Natsume's arrival caused quite a stir.
With his accomplishments, he had already become an idol to many children—even without any promotion.
After all, unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, he wasn't someone whose title was built on empty praise.
The previously quiet Second Grade, Class A, suddenly became noisy.
The teacher was about to scold them but noticed Natsume as well and quickly shut his mouth.
He understood why the Hokage had arrived.
After a moment of contemplation, he decisively ended class early.
Those dozen or so minutes wouldn't make much of a difference anyway.
When he smiled and made the announcement, the classroom erupted into cheers.
They got to see the Hokage in person and were dismissed early—double the excitement.
"Hokage-sama!"
Natsume was completely surrounded.
He looked slightly helpless but still smiled and greeted each student individually.
After several minutes passed and the excitement died down, he finally managed to break free.
"Brother!"
Hanabi Hyuga had actually seen Natsume quite early on.
But as the second daughter of the Hyuga clan and the Hokage's younger sister, she maintained her composure and didn't rush over right away.
Well, let's just say—it was too crowded.
Only after her classmates left did she hurriedly run up to Natsume and greeted him with a smile.
"Good afternoon."
Natsume reached out and patted her head.
Hanabi's smile brightened even more.
"How was your day today?"
Natsume casually asked.
"Not bad," Hanabi tilted her head slightly and replied. "I just don't feel like I'm learning anything new."
Natsume paused briefly, somewhat surprised—but not overly so.
Because of his influence, Hinata Hyuga had become far stronger than her original self from the story.
And Hanabi, using her older sister as her role model, naturally worked hard.
Plus, she had received guidance since childhood from both Hiashi Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga.
Natsume occasionally gave her advice as well.
This meant that what they taught at the Ninja Academy had become somewhat trivial for her.
Still, Hanabi insisted on giving it her all.
She scored top in both theory and practical classes.
In her own words, she couldn't afford to bring shame to the Hokage.
"When the time comes, you could apply for early graduation," Natsume said with a slight smile.
After all, as his little sister-in-law, helping her wouldn't be an issue.
"Mm!" Hanabi nodded firmly.
Her personality was actually stronger than Hinata's.
In many ways, she was deeply committed.
"Let's go back."
Seeing this, Natsume turned and walked toward the exit.
Immediately, Hanabi followed closely behind, holding his hand.
She smiled happily and walked with a noticeably lighter step.
Natsume glanced at her and smiled as well.
What a sweet little girl—she truly brought him joy.
Unlike her previous self, she now carried herself with a bit more maturity.
As the two reached the school gate, both paused in surprise.
Standing nearby was Hinata Hyuga.
Hanabi instinctively let go of Natsume's hand.
She ran forward and called out, "Sister."
Hinata smiled and gently patted her head, though her eyes stayed locked on Natsume.
Natsume gave her a slight nod.
Frowning slightly in disappointment, Hanabi called out again, "Sister!"
"What's wrong?"
"Has anyone at school been bullying you?" Hinata Hyuga asked, looking down at her sister.
"They wouldn't dare!"
Hanabi Hyuga snorted lightly, with clear defiance in her tone.
"Then why are you upset?" Hinata asked in confusion.
Hanabi wanted to say something but hesitated. Eventually, she puffed up her cheeks and turned her head away—just like an angry hamster.
Natsume couldn't help but laugh.
He stepped forward, gently ruffling each of their hair as he said, "Come on, I'll treat you two to something to eat."
"Yay!"
Hanabi immediately changed her attitude, grabbing Natsume's hand. "I want ice cream from the Thousand Sunny Merchant Guild."
In Konoha Village, the Thousand Sunny Merchant Guild ran a diverse range of businesses.
Among them was a small snack shop that specialized in beverages.
"On such a cold day, don't you worry about getting a stomachache?" Hinata questioned from the side.
"Not a chance!" Hanabi turned her head to look at her, sticking her tongue out slightly. "And besides, Brother hasn't said anything about it either."
Upon hearing this, Hinata glared at her before shifting her gaze toward Natsume.
"Well then, just have one," Natsume chuckled lightly. "Hinata, you should have one too."
Hinata hesitated for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
Hanabi became even more triumphant, lifting her chin slightly as she tugged Natsume forward and started running.
"..."
Hinata felt somewhat disappointed. She had just been about to reach for his hand like Hanabi had—but missed the opportunity.
"Hinata," Natsume stopped walking and called out, "come here quickly."
Hinata's lips curved upward as she hurried forward.
Natsume extended his hand, and she immediately took hold of it.
The three walked down the street, perfectly in sync.
Soon, they arrived at the small snack shop.
