Hyuga Hizashi sat down and was about to greet Sora, but found that Sora had already taken the initiative to greet him first.
As a member of the Hyuga clan's branch house, Hizashi had served extensively on the battlefield.
During the war, Hizashi had once led a team of branch house Hyuga ninjas to support Orochimaru. Sora and Hizashi had actually met once during that time.
But Sora had been focused on monitoring the Uchiha clan then, so he and Hizashi hadn't had the chance to communicate.
Hizashi nodded to Sora and said, "Sora, it's been a long time."
Hizashi was surprised because Sora had a reputation for being cold and dismissive, rarely showing respect to others. This image was deeply rooted in people's minds.
So when Sora greeted him with such unexpected warmth, Hizashi was caught off guard.
In terms of status, although Hizashi was the head of the branch house of the Hyuga clan—the second largest ninja clan in Konoha—and had earned military achievements on the front lines, his actual standing was similar to Sora's, or perhaps even lower.
This was simply because Hizashi was a member of the branch house, even if he was its head.
If it were Hyuga Hiashi, even without any battlefield accomplishments, his status as head of the main house of the Hyuga clan would have been enough to command respect.
The military achievements won by the branch house belonged to the entire Hyuga clan, which effectively meant the honor belonged to the main house.
So while Sora and Hizashi stood on equal footing, Hiashi, who had only fought within the Land of Fire, enjoyed higher status than Sora.
However, Sora didn't particularly care about these hierarchies. Except when dealing with people like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo who required formality, Sora could now even disregard the Hokage, Namikaze Minato, if he chose to.
Sora looked at the sleeping Hyuga Neji in Hizashi's arms and asked with a smile, "Master Hizashi, what is this child's name?"
Hizashi looked down at Neji in his arms, and a rare smile appeared on his usually rigid face. "Neji."
"Neji? What a cute child."
Sora extended a finger and gently poked Neji's chubby cheek.
Neji, who had been sleeping peacefully, opened his eyes after being touched by Sora. He looked directly at Sora.
Just as Sora was about to withdraw his hand, Neji suddenly reached out with his tiny fingers and grabbed Sora's finger, giggling happily.
At that moment, Uzumaki Kushina returned from backstage and saw Neji holding Sora's finger and smiling adorably. Something seemed to melt in Kushina's heart, and she quickly walked to Sora's side to join in admiring Neji.
"Look at those chubby cheeks! So cute," she cooed.
Hizashi smiled and asked Kushina, "Would you like to hold him?"
Kushina's eyes widened in surprise. "May I?"
Hizashi nodded. "Of course. Neji seems to like both Sora and Kushina very much."
"That's wonderful! I won't hesitate then."
Kushina carefully took Neji from Hizashi's arms and gently rocked him. "Little Neji, you are truly adorable."
Sora picked up his teacup and took a sip, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as an idea formed in his mind.
Without hesitation, Sora decided to act on it. After setting down his teacup, he asked, "Master Hizashi, I've taken quite a liking to Neji. When he's a bit older, I'd like to take him as my disciple. Would you agree to this?"
When Hizashi heard Sora's words, his half-raised teacup froze in mid-air. He looked at Sora with an expression of disbelief and surprise.
Sora was one of the top shinobi in Konoha.
But Sora had only ever accepted one disciple, and that was Kakashi.
Kakashi's current strength was evident to everyone in Konoha. Although he hadn't yet reached the level of Elite Jōnin, he was definitely among the most skilled Jōnin.
While Kakashi's natural talent was exceptional, much of the credit for his rapid growth belonged to Sora.
Everyone knew how much Sora cared for Kakashi. During the war, Sora had always taken Kakashi with him, teaching him while they fought side by side.
There was also Sora's formidable reputation to consider.
Before Namikaze Minato became Hokage, the most famous person in Konoha aside from Orochimaru had been Sora.
As Sora's disciple, Kakashi already enjoyed many benefits from the association.
When Kakashi received the Sharingan from the "deceased" Uchiha Obito, the Uchiha clan would normally have demanded its return, using whatever means necessary to force Kakashi to surrender it.
But because of Sora's reputation, the Uchiha clan hadn't dared to make a move.
Of course, the primary reason was that Sora's antagonism toward the Uchiha clan was no longer a secret in Konoha.
Yet the fact that Sora could target the Uchiha clan without consequences was itself a testament to his influence.
Hizashi was well aware of his own situation. As a branch house member, he had no future of his own and was always prepared to sacrifice himself for the clan.
This was the burden of being born into the branch house—a responsibility he could neither avoid nor escape.
As the head of the branch house, if he tried to evade this duty, the clan would certainly make things difficult for all branch members. He couldn't allow that to happen.
But Hizashi truly didn't want Neji to share his fate—unable to control his own destiny, forced to live like a servant who could only dedicate his life to the clan.
If Neji became Sora's disciple, while it wouldn't change the fact that he would receive the Caged Bird Seal at age three, at least his physical safety might be better protected.
If the clan ever decided to sacrifice Neji in the future, they would need to carefully consider whether they could withstand Sora's wrath.
Sora had managed to intimidate the once-proud Uchiha clan to the point where they avoided even looking in his direction. He could certainly do the same to the Hyuga clan if provoked.
Therefore, it was an incredible stroke of fortune for Neji to have Sora interested in becoming his teacher.
Hizashi immediately expressed his position: "Sora, for you to take an interest in Neji—this is truly his good fortune. If I were to refuse, I would be doing Neji a disservice. I must thank you, Sora."
Sora smiled and said, "I believe Neji will grow to become a person of great value. I will teach him without reservation, helping him reach his full potential."
Hearing Sora's promise, Hizashi felt a surge of excitement.
He had come to Minato's wedding merely as a formality, never expecting such an opportunity would arise—that his son would catch the attention of someone like Sora.
Hizashi was so overjoyed that he silently thanked the fates that Neji had awakened at just the right moment and charmed Sora by grabbing his finger. With that simple gesture, Neji had grasped a new future!
Eager to solidify this arrangement, Hizashi said, "Sora, I will bring Neji to visit in two days, if that wouldn't be an imposition on you and Kushina."
Sora nodded and replied, "For the head of the branch family to visit in person—it would be our honor. Kushina and I look forward to welcoming you both to our home."
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