After getting Tsunade's promise, Natsume's enthusiasm soared.
He took the finalized list and personally visited each major clan.
First stop, his future father-in-law's place: the Hyuga clan.
"Halt."
A young man raised a hand to block Natsume. "This is the Hyuga compound. State your business."
"I represent the Fifth Hokage. I request an audience with Lord Hyuga Hiashi."
Natsume showed Tsunade's writ.
"Please wait."
After confirming it, the youth returned it and went inside.
…
It was afternoon.
In a small training yard in the compound, Hyuga Hiashi watched Hinata and Neji spar.
His expression was stern, but inwardly he was delighted.
He didn't know why, but Hinata had suddenly "awakened" one day and progressed rapidly, surpassing Neji.
Something he'd never dared to imagine.
His greatest wish back then wasn't for Hinata to surpass Neji, but for her personality to change.
"Why not earlier?"
Hiashi sighed.
If it had been two months sooner, he wouldn't have thought of having another child.
But now it was done: Hanabi had been born into the main family.
By custom, she would be branded with the Caged Bird seal at age three.
In the original story, Hinata was abandoned for being inferior to Hanabi.
But she was not branded in the end.
Now things were different.
Hiashi knew it would be hard to protect Hanabi.
Just like when he was young—he watched his younger brother Hizashi be branded, and they drifted apart.
From inseparable brothers to strangers now.
As for abolishing the Caged Bird—he had no authority.
He was clan head, yes, but above him were several main-house elders.
One was even the previous clan head.
How could he resist?
"Clan Head, there's a ninja outside with the Hokage's writ. He requests to see you."
The young man glanced at Neji, then hurried to Hiashi and knelt on one knee.
The main and branch houses could be said to be water and fire.
But constrained by the Caged Bird, they remained tightly bound.
Neji was the greatest branch prodigy in decades.
They pinned high hopes on him.
They hadn't expected him to lose to Hinata recently.
Many branch members lamented fate's cruelty.
The branch could never defy the main house.
"Let him in."
Hiashi raised a brow.
Because of the kidnapping incident, the Hyuga had a rift with Hiruzen.
He especially, having been on the scene, felt the awkwardness more keenly.
Now, with a new Hokage, and a visit on the second day, it seemed the Hyuga mattered.
Hiashi wouldn't betray Konoha, but he hoped Tsunade wouldn't be like Hiruzen, compromising for interest.
This was a chance to test the waters.
Soon enough.
Hiashi saw Natsume.
His first impression: young. Second: dismissive.
But he quickly recognized him.
Tsunade's disciple.
So not dismissive, then.
Hiashi was about to step forward when he saw Hinata go absent-minded for a moment and get knocked down by Neji.
He froze, anger rising, and unconsciously raised his hand to form a seal.
"F… Father."
Hinata raised a hand. "I'm fine. You don't need to intervene."
Her voice wasn't loud and even trembled a little.
But it carried a firm clarity that overrode fear and nerves.
Hiashi slowly lowered his hand.
A premonition struck him: if he punished Neji with the Caged Bird now, it might affect his relationship with his daughter.
Neji stood stunned.
He'd simply acted on instinct, seizing an opening when Hinata zoned out.
Ordinarily, given her past level, it wouldn't have worked.
But today, it did.
More surprising was Hinata stopping Hiashi.
He knew this young lady.
Even if her sparring style had changed recently, her personality was still introverted.
Especially fearful of Hiashi.
Before this, she never would have stopped, not even protested.
She had been the most obedient child, accepting anything her parents arranged.
Neji thought of the three reforms Hinata had mentioned.
Maybe there was hope after all.
Natsume entered the yard and met Hinata's gaze—and trouble followed.
He hurried forward, crouched before her. "Don't move."
Hinata's body stiffened.
There were people here.
She and Natsume had been meeting in secret.
Now her biggest worry—Hiashi—was present.
Natsume took her hand and rolled up her sleeve.
Neji's strike had landed on her right arm.
The fair skin was bruised.
Gentle Fist wasn't like ordinary punches. It turned chakra into needles that pierced acupoints.
So it was worse than it looked.
Hinata lowered her head, face blazing, mind blank. She no longer knew where she was.
Since exchanging for a Sage Body, Natsume wasn't a medical-nin, but he'd mastered Yang Release on his own.
In fact, medical ninjutsu was essentially the application of Yang Release.
That made things simple.
Natsume placed a hand over the bruise and channeled Yang chakra into Hinata.
Before their eyes, her arm returned to normal.
Warm chakra flowed through Hinata's body.
The fatigue from sparring with Neji vanished.
She let out a soft "Mm."
