21-25

*Chapter 21: Defeating Team 8*

The chakra on the blade of White Fang steadily increased.

In the dim sea of insects, the light from White Fang shone like a bright moon, illuminating the surroundings.

Kurenai Yuhi's expression became serious.

Although Touji hadn't made his move yet, just from his aura alone, Kurenai could sense the shadow of someone else.

"Kakashi! So that's it! We, Team 8, are just the whetstone!"

Kurenai suddenly understood the meaning behind Kakashi Hatake's plan to deceive her.

However, rather than being upset, Kurenai felt somewhat pleased.

Touji was too arrogant, advancing too smoothly. Kakashi Hatake wanted Touji to experience defeat for once.

As for Kurenai, what she needed was teamwork.

Team 8 had just been formed. While the three knew each other, they had never truly coordinated in battle.

Touji, being their peer, was the perfect person to ignite their fighting spirit.

Through this fight, their combat characteristics would become apparent, saving Kurenai a lot of effort in the future.

This was a win-win situation, so Kurenai naturally couldn't blame Kakashi.

"It's time to end this."

Just then, the swarm of insects, like a collapsing sky, rushed toward Touji.

Even though Sasuke Uchiha wasn't at the center of the battlefield, the overwhelming pressure made it hard for him to breathe.

"Shino, who usually says nothing, is this strong? Even Touji can't handle him."

At this moment, the White Fang in Touji's hand shone even brighter.

The insects instinctively sensed an unprecedented sense of danger.

But now, controlled by chakra, they had no chance to escape.

"Now!"

Touji's eyes snapped open, and his piercing gaze caused the entire swarm to shudder.

Then Touji moved.

But instead of retreating, he charged toward Shino Aburame, heading straight for the center of the swarm.

"What's that kid doing? Is he crazy?"

Although the swarm was under Shino Aburame's control, Shino had only just graduated from the ninja academy.

If he lost control, Touji, in the center of the swarm, would have no chance of escape.

Even Kurenai, if she wanted to intervene, might be too late.

"Kakashi, how much longer are you going to hide? Get out here!" Kurenai shouted.

With her call, Kakashi Hatake could no longer hide and appeared before Team 7.

"Yo! Looks like everyone’s in high spirits!" Kakashi casually said as he stuffed his book into his ninja pouch.

"You still have time for pleasantries? Stop Touji now."

"I can't," Kakashi said weakly.

Had Kakashi emerged a few seconds earlier, he could have stopped Touji.

But now, the aura of the White Fang in Touji's hand had reached its peak. Stopping him would come at a heavy price.

Rather than trying to stop Touji, Kakashi had more confidence in knocking Shino unconscious.

"They've surrounded him!"

Even the usually composed Kakashi grew serious.

Touji was now completely surrounded by the sea of insects, and the situation inside was invisible to the outside world.

If the swarm lost control, Touji would be reduced to bones in an instant, and no one outside would even notice.

At this moment, Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing a blood-red eye.

Kurenai Yuhi shivered.

Though she hadn't interacted with Kakashi much, she recognized this iconic gesture.

Whenever Kakashi lifted his forehead protector to reveal the Sharingan, it meant he was serious.

"Sasuke, prepare your Fire Style!"

"Got it!"

Sasuke Uchiha, still in shock from Kakashi's Sharingan, was jolted back to reality by his command.

He brought his hands to his chest, ready to perform a jutsu at any moment.

Kakashi nodded, then turned to Kurenai.

"Kurenai, if any insects go out of control, leave them to you."

"Don't worry, I don't want anything to happen to that kid either."

Just as Kakashi finished giving orders and prepared to move, a sudden surge of killing intent appeared. Three flashes of white light streaked through the writhing sea of insects.

Wherever the white light passed, the insects fell lifelessly.

A gap opened in the swarm, revealing Touji’s confident smile.

Kakashi's mouth twitched.

He had meticulously devised a rescue plan, but before he could even implement it, the battle was over.

Kakashi suddenly felt exhausted.

But he couldn't help but praise Touji.

To carve out a path in such dire circumstances—his will alone marked him as elite ninja material, even without considering his strength.

Touji had broken free from the insect swarm.

Because Shino had used all his insects to trap Touji, he now had little left to protect himself.

