Just then, someone stepped through the front gate of the Hyūga compound.
"Haruki, I'm back! Did you miss your big sis, Mizuki?"
"Huh? Nii-san Hizashi? Nii-san Hiashi? What are you two doing here?"Mizuki, carrying a dusty backpack, walked briskly inside. She had clearly just returned from a mission outside the village.
"Mizuki-nee!" Haruki's eyes lit up as he saw her and waved enthusiastically.
"Ah, so Mizuki-chan's back. We were just about to leave."Hiashi and Hizashi nodded politely and made to head out.
"Mizuki-nee, why were Hizashi-nii and Hiashi-nii here?" Haruki asked curiously.
"…It's probably best if I explain," Hizashi said, turning to Mizuki and recounting the events from earlier.
…
"I'm going to confront Hishin about this!"Even the usually calm and composed Mizuki couldn't suppress her anger after hearing the whole story. She stood up abruptly, ready to storm off in search of Hishin.
"Haruki's been bedridden for an entire month, and that bastard dares pull this kind of stunt again? What did Haruki ever do to him? Is he trying to kill him? If no one deals with this, then I will! I'll go to the Elders! To the clan head! Just because he's from the Main Family doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants!"
Mizuki knew about the simmering tensions between the Branch and Main families within the Hyūga clan. But she hadn't imagined the Main House could stoop so low—targeting a four-year-old Branch family orphan?
"Calm down, Mizuki!" Hiashi and Hizashi immediately held her back.
"Please, Mizuki-nee, it's fine. Really," Haruki said softly.
Mizuki's intentions were good—but would the Elders really turn against a Main House elder over a four-year-old Branch family orphan? The one responsible was Hishin. Even if he was caught red-handed, his father would just claim ignorance. Even if it reached the Hokage, it'd be dismissed as children's quarrels.
Could Haruki prove that an elder from the Main House orchestrated his father's death? That another wanted him dead? That Hishin tried to assassinate him with his father's support?
Not likely. Haruki had seen this kind of thing too often in his past life. Back then, he was a surgeon—respected, never short on flattery. People avoided offending him because everyone needs a doctor eventually. He'd lost count of how many gift envelopes he had turned down. His post-op routine often involved returning "gifts" and dodging drinks at class reunions.
People were shallow—and it seemed even in this world, things weren't so different. But here, strength spoke louder than anything else.
Hiashi and Hizashi both sighed. They felt powerless. The Hyūga clan wasn't theirs to lead, and they hated the internal division just as much as Haruki did. They had always hoped to mend the rift between Main and Branch—but it wasn't that simple.
In the end, Mizuki was persuaded to stand down, largely because Haruki hadn't been harmed this time. Still, all three warned him to be careful. Mizuki even suggested that Haruki only go out with her from now on.
Haruki gently refused. He wasn't afraid of Hishin's petty tricks.
After Hiashi and Hizashi left, Mizuki looked at Haruki with a hint of worry. Something had changed about him ever since his accident. The kind, cheerful, and soft-hearted little cousin she once knew was still there—but now he was more confident, composed, like a miniature adult.
"Haruki…" Mizuki said, watching him closely.
"Hmm?" Haruki looked up, surprised.
"You've grown more mature. And stronger too," Mizuki said with a soft smile.
"Uh… Mizuki-nee, can I ask you something?" Haruki asked quickly, trying to change the subject.
"What is it?" she tilted her head curiously.
"Can you teach me how to use the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist?"
"I can, but… you're still too young. Once you start at the Academy and learn to mold chakra—"
"Let's spar, Mizuki-nee. I promised you a surprise, remember?"
Haruki grinned, brimming with confidence.
…
The next morning, Haruki and Mizuki met at a clearing in the forest. They stood facing each other, ready to spar.
Both wanted to test Haruki's current strength.
Mizuki smiled faintly. "Come at me, Haruki. Attack with the intent to kill."
"You're not activating your Byakugan?" Haruki asked.
"If you can force a Chūnin like me to activate it, you win," Mizuki said seriously.
"Okay then, Mizuki-nee… here I come!"Haruki took a stance, raising his arms. Mizuki crossed hers, waiting calmly.
"Bring it on!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Haruki moved.
He threw a training kunai directly at Mizuki, followed by four shuriken in quick succession, then hurled another kunai.The first kunai flew fast and true. Mizuki gave a subtle nod—his aim and strength were impressive.
