoned defense, swinging her other hand in from the side—straight for his neck.
"What?!"
He didn't have time to think. Instinct made his foot grind against the floor, ready to trigger Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.
But in the final instant before chakra could erupt from every tenketsu in his body, Hiashi forcibly suppressed the impulse. This wasn't an enemy—it was his daughter. If Hinata crashed into Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven with that defense-abandoning posture, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Smack!
A crisp yet heavy sound rang out in the dojo. Hinata's left hand chopped hard into a point on the side of Hiashi's neck, and an unfamiliar chakra stabbed into his meridians in an instant.
"This is—?!"
Hiashi snapped his head around, disbelief immediately flooding his eyes as he stared at his daughter at arm's length.
What met his gaze was no longer the gentle, timid Hinata of before, but a look as sharp and fierce as an arrow. Around her pale eyes, the branching veins of the Byakugan stood out clearly.
She activated it?!
"Eight Trigrams—Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hinata landed without even a pause, letting out a light shout as she launched into a second attack.
Once the Byakugan was active, tenketsu positions became clearly visible. From this moment on, the sparring was no longer simple form practice—it became true Hyuga combat.
She circled Hiashi continuously, attacking from different angles, every strike bristling with edge.
What… happened to her?!
"Eight Trigrams—Sixty-Four Palms," Hiashi replied in a low voice, countering with the same technique.
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
The air popped in a dense chain of sharp sounds like beans exploding. Although Hiashi neutralized every strike, Hinata was still forcing him backward—she was reversing the flow of the fight.
But as the exchange continued, Hiashi finally sensed something off.
Hinata's attacks felt less like training… and more like she was venting some kind of resentment.
Is she… angry at me?
Slow as he was to notice it, Hiashi finally grasped the truth—and yet it only made him more confused. He asked himself: he was strict, yes, but he hadn't done anything to wrong her.
Is it because I've been too harsh?
No… that doesn't feel right. If that were the reason, she would've shown dissatisfaction long ago… so why today, of all days?
Hiashi couldn't make sense of it. But whatever the reason, Hinata's improvement was undeniable.
Smack! Smack!
Hiashi's palm struck Hinata's shoulder.
Hinata's palm struck Hiashi's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
"Kh!"
Two suppressed grunts sounded at the same time. Even with Hinata giving everything she had, the age gap was still an unavoidable disadvantage.
In that clash, only Hinata couldn't stabilize herself. She stumbled backward a few steps and fell.
Hinata panted violently, every breath rasping like a bellows being pulled. Sweat had soaked through her clothes, and her hair clung to her cheeks. But her eyes—more than ever—refused to yield.
Just as she pushed herself up, ready to charge again no matter what, Hiashi raised a hand and barked:
"That's enough!"
He studied the daughter who felt both familiar… and completely unfamiliar.
"Hinata. Your style is too aggressive. You're fighting head-on, hard against hard. That isn't how Gentle Fist should look, and it's not your usual style."
"I… know."
Hinata's chest still heaved, speaking difficult—yet she forced herself to lift her head and meet his eyes.
After a moment, Hiashi's gaze softened slightly.
"And," he paused, as if choosing his words, "today… do you have something on your mind?"
"No." Hinata shook her head immediately.
Hiashi fell silent. In the end, he only let out a single word.
"…Fine."
"Father, I'll take my leave."
Hinata bowed, turned, and left the dojo.
Hiashi stayed where he was, unable to move for a long time, full of doubt.
No, seriously—why did you just awaken the Byakugan like that?
That's not how the Hyuga works!
You're supposed to be out there before sunrise, punching a wooden post, enduring the aching pain in your bones and muscles, training day after day until the timing is right—and then, on some ordinary morning, you awaken the Byakugan naturally.
How did you just get emotional, fight me once, and awaken it like an Uchiha?!
That's not how the Hyuga works!
I refuse to accept it!!!
~~~
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