"Neji, what are you doing here?"
"You're asking me?"
Neji stared at Souma with a blank face, eyes running up and down his body like he was deciding where to hit first.
Souma patted the dust off his clothes.
"I'm a guest today. If you lay a hand on me, I swear I'll just flop over and play dead on the spot."
"…"
Neji squinted at him, completely speechless.
This was the first time he'd discovered—
Souma had this kind of side, too.
But soon he realized something else was off.
"What are you doing here?" Neji asked, feeling a little uneasy.
Souma, coming to the Hyūga compound…
What was that about?
He was still annoyed about Souma "selling him out," but the truth was, he'd gotten exactly what he'd once wanted—
a path to fight without relying on the Byakugan.
In the end, it wasn't a loss.
Even if he refused to use his dojutsu, the Gentle Fist knowledge Souma had exchanged for him was still real power.
Neji wasn't ungrateful.
"I'm here to finish a trade. We agreed a while back, but I got busy and it got delayed," Souma said.
"I see."
Neji understood instantly.
He knew big clans better than Souma did.
Someone in the main family had probably thought it wasn't worth making a deal, or that Souma didn't "qualify" to be a partner.
But after reality slapped them in the face a few times—or for some other reason—
Hiashi had decided to go through with it anyway.
Simple as that.
Neji gave a small nod and pointed inside.
"Good luck."
Souma nodded back, tossed over a casual bit of encouragement, and headed toward the main hall.
Neji went back to practicing his techniques.
Clearly, he still hadn't reconciled with the main family.
Souma smiled.
Even better.
In the original timeline, Neji had developed techniques like Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms and Rotation on his own.
His talent and insight were unquestionable—number one in the current Hyūga clan, without a doubt.
The research institute would be up and running soon.
One more person meant one more source of strength.
He could bring that up with the Third later.
The old man had been way too shady with that scroll business.
Souma wouldn't feel at peace unless he bit back just a little.
Souma stepped into the hall.
Hiashi was already there, everything prepared. Hanabi had been sent away. Steam rose from a freshly brewed pot as a maid quietly poured tea.
Corruption, Souma thought, silently condemning him.
"Souma-kun, you finally made it," Hiashi greeted him with a smile, gesturing to the cushion across from him.
Souma didn't hold back.
He sat, took the cup, and exhaled lightly after a sip.
Hyūga tea really was good.
And more importantly—
He didn't have to pay for it.
After a few sips, he took out a scroll and placed it on the low table.
Hiashi's expression turned serious as he picked it up and read.
When he finished, he couldn't help but clap once.
"Impressive. I didn't think adding just a few hand seals could help the chakra needles form and condense so much more easily."
"Ninja hand seals are, at their core, just a support structure to help complete the release of a jutsu. That's why jutsu with no seals are much harder to perform," Souma said lightly.
"Once you understand the essence, you can reverse-engineer seal patterns from the effect."
That was just how he'd always done it.
Hiashi stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words.
Was this… supposed to be simple?
Had he been isolated from the world for too long?
He sat in thought for a few seconds.
Then laughed at himself.
"Forgive me, I was lost in thought. May I try this technique?"
"Of course."
Souma made a "please, go ahead" motion.
Hiashi nodded and began forming seals.
He'd tried condensing chakra needles without hand seals before. He could do it, but the power was nowhere near what the medical-nin used.
With that experience, the difference hit him instantly.
It was easier—far easier—to condense the chakra now.
It felt like a ready-made mold had been set up.
All he had to do was pour the material in.
Compared to his previous attempts, it was on a completely different level.
He couldn't help but feel awed.
"Amazing…"
From the scroll alone, Hiashi had already figured out the concept. But using it in practice still shook him.
Yagyū Souma was a true genius among geniuses.
He realized—
This technique had been adapted from the chakra scalpel, but the difficulty of modifying ninjutsu was in no way less than creating a brand new one.
At least ninety percent of Konoha's ninja couldn't do it.
Just based on that, Souma had more than enough qualification to be an equal partner to the Hyūga.
He had the potential to become the head of a major clan himself.
Hiashi put the scroll aside and said:
"Souma-kun, every time I see your work, I'm shocked all over again."
"You flatter me," Souma replied with a small smile.
"No, you might not realize it, but our Hyūga clan also has a huge demand for your herbal bath packs. And those were your creation as well," Hiashi said, then added half-jokingly, "I've heard you even have a better recipe? How about we settle everything in one go this time?"
"That'd be a different price," Souma said, still smiling.
