Mawari Yasu was over the moon.
Almost all of his basic ninjutsu had been boosted, and the Body Flicker Technique in particular… he couldn't even imagine how fast he was now! On top of that, he'd even drawn the legendary Eight Gates.
Opening all eight gates and you could literally kick your way into the ending screen. Just thinking about roundhouse-kicking Uchiha Madara across the battlefield felt badass.
However, the Eight Gates was a move that would inflict heavy damage on both the enemy and himself, so Yasu dared not use it carelessly.
Just as Yasu was buzzing with excitement, Hyūga Hiashi cleared his throat and brought him back to reality.
"Kid. As a father, I'm grateful you taught Hinata so well. But now we need to talk about what happened earlier… and about the your Taijutsu."
Yasu's heart dropped.
Unsolvable.
Flirting with someone's daughter? Deadly crime.
Secretly learning Gentle Fist? Also a deadly crime.
And the biggest issue—there was no way to explain it.
He couldn't exactly say, "Oh, I was just joking with Hinata," and, "I found a Gentle Fist manual on the street lol."
Not even he would believe that.
While Yasu struggled to figure out what to say, Hinata tugged on Hiashi's sleeve, gently shaking his arm.
"Father… please don't be so harsh."
Hiashi's head throbbed. So this is what they mean by daughter chooses love over blood. His precious little girl had officially defected to Yasu's team.
But Hiashi didn't actually intend to punish Yasu.
A genius like this? The smart move was to win him over, not create conflict.
"Fine. Since Hinata's speaking for you, I won't pursue those two matters. But I have one condition: teach the Hyūga clan your Gentle Fist."
Yasu didn't react much, but Kakashi and Might Guy visibly trembled.
It sounded like a simple request to be a "teacher," but the hidden benefits were huge.
If this really happened, every Hyūga would have to call Yasu sensei.
Meaning—from that moment on, the entire Hyūga clan would act as his backing.
As long as he didn't betray Konoha, the village wouldn't dare touch him.
Seeing Yasu hesitate, Kakashi and Guy looked like they wanted to answer for him on the spot.
Yasu paused a few seconds, then shook his head lightly.
"I refuse."
Everyone froze.
Such a crazy-good offer—and he refused?! Anyone else would have taken the deal even without benefits.
Hiashi wasn't just anyone—he was the head of the Hyūga Clan, Konoha's number one noble family.
Offend the Hyūga and you basically offend half of Konoha. Gain their favor, and your future becomes nothing but smooth sailing.
Kakashi and Guy were desperately praying Yasu would reconsider—or that Hiashi would let him off.
"If you agree to guide the Hyūga clan," Hiashi said slowly, "I can arrange a pair of Byakugan for you. Also—"
His eyes flicked toward Hinata.
"Byakugan?!"
Even the normally unshakable Kakashi snapped to full alert.
The Byakugan was the Hyūga's precious kekkei genkai, tightly guarded. That's why the Caged Bird Seal existed—to prevent any stolen Byakugan from falling into enemy hands.
Because of that seal, even the branch family's Byakugan was no longer perfect.
That was how seriously the Hyūga valued their eyes.
And now the clan head himself… was offering Yasu a pair.
Unprecedented.
If word got out, the whole village would be shaken to its core.
Yasu let out a helpless smile.
Byakugan was a dream for any taijutsu ninja—but for Yasu, it wasn't urgent.
He could obtain it through favorability sooner or later anyway.
The real problem was… he couldn't teach them.
He could teach Hinata because he had acquired her Gentle Fist through sign-in.
He knew her strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand.
He could tailor training for her perfectly.
But for people he hadn't signed in with, he had no idea how to guide them.
"I'll teach only three people: Hinata, Neji… and you."
Hiashi blinked in surprise.
Hinata and Neji he understood. But why… himself?
"You're saying… you can teach me?"
"That's right. If it's pure Gentle Fist, I can guide you."
Hiashi frowned.
Teaching Hinata and Neji was fine, but claiming he could teach Hiashi himself? That was reaching too far.
Hiashi had decades of Gentle Fist mastery. Being coached by a kid would be the clan's greatest joke.
He forced a polite smile.
He had thought Yasu was a rare genius… but now it felt like the boy was getting too arrogant.
[Ding! Hiashi Hyūga's favorability −5. Current favorability: 71.]
Kakashi sensed Hiashi's displeasure and quickly stepped in.
"Hiashi-sama, I think Yasu means everyone has their own interpretation of a jutsu. Maybe his insights could be helpful? After all—'Even a whetstone that's old and worn is still a whetstone—it can still hone a blade.'"
Hiashi's expression softened a little.
"I don't need it. At my age, making further progress is rather difficult."
"You can try," Yasu said calmly. "Your Gentle Fist—I really can help you."
Hiashi's temper flared instantly.
The older generation of the Hyūga had already plateaued. Hiashi was considered the current pinnacle of the Gentle Fist.
And now a kid was basically saying he'd been practicing for decades… wrongly?
"Oh? Fine then. I want to see how you plan to 'teach' me."
Kakashi moved as if to intervene, but Hiashi shot him a glare.
Kakashi instantly understood.
Hiashi wasn't actually angry—he just wanted to break Yasu's arrogance. The boy was a raw gemstone, and Hiashi intended to polish him into something brilliant.
This was for Yasu's own good… and also for Hinata's.
"You mean pure Gentle Fist—no chakra and no other techniques, right?"
"Exactly. If it's just Gentle Fist, I can give you pointers." Yasu nodded. Chakra was his biggest weakness; if chakra were involved, he'd lose in one exchange.
And as for other techniques—he hadn't signed in for any, so he couldn't teach them even if he wanted to.
"In that case," Hiashi said, "today I will learn from you."