As Touji rushed toward him, Shino hastily tried to control the remaining insects, hoping to trap Touji once more.

"Got him!"

Shino's face lit up with joy, but quickly turned pale.

Unlike the others, Shino could see everything happening inside the swarm.

And because of that, his face went pale.

Touji wasn't inside the swarm at all.

"Not good!"

Shino instinctively turned around, as the swarm raced toward him.

Touji crouched behind him, wearing a mischievous grin.

"Thousand Years of Death!"

With a scream, everyone instinctively covered their vital areas, their faces filled with terror.

Shino was sent flying over ten meters before hitting the ground.

Tears streamed down his face.

Without Shino's chakra control, the swarm went berserk, attacking each other. Had anyone been inside, they'd have been reduced to bones in an instant.

Fortunately, the chaos lasted only a short while before the insects dispersed.

The sun, previously blocked by the swarm, shone through once again, restoring light to the battlefield.

Two of Team 8's three members were already out of the fight, leaving only Hinata Hyuga standing.

Touji grinned, making the hand sign for the Thousand Years of Death, as he slowly approached Hinata.

Hinata’s heart skipped a beat, fear written on her face as she covered herself and backed away.

"He wouldn’t use that move on Hinata, would he? She's a girl," someone commented.

Team 7 simultaneously scoffed, saying, "Don't be so sure!"

Hinata kept retreating, but tripped on a stone and fell to the ground.

"No, Touji-kun!"

Touji chuckled and gently tapped her forehead.

"You're out."

[Ding! Hinata Hyuga’s affection for you has increased by 3 points! Current affection: 60 points! Sign-in available!]

*(Chapter End)*

Chapter 22: Sneaking Out

"Sign in for Kakashi Hatake and Hinata Hyuga!"

[Ding dong! Kakashi Hatake successfully signed in! Acquired: Earth Style: Mud Wall! Affection increased by 3 points!]

[Ding dong! Hinata Hyuga successfully signed in! Acquired: Eight Trigrams: Air Palm! Affection increased by 4 points!]

[Ding dong! Since you already possess the Eight Trigrams: Air Palm, its lower level has been upgraded to a higher one!]

Touji smiled wryly. He had drawn Kakashi Hatake's signature jutsu.

He wondered if the Mud Wall he summoned would have dog heads on it like Kakashi’s.

Touji was also surprised by the Eight Trigrams: Air Palm.

Hinata Hyuga didn't even know that technique yet, but he still managed to draw it. He was curious about its power.

Kurenai Yuhi walked over to Touji with a playful smile and nudged him lightly.

"Didn’t expect you to be so kind and protective. Are you interested in Hinata? If you join Team 8, you two can be together every day! How about it? Think about it!"

"Sensei!" Hinata’s face instantly turned red.

She quickly hid behind a wooden post, lowering her head, too embarrassed to look at Touji.

Touji was a bit stunned.

Though Hinata was shy, she wasn’t usually this flustered.

Normally, she only blushed like this when she was around Naruto Uzumaki.

Who would’ve thought Kurenai teasing Touji would get such a big reaction from her?

And just a short distance away, Sakura Haruno was gripping her clothes tightly, eyes full of anticipation as she looked at Touji.

"So this is what affection points do," Touji thought.

"Hey! I asked if you want to join Team 8."

Just then, Kakashi Hatake cleared his throat awkwardly. "Isn’t Touji’s reaction clear enough? Don’t pressure him."

No sooner had Kakashi finished speaking than Kurenai glared fiercely at him.

"I haven’t even settled the score with you! You said this was supposed to be training for our Team 8, but we just ended up getting beaten down. Care to explain yourself?"

Kurenai, eyes wide, stomped toward Kakashi.

Kakashi raised his hands, waving them frantically as he backed away in fear.

"Uh... I didn’t expect that."

"Didn’t expect what? Didn’t expect Team 8 to be so weak? Today, no matter what, I’m taking Touji with me!" Kurenai said as she pressed a kunai against Kakashi’s neck.

Kakashi swallowed nervously.

He never imagined that a woman could be so unreasonable.

What’s worse, Kurenai's boyfriend was someone Kakashi couldn’t afford to offend.

"One day a week... that’s all I can give you."

"At least three days!" Kurenai haggled.

...

Watching the two argue, Touji couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

He never thought that his fate would be out of his control.

