After breakfast, Hyuga Mirai eagerly made his way to the courtyard where Kiyo Hyuga lived.
The area wasn't small, and within the courtyard, there was even a small training ground. Although Kiyo Hyuga had lost her Byakugan, her grandfather had paid a heavy price for her to be able to continue living within the clan as a member of the main family.
Including this courtyard, although somewhat dilapidated, it was quite spacious, but now without servants or guards. Aside from her main family status and this courtyard, everything else Kiyo Hyuga had was taken from her. Even Hyuga Mirai's following her was voluntary, and the expenses for her were to be covered by Hyuga Mirai through his own missions and earnings—once he became a ninja, the clan would no longer provide him with a living stipend.
"Lady Kiyo!" Hyuga Mirai called out as he reached the gate of the courtyard, then entered. Though Kiyo had told him several times that they didn't need to follow the formalities when no one else was around, Hyuga Mirai still couldn't bring himself to change.
"Mirai, you're here so early today?" Kiyo Hyuga was a little surprised to see him, as Hyuga Mirai usually did two D-rank missions in the morning, then trained before returning after lunch to keep her company. Did yesterday's conversation leave an impact on him?
In her heart, Kiyo Hyuga thought that no matter what, she couldn't let Mirai out of her sight today.
"Lady Kiyo, something very strange happened last night. While I was sleeping, it seemed like someone was teaching me Gentle Fist techniques." Hyuga Mirai quickly shared the details of his dream with Kiyo.
At first, Kiyo Hyuga treated it like a simple morning conversation, but as Hyuga Mirai continued explaining the method for training the Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotating Heaven, Kiyo's expression grew serious. The technique sounded exactly like the secret methods she had learned from her grandfather. In fact, Kiyo felt that the way Hyuga Mirai explained the Rotating Heaven method seemed simpler than what she had learned from her grandfather.
The Rotating Heaven technique was correct, and the method for the Empty Palm was also correct. As for the other details about Gentle Fist training, Kiyo Hyuga didn't experience Hyuga Mirai's dream, so she couldn't directly understand the techniques he mentioned.
After a moment of quiet contemplation, Kiyo Hyuga pulled Hyuga Mirai toward the courtyard's training room. "Let's spar a bit. While we fight, try to recall what you learned in your dream."
Soon, they arrived in the spacious training room, which spanned over three hundred square meters.
"Lady Kiyo, I'll hold nothing back." After the formalities, Hyuga Mirai attacked. Before everything had happened, Kiyo Hyuga's strength had been far superior to his. Though she had lost one Byakugan, her combat ability was only slightly affected, with her physical condition the only noticeable decline.
If Kiyo Hyuga were to get serious, she was sure that Hyuga Mirai would not be her match.
However, the ensuing battle shocked Kiyo Hyuga. Hyuga Mirai seemed to have suddenly gained an enormous boost in his Gentle Fist abilities. Every move she made seemed to be read by him, and a few of his counterattacks left her struggling to keep up.
Had he been hiding his true abilities all this time?
After sparring for a while, Kiyo Hyuga, exhausted from the physical exertion, decided to stop and stepped back from the battlefield. She hadn't trained in a long time, and while her experience was still there, her physical stamina had decreased considerably.
"Mirai, that's enough. I understand your strength now." Kiyo Hyuga gave a faint smile, though her pale face betrayed her exhaustion. "You're very impressive. At this rate, you'll certainly become a Chunin soon."
"Hehe, you flatter me, Lady Kiyo," Hyuga Mirai replied bashfully, scratching his head.
Kiyo Hyuga then handed him several scrolls. "These are the notes I've compiled from my grandfather's teachings on Gentle Fist. You can use them for comparison in your training. I've removed the portions on the clan's secret techniques, otherwise, they would cause you trouble."
"Also, don't mention the 'dream' to anyone else," she added firmly.
Hyuga Mirai held the scrolls, deeply touched. "Thank you, Lady Kiyo."
Before he could say more, a sudden noise came from the front yard.
This part of the Hyuga estate was somewhat remote and usually very quiet. Upon hearing the commotion, Hyuga Mirai felt his temper flare.
"Those bastards, they're here again today!"
He stormed off toward the front yard, ready to settle the score with those troublemakers.
"Mirai, wait!" Kiyo Hyuga called out, but she had exhausted much of her energy and couldn't catch up. By the time she had caught her breath and reached the courtyard gate, Hyuga Mirai was already in a heated argument with the troublemakers.
