"Again!" Hanabi shouted sweetly, her palms glowing with a faint blue light. At the same time, veins bulged on her forehead as she activated her pure white Byakugan.
My little sister-in-law is getting serious, Kusuo thought. Seeing Hanabi's determined expression, he couldn't help but be reminded of Hinata in her younger days. Back then, after witnessing his swordsmanship, Hinata had fallen into a deep sense of inferiority and would wear the same expression when she sparred with him.
Looking at Hanabi now... as expected of my sister-in-law. They really are sisters, cut from the same cloth.
"Gentle Fist Art! Mountain-Breaking Strike!" A fist, carrying considerable force, came whistling towards him.
Smack!
Kusuo slapped Hanabi's small hand away, ignoring her surprised expression. With a backhand motion, he grabbed her small arm and pulled her forward.
"Ah!" Hanabi cried out in surprise, instantly losing her balance and about to fall forward. Kusuo caught her just in time.
"No! Again!" the little loli in his arms struggled. Hanabi felt aggrieved. She had so many techniques she hadn't even used yet, but she was always subdued by her brother-in-law in the first instance. For someone who had always been so competitive, this was a heavy blow.
"Alright, continue," Kusuo said, not minding at all. In any case, Hanabi was his little sister-in-law. Playing house with a child was quite interesting.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
...
A series of attacks. Hanabi had already used every Gentle Fist technique she knew, but without exception, she couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes. Instead, she was repeatedly caught by her hands and feet, then hung up in various shameful positions. Even Hinata couldn't bear to watch anymore.
"Hmph! I'm not fighting anymore!" With her forehead glistening with sweat, Hanabi pouted and turned away angrily. As for Kusuo, not even a wrinkle had appeared on his clothes. He was still as graceful as ever.
"Hanabi is already very skilled. To have learned the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms at such a young age is quite surprising," Kusuo praised her offhandedly. No matter how talented a child was, they were still a child.
"Hmph!" Hanabi still turned her head away, ignoring him. Hinata smiled and took her arm, and it took a while for her anger to subside.
That evening, under the grand invitation of the Hyuga family for a feast, Kusuo found it hard to refuse and stayed for dinner. Now, wherever he went, he was pointed at and whispered about by the Hyuga clan members, as if he had become a celebrity.
A rumor had already begun to circulate within the clan. This graceful and handsome young man was already the clan's future son-in-law, and even the clan head himself had tacitly approved of the relationship. That, combined with his divine swordsmanship... anyone who had seen the courtyard that had been sundered by his one slash was left in a state of shock and awe. The way they looked at him was with the reverence one would reserve for a god. Especially his posture—it was just like the White Fang of Konoha, reincarnated.
After dinner, Hinata was ordered by her father to see him off. The walk was quiet and warm, but Hinata's spirits seemed a little low.
"What's wrong?" Kusuo asked. Hinata was keeping her head down, but it wasn't because she was shy. She definitely had something on her mind.
Faced with her beloved's question, Hinata was somewhat silent. "Kusuo... you're really amazing."
Hinata had observed the events of the day from the sidelines. At first, she was very worried that Kusuo wouldn't be able to gain her father's approval, and she felt powerless to help. Later, when she saw her beloved conquer her clansmen and her father with a single slash, her heart was filled with both joy and pride.
But... her younger sister, Hanabi, had already performed the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Her cousin Neji could probably do it too, and perhaps even better.
And herself... a look of bitterness crossed Hinata's face.
"What's wrong? Why the sudden praise?" Kusuo asked with a smile, stroking her hair. He lifted her chin, which was already beginning to show a delicate point. Her fair, smooth skin was a delight to his touch.
"It's nothing," Hinata said, her gaze hazy and evasive.
At this point, Kusuo had basically figured it out. Hinata was feeling insecure again. Unlike many women from his previous life, whose hearts were incredibly pragmatic and who only thought of marrying into a rich family, Hinata was pure. So pure that she felt she wasn't good enough for him. She wanted to work hard to close the gap between them, only to find that as time went on, the gap would only grow wider.
The heart of a young girl... so complex, yet so simple.
"Actually, you don't need to get hung up on the difference in strength," Kusuo said suddenly.
Hinata's head shot up, surprised that he had guessed her thoughts so easily. Kusuo pinched her small cheek. This silly girl's world was so pure that he could guess her thoughts almost without thinking.
"Do you remember what I said before about the Tenseigan?" Pointing a finger at the silvery full moon above, he watched as Hinata strained her eyes, trying to see what lived inside it.
"Sooner or later, I will take you to that beautiful moon and give you a pair of true Tenseigan."
"A pair of true eyes that can look down upon the entire ninja world."
Kusuo tempted Hinata with his words, painting a beautiful picture of the future for her.
"At that time, you will be a true princess, the princess of the Byakugan clan. You won't need to care about the trivial matters of mortals. You won't need to worry about the responsibilities of the main family or the burden of being the heir. You will find that everything can be accomplished with a flick of your fingers. You... will be my wife, without a doubt."
"No one can replace you!"
Lost in the world Kusuo had painted for her, Hinata nodded forcefully. "Mm!"
Feeling her adorable gaze on him, Kusuo added, "Let's go!"
Taking her hand, Kusuo started running with her down the road. The two of them ran to the end of the street corner. There, stood the Hatake compound. And his home.
"Come in."
Holding her hand, with Hinata's mosquito-like "mm," a man and a woman walked into the dark house.
"Ha-choo!"
Exhausted after a full day of missions, Kakashi returned home with a yawn. He walked lazily down the street, not paying any attention to his surroundings. When he reached his door, he suddenly rubbed his right eye hard. His sleepiness vanished instantly.
"This kid... his progress is this fast!!?"
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (90 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (60 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (31 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (160 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.