However, Touji still wanted to stay in Team 7. After all, Team 7’s members were talented and offered great rewards, while Team 8 only had Hinata Hyuga.

But he had already arranged meetings with Hinata in private, so raising her affection didn’t require joining Team 8.

At most, joining Team 8 would just speed up the process.

In the end, Kakashi and Kurenai came to an agreement: Touji would visit Team 8 at least once a week.

Once Team 8’s four members left, Kakashi regained his composure.

His single, sharp eye scanned the four remaining people.

"Congratulations, you’ve passed the test!"

Naruto Uzumaki and the others were taken aback.

After watching Touji’s battle earlier, they had all but given up.

After all, Touji’s strength was far beyond what genin could handle—certainly more than Team 7 could manage.

But now that Kakashi had declared they passed, the trio was overjoyed.

Sakura Haruno even started bouncing around Touji. It wasn’t clear if she was happy about passing or about staying in Team 7.

"Kakashi-sensei, can you tell us why?" asked Sasuke Uchiha, his face as calm as ever, though his eyes betrayed his emotions.

Naruto and Sakura also turned to Kakashi, curious.

"A ninja must learn to adapt. Giving you a day’s worth of rations to complete a three-day mission doesn’t mean you should stretch that food over three days. It’s about how you survive without being noticed. As long as you’re alive, you have endless possibilities to complete your mission!"

The trio suddenly understood.

Kakashi’s test had started right from the beginning.

And the test wasn’t about fighting—it was about whether they had the qualities of a true ninja.

A confident smile appeared on their faces.

Meanwhile, Kakashi wiped the sweat from his brow internally.

Thankfully, he was quick on his feet and had made up a reason on the spot that they bought.

In reality, Touji was right.

The trio had just graduated from the ninja academy and knew next to nothing. They were like blank sheets of paper, ready to absorb whatever lessons came next.

Everything depended on future training.

But the real target of the test had been Touji.

Touji gave Kakashi a sense of deep mystery. If it had been anyone else, Kakashi would have used some techniques to interrogate them and gotten all the answers.

But for some reason, Kakashi felt an inexplicable connection with Touji. Despite knowing him for only two days, it was as if they were lifelong friends.

Kakashi had only ever felt this way with Might Guy, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara.

But this test had clearly failed.

Kakashi hadn’t been able to uncover Touji’s secrets, and he had also angered Kurenai.

He felt exhausted.

"Alright, that’s enough for today. Meet here again tomorrow. Touji, you’re coming with me!"

Touji shrugged, unsure why Kakashi was being so strict with him.

But with Kakashi’s affection points at 83, Touji was sure he wouldn’t do anything too harsh, so he followed.

Later that night...

Touji quietly slipped out from under his blanket. Seeing Kakashi still sound asleep, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Though he wasn’t sneaking out for anything bad, getting caught by Kakashi would definitely lead to some trouble.

What puzzled Touji, though, was why Kakashi wore his mask even while sleeping. Didn’t he feel stifled?

Touji was tempted to take Kakashi’s mask off, but he had other matters to attend to.

There would be plenty of time for that later.

Maybe once Kakashi’s affection hit 100, he could get him to take the mask off himself.

With that, Touji tiptoed out of the house. Once he was outside, he finally let out a deep breath.

After Touji left, Kakashi slowly opened his eyes and scratched his head helplessly.

"Does this kid really think he can just roam around Konoha at night? Oh well, I guess I’ll help him out this time."

(End of chapter)

Chapter 23: Hiashi Hyuga

The nights in the Hidden Leaf Village aren't like those in a bustling city, where lights stay on even in the dead of night.

Even though it wasn’t quite midnight yet, the entire village had quieted down, with only a few homes still lit.

As Touji stepped into the wilderness, the sounds of insects and beasts sent a chill down his spine.

As a man, he already felt uneasy, and he couldn't help but worry if Hinata Hyuga would be scared off.

After a few twists and turns, Touji arrived at the three wooden posts from earlier that day.

The scene wasn't as picturesque as during the day; instead, the eerie quiet made Touji even more afraid.

Standing by the three posts was a white figure, perfectly still. It seemed like it had been there for ages, never leaving.

"Hinata?" Touji muttered to himself, his whole body trembling as a wave of fear gripped his heart.