These troublemakers were from the branch family, and they held the Byakugan bloodline in extremely high regard. They believed the Byakugan was supreme, the strongest bloodline limit in the ninja world, and no one should desecrate such a noble lineage.
"Is this the place where you belong?"
When Hyuga Kiyo arrived, 'Hyuga Mirai' was already facing off against several branch family ninjas.
"Hmph, following a sinner like you, your tone has gotten quite arrogant, Hyuga Mirai!" one of the branch ninjas said coldly. Upon seeing Hyuga Kiyo walking out of the building, the ninja's expression grew even more disgusted.
"A sinner who lost a precious Byakugan, and now you have the nerve to step out!"
'Hyuga Mirai' couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "You bastard, speaking to Kiyo-sama like that, do you want a fight?"
"A lady? Do you still think she's from the main family? If it weren't for the risk of the Caged Bird curse when she came of age, this sinner would've been demoted to a branch family member long ago. No, this kind of sinner doesn't even deserve to be in the branch family, she should be expelled from the Hyuga clan entirely!"
"What did you say?"
"Haha, this is quite amusing," a voice suddenly interrupted before things could escalate further.
Everyone turned their heads to see a group of people walking toward them, including Hyuga Hiashi, the clan leader of the Hyuga clan.
One of the figures beside Hyuga Hiashi had golden vertical pupils and light purple eyeshadow, and under the gaze of those eyes, it felt as though the most venomous predator in the forest had its sights set on them.
"Clan Leader, Orochimaru-sama!"
Few people in the village didn't know Orochimaru, the recently failed candidate for Fourth Hokage. Although he didn't succeed in becoming the Hokage, his reputation and strength as one of the Three Ninjas still far surpassed that of Hyuga Hiashi.
"Hiashi, I didn't expect to witness such an interesting scene. Is that the one who got into trouble on the battlefield in the Land of Mist a while ago?" Orochimaru asked with a rasping laugh. His snake-like eyes swept over Hyuga Kiyo, making her take half a step back in fear. But 'Hyuga Mirai' noticed and immediately stepped in front of her to protect her.
"Forgive me for the disturbance, Orochimaru-sama."
Hyuga Hiashi, though somewhat irritated by the situation and the fact that outsiders saw the clan's internal problems, kept a calm demeanor. He turned to Orochimaru and after speaking, addressed the others, "Get out of here. Don't come back."
This kind of minor matter wasn't something Hyuga Hiashi cared much about. Even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have bothered.
The only purpose left for Kiyo, who had lost one of her Byakugan, was to bear children and ensure the continuation of the Hyuga bloodline.
"So, you must be Hyuga Mirai?"
Orochimaru took two steps forward, his golden vertical pupils constantly examining 'Hyuga Mirai.' But after such a short time, Orochimaru could not discern anything particularly special about the boy from the branch family.
Could it be because they share the same name that he asked me to take him as my disciple?
Orochimaru chuckled softly before saying, "Forget it, since it's a request, I won't overthink it. Hyuga Mirai, will you be my disciple?"
"What?"
'Hyuga Mirai' froze for a moment, not expecting Orochimaru to offer to take him as a disciple.
"Disciple? Me? Why me?"
After a brief moment of shock, 'Hyuga Mirai' quickly asked.
"We'll talk about that later," Orochimaru said. "For now, Hiashi, Hyuga Mirai will be my disciple."
Orochimaru didn't want to discuss too much about 'Hyuga Mirai' in front of others. Though he had said it was a request, if he hadn't, it would have seemed odd for a renowned Sannin to take a branch family member as a disciple. By saying it was a request, the attention would shift from him to the Hyuga clan, causing them to look into 'Hyuga Mirai's background. Orochimaru needed them to focus on that and not question why a member of the branch family had caught the attention of one of the Sannin.
Hyuga Hiashi responded, "Of course. For Hyuga Mirai, becoming Orochimaru-sama's disciple is a great fortune."
With the Caged Bird still in place, Hyuga Hiashi didn't worry about the loss of the Byakugan, and besides, with 'Hyuga Mirai' becoming Orochimaru's disciple, it would be seen as a positive development for the Hyuga clan, so he readily agreed on his behalf.
"However..."
'Hyuga Mirai' was about to speak, but just then, Kiyo Hyuga gently tugged his sleeve, urging him to stop. After hearing her quiet persuasion, 'Hyuga Mirai' nodded and stepped forward to stand before Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sensei, I'll be in your care from now on."
"Heh, I'll be counting on you, Mirai-kun!"
(End of Chapter)