Hinata Hiashi shouted anxiously as soon as he rushed back home.
"Hinata, is Hinata awake yet?"
Hinata, wearing a black training outfit, poked her head out of the house.
She wiped her wet hair with a towel.
"Father, you're looking for me?"
Hinata Hiashi walked up to her in one swift step.
"Hinata, what do you think of Feng An?"
"Huh?" Hinata was a little confused.
Why did her father care about Feng An?
"He's very good, very handsome, and very caring."
"Stop." Hinata Hiashi's face darkened. "Who asked you that? I mean, you are usually in Team 8 with him. How are his abilities?"
Hinata suddenly realized and nodded.
"He's usually very hardworking. Oh, and he has already mastered the C-rank ninjutsu, the Great Fireball Technique."
It seems that what Kurenai Yūhi said is true.
Hinata Hiashi nodded and said, "Is there anything else special about him?"
"He's also very fast, but I don't know anything else about him..."
"Okay, I understand."
Hinata Hiashi turned and left.
"We'll see after the Chunin Exams."
He muttered to himself.
He didn't expect Feng An to surpass Neji, but as long as he performed decently, he would stop hindering them.
After all, she is his daughter. He can see that Hinata really likes him, and Feng An doesn't seem like a playboy; otherwise, Hinata wouldn't have liked him for so long.
He knew very well that Hinata's talent was no longer enough to support the rise of the Hyūga clan, so he had to spend time training her sister, Hanabi.
"Will the elders of the clan just watch Hinata be with an outsider?"
To ensure the Byakugan bloodline remained pure, the Hyūga clan had always practiced marriage within the clan.
Hinata Hiashi shook his head, not wanting to think too much about these distant concerns.
If Feng An truly demonstrated significant strength and the clan elders still feared the dilution of the Byakugan bloodline, even if he was no longer the clan leader, he would let his daughter choose her own path in life.
…
Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
Feng An spent each day tediously completing the D-rank missions Kurenai took on—catching thieves and finding lost cats and dogs.
At the same time, he did not neglect his practice of genjutsu and chakra control.
Today was also the final day of the bet between Feng An and Kurenai Yūhi.
"Have you really learned it?"
Hinata followed Feng An as the two walked towards Kurenai Yūhi's house.
"Of course. Otherwise, wouldn't I be looking for trouble by going to see her?"
Hinata clenched her fists, hiding the smile on her lips.
Over the past week, the two had grown closer while completing missions together.
Her father, Hiashi, had not tried to stop their interactions since the day he asked Hinata about Feng An.
The two walked side by side and soon arrived at Kurenai's residence.
Feng An stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Kurenai-sensei, I'm here for our appointment."
But there was no response.
"Byakugan!"
Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked inside, finding no signs of chakra flow within the room.
She shook her head and said, "Kurenai-sensei isn't home."
"Then where did she go?"
Feng An leaned against the wall, growing increasingly suspicious.
They had mastered two genjutsu within a week, and Kurenai had given them the last day off so they could rest.
Was Kurenai trying to cheat?
No, I'll wait here all day. I don't believe she won't come home by noon.
…
Meanwhile, Kurenai Yūhi was helplessly accepting Asuma Sarutobi's clumsy attempts at courtesy.
She hadn't believed Feng An could master genjutsu within a week, so she'd completely forgotten that today was the final day of their bet.
Kurenai and Asuma were sitting in a shop.
Asuma was hurriedly carrying several plates filled with fruit salad and snacks.
Kurenai rested her chin on her hands, watching Asuma's awkwardness with helpless affection.
"Can't you just carry one plate at a time?"
"Ah, right..."
Asuma set the plates down on the table and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
Then he carefully picked up a piece of apple with a toothpick and offered it to Kurenai.
After Kurenai opened her mouth and ate it, she still rolled her eyes at him. "Aren't you usually pretty sharp?"
"I get a little flustered when I'm around you, Kurenai," Asuma replied sheepishly.
Hearing his words, Kurenai's lips curled slightly, though she quickly suppressed it.
If anyone else had said that, Kurenai would have dismissed it as smooth talk, but she and Asuma had known each other for years. She knew that for a blockhead like Asuma to say such a thing, he must truly mean it.
"Oh, I don't know whether to call you foolish or sincere."
Kurenai sighed inwardly.
Yet, every time this blockhead had a moment of clarity, it never failed to make her smile.
…
Back at Kurenai's place, Feng An and Hinata were squatting in front of her door.
Since Feng An wasn't leaving, Hinata naturally stayed with him.
The two squatted in front of her house and ate lunch.
Feng An devoured his unagi rice in large mouthfuls, a fierce look in his eyes as if he were swallowing his frustration with Kurenai rather than the food.
"Eat slower, or you'll choke."
Just then, Feng An suddenly stopped mid-bite and straightened his back.
He was choking.
It wasn't Hinata's fault—eating while squatting made it easier to choke than when sitting properly.
Hinata noticed and quickly handed him water.
At the same time, she gently patted his back.
Feng An straightened up, took a few gulps of water, and finally recovered.
He turned to look at Hinata sincerely.
"Good thing you were here, or I would've died a wrongful death."
Hinata shyly poked at the rice in her bowl, avoiding his gaze.
After nearly being killed by the unagi rice, he directed all his frustration and resentment toward Kurenai Yūhi.
"I just don't believe she won't come back by nightfall."
He made up his mind: if she didn't return by night, he would set her house on fire.
*****
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