"All good."
Natsume tugged her sleeve back down and helped her up.
Hinata didn't dare look up. Her hands rubbed together, thumbs fidgeting.
"???"
Hiashi was dumbfounded.
What was that?
Kid, do you think I don't exist?
You think you can touch her?
Hiashi saw Hinata's reaction and felt a spark of anger.
As the main family's eldest daughter, she could not marry outside the clan.
"Hinata, go back to your room."
Hiashi frowned.
Natsume was the Hokage's disciple—he couldn't lash out in public.
Hinata hadn't noticed his expression.
She was already dying to run from embarrassment, so she turned and left immediately.
"Clan Head, I'll take my leave."
Neji bowed slightly and withdrew.
He couldn't be as casual as Hinata; decorum was required.
"Lord Hiashi."
For Hinata's sake, Natsume took the initiative to greet him.
"You're Natsume, right?"
Hiashi's tone wasn't pleasant.
Natsume knew what he just did would seem improper to Hiashi.
But he couldn't ignore Hinata's injury.
More importantly, Natsume didn't take Hiashi seriously.
The man didn't have the standing to speak to him from a position of strength.
"Yes."
Natsume smiled. "Didn't expect you to remember me, Lord Hiashi."
Hiashi studied him, surprised.
Someone Natsume's age should be nervous or respectful before him.
But he wasn't; he was as casual as chatting with a friend.
"What orders does the Hokage have?"
Hiashi didn't invite him into the main hall, speaking in the courtyard.
He wouldn't make a scene, but that didn't mean he didn't mind.
The Hyuga were strict about decorum.
Natsume had been impolite just now.
Hinata's injury was the clan's matter, not his.
Natsume sighed. "Lord Hiashi, can you keep a secret?"
From the original, he could roughly grasp Hiashi's character.
Four words: bullies the weak, fears the strong.
He was harsh to the branch members, but weak toward outsiders.
Especially Hiruzen.
Sending Hizashi to Cloud to atone.
Hiashi barely reacted.
In the original, Hizashi knocked him out and went willingly, but Hiashi still remained loyal to Hiruzen.
Because he was Hokage, and Hiashi didn't dare express dissatisfaction.
Natsume decided to reveal a bit of strength to scare Hiashi.
So he wouldn't meddle between him and Hinata.
It would also help the negotiations.
To strip power from the advisors, he needed a secretary who could command respect.
Otherwise, it was pointless.
"What do you mean?"
Hiashi looked confused.
"Today I want to teach you something: don't underestimate the young."
Natsume shrugged.
"What did you say?"
Hiashi's face darkened.
He struck out with a fist—only to pass through an afterimage.
"Genjutsu?"
Hiashi jolted. When did it happen?
He formed the seal to disrupt his chakra and broke free.
The next second, his neck felt cold—there was a kunai at his throat.
"Lord Hiashi, a gift for our first meeting."
Natsume pressed the kunai into his hand.
"You…"
Hiashi felt cold sweat break out.
If Natsume had wanted him dead, he'd be on his way to the Pure Land.
Have I gotten old?
I didn't even notice the genjutsu.
No—this boy is too strong.
Hiashi knew of Natsume from the war with Cloud years ago.
Back then he'd been a nobody genin.
How long had it been?
Hiashi couldn't comprehend it.
"Can we talk now?"
Natsume waved a hand in front of his face.
"P… Please, come in."
Hiashi came back to himself and stepped aside.
"Thank you."
Natsume entered the council hall but didn't sit in the central seat.
He respected elders.
The little shock was just to make talks smoother.
Would Hiashi spread this?
Most likely not.
Tell Tsunade?
Hiashi wasn't that stupid.
"This is the Hokage's writ."
Natsume handed it over.
Hiashi glanced at it and felt speechless.
That's it?
You scared me for this?
No—he's warning me.
Hiashi thought of Hinata and tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, he was glad to have Hanabi.
At least there was room to maneuver.
"I'll have Hyuga Mirai report in."
Mirai was a decent chunin known for his smarts.
Tsunade had picked him for that.
As for a jonin—even if he wanted to be a secretary, the Hyuga wouldn't agree.
It was a waste.
Better to take high-difficulty missions.
And secretaries didn't get paid.
"No, I want you to send Lord Hyuga Hizashi."
Natsume stated his ask.
"Are you joking?"
Hiashi's face sank.
"Secretary" sounded nice, but it was basically a gofer.
Especially with Koharu and Homura above them.
Who would defy them?
"I'm not joking."
Natsume explained, "I don't like Koharu and Homura. I need someone to counter them."
"This is the Hokage's idea?"
