On the wide open-air training ground, figures of large and small shapes intertwined with each other. They concentrated chakra in their palms and swung at each other with seemingly soft force. It was a physical technique called 'Soft Fist'.
Unlike rigid boxing, which is fierce and direct and mainly deals damage from the outside, soft boxing focuses on the implementation of techniques, which is the so-called use of softness to overcome hardness.
The seemingly soft attack is powerful and continuous. Once hit by the soft fist, it will cause internal damage that is invisible to the naked eye.
Among them, the soft fist of the Hyuga clan is the best.
Coupled with the blood inheritance limit of observing the human body's meridian system, such as the Byakugan, the soft fist method has been developed to the extreme by successive ninjas of the Hyuga clan. The soft fist has gradually become the signature taijutsu of the Hyuga clan. Speaking of Soft Fist, the first thing that ninjas think of is the wealthy Hinata.
Standing under the corridor under the eaves, Rizu, the head of the clan, was wearing only a thin coat and holding a light green teacup in his hand. There was half a cup of hot tea in the teacup, and it was steaming with white steam. . .
He stared unblinkingly at the large and small figures on the training ground not far away.
Hinata Hanabi, and a special jounin from the Hyuga branch.
Looking at the two figures whose bodies were intertwining back and forth and whose footsteps were turning sharply, Hiashi's eyes showed approval, and the occasional nod gesture meant that he fully recognized the growth of his second daughter Hanabi and had no dissatisfaction with it. meaning.
"Hizu-sama."
A relatively childish voice came to my ears.
Rizu turned his head, and a white-eyed boy of thirteen or fourteen stood in front of him and bowed respectfully to him. It was his nephew Hyuga Neji.
As a very famous genius of the branch family, he has shown talents that are envied by many clan ninjas since he was a child. If he hadn't grown up in the branch family, perhaps a very amazing ninja would have appeared in the Hyuga clan.
But since you are a member of the branch family, no matter how outstanding your talents are, no matter how pitiful your opponent's abilities are, they can only be locked in a birdcage by the clan and bound by the iron laws of the family.
"You're here, Neji."
"Yes. I don't know if Mr. Rizu came to see me. Do you have any instructions?"
Neji looked at Hizu with a hint of complexity in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared and he lowered his head to avoid being noticed by Hizu.
As he grows older, Neji's understanding of the world becomes more and more mature, and the older he grows, the more he feels the restrictions and constraints placed on him by his family.
This kind of restraint is not only the usual code of conduct, giving priority to the clan in everything, but also suppressing even the strength that wants to go further.
Because in the Hyuga clan, only the clan is qualified to learn advanced soft fist skills, but if the branch family wants to learn, they need extremely stringent conditions, and they need the consent of the clan before they can learn.
This is to prevent a separate family from gaining too much power, thereby threatening the benign governance of a family. Because only if the Zong family occupies an absolute dominant position, can the Hyuga clan continue stably.
However, the Zong family often requires the branch family to protect them, but does not grant them more powerful soft fist techniques. Instead, it restricts the growth of branch ninjas... So what is the meaning of such protection?
For Neji, the longer he stays in this family, the more he feels the weirdness of his family.
Not only the family's rules, but also the people in the family, and every 'history' of the family, all seemed extremely absurd and strange.
But his father told him to learn "forbearance", learn to hide his true emotions, and not to show hatred and dissatisfaction with everything in the clan.
Because if you resist, you will die.
Betrayal leads to death.
Neji thought again of the 'caged bird' planted on his forehead when he was young. Even when facing a relative like Hizu, on the one hand he wanted to get close, but on the other hand he felt that such a relative was too strange and alienated.
Because we are in two worlds.
There is a division of 'personality levels' between them.
Not only Hinata, but also Hinata and Hanabi, his cousins whom he loved very much when they were young, also felt strange to Neji after graduating from the ninja school.
What does his cousin mean to them?
tool? Guard? Or a relative?
"You should know about the Joint Chuunin Examination soon."
Although Hizu was questioning, he was sure that Neji knew about this.
Neji also put away his thoughts, nodded, and replied: "Yes, Mr. Hizu, Mr. Kai has already told us about this."
"Kai Jounin? He is an excellent Jounin."
Rizu showed admiration.
Neji also agreed with Hizu's praise.
His mentor Jonin Metkai was indeed a powerful Jonin.
Although he is good at hard boxing, which is the opposite of soft boxing, he can also give him a lot of inspiration in soft boxing at many times.
