Creak—
The heavy wooden sliding door of the dojo was slowly pushed open.
Hyūga Hizashi walked in with steady steps, followed by a four-year-old boy.
The boy had long, dark brown hair neatly tied behind his head and wore a clean gray training outfit.
His small hands were tightly wrapped in thick white bandages, through which subtle reddish bloodstains—left behind by years of striking wooden posts—were vaguely visible.
This was none other than the Hyūga clan’s once-in-a-century prodigy from the branch house: Hyūga Neji!
Despite being only four years old, Neji’s young face bore none of the innocence or lively spirit typical of children his age.
His lips were pressed into a tight line, and his expression was stern—like a battle-hardened little adult.
Even his stride strictly adhered to the rules of the Hyūga style taijutsu, completely free of any excess sway.
In a few months, Hinata would celebrate her third birthday.
According to the cold, ruthless, thousand-year-old ironclad law of the Hyūga clan, on the very day the main house heir turned three, Neji—as the eldest son of the branch house—would have the green curse seal known as the “Caged Bird” forcibly branded onto his forehead.
From that moment on, his life, his freedom, and the Byakugan he took so much pride in would be tightly controlled by the main house.
For the rest of his life, he would be reduced to a caged bird staring up at the sky, a sacrificial warrior meant to protect the main house with his own flesh and blood.
Yet at this moment, neither father nor son had their minds on this cruel destiny as they stepped into the training hall.
Hizashi halted his steps.
Looking past the spacious wooden floor, his eyes instantly fell upon the small figure standing in the center of the dojo.
This was his first time seeing Hinata.
Hiashi had kept his eldest daughter almost completely “hidden away” in the inner courtyard, to the extent that even Hizashi, his own brother, had never caught a glimpse of her.
Hizashi had initially carried a sense of awe in his heart, but the instant he saw Hinata clearly, that trace of reverence vanished completely.
In its place surged a wave of fanatic joy that almost melted him on the spot!
She’s too cute!
Hinata wore a loose, pure-white training outfit, her soft, deep blue short hair resting gently beside her cheeks.
Her pink, jade-like cheeks looked so soft and squishy that anyone would be tempted to rush over and pinch them.
In Hizashi’s eyes, her wide, open eyes—despite carrying an indescribable look of “resentment”—seemed like the purest, most innocent gaze in the entire world!
Hizashi felt his heart skip a beat.
The quiet, unruffled depths of his eyes suddenly flared with the fierce, affectionate glow of an adoring father.
‘Brother…
oh, Brother!
You’re way too lucky!’ Hizashi screamed internally.
‘For Brother Hiashi, I wouldn’t hesitate to die a ten thousand deaths!
Even if I were ordered to die right now, I’d do so willingly!
But…
but if only I could have such a soft, adorable daughter of my own, how amazing would that be?!’
Forcing down the urge to run up and give Hinata a hug, Hizashi bowed respectfully.
“Brother, I have brought Neji.”
Behind Hizashi, Neji was also frozen in place.
His pure white eyes stared unblinkingly at Hinata, who stood a short distance away, while a strange ripple stirred inside his small heart.
‘Is this the young lady of the main house?
Is this…
my younger sister?’ Neji thought silently to himself.
‘She’s so tiny…
It feels like even a gust of wind could blow her over.
Can someone really be this cute?’
At this moment, Neji was only four years old.
He had not yet experienced the tragedy of his father being forced to die, nor had he tasted the despair of having his life controlled by others.
He remained entirely oblivious to the blood, tears, and bitterness of the branch house ancestors hidden behind the words
“Caged Bird.”
The present Neji had only one extraordinarily simple—and perhaps slightly naive—thought in his head.
‘Father said that the mission of the branch house is to risk everything to protect the main house.’
‘Then my mission is to protect the main house well, to protect this cute, fragile little sister in front of me!
I absolutely won’t let anyone pick on Lady Hinata!’
Neji quietly tightened his bandage-wrapped little fists, his gaze turning incomparably resolute.
Just then, Hiashi, sitting in the main seat, spoke coldly.
“Hizashi, step aside.” Hiashi’s voice lacked any warmth, carrying the absolute authority of the clan leader.
“Neji, step forward.”
“Yes, Clan Leader.”
Neji immediately composed himself, respectfully stepping into the center of the dojo and stopping less than three meters away from Hinata.
Looking down at Neji from his position, Hiashi said in a deep voice, “Neji, use your full strength to spar with Hinata.
Remember, bring out all your skills as a prodigy of the branch house without holding back!
Let me see your caliber, and at the same time, test Hinata’s true strength!”
Hearing these words, Hizashi, who had stepped to the side, jerked his head up, a flash of shock in his eyes.
‘What’s wrong with Brother?
Hinata is only three years old!
Although Neji is only one year older, he has been training hard in the Gentle Fist for a whole year.
How could Hinata possibly block him?’
Hizashi felt anxious, but constrained by the clan leader’s command, he could only grit his teeth.
