Having temporarily set aside the Fourth Hokage's offer to join the ANBU, Hyūga Shinichi didn't stay in the Hokage's office for long.
It had been a long time since he last returned home. He didn't know whether anything major had happened within the clan while he was away.
During his time outside Konoha, he couldn't help feeling uneasy. Even he wasn't sure whether this world truly had some kind of "corrective force." But considering Uchiha Shisui's case, his worries were probably unnecessary.
Training at Mount Myōboku had allowed Shisui to avoid his destined death. Though he hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan yet, those very eyes had been the trigger of his fate. In a way, not awakening them might be a blessing.
Using the Flying Thunder God, Shinichi returned home. As he stepped out from the marked room, he happened to see a tiny little girl wobbling across the corridor with a vase holding a single fresh flower, running toward his room.
Hyūga Hanabi clearly didn't expect someone to suddenly walk out. She had no time to stop and rammed straight into his leg. The vase slipped from her hands and fell—her own body tilting backward.
Just as Hanabi squeezed her eyes shut, ready for impact, she felt a warm, steady hand supporting her back. Shinichi caught the falling vase with his other hand.
When she opened her eyes, Shinichi's face was reflected in them. After a brief moment of surprise, pure excitement flashed across Hanabi's gaze, and she stammered, "B-b…brother…"
Hanabi rarely used that word in her daily life, so it came out clumsily. But even so, the sound reached Shinichi clearly.
"…"
He carefully looked at the little girl in front of him, then a bright smile spread across his face. Bending down slightly, he gently helped her stand.
"Hanabi, right?"
Glancing at the vase in his hand, Shinichi suddenly remembered that the windowsill in his long-empty room also had a vase. The flower in it had begun to wilt, yet it was obvious it had been placed there only a few days ago.
Looking at the vase Hanabi was now holding, it wasn't hard to guess who had been quietly replacing the flowers in his room.
"Mm! Mm!!"
Hanabi nodded quickly, eyes sparkling.
Despite Shinichi being away at Mount Myōboku and only sending occasional letters, she recognized him immediately. That surprised him a little.
But Hanabi was equally excited. The "big brother" she had only heard about from her parents and sister was suddenly right here in front of her. Hearing him call her name made her heart warm.
"Here, your vase."
"Hanabi, where were you planning to go?"
He returned the vase to her hands and asked gently, though he already had an idea.
"I was changing the flowers in big brother's room. Mother says a room needs fresh flowers to feel alive."
Hanabi beamed up at him, offering the vase with both hands.
Her sincerity and innocence made Shinichi's heart soften. He rubbed her head affectionately.
"I see… Then thank you for taking care of that for me."
"Come on, I'll take you to see mother."
He picked up the vase again and scooped Hanabi into his arms. Hanabi clung to his neck naturally, showing no hint of resistance.
Though she had only seen pictures of him before, and any early memories had long faded, she felt an inexplicable familiarity with Shinichi—something that made her trust and cling to him instinctively.
Perhaps that was what they called blood ties.
After returning the vase to his room, Shinichi carried Hanabi toward his mother's quarters. It had been too long; he needed to greet his parents properly.
But the moment he walked out, he saw at the end of the corridor a young woman in maid attire—Hyūga Mio—rushing toward them while calling, "Lady Hanabi! Please slow down, watch your step!"
She turned the corner and froze when she saw Shinichi holding Hanabi.
"Big brother is back!" Hanabi waved happily.
Mio snapped out of her shock and immediately knelt.
"Lord Shinichi!"
Hanabi's caretaker, she might be, but in front of the Hyūga heir, Mio was his subordinate.
"Mio, long time no see."
"Get up. At home, there's no need for so many formalities."
Shinichi pulled her up with a warm smile. Only then did Mio truly feel the familiar aura beneath the overwhelming pressure he now carried. She smiled as well and bowed.
"Welcome home, Lord Shinichi."
After sending Mio off, Shinichi took Hanabi to Hyūga Hanako's room.
When he pushed open the door, the familiar scene greeted him. Hanako sat on the tatami by the window, sewing something.
Hearing the sound, she assumed it was Hanabi and turned—only to freeze upon seeing Shinichi.
"Shinichi?!"
Time had been gentle to Hanako; her face showed little age. Joy filled her eyes as she hurried toward him.
"I'm home."
Shinichi nodded, his own expression softening. If he counted his past and present life together, he might actually be older than his mother now.
But age had nothing to do with motherly affection.
Hanako had raised and cared for him sincerely. Every bit of the Hyūga family's devotion to him was real.
"That's good… It's been so long. You finally came back."
"You must've worked hard protecting Kushina during her training. You've gotten thinner…"
There were different kinds of "thin"—this was the kind only mothers could see.
Shinichi's baby fat had faded, his features sharpened into a young man's. Though he looked leaner, in reality, years of training had hardened him. Muscles were packed tightly beneath his loose gi.
"It wasn't hard. I was just training somewhere else."
"The food was great, lodging was great—really, Mount Myōboku's insects have a hundred times the protein of beef."
"Look, I'm sturdier than ever."
He lifted Hanabi slightly, revealing the solid lines of his arm.
"Insects?"
Hanako caught onto that keyword instantly.
"Oh, one of Mount Myōboku's specialties. Fried, roasted… delicious. Boiled, not so much."
"I'll bring some back next time for you to try."
"By the way, where's Father? I didn't sense him when I returned. Is he out of the village?"
Changing the subject naturally, he asked.
"He is," Hanako sighed.
"Now that the war around Konoha has settled, your father went out to inspect the damage to our clan's businesses."
"He'll visit the friendly clans we've maintained ties with as well. He left about a week ago—should be back in a month or so."
The Hyūga clan had always needed money, and mission income alone wasn't enough to support its size. Besides their public businesses—shops, farmland, fisheries—they also ran hidden industries such as gambling halls, exchange houses, transport lines, and even black-market operations.
The Third Shinobi War had heavily damaged these industries. Only the risky—but highly profitable—transport routes had kept the clan afloat.
Because of this, the Hyūga had far-reaching connections, even having once held blood-pact ties with the Kaguya clan of the Mist.
But a deep network required constant maintenance. Even during wartime, the Hyūga stayed in contact with their allied clans—more so now in peace.
"Father is really working hard…"
Shinichi felt a pang of guilt. Being clan head was no easy job; the burden was immense.
"You're not a child anymore," Hanako said softly. "Now that you're back, your father will probably start handing some clan affairs to you."
"You won't have many free days ahead."
Shinichi nodded. He had expected this. It was precisely why he refused Minato's ANBU invitation—he didn't know whether the Hokage's training plan would clash with the Hyūga clan's expectations for him.
And clearly, refusing had been the right choice.
"Once you have responsibilities for the clan, learn as much as you can," Hanako added. "Don't disappoint your father."
"I'll do my best," Shinichi replied earnestly.
Hanako then said, "When you're done here, go see Grandfather. He's mentioned you often these past two years."
"If you hadn't sent letters occasionally, he might've gone to the Hokage to drag you back himself."
"The old man has carried the clan his whole life. Now that he's elderly, help ease his burden."
Shinichi understood the implication immediately and nodded.
"I understand. If there's anything I can do for my grandfather, I'll give it my all."
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