Hanabi let go of his hand and eagerly began wandering around, picking things out. In no time, she had collected quite a few items.
Meanwhile, Hinata still held tightly onto Natsume's hand without any intention of letting go.
Feeling the warmth coming from his hand, her cheeks flushed slightly, yet she smiled warmly.
"Hinata," Natsume spoke up, asking, "what do you want to buy?"
"A-anything is fine..." It took Hinata a few seconds to respond, keeping her head lowered as she spoke softly.
"Here!"
Still excited, Hanabi finally remembered she had an older sister and handed an elaborately decorated ice cream to Hinata.
Meanwhile, she'd already devoured a third of her own ice cream. There was white cream around her mouth.
Seeing this, Natsume grabbed a pack of napkins from the counter. He pulled one out and wiped around Hanabi's mouth.
Hinata looked at the two of them, then bit into her ice cream fiercely. A layer of white ice chips formed around her mouth too.
Natsume pulled out another napkin, wiping around her lips.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly—two little sisters were quite entertaining. Even Hinata had been influenced and started acting in such a playfully affectionate way.
"Hanabi, buy a few extra ones to bring back for others too."
Natsume thought to himself that since this was his own business, it wasn't worth being polite about taking a few freebies.
And Hanabi clearly had no idea what "politeness" even meant.
With the Hokage as her older brother, she had lived a worry-free life from childhood.
In the original story, she defeated Hinata Hyuga and carried the burden of inheriting the Hyuga clan.
But that was no longer the case now.
"I want this takoyaki!"
Hanabi Hyuga began pointing eagerly. "Three-Colored Pills! Taiyaki! And coconut milk too!"
The shopkeeper quickly brought out plastic containers to pack everything into.
The employees here had all been warned in advance.
No matter what the Hokage bought, payment was always declined.
In the end, Natsume walked off with countless bags.
Hanabi bounced along joyfully, practically skipping with excitement.
Only Hinata looked slightly disappointed—because they hadn't held hands.
The three returned to the Hyuga compound.
The guards at the entrance, upon seeing Natsume, quickly ran off to inform Hiashi Hyuga.
As soon as Natsume entered the courtyard, his future father-in-law personally came out to greet him.
"Hokage-sama."
Hiashi offered a stiff smile.
Not that he lacked respect for Natsume—it was just that he rarely smiled.
"Father."
Hinata and Hanabi greeted together.
"How could you let the Hokage carry things himself?" Hiashi frowned disapprovingly.
"It's fine," Natsume said casually. "I wouldn't feel right making the two younger girls carry things either."
Upon hearing that, Hanabi playfully stuck her tongue out at Hiashi.
Hinata lightly smacked her head, signaling her to behave seriously.
Seeing this, instead of growing angry, Hiashi actually felt pleased.
This showed how much favor the Hyuga clan currently enjoyed.
So long as Natsume remained in power, their position would stay secure.
"These are bought for you and Aunt Rinka."
Natsume hesitated briefly before continuing, "Also call Hizashi and Neji over."
"I'll have someone go notify them," Hiashi said promptly.
Natsume nodded and headed toward the living room.
He set the plastic containers on the table and opened them one by one.
"Bro!"
Hanabi squirmed impatiently, her mouth already wide open.
Natsume picked up a skewer of Three-Colored Pills and shoved it into her mouth.
Then he looked at Hinata, who seemed slightly envious.
He wanted to be fair.
Picking up a wooden stick and poking a piece of takoyaki, he placed it in front of her.
"Thank you."
Hinata gently bit into it before carefully picking it up with her hand.
"Hokage-sama."
Hiashi, Rinka, Hizashi, and Neji Hyuga entered together.
"Please, sit freely. No need to be so formal; we're family after all," Natsume waved his hand, saying.
Although these were only cheap snacks, no one dared refuse them when ordered by the Hokage.
"Neji."
Natsume took a bite from a Three-Colored Pill and asked, "How has Kimimaro performed since joining your team?"
"Very well."
Neji hurriedly swallowed his takoyaki before answering. "His Kekkei Genkai is exceptional—it's like a textbook example of how to counter any taijutsu specialist."
Thanks to Natsume, Kimimaro Kaguya got serious recognition from their team.
Rock Lee, who always liked challenging geniuses, sparred with him the same day.
Even without going all out, Kimimaro still won.
Neji Hyuga then took interest and issued a challenge to spar.
It was an intense battle.
Kimimaro Kaguya's Shikotsumyaku meant his entire body could become a weapon.
He held a major advantage in close-range combat.
Moreover, his Taijutsu was far from weak.
Of course, he wasn't afraid of long-range fighting either.