His muscles tensed as he prepared himself to leap in and save Hinata at a moment’s notice.
Meanwhile, Hiashi, sitting impassively in the main seat, appeared cold and unfeeling on the outside, but was brimming with anticipation inside.
‘Hinata, oh Hinata, don’t think I don’t know your true depth!’ Hiashi snorted silently.
‘Just now, I saw it clearly with my Byakugan.
Your control over chakra is terrifyingly perfect!
That level of effortless control is something even the Jōnin in our clan can’t achieve!’
‘Even if your movements are sluggish and your personality is too soft, with that kind of chakra control, you should easily be able to go back and forth against Neji, even if he is a genius!
Today, real combat will force all the potential out of your body!’
The more Hiashi thought about it, the more he felt his arrangement was foolproof.
He was already prepared to admire his daughter showcasing her true power.
In the center of the dojo.
Upon hearing Hiashi’s order, Neji took a deep breath.
“Forgive me, Lady Hinata!”
The instant the words left his mouth, Neji’s small body suddenly sank, his legs spreading slightly into a stable stance.
With his hands positioned one in front of the other, palms facing outward, he instantly assumed the most standard, flawless opening stance of the Hyūga Gentle Fist!
Boom!
Though faint, an extremely condensed and sharp surging of chakra began to flow rapidly through Neji’s small meridian system!
The quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the dojo instantly turned icy!
A faint humming sound from the surging chakra could almost be heard in the air.
Neji’s young face was filled with intense focus and determination, making him look like a little leopard about to pounce on its prey.
However, when Neji’s gaze locked onto Hinata opposite him, his flawless opening stance almost collapsed.
There stood Hinata, casually thrusting her hands into the pockets of her oversized training uniform.
Her short legs were planted loosely, and her shoulders slumped lazily.
Was this a fighting stance?
She looked less like she was preparing for battle and more like a slacker strolling through the streets of Konohagakure, looking for a sunlit corner to squat down and lounge around!
Seeing this scene, a deep, uncontrollable trace of contempt surfaced on Neji’s serious little face.
‘Her stance is full of openings!
Her chakra is completely unguarded!
She doesn’t even possess basic vigilance!’
‘Is this the heir to the main house?
Is this the young lady I’m supposed to protect with my life in the future?’
An indescribable wave of disappointment welled up in Neji’s heart.
‘She’s nothing special!
Since the Clan Leader told me to go all out, then I’ll beat some sense into you!’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Neji kicked off the wooden floor.
“Byakugan!” Neji barked softly as veins instantly bulged around his eyes!
A chilling power of insight beamed from his pure white eyes, locking dead onto the chakra pathway system at Hinata’s left shoulder.
Whoosh!
Neji dashed forward like an arrow released from a bow string, his speed far exceeding that of a typical four-year-old child.
His bandage-wrapped right palm, carrying a sharp gust of wind, struck ruthlessly toward Hinata’s left shoulder!
On the sidelines, Hiashi and Hizashi gasped in unison.
Both men held their breath instantly, their pupils shrinking as their internal chakra surged wildly.
Staring intently at the trajectory of Neji’s palm, the muscles in their legs tensed to the absolute limit, ready to burst forward with the Shunshin no Jutsu to intervene at any second.
Facing Neji’s attack head-on, Hinata was rolling her eyes furiously inside her mind.
‘This brat is actually coming at me for real!’
Looking at Neji’s menacing palm strike, the twenty-four-year-old soul inside Hinata’s head began to process the situation at lightning speed.
‘I’m a guy bound to the Gojō Satoru template!
Even though my body is currently too weak to cast active skills, the passive defense of the Limitless Technique is still active.
But…’
Hinata glanced out of the corner of her eye at Hiashi and Hizashi, who were watching like hawks.
‘The old man and Uncle Hizashi are staring right at us!
If I stay completely still and Neji’s Gentle Fist gets mysteriously blocked one millimeter away from my body by an invisible barrier, there’ll be no way to explain it!
The Byakugan doesn’t have an absolute defense like that—if that happens, this old man will force me to train every single day!’
‘No way, I definitely can’t use Gojō Satoru’s ability!’
Hinata quickly discarded the idea of using Limitless to tank the hit.
‘Whatever, in my past life, I was an arcade fighting game master anyway!
I know all sorts of combat techniques like the back of my hand!’
A surge of mysterious confidence rose in Hinata’s mind.
‘Even without Gojō Satoru’s abilities, relying on the top-tier combat awareness of a twenty-four-year-old inside this three-year-old body, reading the attack trajectory of a brat like you is a walk in the park!
I can easily exchange a couple of moves with you and then fake exhaustion to fall down!’
‘Watch me execute a perfect sidestep parry!’
Filled with confidence, Hinata was just about to pull her hand out of her pocket and strike a slick defensive pose.
As a result:
Hinata had barely pulled her hand halfway out of her pocket.
Neji’s right palm, wrapped in a sharp gust of wind, slammed squarely onto her left shoulder.
Bang!
Hinata was sent flying by the strike.