"No problem. What do you want?" Hiashi asked straightforwardly.
"Cooperation."
Souma didn't dodge the topic.
"You've probably heard. I've requested support from the village to build a research institute."
"I've heard," Hiashi nodded.
As the head of a great clan, these things never stayed hidden from him.
"You want the Hyūga to join?"
"I want to ask you for two people," Souma said.
"Neji is one, I presume. And the other?" Hiashi asked, genuinely curious.
Neji didn't surprise him.
After watching for some time, he sometimes regretted that Neji wasn't his son. That would've solved a lot of succession headaches.
But the second one—
That intrigued him.
From what he'd seen, there was no one else in the clan with Neji-level talent.
"Your daughter—Hinata," Souma said.
"What?"
Hiashi was visibly taken aback.
Hinata?
Why her?
He stared for a moment, then asked:
"Does Hinata have that kind of potential?"
"I feel she does," Souma replied. "But her personality holds her back."
Hiashi fell silent.
Hinata's temperament was too gentle—
hardly suited to being a clan head.
He let out a long sigh and said at last, voice level:
"Then I'll have to trouble you to guide her as well."
"Gladly," Souma nodded.
And with that, another trade was settled.
He took out paper and pen and quickly wrote down a prescription.
"This blend is more effective than the common version—about fifty percent stronger. But the ingredients are more expensive. In terms of cost performance, it's not great."
He slid the recipe across.
Hiashi didn't bother reading it.
He wouldn't understand the herbs anyway, but he trusted Souma.
He folded the formula neatly, set it aside, and brought out another notebook.
Souma opened it—
And froze.
"…Did you give me the wrong one?"
It wasn't just theory.
There were concrete techniques—Gentle Fist patterns like Eight Trigrams Palm and Air Palm.
Hiashi was giving this to him?
"I didn't," Hiashi said, shaking his head. "But I have conditions. First, I don't want you spreading this around."
"Of course," Souma said seriously.
"I know how gifted you are. With this knowledge, the Hyūga Gentle Fist will probably have no secrets left in your eyes. I hope that in your spare time, you'll give Neji and Hinata some help."
Hiashi had no doubts about Souma's ability anymore.
Quite the opposite.
After the chakra needle business, he understood Souma's level better than most.
That was exactly why—
He'd decided to break the deadlock.
Starting with Souma.
Souma weighed the notebook in his hands.
It felt heavy. And hot.
"That's not the same price anymore," he said quietly.
"Of course," Hiashi replied. "If you have any questions in the future, you can come to me. Or you can propose another form of compensation."
His tone stayed calm, but his stance was firm.
Souma was a bit surprised.
He thought for a moment.
"The Hyūga have been around for a long time. You must have some stock of chakra metal, right?"
"We do," Hiashi said.
Then, after a beat, he added:
"But chakra metal is still just a worldly material. Are you sure you want to trade for that?"
"I'm sure."
Souma flipped through the notebook.
The techniques weren't that complicated. He could understand them. If there truly was something he couldn't perform, it would only be because he lacked the Byakugan.
In that case, going back to Hiashi wouldn't help anyway.
He didn't say it, but Hiashi could feel the deep confidence behind his casual expression.
Hiashi fell silent, then nodded.
"All right."
"Pleasure doing business," Souma said, rising with the notebook in hand. He bowed slightly. "I still need to visit the Hokage's office, so I'll excuse myself."
"Very well."
Hiashi watched him go.
When Souma was gone, he turned and stared at the small side door.
"You can come out now."
"Father."
Hanabi crept out, face tense and guilty.
Hiashi looked at her for a few seconds.
"Well? Any thoughts?"
"He's… very confident. It feels like he doesn't need anyone's help," she said softly.
"I didn't mean that," Hiashi replied. "I meant… forget it, you can go."
He didn't punish her for eavesdropping.
But—
The weary tone in his voice made Hanabi's heart clench.
He wasn't truly angry at her.
Compared to Souma, even Neji seemed a few shades dimmer.
Hiashi just couldn't help thinking—
Other people's children always seemed better.
Leaving the Hyūga compound, Souma headed straight for the Hokage's Tower.
He'd been busy yesterday.
Today, he wanted to talk to the Third about the Book of Creation.
Outside the office, he could hear Haichi's voice faintly through the door.
A moment later, it opened.
"Souma-kun," Haichi said, clearing his throat. "Come in. We were just talking about you."
"About me?" Souma asked, stepping inside.
Haichi nodded.
