Hyuga Shinichi had originally planned to stay home for a short period before beginning his traveling training. He hoped to significantly increase his strength before the true crisis arrived.
The world of Naruto was full of strange and mysterious things. Beyond his desire to investigate the various ruins left on Earth by the Otsutsuki clan, Shinichi also wanted to uncover the secrets of immortality held by the Jashin cult. He had far too much curiosity that needed satisfying.
However, he never expected that this return home would disrupt his carefully laid plans. The words Hyuga Hiashi had just spoken were about to bring a massive change to Shinichi's future life.
A grand birthday celebration?A girl I fancy?
Connecting these dots, how could Shinichi not understand what his father was implying? This was essentially a setup for an arranged marriage, wasn't it?
It was ironic; Shinichi had never "enjoyed" the meddling "concern" of elders in his previous life, yet he was experiencing it in full force in this one. Even after reincarnating into the Shinobi world, the topic of "blind dates" still haunted young men like him.
As a member of the Hyuga Main House, procreation wasn't just a duty—he was responsible for maintaining the purity of the Hyuga bloodline. His wife could only be chosen from within the clan. "True love" and dating freedom were luxuries far beyond someone of his status.
"A blind date, huh..."
Shinichi's expression wavered for a moment. Coming back to his senses, he asked tentatively, "Father, can this matter be postponed for a few years? I feel I still have great potential to tap into; there is still much room for my combat power to improve. I don't want to waste my energy on other things."
Falling in love is an exhausting endeavor. People usually only have the urge for romance when they have nothing better to do. This is why student romances are often remembered for a lifetime—it happens during a period when pressure is low, and life is leisurely. Once people grow up and enter society, the heavy pressure of survival forces them to stop thinking about such trivialities.
For the current Shinichi, the powerful enemies that threatened his future existence were forcing him to grow stronger every day. He hoped to one day have total control over his own destiny, and that required absolute strength as a foundation.
Shinichi had always been an independent person. Because of his "genius" reputation, Hiashi usually deferred to his judgment—and indeed, Shinichi had never disappointed him. However, this time, Hiashi shook his head with a touch of regret.
"This event is being spearheaded by your Grand-Uncle, Hyuga Shin. The Branch House is also in full support. It's not something that can be changed on a whim."
"Shinichi, I have never looked at you as a mere child. With your wisdom, you must understand what this signifies."
"Next February is your birthday. You will be fifteen. You aren't exactly small anymore. Besides, this is just a simple introduction to peers of the opposite sex. No one is ordering you to make a choice or marry immediately."
"Since this is the person who will accompany you for the rest of your life, as your father, I hope you choose carefully rather than making a rushed decision. You need time to get to know your future wife. If you spend three or four years together, you'll be eighteen or nineteen—the prime age for marriage."
The Hyuga clan was an ancient lineage that had survived the brutal Warring States period. The inheritance system of the Main House dictated that heirs often married young. In an era where the average lifespan of a shinobi was less than twenty-six, and six-year-olds were sent to the battlefield, Hyuga men often started families at fourteen or fifteen to ensure the clan's continuation.
This survival mechanism of early marriage was etched into the Hyuga DNA. Although they were now in the era of hidden villages and relative peace, the old views held by the elders regarding lineage had not changed.
Shinichi's position as the heir was set in stone. While Hinata and Hanabi wouldn't receive the Caged Bird Seal until after finishing the Academy due to certain arrangements, the decision for Shinichi to succeed the Main House was a consensus among all clansmen.
Therefore, ensuring the next generation of the Main House bloodline was the common expectation of all elders. Furthermore, the position of the "Main House Matron" had drawn the eyes of many internal factions.
The push from these various interests was what had culminated in this "Birthday Matchmaking Gala."
The need for succession, the political maneuvering of the Branch House, and the clan's rising influence in the village all merged. They intended to use the heir's birthday to solidify the Hyuga's reputation as the "Number One Shinobi Clan in Konoha."
It was a "grand event" that even Hiashi could not refuse. Shinichi's birthday banquet was no longer about him as an individual; it was fundamentally tied to the interests of the entire Hyuga clan.
Hiashi, a mature politician, understood this, and he believed his son's intellect would grasp it as well. And how could Shinichi not understand?
In the original timeline, Naruto and Hinata married when they were effectively nineteen, and that was with Hinata being a girl. Shinichi guessed the clan wouldn't allow him to remain unmarried past twenty. For now, the "marriage pressure" wasn't overwhelming, but it would only grow stronger as he aged.
This was a fate he could not escape. Looking at it now, compared to Hinata, who was destined to be branded with the Caged Bird, perhaps he—the "free" heir—was simply a "Caged Bird" without a physical seal. The existence of that seal didn't just imprison the Branch House; it heavily restricted the Main House as well.