After all, soft boxing and hard boxing are still very similar in some places, but the way of transporting power is slightly different.
"In this joint chuunin exam, the elite genin from the six major nations will gather together. As for the family, it has been decided that you and Hinata will participate."
Rizu stared in the direction of the training ground and said calmly.
"Ms. Hinata?"
Neji's face moved slightly.
"Any questions?"
"With all due respect, Miss Hinata... is not suitable for such an exam."
Neji hesitated for a moment, but finally said this.
Whether it was because of his 'master' concept towards Hinata or because of the undying family affection in his childhood, Neji felt that a young lady with a gentle personality like Hinata was not suitable for the chunin exam. Such a brutal knockout match.
Especially this time, the Joint Chunin Examination was not held by the Konoha family, which also meant that the mortality rate in this Chunin Examination was far higher than in previous years.
As a member of the clan, it was too risky for Hinata to participate in such an exam. If the other party made any mistakes, Neji felt that he could not bear such responsibility.
"...Actually, this is Hinata's own request."
Rizu was silent for a moment, picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and spoke slowly.
Neji raised his head slightly, with surprise and confusion in his eyes.
Miss Hinata...your own will?
"I watched Hinata grow up. I understand her character very well. Sometimes she is very weak, but sometimes she is stubborn and can be a pain in the ass."
Hizu smiled bitterly.
"But……"
"That's why I called you here. I just hope you can help me take care of Hinata during the exam. She doesn't need to pass the Chunin exam, I just need to ensure her safety."
Nizu said.
"Yes, I understand."
In fact, Neji had no right to refuse.
Rizu was not only his elder, but also the head of the clan. This is not only a request from the elders, but it is also an order.
Just like Hinata's dual identity, she is both his 'master' and his sister.
The purpose of the existence of the branch family is to protect the clan family. This rule, even in today's era, must still be resolutely implemented.
"Also, there is one more thing. This time the Fireworks Festival will represent me and I will be on a mission to visit the Kingdom of Demons during the Chunin Examination period."
Hizu remembered something and then said to Neji.
Neji's eyes widened with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Visiting the Country of Demons? Why did Ms. Hanabi want to..."
Not only Hinata, but also Hanabi, the second daughter, has to leave Konoha during the Chunin Examination. Isn't the clan concerned about the safety of these two people at all?
"Before that, I want to ask a question."
Hiashi turned his head and stared at Neji's shocked face.
"question?"
"Do you know Hinata Ayane?"
"..."
Neji frowned, thinking hard in his mind, and found that there was no memory of 'Hyuuga Ayane' in his mind, so he shook his head.
"For people of your generation, not knowing is normal."
Hizu sighed softly.
Not only are Konoha's top officials blocking information, but within the Hyuga clan, any member of the clan is also prohibited from discussing the name 'Hyuga Ayane' in private.
It's as if erasing this name can treat him as if nothing happened.
But unfortunately, even if the scars are hidden, sooner or later the truth will be revealed.
"she is……"
"The Hyuga clan is a treasonous sinner. However, since you don't know, forget it. After you go to the Kingdom of Demons, you will understand everything. I will make arrangements for Hanabi, and I will leave it to you for Hinata. If nothing can be done, Hinata's eyes will be destroyed."
After hearing what Nizu said, Neji stiffened and slowly raised his head. What he saw was Nizu's indifferent and calm face, and he felt a chill in his heart.
"……yes."
He felt heartache for no reason, and Neji didn't know what this feeling was.
But for the first time, he felt extremely disgusted with his family, making him not want to stay by Rizu's side for a moment.
◎
"Father."
"What?"
At the dinner table, hearing Neji's cry, Hizashi raised his head slightly and looked at his son.
"What is the significance of the existence of clan and branch families?"
When Neji asked this question, confusion appeared in his eyes for the first time.
After returning from the Zong family, he fell into this confusion.
In the past, he would never ask these topics that had nothing to do with cultivation.
Hizashi noticed something was wrong with Neji's mood, and knew that something happened to him that he didn't know about.
"Can you tell me, did you hear something?"
As a person who has been through this, Hizashi knew very well that Neci was aware of some of the 'dirtyness' in the family. Although he awakened to this awareness very late, Hizashi hoped that Neci would not think about such things.
Because the more I understand, the more I feel how depressed and confused I feel every day as a member of a separate family.
