Noon arrived.
Hyūga Kumokawa walked back from Konoha Hospital toward the Hyūga Clan compound, lowering his head slightly to glance at his bandaged hand.
With the body's regenerative ability, the wound on his hand had already fully healed on the way to the hospital.
But in order to avoid attracting unnecessary suspicion, he had deliberately cut open his palm again.
Even so, the hospital's medical-nin still couldn't help but marvel—such an incredible self-healing ability was rarely seen.
Of course, Kumokawa had his own reasons for doing this.
"…"
Lost in thought, Kumokawa soon found himself standing outside a training ground.
He raised his gaze and saw a figure being respectfully surrounded by several attendants.
Hyūga Aoi—daughter of one of the Hyūga Clan's Main Family elders.
Her long black hair seemed to ripple like flowing water under the sunlight.
Sixteen years old, her cheeks still retained a trace of baby fat, rosy with health, but her pale eyes gleamed as sharp as blades tempered in ice.
"Get out of my sight!"
With no mercy, she kicked away a kneeling Branch Family member in front of her.
The Branch Family shinobi gritted his teeth against the pain, forcing himself not to let out a cry.
He dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction—nor even harbor such thoughts.
"Trash."
Aoi glared at him in disgust, then swept her gaze across the other Branch Family members. Her tone was filled with annoyance:
"All of you are trash! Not a single one dares fight back! Father actually sent you useless weaklings to protect me?"
The Branch Family members around her all lowered their heads even further, submissive and humble, not daring to offer even a word of rebuttal.
After all, that elder only had this one daughter, and she had been spoiled since childhood—resulting in her domineering and willful temper.
If that were all, it would not be unusual.
Many children of the Main Family were like this.
But Aoi was different—she was competitive, hot-blooded, and constantly eager to leave the village to fight on the battlefield.
This time, after once again being denied permission by her father to leave the village, she had vented her foul mood on the Branch Family attendants, insisting they spar with her using their full strength.
Whether or not they risked injuring her didn't matter.
The real danger was that any act that could be construed as "disrespect" would trigger the Caged Bird Seal's agony.
Compared to the soul-crushing torment of that curse mark, mere scolding or even being kicked like a dog was nothing.
If Aoi willed it, some of them would crawl on the ground and bark without hesitation.
"Wait."
As if realizing something, Aoi frowned and demanded coldly:
"Is someone missing?"
The Branch Family members exchanged quick, uneasy glances. In that fleeting eye contact, it was clear who wasn't present.
"Lady Aoi,"
After a moment's silence, the Hyūga clansman who had intercepted Kumokawa earlier that morning spoke first, bowing respectfully:
"It is—"
"Lady Aoi, I am here."
Before he could finish, a familiar voice cut in. His body trembled involuntarily, and the bruised ache in his stomach seemed to flare up again.
Aoi turned her head, frowning, and saw Kumokawa walking toward them. Her voice was cold:
"So it was you who was missing… this worthless trash."
Kumokawa ignored the ridicule in her tone.
He simply raised his bandaged hand, lowering his head slightly in apology:
"Forgive me, Lady Aoi. My hand is injured, so today I may not be able to—"
Whoosh!
The sharp whistle of something cleaving through air reached his ear. By instinct, he tilted his head aside.
A fist brushed past his ear, the wind pressure tugging at the black hair tied behind his head.
Calmly lifting his eyes, Kumokawa met the pair of pale, emotionless eyes staring back at him.
"Less talk." Aoi's voice was cold as ice. "Show me whether you've improved at all, you worthless trash."
Her fist recoiled and immediately turned into a palm strike, thrusting at Kumokawa's chest.
But in the next instant—
His body shifted back with steps so light it seemed like drifting leaves in the wind. He slipped away from her strike as though carried by a breeze.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Aoi's eyes.
Blue veins bulged around her temples as she assumed the true opening stance of the Gentle Fist.
Her right hand blurred into afterimages, three fingers joined together, aiming to strike Kumokawa's left shoulder.
"…"
Seeing this, Kumokawa sighed inwardly. "What a hassle."
He didn't want to reveal his abilities so soon—but to obediently kneel like a dog again was out of the question.
He had endured three years just to gain this chance to rewrite his fate. If he kept groveling, those three years of patience would have been meaningless.
So then—did he want to kneel, or did he want to earn?
"I want to stand tall—and still earn points."
If that was the case…
Kumokawa slowly closed his eyes.
Sure enough, he slipped once more into that state of full concentration.
Beyond spiritual perception, his five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—were sealed off entirely.
Boom!
His body twisted sharply, leaning back.
Aoi's fingers skimmed past the tip of his nose, striking a wooden post behind him.
A deep dent appeared, scattering splinters down onto his eyelashes, carrying the bitter tang of pine resin.
Punches and palms rained down with ruthless speed. But within Kumokawa's perception, each motion was agonizingly slow.
His blood surged like molten magma, fueling his body to keep pace with his heightened awareness.
It was as though time itself had stretched thin, and he alone moved at its normal pace, freely navigating a world of slowed motion.
"What… what is this?"
Aoi's pupils contracted.
Every strike she launched was evaded by Kumokawa—his eyes still shut.
Her excitement grew, but her attacks also became more desperate and reckless.
Kumokawa could clearly see every opening—every vulnerable gap left beneath her ribs when she overextended.
The next moment, seizing on her mistake, his palm curved like a fish darting past his chest, snaring her wrist. His other arm hooked hers and twisted. Force flowed seamlessly through bone and muscle—
Crack! Pop!
Two sounds in a breath.
One for dislocation. One for relocation.
The movement was so smooth she didn't even have time to scream—just a sharp sting of pain.
Before she could recover from her shock, Kumokawa's body moved again.
His frame quivered ever so slightly—power surged up his spine, coursing through muscle into his arm, and lashed out like a whip.
Bang!
The impact cracked like a bamboo stalk snapping after being bent to its limit, followed by the sharp clap of air. A faint mist burst outward like torn silk.
The blow slammed into Aoi's guarding arm, forcing her backward in stumbling steps.
She nearly toppled flat onto the ground—
Too disgraceful. That wouldn't do.
Kumokawa sighed, reaching out to grab her collar, yanking her roughly back upright.
"Had enough yet, Lady Aoi?"
His eyes opened. He looked directly into her trembling gaze, his voice edged with harshness as he lowered it:
"If you truly wish to set foot on the battlefield, then at the very least you should understand this…"
"On this land steeped in blood. In this cruel clan—you are alive only because others gave their lives in sacrifice."
"Those who live… must be worthy of such sacrifice."
"Unfortunately, as I see it—you are not worthy."
With that, he lifted his head, released her, and pushed her back.
Without sparing a glance at the stunned, fearful, or shocked gazes around them, Kumokawa gave a shallow bow to Aoi, then turned to leave.
His face remained calm as he walked, his steps steady.
But the moment he crossed the training ground's threshold, the system chime he'd been waiting for echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Your lie has been judged as [False Sincerity] and [Flirtatious Allure]. Hyūga Aoi experienced a strong emotional upheaval, reaching the level of [Self-Doubt]. You have gained 300 Truth Points…]
"…Tch. That's slander."
Kumokawa's smile vanished. He muttered under his breath:
"Deceiving women… that's something I cannot do."
With the joke spoken, his peripheral vision caught a familiar figure—a young face twisted in resentment, rushing out from another estate.
That was… Hyūga Neji.
"Oh, look at that." Kumokawa narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"The center of attention has arrived."