Shinichi let out a long sigh. Even if his life was being mapped out by others, there was still some degree of freedom, wasn't there? At least he was given the right to choose his own fiancée from the pool of candidates.
In contrast, the Branch House girls waiting to be "chosen" were the ones with truly tragic fates. Shinichi felt a genuine pang of sympathy for the girls his age.
However... his "compassion" was largely unnecessary.
Branch House members had significant autonomy. If a girl had no interest in the position or in Shinichi himself, she simply wouldn't attend the banquet.
Almost all who attended did so voluntarily—whether they were aiming for the status or for Shinichi himself. There were those forced by elders, but how could someone truly resistant build a relationship with him?
Moreover, Shinichi's "Genius" title had been famous since childhood. He was handsome, elegant, and the heir to the most powerful clan.
He had already attracted the hearts of many young girls. If the elders hadn't set a specific age limit, many older unmarried women in the clan would have likely tried their luck as well.
Realizing his opinion couldn't sway the clan's collective will, Shinichi was forced to nod in agreement. Once Hiashi received his son's confirmation, he became even busier.
And it wasn't just Hiashi. Shinichi's mother, Hyuga Hanako, was even more frantic. As the saying goes: Love is between two people, but marriage is a "cooperation' between two families.
As Shinichi's mother, she didn't want an unsuitable woman entering her home. Beyond superficial traits like looks and age, she valued character, upbringing, and family background. Before the banquet officially began, Hanako would pre-screen the candidates for her son. The wife of the Main House heir needed to be someone who could help maintain the clan's strength and stability. A "pretty airhead" was not fit for the role.
...
During his stay at home, Shinichi could clearly feel a joyful atmosphere permeating the compound. Seeing his mother busy with "selecting a consort" felt surreal to him. In the blood-and-sweat world of Naruto, he felt strangely out of place—or rather, his modern soul was at odds with his surroundings.
Feeling a bit stifled, he invited a few close friends to the training grounds. Kakashi had been sent on a mission by the Fourth Hokage shortly after returning. Might Guy had been temporarily reassigned to another squad; as a training fanatic, Guy was also a "mission maniac" who loved staying busy.
Only Uchiha Shisui was still in the village. Shinichi sought him out to vent his frustrations. Shisui arrived with Uchiha Itachi in tow. As fellow Uchiha, the two were very close, and Itachi was also close with Shinichi.
While the Hyuga and Uchiha were ostensibly competing for the "Top Clan" title, the relationship between Fugaku's family and Hiashi's family was quite harmonious across both generations.
The training session was a one-vs-two. Shinichi's taijutsu was too dominant; even when holding back his strength, Shisui and Itachi found it difficult to parry his blows. They couldn't match him in power, so they relied on coordinated teamwork and kunai speed to stay in the fight.
Shinichi told them about his recent predicament as they sparred. It was October, and autumn had just arrived in Konoha. The weather wasn't cold, but hearing about Shinichi's situation made both Uchiha boys shiver involuntarily.
Their movements even faltered. Shinichi didn't press the attack; instead, he stopped and sat dejectedly on the grass in the corner of the field.
Shisui and Itachi shared a glance and sat down on either side of him.
"You two... don't you have any words of comfort for me?" Shinichi leaned back on his elbows, staring at the sky. Being with these two calmed him somewhat because they were "True Shinobi." With them, the sense of "displacement" vanished.
"Comfort? Isn't this a good thing?" Shisui asked with a smirk. "Getting to know some girls at your age is perfectly normal, isn't it? If you ask me... You don't need comfort. You need the experience of someone who's been through it!"
As expected of Shisui, he hit the nail on the head. Despite the teasing tone, Shinichi nodded in agreement.
"You're right. I'm not actually against it in my heart. It's just... I don't even know what kind of girl I would actually like." Having lived alone for so long, he felt he had lost the "ability to love." He was suffering from "Matchmaking Anxiety."
"Shisui, you sound like you know what you're talking about. Any experience to share?" Shinichi narrowed his eyes mischievously. Come to think of it, he had never paid attention to his friends' love lives.
"I don't have experience to teach you," Shisui waved his hands dismissively, then patted Shinichi's stomach and pointed at Itachi. "Ask Itachi. He has it."
Itachi, who had been listening intently, was stunned. "No, I don't!"
Itachi denied it instantly, but Shisui was even faster to sell him out. "Oh? Really? I saw you eating with a girl a while ago. A classmate, wasn't it? Named Izumi, right? Shinichi, don't listen to his denials. I've seen them together more than once. He has experience."
Shisui completely exposed Itachi's "dates" with Uchiha Izumi. This piqued Shinichi's curiosity. He jumped up and threw an arm around Itachi's shoulder, grinning.
"What's this? You never mentioned it! Report immediately!"
With Shinichi pinning him and Shisui laughing and prodding his leg, Itachi could only manage one strained sentence: "Friends. Izumi and I are just friends."
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