"Yes. We were just discussing that mental technique of yours."
"Oh. Here's what I've summarized."
Souma handed over a scroll.
The Third and Haichi both stared.
Already?
They'd thought it would take him a while.
They exchanged a glance and unrolled the scroll.
It was packed with substance.
Haichi's excitement grew by the second, mixed with a growing sense of shock.
After some time, he took out a scroll of his own.
"This is the Yamanaka clan's secret art of mental cultivation. Don't pass it around."
"Understood."
Souma accepted it and started reading on the spot.
He went through it twice, then held the scroll back out.
Haichi blinked.
"You're… done?"
"I've memorized it. Better you keep it. That way it won't get lost or leaked," Souma said calmly.
Haichi's feelings got even more complicated.
The mental training method was long, and the concepts were difficult.
Had he really memorized it that fast?
He couldn't exactly test him on it, so instead he said:
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to the Yamanaka compound to ask me."
"Okay."
Souma nodded.
Haichi glanced at the Third, then at Souma, and after a brief hesitation said:
"I'll be going, then."
"All right," the Third replied.
When Haichi left and the door closed, Souma's face grew a little more serious.
"About the Book of Creation," the Third began, "Tenzo already explained things to you. I should've spoken to you first. That was my fault."
As he spoke, he took out a scroll.
"Most of what's on this is your work. The rest is mine and Asuma's. I've already discussed it with him. As for you…"
He slid the scroll across the desk.
Souma picked it up and unrolled it.
His expression shifted.
"This is…?"
"It's not that precious," the Third said.
Souma pushed the scroll back.
"This is your clan's summoning contract. What does it look like if an outsider signs his name on it?"
"The Monkey King can at least give you some protection. You don't need to worry about the contract question," the Third said.
"No," Souma said, shaking his head. "These are separate matters."
He took a breath.
"As for Naruto's identity—I can guess some of it. Your choices over the years haven't been ideal. Even if you want to make up for it, this isn't the way. The Scroll of Seals, too, was unreasonable."
He looked the old man straight in the eye.
"Doing this… you've lost my trust."
"I understand," the Third said quietly.
He was silent for a few seconds, then took the scroll back.
After some thought, he took out another scroll.
The Book of Creation.
"You can keep this in your research institute," he said with a small smile. "Let it be your 'treasured artifact'."
"The institute isn't even finished yet," Souma said.
"It is," the Third replied. "It's in the Forest of Death. They're just wrapping things up. Don't worry about security. I'll have ANBU stationed there."
"…"
ANBU is exactly why I'm worried…
Souma thought.
If the Hokage himself could get killed right under ANBU's nose, what chance did a research building have?
He didn't refuse outright.
But his attitude said enough.
The Third picked up on it.
"What do you have in mind?" he asked.
"If possible, I'd like to assemble my own security detail," Souma said. "You can register them under ANBU on paper—but the personnel will be my choice, and I want to handle the institute's barrier myself."
"All right," the Third said without hesitation.
Partly because he knew he was in the wrong.
Partly because—
He was curious what kind of subordinates Souma would train.
Souma immediately grew wary.
"If I pick my people and train them up, you're not allowed to suddenly swoop in and take them," he said.
"Take them?" the Third repeated, confused.
He mulled it over for a moment.
Then I realized what Souma was implying.
He looked a bit offended.
"Do I look like that kind of person?"
"Just making sure," Souma said with a grin.
The Third waved him off.
"Relax. Even with someone like Danzō… ah, forget it. The point is—I won't steal your people. I can at least guarantee that much."
"Good!" Souma said, satisfied.
He'd bitten back enough on this trip.
Aside from having to watch out for Danzō's antics later, everything else was about as good as it could get.
The Third had done right by him.
"Take it," the Hokage said, passing over the Book of Creation. "Most of the jutsu in here are yours anyway. With you and your institute guarding it, everyone will feel more at ease."
"Thank you for understanding," Souma said, bowing slightly as he accepted the scroll.
The Third picked up his pipe and looked up at him.
"Anything else?"
"A small creation," Souma said, taking out another scroll and handing it over.
The Third opened it.
Then looked up in confusion.
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"This sword style can be spread through ANBU," Souma said. "Their strength could use a boost."
"What do you want in return?" the Third asked.
He'd read enough to be surprised.
It was a very refined sword technique.
He set it aside carefully.
"Chakra metal," Souma said immediately.
The Third froze for a second.
Then cleared his throat.
"…That's really all gone. I swear there's not a scrap left."
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