Night.
When dinner time arrived, Uchiha Sasuke picked up the shuriken he had thrown and returned home at the call of his mother, Uchiha Mikoto.
Under the warm glow of the lights, the gentle mother, the stern father, and his favorite older brother—the whole family sat around the dining table for a meal.
“Sasuke was exceptionally hard-working today.”
His mother placed a piece of fish into Sasuke’s bowl, smiling as she reached out to pinch a grain of rice from the corner of his mouth.
“Hehe~~”
Faced with his mother’s care, Sasuke smiled bashfully.
“Working hard is a good thing, but you must know when to stop. Excessive effort can be counterproductive.”
Sitting to the side, the father, Uchiha Fugaku, looked at his youngest son who had just returned from training, and the stern expression on his face softened slightly.
“Mm-hmm! I understand, Father!”
Sasuke nodded vigorously, a hint of joy in his expression.
“How did your first day of school feel?”
“Did you encounter anything interesting?”
His older brother, Uchiha Itachi, seemed to have noticed something, and his gaze toward Sasuke was somewhat searching.
“I suppose there was?”
Sasuke thought back to the Byakugan girl who had practically provoked the entire class during the day, as well as the way she had knocked down the boy from the Inuzuka family almost instantly after school.
Sasuke told his family everything he had seen.
“Someone from the Hyuga Clan…”
Uchiha Fugaku pondered slightly.
Compared to Sasuke, as the leader of the Uchiha Clan, he was more concerned with the hidden meaning behind this event.
After all, since the Hyuga Clan was a great clan on par with the Uchiha, Uchiha Fugaku maintained a considerable degree of attention toward them.
But unfortunately, the Hyuga Clan had always been like a closed gourd; they did whatever the Hokage said and never expressed their own opinions.
It was as if everything in Konoha, even the position of Hokage, had nothing to do with them.
However, the Hyuga Clan, which had always prioritized stability, had actually produced such a conspicuous successor this time, which inevitably made Uchiha Fugaku think more deeply.
Especially given that the Uchiha’s current situation could be described as extremely difficult.
Is Hiashi trying to tell me something?
Uchiha Fugaku thought to himself subconsciously.
As fellow leaders of great Dojutsu clans, Uchiha Fugaku believed he and Hyuga Hiashi shared a lot of common ground.
In his view, any talk of a rebellious successor was likely fabricated.
The Hyuga Clan had always prioritized stability, not just in Konoha, but even during the Sengoku period.
Thus, Uchiha Fugaku was certain that Hinata, as the daughter of Hyuga Hiashi, acting this way at the Ninja Academy must have been encouraged by Hyuga Hiashi behind the scenes.
Uchiha Mikoto teased after listening to her son’s words.
“Mm-hmm, I will definitely work hard!”
Sasuke responded with a serious nod.
Compared to his mother’s teasing, his attitude was extremely serious.
Unlike the other students in the class, he truly viewed Hinata as a rival.
Hinata was the one who would inherit the Hyuga Clan in the future, which was almost equivalent to his brother Uchiha Itachi’s status within the Uchiha Clan.
But since his brother was clearly several years older than Hinata, it naturally fell to him to be Hinata’s rival.
Both were great clans with a thousand-year history, and both were powers famous for their Dojutsu; Sasuke did not want the Uchiha to lose to the Hyuga.
“…”
Watching the interaction between mother and son, Uchiha Fugaku’s chewing motion paused slightly.
!
He had guessed it!
As expected of the leader of the Hyuga Clan!
As the saying goes, ‘if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.’ Currently, the Uchiha Clan’s situation was unfavorable, and as the leader of the Hyuga Clan, he surely saw it as well.
Hiashi, are you trying to have Hinata display rebellion outwardly to attract Sasuke’s attention and tell me to be at ease, that the Hyuga are still here?
Uchiha Fugaku’s heart stirred slightly.
Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Uzumaki, Kaguya—the five great clans of the Ninja World that had lasted a thousand years.
Although the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans minded their own business, with only two of the five clans remaining, a sense of shared fate was inevitable.
This was still just his speculation; he still needed to verify if Hyuga Hiashi had such intentions.
The Uchiha’s predicament made Uchiha Fugaku inevitably turn to any possible solution in desperation.
“Sasuke, since Hinata has already challenged everyone.”
“Then as my son, the son of Uchiha Fugaku, you naturally cannot back down.”
“Spar with her tomorrow. Regardless of the result, you are still classmates.”
Uchiha Fugaku spoke slowly, causing the whole family to look at him subconsciously.
“Me, me?”
Sasuke pointed at himself blankly.
He had seen Hinata’s performance today when she instantly defeated Inuzuka Kiba.
“Father, wouldn’t this be…”
Uchiha Itachi was a bit worried.
Right now, Sasuke’s strength was only slightly better than average for his age.
How could Sasuke’s current strength stand against the Hinata who, in Sasuke’s own words, had effortlessly defeated the successor of the Inuzuka Clan?
Sasuke blinked and looked at Uchiha Mikoto with a face pleading for help. This story is hosted at g.com.
Mom, quickly speak up for me!
Does Dad not love me anymore!
He wants me to go and get beaten up for nothing!
Although Sasuke viewed Hinata as a rival, it didn’t mean he was a fool.
That Hinata was so fierce.
Even if he wanted to take her as a rival, he would have to practice for a while and learn a couple of powerful Ninjutsu before he could handle her.
Going straight up to challenge Hinata like that—wasn’t that just looking for a beating?
However, facing Sasuke’s pleading gaze, Uchiha Mikoto only showed an expression of being unable to help.
Wuwuwu, Mom doesn’t love me either…
Night.
The Hyuga Clan.
“Be good, have a little more, okay~~”
During dinner, Hyuga Hiashi was eating, while Hinata was holding a milk bottle and coaxing a baby who looked to be just a year old.
Hyuga Hiashi held his bowl and chopsticks, watching this scene with eyes full of complexity.
This was Hinata’s younger sister, Hyuga Hanabi.
When Hinata was five, Hyuga Hiashi saw her extraordinary talent but hoped in his heart to have a boy to inherit the Hyuga Clan.
In the end, his wife passed away due to a difficult birth, and the child born was still a girl.
“What are you staring at?”
Noticing Hyuga Hiashi’s gaze, Hinata looked at her old father.
“Nothing…”
Hyuga Hiashi shook his head, putting away the stray thoughts in his heart.
If one were to ask why Hyuga Hiashi was so indulgent toward Hinata, his wife was also a reason.
“Little Hanabi~~”
Seeing her sister finish the milk with a ‘gulu gulu’, Hinata smilingly pinched Hanabi’s cheek and then handed her over to Hyuga Natsu, who was standing by, before preparing to eat.
“I heard that you, Hinata, beat the Inuzuka child again?”
Just as she picked up her chopsticks, Hyuga Hiashi, sitting opposite her, spoke up to ask.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“He was the one who wanted to challenge me to a duel.”
Hinata chewed her food and spoke nonchalantly.
“Don’t talk when you have food in your mouth.”
Seeing his daughter like this, Hyuga Hiashi reminded her subconsciously.
“Oh.”