This figure was much larger than Hinata Hyuga, especially with its long waist-length hair, which made Touji realize it wasn’t her.

Suddenly, the figure moved.

Step by step, the white shadow slowly walked toward Touji, each step making his heart skip a beat.

"Are you the one who called my daughter here?"

Touji froze for a moment, then quickly realized who it was.

This white figure wasn't a ghost but Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuga.

But instead of feeling relieved, Touji grew even more nervous.

The Hyuga Clan was the most powerful clan in the Hidden Leaf Village, and Hiashi was its leader.

If Hiashi Hyuga wanted to kill Touji, it would be a breeze.

Even worse, Hiashi had every reason to do so.

Hidden in the nearby forest, Kakashi Hatake frowned.

In terms of strength alone, Kakashi didn’t fear Hiashi.

If it came to a fight, Kakashi was confident it would be a fifty-fifty split.

But what made Hiashi so dangerous wasn’t just his power; it was the Hyuga Clan behind him.

Especially with the recent troubles Kakashi had gotten into, a conflict with Hiashi could be disastrous—even the Third Hokage might not be able to protect him.

"Damn it, if he really makes a move, I’ll have to risk my life to save Touji!" Kakashi thought resolutely.

"Tell me, why did you call my daughter here at this hour?" Hiashi asked, looking Touji up and down, his white eyes sending shivers through Touji.

Touji knew Hinata wouldn’t betray him, so the only explanation was that Hiashi had followed them and figured out where they were.

Cursing himself internally, Touji thought, "How could I have been so careless? I didn't even realize I was being followed, and now the destination's been exposed."

"Observe Hiashi Hyuga!"

[Ding! Hiashi Hyuga! Favorability: 30 points! Warning! The other party may strike at any moment to kill the host!]

[50 points unlocked: Gentle Fist!]

[60 points unlocked: Eight Trigrams Air Palm!]

[70 points unlocked: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!]

[80 points unlocked: Rotation!]

[90 points unlocked: Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!]

[100 points unlocked: Byakugan Bloodline Limit! Gain a dear son-in-law! Activate Infinite Sign-In Mode (Sign-in interval: seven days!)]

Touji's heart skipped a beat, sweat rolling down his forehead.

Hiashi really wanted to kill him!

Although it hadn’t escalated to an all-out deathmatch, the overwhelming killing intent radiating from Hiashi was unmistakable.

One wrong word, and it would be over for him.

"Kid, I'm talking to you! What are you planning by asking Hinata to meet here?" Hiashi’s voice grew harsher.

Touji’s mind raced, trying to come up with the perfect answer.

But with Hiashi’s fierce demeanor, he didn’t seem like someone who would take a simple answer.

"Why do you think I called her here? Don’t you already know?"

"What did you say?!" Hiashi exploded with rage, lunging at Touji with a palm strike.

Touji's pupils shrank.

Hiashi's hand hadn’t even reached him yet, but a powerful gust of wind was already upon him, laced with chakra needles aiming for all his vital points.

"This is bad! It's the Gentle Fist! Touji won’t be able to hold out!"

Kakashi prepared to leap in, lifting his headband, but was suddenly stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Kakashi, you can't go down there."

"Gai? If I don’t, Touji will die!"

Might Guy frowned, his thick brows furrowing with a serious expression.

"I think you should believe in Touji."

"But that’s Hiashi Hyuga—who's actually trying to kill him!"

"Just wait and see."

As countless chakra threads flew toward Touji, Hiashi's hand struck him square in the chest.

With a loud boom, Touji was sent flying.

But as he hit the ground, a cloud of smoke rose, revealing a block of wood.

"Substitution Jutsu?"

Hiashi frowned.

Even without his Byakugan activated, a mere Genin using the Substitution Jutsu right under his nose was a serious insult.

"You’re quite good, but let’s see what you do next!"

Hiashi huffed coldly, activating his Byakugan.

Just as he was about to strike again, he paused, glancing toward where Kakashi was hiding.

"You're lucky. I’ll let you go for now, but if you pull anything funny, I won’t spare you!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Hiashi walked away.

Touji wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

He realized just how insignificant he was in front of someone like Hiashi.

That last glance from Hiashi had him completely locked in.

If it came to a fight, Touji would have to rely on the Hatake swordsmanship, pushing it to its limit.

