Konoha Hospital.
Hiashi, the clan head of the Hyuga clan—an elite jōnin famed for taijutsu, born with the Byakugan—had just formed his first impression of this newly rising figure, Kangetsu.
The Third Hokage's trusted man.
The upper ranks' money pouch.
A future power-holder.
Interesting…
Keeping his face blank, he led his daughter, Hinata, out of the hospital.
His second daughter, Hanabi, had been born.
But he wasn't happy at all.
Because the Hyuga clan lived under a cruel system: the Main House and the Branch House.
Hinata was only five. She hadn't yet become the disappointing girl from the original story—she wasn't there yet.
So for now, Hinata was still being raised as the Main House heir.
And if Hinata was the Main House…
Then the second daughter, Hanabi, would be…
He'd already made up his mind.
In the days that followed, Kangetsu often saw little Hinata coming to the hospital to play.
Kangetsu understood exactly what Hiashi was doing.
That incident from two years ago—time to turn the page.
And the relationship with the Hokage's faction—time to ease it up.
Because, the Hyuga clan couldn't keep surviving forever wedged in the cracks.
Hinata was Hiashi's signal.
Tch.
As expected of a clan head.
Even someone as adorable as Hinata—he was willing to use her.
"B-Big brother… what's wrong…?"
Hinata's voice was sweet and timid.
Her small body was soft too—when you held her, it felt like hugging a bundle of cotton.
Only problem was, she blushed far too easily.
Big brother wasn't a bad guy!
And since nobody could see them in the office, Kangetsu naturally teased the kid a little.
"Nothing. Are you here to see Hanabi again today?"
"Mm… mm."
With big brother holding her, Hinata couldn't quite get the words out. Her cheeks went red.
She held it in for ages and only managed a single, tiny "mm."
Big brother was really nice, and he was really handsome, but… but…
She didn't know how to say it.
"Want a lollipop?"
Don't get the wrong idea.
A normal lollipop.
As the legitimate daughter of a major clan, Hinata had never eaten little snacks like that.
Because right now—since she was still being treated as the Main House heir—she had to be responsible for every word and action.
She had to be an example.
So Hinata really liked coming here.
Because she could eat until she was full, and she could eat all kinds of snacks, too.
Hanabi?
What Hanabi?
Hinata was already having too much fun to want to go home.
She peeked up at big brother carefully. Seeing him smiling, she hurriedly lowered her head again.
Her fingers fidgeted and twisted together.
"I… want one."
Then she licked the lollipop with a blissed-out look on her face.
It was just a little hard to concentrate while sitting on big brother's lap.
On the other side.
The Third Hokage geezer accepted an ANBU report—personally written by Kangetsu.
Oh?
The Hyuga clan, huh…
The Third Hokage geezer's expression turned complicated.
After all, in that matter, he'd played a role that wasn't exactly honorable.
Two years ago.
The Great War had just ended, and Konoha had been on the verge of breaking apart.
To the point that even Kumogakure dared to cause trouble inside Konoha.
In the end, they'd effectively forced Konoha's leadership to bow their heads—and it led directly to the death of Hiashi's younger twin brother, Hizashi.
The more he thought about it, the more a humiliating feeling rose in his chest.
Like a mouthful of bad blood he couldn't spit out, and couldn't swallow down either.
In truth.
After that, Konoha's upper ranks had gone a little insane.
The Third Hokage geezer started scouring for talent and pushing the Academy hard.
Danzo expanded Root like a madman, and Koharu and Homura stopped blocking him the way they used to—they just watched him grow.
Sigh…
The Hyuga clan…
Shaking his head, the Third Hokage geezer forced himself not to dwell on that humiliation.
But his eyes darkened, heavy enough to drip.
That urge—to develop Konoha by any means necessary—grew stronger and stronger.
In his mind, one name after another surfaced.
When did Konoha ever fall so low…?
He took a hard pull on his pipe and rubbed his brow.
Kangetsu, that good kid, really was solid.
So handing the Hyuga issue to him might not be a bad idea.
Because Kangetsu was his trusted man.
His team under him was a little thin—so bring in political allies.
And the Hyuga clan was a good choice.
Ease the relationship between the Hokage's faction and the Hyuga clan.
Kangetsu was well-suited to act as a buffer in the middle.
But there were certain matters the Hyuga clan absolutely could not be allowed to touch.
The Third Hokage geezer decided he had to keep one hand on the guardrail.
His good kid could make money—he couldn't let the Hyuga clan get a slice too easily.
Those old geezers barely had enough to split among themselves as it was.
A few days passed.
Hiashi discovered, with some surprise, that the upper ranks had no reaction at all to him approaching the Hokage's trusted man.
No.
No reaction was the biggest reaction of all.
He relaxed, quietly.
He understood: the upper ranks were considering accepting the Hyuga clan back in.
Which meant Kangetsu had become a crucial person.
So it was true…
A faint smile appeared on Hiashi's face.
Kangetsu carried even more weight than he'd expected…
In that case, that matter could be put on the agenda.
When Hinata returned home.
Hiashi, unusually, didn't criticize her.
It felt like a burden he'd carried for too long had finally eased enough to breathe.
"Hinata, what do you think of Kangetsu-san?"
"Huh?"
Big brother…?
"Big brother is really nice."
"I see…"
Then spend more time around him.
Hinata didn't really understand.
But she did understand one thing: her father wasn't against her playing with big brother anymore.
Hinata—small as she was—craved companionship.
Seeing that his daughter didn't look resistant, Hiashi's smile deepened.
No rush.
There was plenty of time to smooth things out.
And it wasn't only that he wanted to ease relations with the Hokage's faction.
There was another reason.
The Hyuga clan didn't have spare rations anymore either…
Wasn't it only natural to build a good relationship with the God of Wealth?
He'd heard just how outrageous Konoha Hospital had become.
Salaries doubled across the board.
And damn it—holiday bonuses, year-end benefits, the whole package!
Anyone would be jealous.
He wasn't asking for much.
If a little slipped out from between the fingernails for the Hyuga clan, that should be fine, right?
The clothing business—who wouldn't want a share?
He didn't have the guts to eat from that bowl directly.
But he did have the guts to cry poverty to the God of Wealth.
And he had a lot of guts.
The Hyuga clan was huge.
So many clan members sitting there with mouths open, waiting to eat.
And on top of that, what happened two years ago had driven the relationship between the Hyuga clan and Konoha's upper ranks straight to the freezing point.
To the point that when they tried to take missions, people avoided them.
And that meant the Hyuga clan's foundation had been ground down to almost nothing.
Two full years…