Hiashi's expression shifted.
If Hizashi became a Hokage Advisor, that would be good.
If it truly happened.
Otherwise, they'd offend Koharu and Homura.
Those two had built power for decades.
Most clans wouldn't want to cross them.
But another thought struck him.
If the advisors had too much power, would a branch member grow ambitious?
"It's my idea."
Natsume didn't hide it.
As Hokage, Tsunade had too many considerations to tackle the advisors head-on.
Natsume would help in the shadows.
"Your idea?"
Hiashi frowned inwardly at Natsume's calm.
This was tricky.
Natsume's little genjutsu show had rattled him.
But not enough.
They were going up against the advisors—that wasn't small.
A misstep could drag the Hyuga down.
The Hyuga had survived by being pragmatic.
In the original, even with Hinata's kidnapping and Hizashi's death, they didn't go to extremes.
That showed their style.
"I'm not standing high enough, huh."
He stood and stopped hiding. His eyes spun—the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan opened.
An icy pressure swept the room.
Hiashi jolted, involuntarily trembling.
It was overwhelming strength.
"You should thank Hinata."
Natsume smiled mildly. "I usually don't have this much patience for cranky old men. But you are my future father-in-law."
Father-in-law?
Hiashi stiffened, anger flashing, then forced himself calm.
He didn't want to test those eyes—Sharingan yet more terrifying.
"That's a Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Hiashi remembered the clan records.
"It is."
Natsume nodded.
"…"
Fear crept into Hiashi.
He knew too much.
Would Natsume silence him?
A teenager with such absurd power had to have reasons behind him.
But he was sure he couldn't win.
Mangekyo—the eyes of Uchiha Madara.
Though the Hyuga and Uchiha were peers in name, in top-end power the latter left them in the dust.
"Don't worry."
Guessing his thoughts, Natsume smiled. "I'm showing strength to facilitate cooperation."
"I'll send Hizashi."
Hiashi struggled for a few seconds, then agreed.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Lord Hiashi."
Natsume stood. "I hope what happened today stays between us."
Hiashi was about to reply when the scene shifted.
Mountains of corpses, seas of blood.
Genjutsu again?
He tried to disrupt his chakra.
No use.
If the Eternal Mangekyo's genjutsu were that easy to break, it wouldn't be worthy of its cost.
Terror surged in Hiashi's heart.
It was unbeatable.
Natsume snapped his fingers.
Hiashi returned to reality, chest heaving. "I won't let a third person know."
Relying on strength felt great.
Shame controlled targets didn't provide Fate Point.
Still, it was fun to play.
Natsume let the thought go and waited. The Ring of Fate chimed.
[Because of your actions, Hyuga Hizashi's fate has changed. You gain 37 Fate Points.]
As expected, nothing from Hiashi.
Natsume bowed slightly and left.
Hiashi watched his back, his tense body slowly relaxing.
The pressure had been immense.
As if death were a second away.
"Maybe it's not a bad thing."
Hiashi thought, if Natsume married Hinata, the Hyuga could remain stable.
The Hokage's disciple wasn't guaranteed to become Hokage.
But with power like Natsume's, he probably would.
Having the Hokage's son-in-law seemed more reliable than backing Hiruzen before.
…
Natsume didn't leave the compound; he went to Hinata's room.
He'd had a friendly exchange with Hiashi, so there'd be no more interference.
"Natsume-nii!"
Hinata opened the door, joy lighting her face.
"Your hand okay?"
Natsume sat across from her.
"It's fine."
Hinata's pale eyes blinked. "Natsume-nii, can you do medical ninjutsu?"
"No."
Natsume paused. "Not exactly medical ninjutsu, but similar in principle."
"Oh."
Hinata nodded, not pressing.
"Anywhere else hurt?"
Natsume flexed his fingers, smiling. "I can treat everything."
"N-no… no need…"
Hinata froze, blushed scarlet, and panicked.
"Give me your hand."
Natsume realized her misunderstanding.
Hinata, mortified, extended her hand. When he touched it, she trembled and lowered her head.
Natsume channeled Yang chakra from her hand through her whole body, healing every visible and hidden injury.
"A… amazing."
Hinata came back to herself, astonished.
This was better than the medical-nin Hiashi usually called.
"Come to me next time you're hurt."
Natsume patted her head. "And your father's agreed you can go out freely."
If he hadn't, I'd have beaten him until he did.
"Really?"
Hinata looked up, eyes shining.
Even though she attended school, her free time was still minimal—no chance to go out and play.
"Mm."
Natsume finished. Hinata smiled, then, noticing his gaze, blushed and lowered her head again.