She flicked out a kunai of her own and deflected the wooden blade.The moment it made contact—whoosh!—two of the shuriken curved in a C-shaped arc toward her from both sides.
She leapt backward, and they passed in front of her, crossing paths midair.Then two more came at her, one high, one low.
She lifted her arm to block, ready to deflect them—but they suddenly curved outward into mirrored J-shaped arcs, veering off in opposite directions.
"Did he throw them off by accident? Guess throwing four at once is still too much for him," Mizuki thought.
"…Wait—no!"She sensed something was wrong. Behind those diverging shuriken, a kunai had been hidden and was now flying straight at her!
She instinctively tried to dodge to either side—only to freeze.
There were shuriken coming from both her left and right.
No escape sideways.
She prepared to leap back—but the faint whistle behind her made her pause.Those C-shaped shuriken that crossed in front earlier—they had curved again, forming S-shapes and were now coming from behind!
Together, their flight paths formed an eight-point trap—Mizuki was surrounded!
"Not good!"
The kunai was almost at her chest, flanked by deadly spinning steel from all directions.
Then, the impact.
The kunai and shuriken struck—except…
Haruki didn't look pleased.
Because what hit wasn't Mizuki—but a chunk of log that dropped to the ground.
Substitution Jutsu.
Of course.
Haruki was already moving before the last kunai even left his hand, as if expecting it.
Behind a nearby tree, Mizuki exhaled deeply.
"So, he set all of this up from the first throw? That little brother of mine…"
A voice came from just a few steps away.
"Impressive, Mizuki-nee. You used the Substitution Jutsu at just the right moment."
She looked up—two Harukis were charging at her, kunai in hand.
They were almost upon her!
"He's fast! A Clone Jutsu? Which is real?"She deflected the one on her right, grabbing the left Haruki's kunai arm with her free hand, preparing to sweep them both away with a low kick.
But as soon as her kunai connected—poof!—the right Haruki vanished in smoke.
"A clone… then the left—"She kicked out hard, catching the other by the arm.Poof! That one vanished too.
"Damn! Both were clones?! Then the real one is—!"
She instinctively activated her Byakugan—and what she saw made her gasp.
But it was too late.
"You let your guard down, Mizuki-nee!"
A wooden kunai lightly pressed against her neck.
The match was over.
Haruki stood above her, crouched upside-down on a tree branch, directly over her head.He reached down, tapping her neck with the practice blade.
Mizuki stood frozen, stunned. Through her Byakugan's chakra vision, she saw the flow of energy inside his body—this wasn't the boy she used to know.
"Heh… not only did you activate your Byakugan, but you still lost."Haruki smiled, flipped down, and landed beside her.
She stared at him in disbelief.
"Uhh… Mizuki-nee?" Haruki scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Why are you staring like I'm some rare animal?"
She blinked and snapped out of it."When did you learn to mold chakra?" she asked.
"About four months ago," he said, rubbing his head.
She thought for a moment."So… when you told me to activate my Byakugan, that was just a trick to make sure I didn't activate it, right?"
"Hehe, exactly. If you had, you'd have known how much chakra I had. You'd have seen through the Clone Jutsu instantly."
"The kunai and shuriken trap… all pre-calculated. The clones drew my attention. You used Tree-Walking to position yourself above me for the final strike."
"Yup. You didn't know I could climb trees yet. And you didn't know how much chakra I had—so when you saw two clones, you assumed one had to be me. The clones distracted you, and I attacked from above. But all of it only worked because you didn't activate your Byakugan."
Mizuki had lost for four reasons—she underestimated him, she didn't know his abilities, she held back, and she fell right into his trap.Used well, a clever plan could overcome raw power.
"Haruki… your chakra molding, Clone Jutsu, shuriken control, even chakra control… all of it is at genin level. You've worked hard, haven't you?"
"I have! This was the surprise I promised."
Mizuki gently embraced her little cousin."You're only four years old, and you've already become a proper shinobi. A genius has been born in the Hyūga Branch Family. Thank you for the wonderful surprise."
She smiled, her eyes turning into half-moons.
"Ehehe, as long as you're happy. I'll keep training hard—so I can become a ninja strong enough to protect you."
Haruki meant every word. Mizuki was family—and someone he had always treasured from the beginning.
With her approval, Haruki's confidence soared.