But with his current chakra levels, he could only manage a few swings before exhausting himself.

The safest option would be to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape.

Even Hiashi Hyuga would struggle to keep up with that.

Touji let out a long sigh of relief.

He had no idea why Hiashi had suddenly left, but at least he was safe for now.

However, Touji knew better than to let his guard down.

As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan’s main branch, Hinata was undoubtedly under constant protection.

Especially after what had just happened, she was likely never without her bodyguards.

These ninja would only step in during the most critical moments.

Just then, a figure approached quietly, and Touji's eyes lit up.

"She’s here!"

The new book is starting—please add it to your collection! Shower me with recommendation votes!

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 24: A Desperate Gamble*

Hinata Hyuga stumbled her way to the wooden post, and Touji couldn’t help but shake his head, covering his face.

With her Byakugan activated, she could see everything around her in 360-degree vision, even with X-ray capability.

Yet, Hinata wasn’t using it at all, and Touji was almost brought to tears by how clueless she was.

“Touji-kun? It really is you, Touji-kun!”

Hinata's whole body was trembling with excitement. With tears in her eyes, she ran towards Touji.

But after just a few steps, she tripped on a rock, crashing headfirst into Touji and knocking him to the ground.

Touji felt a wave of panic.

Not because Hinata had knocked him over, but because he was afraid that Hiashi Hyuga might see them and misunderstand the situation.

If that happened, even Kakashi Hatake wouldn’t be able to save him.

“Hey! Hey! Hinata, stop this, get up!”

After a brief struggle, Hinata finally stood up, but by then, her face had turned beet red. She awkwardly twirled her thumbs in front of her chest.

“Um, Touji-kun, why did you ask me to come here?”

“It’s a dark and windy night, just the two of us... What do you think?” Touji said with a mischievous grin.

Though, deep down, Touji was completely calm.

After all, Hiashi Hyuga could be watching from who knows where. If he made any wrong move, Hiashi would definitely jump out.

And by then, Touji wouldn’t just face physical punishment—he’d be destroyed.

Hinata's biggest flaw was her excessive kindness. And that kindness wasn’t just reserved for her friends; she was kind to everyone, even her enemies.

Because of this, before her match against Neji Hyuga, Hinata was little more than the “eyes” of Team 8—good for scouting but not much else.

What Touji needed to do now was to push Hinata to her limits.

If Hinata could be forced to strike back just once, that first time would lead to countless more times after.

“That kid is responsible for this!” Hiashi Hyuga was fuming, his face livid with anger, ready to storm in and deal with that insolent boy.

Even though Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy had their doubts, they somehow believed in Touji, and together, they managed to restrain the nearly berserk Hiashi Hyuga.

“Calm down! Touji isn’t that kind of person! I swear on my honor!”

“Yeah, just wait and see. Touji would never do something like that!”

“That’s my daughter, not yours! Of course, you’re not worried!”

Touji suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as an inexplicable sense of danger sent shivers through his body.

He shook his head and continued walking toward Hinata.

“Hinata, I’ve been watching you for a long time.”

Hinata's whole body trembled, and her retreating steps became unsteady. She tripped and fell to the ground.

“Touji-kun, please don’t do this! We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Friends? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

*[Ding! Hinata Hyuga's favorability -1! Current favorability: 63 points!]*

*[Ding! Hinata Hyuga's favorability -1! Current favorability: 62 points!]*

*[Ding! Hiashi Hyuga's favorability -1! Current favorability: 29 points!]*

Touji paused for a moment, sensing that something strange had happened.

Hinata’s feelings for Naruto Uzumaki were unwavering, meaning that no matter what Touji did, he could never surpass Naruto.

Hinata’s feelings for Naruto had been built over many years, starting from childhood.

To break through that bond with Naruto, the only way was to help Hinata achieve her deepest desire—to gain Hiashi Hyuga’s approval.

Hiashi only recognized Hinata’s abilities after Naruto's famous speech during the Chūnin Exams.

Touji didn’t consider himself a master of persuasion, so he couldn’t talk sense into Hinata, this stubborn girl. Instead, he had to resort to forceful measures.

Now, Touji was taking a huge gamble with Hinata’s favorability.

If he failed, it would be extremely hard to ever raise Hinata’s favorability above 60 again—maybe it would never happen.