"Hisashi-sama asked me to protect Miss Hinata during the Chuunin Exams."
"anything else?"
"If it doesn't work, let me destroy Miss Hinata's eyes."
Neji told the truth because his father was the only one he could talk to about his anguish. He also hopes to get answers from his father Hizashi.
After hearing this, Hizashi fell silent briefly.
"...Did he say this himself?"
"Yes."
"This is the 'love' the Zong family has for their children."
Hizashi replied.
"like?"
"In order to avoid the loss of white eyes, this is the only way. It's just like... the curse mark carved by the clan on our foreheads. Now it's just the way of carving the curse mark, presented in another form to the clan's own people. It’s just on my body.”
Hizashi sighed.
If you want to live in the Hyuga clan, you must suppress your emotions. Especially between the clan family and branch families, the existence of family, friendship, and love that transcends 'hierarchy' means the birth of tragedy.
When the life of one party is completely in the hands of the other party, even if the dominant party shows kindness, from the perspective of the dominated party, this is just a hypocritical mercy and charity from the other party.
When emotions require mercy and charity, it inherently means injustice, and it also means that such emotional concepts are gradually distorted in the process of growth.
That's not 'love', but dominance.
Even if the intention is not this, it will eventually lead to such dominance.
Ningci felt mixed emotions for a moment.
"Neji, don't have the so-called brother-sister relationship with Hinata and Hanabi from now on. Treat them as 'superiors', so that you will live easier. The main family has its own way of living, and so does the branch family. The way to live is to divide the family. Even though they are the same clan, they are also enemies."
Hizashi warned Neji this way, placing a heavy emphasis on the word 'enemy'.
Neji ate the rice, which tasted like chewing wax.
"Father...has he accepted all this?"
Neji asked unwillingly.
Hizashi sighed, took a mouthful of food, and said with a smile: "Everyone in the family once wanted to resist the world, but in the end they were changed by the world. We are not losers, we are just born in this way."
"Then, if you gain the right to speak in the village..."
"Do you think a person whose life is controlled by others is qualified to be the decision-maker of the village? From the beginning, the separated ninjas do not have the power that normal ninjas should have."
Hizashi denied it without hesitation.
"However, the branch family has made a lot of contributions to the village over the years. If the village is willing to intervene..."
Looking at Neji who became more and more excited as he spoke, Hizashi remained calm and asked Neji:
"Neji, do you think...our branch family really likes this village?"
"What's the meaning?"
Neji looked at his somewhat unfamiliar father and felt his breath suffocate.
"Just as the village doesn't care about us, the ninjas of the branch family will not have any sense of identity with the village. The branch family performs life-or-death tasks for the village, which is only subject to the orders of the clan. You have to understand, the will of fire That is something that the Zong family may believe in, but our branch family is not qualified to believe in the will of fire."
Without even human rights, there is no qualification or time to believe in the will of fire.
The branch family only needs to follow the Zong family.
For example, the branch family cannot have the opportunity to make decisions in the village, so naturally, the Will of Fire has nothing to do with the branch family.
The reason why the branch families fight for Konoha is only because of the clan.
The branch family relies on the Zong family to exist, and the Zong family relies on Konoha to exist, but it does not mean that the branch family belongs to Konoha. The branch family is only the private property of the clan and has nothing to do with Konoha.
Neji felt that his original three values were trampled on by others, and then he picked them up again and created a new outlook on life.
But because this new outlook on life is too rough and straightforward, it feels a little unreal to him now.
Looking at his father who fought bloody battles for the village on weekdays and was fighting on the front line, the true feelings hidden in his heart were probably complete indifference and disregard for the village.
Only a young bird like him who can't see the truth can be complacent there, work hard to integrate into the village, and have a good relationship with his companions.
And I'm afraid there are many more ninjas like this.
If most of the separated ninjas were outwardly enthusiastic about the village but inwardly indifferent, Neji would shudder just thinking about it.
"If you want to deceive your enemy, you must first deceive yourself, Ningji... I don't want to interfere too much in your path, but I hope you can live well."
For Hizashi, who has become numb to the future, the only hope of survival is the child Neji.
He once had extravagant hopes for brotherly love and father-son love, but in the end he got an extremely despairing fact.
That's why he hoped that Neji would end his brother-sister relationship with Hinata and Hanabi as soon as possible and regard them as his 'superiors', the best choice for him and them.
"I know, father, I will seriously consider it."
