Bright sunlight spilled onto the white, umbrella-shaped flowers.
On the gently undulating, winding road, a lush greenness thrived.
Viewed from a distance, the slowly walking young man and woman ascended against the backdrop of the blue sky.
The hems of their clothes danced in the wind, making them look like a beautiful, realistic ink wash painting.
The girl had silver hair styled in a double-bun chignon, adorned with a seasonal flower—the herbaceous Corncockle.
The Corncockle's colors were vibrant, a lively and beautiful mix of purple and snow-white.
But anyone who knew of this flower would understand that this vibrant, beautiful plant was poisonous in its entirety—a beautiful yet terrifying plant.
And the girl who wore such a flower as an ornament in her hair, in a sense, shared similar qualities with it.
The girl wore a brocade gofuku that complemented the flower in her hair, and her face always bore an intoxicating smile.
She smiled so beautifully, yet just being near her, an indescribable, terrible feeling would surge from her petite and lovely figure, attacking anyone indiscriminately.
Standing beside the girl, one would deeply feel that this beautiful maiden was an existence from another world.
The Senju Princess—no matter when or where, this girl, whose beauty seemed not of this world, would stand silently, her very being an irresistible genjutsu.
The young man beside her was dressed all in white, his long hair simply tied back, his forehead covered by a white cloth strip. A pair of white eyes revealed his origin from the Hyuga clan.
Hyuga Haku followed Tsukuyo, once again walking through all the lands of the Senju clan.
"Haku, if you want to learn, just go find my second brother, Tobirama," Tsukuyo said to Hyuga Haku. "If you're serious about learning, start seeing him tomorrow. Don't come bothering me tomorrow; I'm busy."
Although Tsukuyo's face was smiling, her words were as merciless as ever.
"So cold..." Having spent a long time with Tsukuyo, Hyuga Haku was still respectful, but no longer as terrified as before. "The princess should know why I wish to train by your side."
"Because you're a pervert, and you lust after my body," Tsukuyo said with a mischievous, wicked smile.
Even with a wicked smile, she was still so beautiful.
Pfft—
Hyuga Haku couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, that's right."
Before, Hyuga Haku would have been embarrassed.
But once, twice, three times... gradually, he became numb. Tired. It was fine this way.
Now, upon hearing Tsukuyo's blunt, unvarnished words, which seemed tinged with teasing and mockery, Hyuga Haku couldn't help but laugh out loud.
In any case, Hyuga Haku never had a chance from the very beginning.
He might as well try. As long as the princess didn't go so far as to kill him, he had nothing substantial to lose.
All the knowledge he learned from Tsukuyo was a gift.
"The so-called learning of skills and knowledge is just incidental, because you've already understood that I especially dislike idiots."
"But I don't have time to play house with you. You know, I'm truly swamped every day." Tsukuyo spread her hands. "You don't think the current changes in the Senju clan could be achieved by my clansmen alone, do you?"
"The Senju clan's success today is of course thanks to your invaluable contributions, Princess," Hyuga Haku said sincerely. "You are still young, Princess. You could actually take things slower, there's no need to be in such a hurry."
"That won't do. My goal has not yet been achieved," Tsukuyo said, shaking her head.
The two stood at the top of the hill, looking down at the winding scenery below.
Hyuga Haku whispered, "I apologize, Princess. So much time has passed, and the clan head is still hesitating. As you know, our Hyuga clan's Byakugan has been passed down for a long time. Merging with an outside clan is something that has never happened before, so the clan head naturally has more to consider."
"Regarding that matter, I'm truly not in a hurry." Tsukuyo smiled and continued walking forward.
Hyuga Haku kept pace with her. "It's a pity. I can tell that Lord Tobirama doesn't seem to like Miss Miyu very much. If our two clans were to be joined by marriage, the clan head would just go with the flow."
Tsukuyo smiled without saying a word.
Men their age were all like hungry ghosts.
But Senju Tobirama was different. He was too "full" to be indiscriminate with his food.
If he didn't like someone, he just didn't like them.
If Senju Tobirama couldn't keep his pants on and carelessly slept with Hyuga Miyu, the Hyuga clan would use it as leverage, and Senju Butsuma would definitely make Senju Tobirama take responsibility.
At that point, if Senju Tobirama married Hyuga Miyu, he would have to face who knows how many years of resentful staring.
This was also why Tsukuyo had told Senju Tobirama not to focus his attention on just one girl.
There were plenty of fresh, juicy girls out there, after all.
Among her four older brothers, Hashirama and Tobirama had their own ideas, Itama was more obedient, but Itama always avoided Tsukuyo. Tsukuyo had given up on managing Itama; as long as he was alive, it was fine.
Hyuga Haku walked behind Tsukuyo with a submissive, downcast gaze.
Today, Hyuga Haku's Byakugan dōjutsu no longer had a blind spot. Ever since being healed by Tsukuyo, his "Caged Bird" curse seal had vanished.
And Hyuga Haku had been hiding this fact all along; the mark on his forehead was drawn on with a pen.
He had originally intended to get a tattoo to make the curse seal a permanent fixture on his forehead.
But whenever Hyuga Haku saw Tsukuyo's brilliant smile, he couldn't bring himself to tattoo that ugly mark onto his own forehead.
Standing next to Tsukuyo, he already felt ashamed of his own perceived inadequacy.
To self-mutilate and make himself even uglier under these circumstances was something Hyuga Haku could not do.
Now, Tsukuyo had led him through the final lesson and was preparing to head to the office area.
After today, if Hyuga Haku wanted to see Tsukuyo as often as before, he would need a new pretext, and even then, he might not succeed.
With his head lowered, Hyuga Haku confirmed there were no bystanders around before speaking again. "Princess..."
"Hm?"
Tsukuyo's pace remained as leisurely as before, yet Hyuga Haku felt as though he was constantly chasing her footsteps, the distance between them never shrinking, forever maintained.
Hyuga Haku said softly, "Princess, could you please not send me off to the second young master?"
Tsukuyo stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Hyuga Haku, who kept a distance of nearly two meters from her. She was still smiling. "Tobirama's teaching quality is much higher than mine."
Hyuga Haku said, feeling distressed, "But my feelings for you are practically out in the open. The second young master must really hate me."
Tsukuyo nodded in deep agreement. "That is indeed the case."
"So..." Hyuga Haku looked at Tsukuyo with a hopeful expression.
But then he saw Tsukuyo's pair of blood-red eyes become like deep whirlpools. Within her pupils, black tomoe were swimming.
Hyuga Haku: "???"
Ah, this!
This is... the Sharingan!
Hyuga Haku was shocked and stunned. There were rumors that the princess was from the Uchiha clan, which he had never believed, but now...
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