That night, Yuki enjoyed a sumptuous dinner with his long-unseen family. It filled him with the warmth of home—and a taste far richer than the rice balls and wild vegetables he'd grown used to.
For a certain little girl, however, even the most lavish meal held no appeal at the moment, for her eyes never left her brother at the table.
"Brother, you seem to like shrimp tempura the most. Here, have some."
"Okay, thanks."
"Brother, would you like some tea?"
"Sure, thank you."
"Brother—"
"Alright, alright, eat your meal. If you keep this up, you won't grow up big and strong."
When Hinata called out to her brother for the tenth time, Yuki quickly stopped her, hoping to prevent Hiashi's expression—already darker than thunder across the table—from worsening further.
"Ahem."
Right on cue, Hiashi cleared his throat. Hinata finally realized her behavior might lack proper table manners. She secretly stuck out her tongue and obediently focused on the food in front of her.
"Really… You've been this attached to Yuki since you were little. If only you could learn something from your brother," Hiashi remarked after the meal, watching his daughter pour tea for her brother with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
To be honest, it wasn't that Hiashi enjoyed reprimanding Hinata. The main issue was her talent, which truly fell short of his expectations, often leaving him seething with frustration.
Of course, Hinata wasn't utterly hopeless. The real problem was having an elder brother like Yuki as a benchmark. Hiashi naturally hoped his daughter could become independent and capable early on, but that now seemed unlikely.
"It's fine. A girl doesn't need to fight and kill all day. If the sky falls, her brother will hold it up. She just needs to live her life well."
Before Hinata's little face could fall, Yuki quickly ruffled her hair and smiled at her.
Hinata beamed instantly at her brother's words, but Hiashi nearly spat out his tea.
"Yuki, you spoil her too much."
"Father, if I don't spoil her, who will? If Hinata grows up under nothing but your pressure, she'll become introverted and timid. Girls with that kind of personality are easily drawn to outgoing, sunny types. Do you want your daughter to marry some cheerful fool? Like, say… Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Bah! What nonsense are you spouting?! I'd sooner die, drop dead outside, or leap from the Hokage Rock than let that little demon fox marry my daughter! And there's absolutely no way such a ridiculous thing would happen!"
Impossible here, maybe. But that wasn't the case in the original timeline. Watching Hiashi's furious reaction, Yuki could only smile wryly to himself.
"Come on, Hinata, let's go to the training ground. I'll guide your practice. It'll definitely be much more effective than someone else's teaching."
"Really? Great! Let's go, let's go!"
Hearing her favorite brother would teach her, Hinata immediately hopped up from her seat, her expression bright and cheerful—a far cry from the timid look she wore in front of Hiashi.
"Wait."
Just as Yuki was about to leave with his sister, Hiashi called out as if suddenly remembering something, his tone turning serious.
"What is it, Father? Has something happened?"
Sensing the gravity in his voice, Yuki also dropped his casual demeanor, stopping to listen seriously.
"Do you remember the matter concerning the Great Elder?"
"Hinata Endō? What about that old man? Has he been making a fuss about me in the meetings again?"
At the mention of that name, the corner of Yuki's mouth twitched upward slightly, though a faint glint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
Hinata Endō was the uncle of the current Hyūga clan head, Hiashi, a member of the Council of Elders with significant influence in the clan, and once a contender for the position of clan head in the previous generation.
After Hiashi's father passed away, many clan members had hoped Endō would become clan head. In the end, however, Hiashi secured the position by gaining the trust of the previous Council of Elders, edging out his uncle.
The defeated Endō joined the Council of Elders and had remained there ever since. Though he and Hiashi maintained the appearance of a harmonious uncle-nephew relationship, the higher-ups of the Hyūga clan knew well that tensions simmered beneath the surface.
"That's right. But this time, the target has shifted toward me. The elders seem to have listened to Endō and have begun accusing me of giving you too much freedom, neglecting the protection of the heir, disregarding the Byakugan, and so on."
Tch, more of this nonsense. After hearing Hiashi's words, Yuki laughed as if he'd heard something utterly ridiculous. "Let them talk for now. Anyway, their time is running out."
"In short, I'm warning you first. Those guys from the Council of Elders might come looking for you. You'll know what to do when the time comes."
"Understood. In short, avoid direct confrontation with them."
With that final remark and a gentle, practiced smile, Yuki led his confused sister outside.
Hiashi sighed softly at his son's tone, which clearly held no intention of heeding the warning, and shook his head. After all, he knew his son's temperament all too well.
"Brother, what did you and Father mean just now?"
Once they'd left the dining hall, Hinata finally couldn't contain her curiosity, asking while holding Yuki's hand.
"Just some annoying matters. But they have nothing to do with you for now. Anyway, by the time you grow up, those annoying people definitely won't exist anymore."
"Won't exist anymore…?"
"Yes. But they still exist now. Sorry, brother needs to use the restroom. Can you go to the training ground first?"
"Okay! Brother, hurry up!"
Watching Hinata skip away, waving, Yuki's face softened with warmth.
In the next moment, however, his expression grew inscrutable, for three tall figures had appeared from around the corner of the corridor ahead, walking toward him.
"Oh? Isn't this cousin Yuki?"
As the three figures approached, the one in the lead walked over with a face full of mock surprise, as if he'd only just noticed Yuki standing there.
This young man was named Hyūga Takuma. At fourteen, he had delicate features and was considered talented among his generation. He'd passed the Chūnin Exams in his second year after graduating from the Ninja Academy and was the pride of his grandfather, Hinata Endō.
In terms of clan seniority, Takuma and Yuki were of the same generation. As Takuma was two years older, Yuki should address him as "cousin," though Yuki never had.
"Oh, Brother Takuma? What a coincidence."
Coincidence, my foot. You've been waiting for me out here for ages. Seeing his "cousin's" smug smirk, Yuki cursed inwardly.
Noting Yuki's polite smile, the fake grin on Takuma's face widened. "It's not easy running into you, Yuki. I heard you've been wandering around the Land of Fire alone before returning to Konoha today?"
"That's right. I actually took a stroll around the nearby Land of Grass. The scenery there is quite nice. How about it, Brother Takuma? Maybe you should go broaden your horizons sometime."
"That may be. But cousin Yuki, don't you think this is against the rules?"
Here it comes. Hearing Takuma's seemingly polite yet venomous words, Yuki could only shrug and smile. "Really? This is the first I've heard of it. The clan rules don't seem to prohibit members from leaving the village."
"Quit pretending," another young clansman behind Takuma snapped impatiently, his tone almost accusatory. "As the clan head's eldest son, you ran off alone to places beyond the clan's protection. Don't you feel any sense of responsibility to the clan?"
"Sense of responsibility? Is that a new term you invented?"
"What I mean is, if you die outside, it's one thing—they can just produce another heir. But what if your Byakugan is taken? Wouldn't that implicate the entire clan?"
The young man sneered and continued, "The Council of Elders has already proposed restricting your personal movements. Even as the clan head's son, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Do you understand?"