Back when he sparred with Hyūga Kamon, Mikami Yuu's Transformation Technique and Substitution Technique were already on the verge of breaking through.
Now he started [Practice] again.
Before long, he smoothly farmed the last few points of affection and pushed both jutsu into the next stage—
[Transformation Technique Affection +4. Current affection: 75/100 (Infatuated)]
(Stage reward obtained: Constitution +1; Trait: Perfect Form and Spirit — Your Transformation forms are flawless and lifelike in detail. You can rewrite your own form to a certain extent → to a relatively large extent. Sensory-type ninja below jōnin level can almost never see through it.)
[Substitution Technique Affection +4. Current affection: 52/100 (Friendly)]
(Stage reward obtained: Constitution +1; Trait: Seal-less Instant Cast — Your Substitution requires no special preparation. Within 5 → 15 meters, with a single thought, you can complete a swap with a substitution medium in 0.2 seconds.)
[…]
So far, Mikami Yuu had gained a total of +7 Constitution.
And he'd unlocked trait buffs for all four jutsu.
Transformation Technique, in particular, looked like it was evolving toward something more "physical." At 75 affection—stage three—it could "rewrite form to a relatively large extent." From the description, it sounded a bit like a certain monkey's "Seventy-Two Transformations."
Mikami Yuu was very curious: if he used this level of transformation to turn into a bird or a fish, would he gain the same abilities—flight, underwater breathing, and so on? In theory, a transformation that rewrote one's form should be able to produce wings and gills.
He could try it when he got the chance.
As for Substitution Technique, it was a straightforward range increase—from 5 meters to 15 meters—finally giving it some real combat value.
—A 5-meter substitution had very strict conditions. You could basically only use it in a ring fight. On a real battlefield, against wide-area AOE ninjutsu or fast-reacting opponents, it barely made a difference whether you used it or not. But 15 meters was enough that some people simply wouldn't react in time.
"Alright, that should be about it… Time to go find Might Duy!"
Mikami Yuu let out a long breath and was about to move.
Suddenly,
a set of light footsteps came from the side, catching his attention.
Mikami Yuu stopped and turned immediately—only to see a Hyūga clansman with a Konoha forehead protector. At some point, he had appeared at the edge of the training ground. Arms crossed, he looked at Mikami Yuu with a calm, unreadable gaze. His face looked vaguely familiar.
"…?"
Mikami Yuu glanced around, confirmed the man was here for him, then turned fully to face him.
"And you are?"
"…Pretty sharp senses."
The Hyūga man gave a slight nod and called from a distance, "You're Mikami Yuu?"
"So what if I am?"
"I'm Hyūga Hizashi—Hyūga Kamon's cousin. He told me that at the Ninja Academy, he ran into a civilian genius who defeated him—Byakugan and all—using only the Three Basic Jutsu working together… I was curious, so I came to see for myself."
"…"
Mikami Yuu raised an eyebrow.
No wonder he looked familiar—Neji's dad.
Just… the youth version.
In the normal storyline, Hyūga Neji should be born four or five years later, a year earlier than Naruto. Which meant his father, Hizashi, was still a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old young man right now—probably not even married, let alone having kids.
Still…
What was he doing here?
Mikami Yuu took a deep breath, drawing his hands slightly closer together, ready to form seals at any moment.
"So you're a senior of the Hyūga clan. You've seen it now—the one who beat Hyūga Kamon is me. And then…
"What are you planning to do? Avenge your cousin and teach me a lesson?"
This kind of "bully the small one, the bigger one shows up" thing was honestly pretty common.
When Kushina first came to Konoha, she once beat up classmates at the Academy and got blocked on the way home by their genin older brother—so she ended up beating up the brother too. Later with Naruto and Hinata… it was even more of a classic.
Konoha's hooligans didn't discriminate when it came to bullying.
But still…
Even a big clan like the Hyūga played that game?
"Not at all."
Hizashi shook his head, his eyes still fixed on Mikami Yuu. "Students fighting and winning or losing is normal. If someone can't accept that, they don't need to become a ninja in the first place. However…
"I heard your Three Basic Jutsu can even fool the Byakugan. If possible, I'd like to see that for myself."
"…Can I refuse?"
Mikami Yuu asked.
"Of course. That's your freedom."
Hizashi nodded again. "But if you agree, I can offer you some taijutsu pointers as a Hyūga chūnin. Our clan specializes in Gentle Fist, but the principles of taijutsu are shared. I should still be able to give you some useful advice."
"…"
Mikami Yuu pondered for a moment.
His impression of Hizashi was… decent.
From the original story, the guy seemed honest enough, and the way he spoke didn't sound like he was hiding malicious intent.
Even if he were a smiling snake…
At worst, he'd just beat Mikami Yuu up. It wasn't like he'd escalate things over Kamon's petty issue.
"Alright. Let's do it!"
My freshly upgraded Substitution Technique isn't going to take this lying down.
Hizashi walked forward a few steps, stopped in the center of the training ground, and raised the opening stance of Gentle Fist.
"Come. Attack me however you like."
"…"
Mikami Yuu took a deep breath. With his right hand, he hooked a kunai from his tool pouch, spun it once in his fingers, then flicked it forward—throwing it! At the same time, he pushed off the ground and charged.
Across from him,
the veins around Hizashi's eyes twitched slightly as he activated the Byakugan instantly. He stepped forward half a step and, with a light motion like brushing a willow branch, knocked the kunai aside.
Just as he kept his eyes locked on Mikami Yuu, preparing to meet him with Gentle Fist—
Puff.
A small sound.
The charging Mikami Yuu vanished abruptly. In his place, a kunai appeared in midair and dropped to the ground. And in the next instant, Hizashi felt a sharp sense of danger—within Byakugan range, a gray blur appeared behind him, stepping in and launching a side kick from the rear!
"This…"
Isn't this basically that blond guy's Flying Thunder God?! Who the hell uses Substitution like this?!
Even as shock hit him, Hizashi was still a chūnin—and the current clan head's second son. His body reacted almost on instinct. He twisted his waist and turned, raising his right arm into a bent guard toward his rear-left—blocking the incoming strike!
~~~
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