But if he succeeded, her favorability would soar, possibly even surpassing Naruto’s.

*[Ding! Hinata Hyuga's favorability -1! Current favorability: 49 points! Warning!!!]*

As her favorability kept dropping, Hinata’s eyes gradually filled with disgust as she looked at Touji.

“If you come any closer, I’ll have to attack!”

Touji froze for a moment but then felt overwhelming joy, a slight smile creeping across his face.

Finally! He was so close to his goal!

“Look at that idiot, he’s actually smiling! I’m going to go down there and kill him!” Hiashi Hyuga was nearly uncontrollable, his killing intent surging.

But with Kakashi and Guy holding him back, even someone as strong as Hiashi couldn’t move.

“Calm down! Calm down!”

“What’s going on? Has this kid lost his mind?”

“Kakashi, did you give him one of those books? I told you, don’t read those kinds of books around kids!”

After Hinata’s favorability dropped below 50, the decrease in points slowed significantly.

What had once been a constant stream of notifications was now happening every few seconds.

Hinata’s voice grew colder, but her movements remained hesitant. She still refused to strike.

Touji was on the verge of tears.

How could things have gotten this far? He was practically about to do something terrible, and still, she wouldn’t fight back.

Hinata’s kindness truly knew no bounds.

It also showed just how strong Naruto’s influence on her was, and how firm his place was in her heart.

“There’s no wall that can’t be broken! I’m going for it!” Touji thought, clenching his teeth as he reached toward Hinata.

“You bastard! I’ll kill him!”

In an instant, Hiashi Hyuga’s chakra flared up, and a murderous intent filled the air.

“Kai, take Lord Hiashi away! I’ll stay and watch Touji to make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless!” Kakashi said gravely.

If this situation got out of control, both Kakashi and Guy would become enemies of the Hyuga clan.

Offending the largest clan in the village would lead to endless ostracism within Konoha.

Kakashi’s father, Sakumo Hatake, had died because of this very kind of situation.

But still, both Kakashi and Guy were willing to trust Touji unconditionally.

“Alright, make sure you keep an eye on Touji. He’s the future of Konoha’s taijutsu. He can’t make a mistake!”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Might Guy nodded slightly, his chakra rising steadily. His skin started to take on an unhealthy red hue, clearly indicating that he had activated the Eight Gates.

“I’ll be back!” Hiashi said, watching as his daughter, Hinata, drifted farther away from him.

Kakashi breathed a long sigh of relief before turning back to keep a close eye on Touji, afraid that he might actually do something rash.

But when he turned around, Kakashi’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

“Oh, no!”

---

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 25: Guiding Hinata Hyuga*

Hinata Hyuga's expression shifted from shy at first, to angry, and finally to icy cold.

Touji hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Hinata Hyuga.

Ding! Hinata Hyuga's affection decreased by 3! Current affection is now 30 points! Warning: Hinata Hyuga harbors murderous intent towards you!

At last, half of Touji's goal was accomplished. Now, the next step was to provoke Hinata Hyuga into attacking.

Just as Touji was about to provoke her again, the veins around Hinata Hyuga's eyes suddenly bulged.

"Die!"

Hinata Hyuga pushed her palm towards Touji, who, caught off guard, stumbled back several steps before steadying himself.

Touji was overjoyed.

Hinata Hyuga had finally attacked, and her strike was unusually sharp, surprising even Touji with how skilled she was.

But after thinking about it, it made sense.

Hinata Hyuga had always been a genius. How else could she have developed techniques like the Eight Trigrams Palm that suited her so well, and powerful moves like Twin Lion Fists?

However, Hinata's gentle demeanor often overshadowed her talent.

But Touji didn't plan on winning just yet.

His true goal was to have Hinata Hyuga gain recognition from her father, Hiashi Hyuga, not simply to provoke her into fighting.

For Hiashi to acknowledge her, the only way was to help Hinata improve her skills.

Hinata Hyuga's attacks rained down on Touji like a storm.

If Touji wanted to defeat her, a simple Thousand Years of Death technique would do. But to truly elevate her abilities? That was a different story.

Hinata's strikes were fast and fierce, but her accuracy was incredibly low.

Though part of this was due to Touji's speed, the main issue was that her Gentle Fist technique wasn't executed properly.

