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Unkawa Hyūga came back to his senses, a faint expression of apology on his face.
"Apologies, Lord Hizashi, I thought it was…"
"It should not be you who apologizes. The one who showed up uninvited is me."
Dressed in a black kimono, Hyūga Hizashi waved off Unkawa's concern, not minding his actions at all. He concealed his slightly trembling hand behind his back and looked at Unkawa with a hint of admiration in his eyes, smiling.
"May I come in and sit for a while?"
"Please, do." Unkawa had no objections and stepped aside with a smile.
"I'll trouble you." Hizashi entered the entrance hall, glancing around at the simple and open interior of the house before pausing briefly at another room where training equipment was set up.
"I've already heard about what happened this morning. It was right of you to act carefully when you saw someone sneaking around during your training."
The two sat down in the living room. Hizashi let out a sigh and spoke first:
"But still, I didn't expect anyone would dare to target you in the village. How are your injuries?"
Noticing Hizashi's gaze on his hand, Unkawa smiled.
"Luckily, I'm fine now."
"There are only the two of us here now — no need to be so formal." Hizashi nodded, "Your father and I were good friends in life. I neglected my duty toward you, and now that I see you're safe, I can finally breathe a little easier."
To be honest, this nominal head of the branch family actually had a pretty decent reputation among the branch members. For example, he was being unusually gentle with Unkawa now, more like an elder than a clan leader.
Hizashi asked after Unkawa's well-being, but as the conversation went on, he hesitated for a moment and ultimately did not reprimand him for overstepping during lunch, as some of the main house elders had suggested.
Looking at Unkawa's youthful face, remembering his late father, and thinking about how Neji now viewed the main house, Hizashi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
How could such cruel and arrogant behavior from the main house not breed resentment? And yet, all he could do was try to soothe things.
"The broken wooden posts outside were yours, weren't they?" Hizashi changed the subject, remarking with a sigh, "I didn't expect you to improve so much — and even unlocked your Byakugan along the way. Still, be careful not to push yourself too hard and hurt yourself."
"Lord Hizashi flatters me," Unkawa remained polite, though he did not agree with the man's words. Instead, he calmly said, "After all, there will only be me left in the future. I have to rely on myself."
At this, Hizashi paused for a moment before guilt and regret rose again in his heart.
Seeing Unkawa's outward calm masking inner sorrow, Hizashi found himself unable to ask the question that lingered on his lips.
What question?
Was it going to ask why someone who was once considered useless suddenly became so strong?
Did he really need to ask?
The death of his only relative — his father — was enough to change a timid child.
"..."
Hizashi instinctively pursed his dry lips, realizing only then that the boy hadn't even prepared tea for him.
There was still a little resentment in his heart after all.
Only time would tell if it could be soothed.
"Well, if you ever run into any difficulties, feel free to come find me." Hizashi stood up, "You must be tired. Go to sleep early."
He didn't rush to leave, instead pulling out two scrolls from his sleeve and placing them on the table in front of him, speaking gently, "Since you've already awakened your Byakugan, I assume you've mastered Gentle Fist Style – Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms by now. These are the advanced techniques: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Eight Trigrams Hundred-and-Twenty-Eight Palms."
As he looked at the scrolls in front of him, Unkawa's eyes flickered slightly. He knew that Hizashi had acted on impulse, driven by guilt and pity.
The main house wanted the branch members to be strong enough to protect them, but they also feared them becoming too powerful.
Besides the secret art of Gentle Fist Style – (Hakke Kūshō) Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm passed down orally within the main house, Eight Trigrams Hundred-and-Twenty-Eight Palms, the pinnacle of Gentle Fist, was also one of the forbidden techniques that required permission from the main house before it could be taught to a branch member.
While it might not mean much against a Kage-level opponent, Eight Trigrams Hundred-and-Twenty-Eight Palms was still a formidable technique in most close-range fights against jonin.
Mildly, it could disrupt chakra flow. Severely, it could render an enemy helpless and unable to use any jutsu — leaving them to die.
Only those who protected the main house loyally and faithfully had a chance to be granted access to this technique.
If the main house learned that Hizashi had secretly taught Eight Trigrams Hundred-and-Twenty-Eight Palms, they would surely punish him severely. He'd likely experience the soul-piercing agony of the cursed seal once again.
In fact, the moment Hizashi handed over the scrolls, he already regretted it. But before he could say anything, Unkawa had already picked them up.
"Thank you," Unkawa lowered his head, his face shadowed, his shoulders trembling slightly, "My father's scrolls and notes were taken away. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know what to do next."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Hizashi closed his mouth, which had been slightly parted in hesitation, and after a long silence, sighed, "Don't hate the main house. This is our fate as branch members. Your father certainly wouldn't want to see you suffer like this."
With that, worried that he might regret giving the scrolls later, Hizashi truly took his leave this time.
And Unkawa, still bowed in the living room, gradually calmed the sorrow on his face as he gazed out the window at the deepening night.
[Ding!]
[Your lie has been identified as [False Affection], Hyūga Hizashi experiences intense emotional fluctuation, reaching the level of [Self-Doubt], gaining 300 Reality Points...]
[Remaining Reality Points: 11,093]
"Looks like today was quite a harvest," Unkawa remarked, looking at his points, "If more people like Lord Hizashi and former sensei Gai showed up, that would be perfect."
Still, seeing his point total grow, he felt a bit restless.
For caution's sake, he'd keep 10,000 points as a reserve. With over a thousand points remaining, he had more than enough to stir up some trouble.
Thinking this, Unkawa's eyes flickered slightly as he recalled the sight of Hyūga Neji earlier that day.
Perhaps today was a good opportunity.
After a moment of contemplation, Unkawa silently muttered, "Manifest – A robe that conceals identity, blocks Byakugan detection and other senses, and won't break easily."
[Spend 800 Reality Points. Confirm manifestation?]
His face darkened, but he still answered, "Yes."
[800 Reality Points deducted. Remaining Reality Points: 10,293]
As the system's response echoed in his mind, Unkawa expected the item to appear immediately. Instead, he noticed a sudden change in his shadow.
Black liquid poured out from beneath his feet, flowing upward like water until it completely covered his body. Raising his head, he looked into the mirror.
He was now wearing a hooded black cloak. The edges of the cloak swirled like a living thing, not like fabric at all. His face was shrouded in endless darkness.
[Shadow Cloak: A black robe formed from shadows. Regardless of the host's body type, it can change shape as needed. It perfectly conceals identity and interferes with most detection and sensing abilities. If damaged, it automatically repairs itself like a liquid and remains hidden in the shadow (Bound)]
Right now, the only thought in Unkawa's mind was:
This 800 Reality Points was totally worth it.
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