All of his ultimate techniques were area-of-effect attacks.
In the end, Neji narrowly lost.
Of course, since it was only a sparring match, they ended it there.
In actual combat, Neji believed he still had a chance to win.
"That's good," Natsume said with a slight nod.
"Kimimaro is quite dedicated when carrying out missions. He's a qualified ninja."
After thinking for a moment, Neji added.
Although he didn't know much about Kimimaro, he respected his character.
A genius with strong willpower—neither rebellious nor impulsive.
A perfect teammate.
"Hmm."
Natsume replied, pulling out a scroll and handing it to Hiashi Hyuga.
"What is this?" Hiashi asked, puzzled. As he opened the scroll, his body trembled and shock appeared on his face.
Could this really improve the [Caged Bird Seal]?
The Hyuga clan had previously attempted to research the [Caged Bird Seal], but always failed.
This seal was originally passed down from the Otsutsuki Clan.
It was of an extremely high level.
Otherwise, outsiders would have deciphered it by now, and the Byakugan would have spread to other ninja villages.
Why did Kumogakure repeatedly scheme for the Byakugan, even going as far as attempting to kidnap Hinata Hyuga?
This was simply because they were helpless against the [Caged Bird Seal].
Everyone else exchanged confused glances, thinking something major must have occurred.
Because he was from the branch family himself,
and he hadn't even caught wind of it beforehand.
This matter had only been known to Hiashi and Hinata of the main family.
After all, the [Caged Bird Seal] was the foundation upon which the Hyuga clan stood.
It had never been entrusted to outsiders, not even the Hokage.
If other clan members discovered this, it would certainly spark unrest.
Hizashi looked at Hiashi, then at Natsume, asking, "So… what's the plan?"
At this point, he couldn't believe the main family would give up control over the [Caged Bird Seal].
Perhaps, he'd never even dared to think about such a possibility.
"From now on, the Hyuga clan will no longer have a distinction between the branch and main families."
Natsume stated calmly.
Except for Hiashi and Hinata, everyone else remained frozen in place.
Especially father and son, Hizashi and Neji.
They definitely harbored resentment toward the [Caged Bird Seal].
In the original story, Hizashi hadn't shown much.
But Neji, particularly in his early days, often ranted about fate.
The original author didn't offer any solutions.
Instead, the author killed off Neji, making him the sole sacrificial member among the Konoha 12.
"What about the Elders…"
Hizashi came back to his senses and couldn't help but ask.
He knew that Elder Hiromasa Hyuga had been acting restlessly lately.
To implant the Caged Bird Seal on Hanabi Hyuga, a group convened and caused quite a commotion during the clan meeting.
Although everything was quelled by Hiashi Hyuga, dissatisfaction among the clan members increased significantly.
After all, according to tradition, he was clearly in violation of it.
"If other branch members must bear the Caged Bird Seal, why shouldn't your own daughter also?"
Natsume smirked.
Hizashi Hyuga's face went rigid.
It was said so casually that he suspected Natsume was playing dirty.
But recalling his past actions, it was something he was fully capable of doing.
"I won't meddle in the details."
Natsume patted Hinata Hyuga's head and said, "Since you lack the resolve, let the next generation handle it."
Hizashi Hyuga and Neji Hyuga were both staggered.
Natsume's meaning was obvious—he intended for Hinata Hyuga to take care of it.
But would that really work?
Yet the usually timid Hinata they remembered showed no noticeable reaction upon hearing Natsume's words.
That meant she already knew.
Regardless of their reactions, this matter was now decided.
Meanwhile, Hiromasa Hyuga, completely unaware of everything, continued walking further down the path to his own doom.
The brief assembly ended.
At the entrance,
Natsume greeted Hiashi Hyuga and others before finally looking toward his two younger sisters.
Well, actually, one of them was formally listed as his apprentice.
But since they both called him "brother," referring to them as sisters wasn't much of a problem.
"Remember to visit me often."
Hanabi grabbed his hand and said pleadingly.
Even though she was his sister, she rarely saw Natsume.
One reason was because she was in school.
The other was that Natsume was the Hokage, constantly swamped with endless matters.
"Yeah, I know."
Natsume smiled and waved.
"Pinky promise!"
Hanabi instantly became excited again.
Natsume extended his pinky finger and hooked it with hers.
All that remained was to say, "Whoever breaks this promise has to eat a thousand sewing needles."
After finishing, Natsume looked at Hinata and also extended his pinky.
"Okay, you two go back now."
He waved his hand and directly vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
[Word count: 4,000] P.S.: Sama, check out my new book.
[End of Chapter]
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