Hinata's Gentle Fist strikes consistently missed by several centimeters.

In normal training, this might not have been noticeable, but in real combat, it made a world of difference.

Gentle Fist was a technique passed down through generations in the Hyuga clan, refined through countless improvements to its current near-perfect form.

By sticking to the proper technique, it could quickly push an opponent into a desperate situation.

But now, Hinata's deviations turned what should have been a cornering move into an escape route for her opponent.

Having absorbed and analyzed Hinata's Gentle Fist, Touji became very familiar with her habits and techniques.

In some aspects, he even understood them better than Hinata herself.

"Too high!"

"Too low!"

"Too slow!"

...

Through his counterattacks, Touji forcibly corrected Hinata's movements back to the proper form.

Hinata couldn't help but frown.

Each time she attacked, Touji would hit her on the back of her hand. Though he could have blocked her fully, he never did.

Hinata also had the strange feeling that every time her strike was interrupted, her next punch or palm strike became more precise, and her power increased slightly.

"Could Touji be correcting my Gentle Fist?"

As soon as Hinata thought this, she quickly shook her head.

This guy had just been trying to take advantage of her earlier—there was no way he'd be helping her now.

With this in mind, Hinata's attacks grew even more fierce. Following Touji's corrections, even his calm demeanor began to waver.

"You jerk! Today, I'm definitely dragging you to see Kurenai-sensei!"

"That brat! I’m going to kill him!" Hiashi Hyuga, filled with killing intent, rushed towards them.

Behind him followed a green figure.

"Kakashi, stop Lord Hiashi!" Might Guy shouted anxiously.

Kakashi stood still, chuckling softly, even making a gesture of invitation with one hand.

"Lord Hiashi, if you still want to kill Touji now, I won't stop you."

"Kakashi, what are you saying—" Before Guy could finish his sentence, his whole body trembled, and a serious expression appeared on his face. "Is that brat...done for? Even so, I can’t let him die!"

Guy dashed toward Touji.

But after just a few steps, Hiashi Hyuga blocked his way.

"Lord Hiashi, I apologize for Touji's actions today, but Touji is the future of Konoha’s taijutsu. I can’t let him die!" Guy's skin flushed red, and his chakra surged.

"Guy, you've already used the Eight Gates once. Using it again will severely harm your foundation," Hiashi said calmly.

"Even if it costs me my life, I can't let Touji die!"

Hiashi shook his head in resignation, his face now showing surprise instead of killing intent.

"If you're going to die, at least wait. This kid seems...interesting."

Guy realized that Hiashi no longer bore any killing intent; instead, his eyes were filled with admiration.

Guy was confused.

Could it be that Hiashi was giving up?

Guy covered his eyes with his hands, slowly peeking through his fingers.

Touji and Hinata were still sparring.

Guy didn’t know much about Hinata, but every move Touji made was correcting Hinata’s techniques.

Guy’s heart skipped a beat.

Improving oneself was one thing, but teaching through combat? That was completely unexpected.

Teaching wasn’t just about knowing how to do something; it was about being able to convey it.

That’s why there’s a difference between good teachers and average ones.

This meant Touji had a strong gift for teaching!

Guy’s heart raced.

He had always believed that Touji's taijutsu talent would eventually lead to a taijutsu renaissance in Konoha.

But now, Guy realized he was wrong—completely wrong!

With Touji's ability to teach others, he could train future taijutsu stars.

Konoha wouldn’t just stop being a village weak in taijutsu; it would become a taijutsu powerhouse!

Tears welled up in Guy's eyes as he trembled uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Guy dropped to one knee in front of Hiashi Hyuga, his gaze resolute.

"No matter what Touji has done wrong, please spare his life! If you're truly angry, then take my life instead!"

Hiashi glanced at Guy, his face emotionless.

"If Touji hasn't done anything inappropriate, I’d even be willing to help the two of them get together and treat him as an honored guest." Hiashi’s tone suddenly turned icy. "But if anything has happened, he must marry into the Hyuga clan!"

Ding! Might Guy’s affection increased by 3! Current affection is now 91 points! You can sign in!

Ding! Hiashi Hyuga’s affection increased by 30! Current affection is now 59 points! You can sign in!

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*Author's Note: A new book begins! Smash that recommendation button and bury me in votes!*

(End of Chapter)