"Neji, he's just a commoner with speed but no ninjutsu. Why not use your Byakugan and ninjutsu to beat him?"
"…"
Hearing the Hyuga clan's Great Elder, Neji fell silent, not daring to retort.
Use his Byakugan and ninjutsu for an easy win?
Sure, he could do that.
But what he really wanted was a fair victory!
Or rather, the exhilarating feeling of fighting that guy and, for a moment, forgetting his pain!
"…"
Years ago, when Cloud Village ninjas visited the Hidden Leaf, they secretly targeted Hinata, aiming to steal her Byakugan.
But Hyuga Hiashi caught them and killed the intruder.
Unfortunately, when their plan was exposed, the Cloud ninjas showed no fear.
Instead, they turned the tables, demanding the Hyuga clan hand over Hiashi to answer for their dead ninja!
As the head of the main branch and the Hyuga clan leader, Hiashi couldn't be sacrificed.
In the end…
Neji's father, Hyuga Hizashi, became the pawn in their political game!
Since his father died for the clan, Neji had lived in darkness.
He hated the main branch! He hated the Caged Bird seal!
Until that man appeared…
A carefree, irreverent guy, unlike anyone else.
A man who, despite his lack of bloodline limits, outmatched Neji in pure speed and spouted endless nonsense!
Only then did a faint light enter Neji's world.
"You're Hyuga Neji, Hinata's cousin, right? Your armor—er, clothes—are cool, but not as cool as mine! Your speed's fast, but not as fast as me! Haha!"
"What's wrong with you? Is your brain broken? Come on, smile—say it with me: 'You're a pig!'"
"You want to race me? I'm not exactly good at speed—just a tiny bit better. Oh, look, my wife Hinata's here. Gotta go! Whoosh!"
"…"
While Neji was lost in thought, Hyuga Hiashi stepped in to smooth things over.
"That kid may be a commoner, but his clone technique… it's a bit like Uchiha Shisui's, don't you think?"
"What? Uchiha Shisui?!"
The Great Elder, who had been dismissive moments ago, broke into a cold sweat at Hiashi's words.
Shisui of the Body Flicker, the Uchiha clan's genius!
A man who shook the ninja world, rivaling the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, a commoner who rose to Hokage!
If Shisui hadn't been born an Uchiha, his feats in the Third Great Ninja War might have made him Hokage!
"The Uchiha prodigy himself," Hiashi said, nodding with satisfaction at the Elder's reaction.
He continued, "Maybe before Shisui's incident, he left behind his Body Flicker Technique's training method, and Ye Wu Di stumbled upon it by chance."
"I see."
The Great Elder, initially excited, grew frustrated.
"Hiashi, did you know this kid was special all along? Why else would you let him get close to Hinata for years without stopping him?"
"Why not?" Hiashi replied, a faint smile on his face.
"Who spends years obsessively training speed, day in and day out? Even fear of death has its limits."
Seeing Hiashi finally admit it, the Great Elder's face filled with reluctance.
"Then why didn't you stop him just now? If we'd captured him, Shisui's Body Flicker Technique would be ours!"
"No rush. He'll come back. Next time, have Neji use ninjutsu to test him further and confirm it."
"Besides…"
Hiashi turned to look at Hinata, who had fainted from Ye Wu Di's antics, now a steaming heap.
"He's so devoted to Hinata, year after year. Are you worried he won't return?"
"Instead of forcing him, I'd rather bring him into the Hyuga clan—make him a son-in-law."
Hiashi's daughter was the heiress of the Hidden Leaf's top clan.
Even if her talent was lacking, she deserved a true genius, not some nobody!
If Ye Wu Di truly mastered Shisui's Body Flicker Technique, why not pair them?
Once Ye Wu Di and Hinata were married, the Hyuga clan would gain a trump card.
The legendary Body Flicker Technique of Shisui, feared across the ninja world!
Hearing Hiashi's words, the Great Elder nodded, satisfied.
"Now that you put it that way, I'm actually looking forward to that kid's next visit."
"Oh, right!"
The Great Elder suddenly turned to Neji, speaking sternly.
"Neji! Next time you face Wu Di, if the clan head confirms his technique, be careful not to hurt him!"
"And today's events must stay secret!"
Ding! Congratulations, Host, for earning 666 points of negative emotions from Neji Hyuga!
At that moment, Neji couldn't help but wonder, Who's the real Hyuga kid here?
But given the Elder's authority, he lowered his head and agreed.
"Understood."
…
The next morning, inside Ye Wu Di's small shack.
"Ahh, yawn~ Staying up all night reading A Collection of Works by a Certain Island Teacher Living the Good Life was so worth it!"
"Oh, right, System! How many negative emotion points do I have now?"
"Host, you currently have 6,666 negative emotion points!"
That many?
Ye Wu Di's face lit up with surprise at the System's response.
It seemed the Hyuga clan really "missed" him after he left!
Especially those guards who had to revive the fainting steam-princess Hinata—they must've contributed a ton!
"100,000 points for one draw, huh? My path to showing off is still long."
"Alright, it's decided! Tonight, I'll stake out again. With luck, I might get another jackpot draw!"
"See you tonight, Hyuga guards…"
As Ye Wu Di pushed open the door, buzzing with excitement and ready for ninja school, a blonde girl with twin tails barreled toward him, practically crashing into his face.
Seeing this, a giant question mark popped up in Ye Wu Di's mind.
Who's ambushing him this early in the morning?
And with a head-on collision, no less!
Who's this girl?
"Boss! You're finally out!"
"…"