Neji put down his bowls and chopsticks, left the dining table and walked into his room.
Hizashi looked at the rest of the food at Neji's place and sighed again. He didn't say anything. He just hoped that Neci could recognize his position in the family as soon as possible and do what he should do.
Regardless of the village, companionship, or separation, people can only hug together for warmth.
Because only from here can people separated from each other find a trace of warmth that belongs to the world and prove the fact that they are still alive.
◎
September 11th, morning.
Four days before the opening of the Joint Chuunin Exams.
Although there are still four days until the official start of the Joint Chuunin Examination, the genin from various countries participating in this Joint Chuunin Examination have already prepared in advance.
The first exam will be held in Konoha. In other words, they must arrive in Konoha before September 15th.
Ninjas from countries far away from Konoha, the Land of Fire, either started their journey yesterday or today, arriving at Konoha Ninja Village one or two days before the exam to conduct the first test of the Joint Chunin Examination.
Because it was a joint examination from various countries, the genin who participated were very excited. For some genin who are confident in their strength, they can't wait to fly to Konoha immediately to show off their powerful power and bring honor to their ninja village.
The situation in the Kingdom of Ghosts is similar.
At the train platform in the capital Ziyuan City, there was already a sea of people, and there were scenes of farewells everywhere.
Parents who are worried about their children traveling to other countries bid farewell to their children at the platform.
In such an atmosphere, even powerful ninjas such as Shiraishi, Ruri, and Ayane, who are famous in various countries, are just ordinary parents who come to see off their children.
"You two, remember, although the first test of the Chunin Exam is a competition, it is usually not difficult, but if you are not careful, you may fall into someone else's trap."
Looking at Asuka and Cai standing in front of him, Shiraishi said earnestly.
Although he was very confident in his child's strength, at this moment, Shiraishi, like an ordinary father, began to worry about gains and losses.
The mentality of not being afraid of 10,000 but being afraid of the worst is fully exposed.
It also makes sense for Shiraishi, who is used to planning everything before he does anything.
"I understand, Dad, you have been saying this since last night. Cai and I have already memorized it."
Asuka sighed.
This is the first time in my memory that I have seen a father who is so worried about gains and losses.
Obviously, as the parties involved, they didn't feel nervous, but as the elders who were outsiders, they became worried.
After practicing outside a few days ago, they returned to the Kingdom of Ghosts and had already adjusted their condition to perfection.
Even if I go to a strange country to take an exam, my heart will not fluctuate.
No matter how difficult the exam is, it will definitely not be as difficult as their previous experience of fighting to the death with two jounin.
"After all, the old man is getting old. It is inevitable that he likes to look forward and backward when doing things these years. Don't worry about it."
Yiji on the side said in a rude tone.
Shiraishi glared over dissatisfied.
But she was ignored by Yi Ji. She continued to say to Asuka and Cai: "Before the third exam begins, I will go to the Kingdom of Wind to pick you up. If you are defeated in the first or second exam by then, If you are eliminated, don't blame me for writing the word 'miscellaneous fish' on both your faces with a grease-based pen, and show it to everyone."
Whether it was Asuka or Sai, they couldn't help but shudder when they heard Ichiji's words.
They knew that Yi Ji was the kind of person who would definitely do what he said.
In other words, if the two of them were eliminated in the first and second exams, the other party would definitely write the words 'miscellaneous fish' on both their faces.
"Oh, it looks like fun. Then, let me give you a punishment. If you fail the first two exams, I will write some interesting words on your forehead."
Ayane walked over with a smile on her face, as if she didn't think it was a big deal.
"Don't come over and join in the fun, Aunt Ayane."
Asuka had a headache.
"You don't have to listen to them, you two just do your best."
Liuli said something at this time.
Before Asuka and Cai could be moved, Liuli said again:
"If you lose, your personal accounts will be frozen."
"..."
Asuka and Sai's bodies began to tremble with fear.
No matter how you look at the punishment of having your personal account frozen, compared to having some strange words written on your face, it is considered a devilish act.
Asuka and Cai looked at each other, and both could see the seriousness in the other's eyes.
In order to avoid freezing the bank's personal account, it's not enough to give 100%. You must take the Chunin Exam seriously with 1,000% enthusiasm!
"Then Cai and I will leave first. It's almost time to leave."
Asuka looked at the time, it was time for the train to leave.
"Go ahead and be careful in the second exam. If you can beat it, get rid of it. Don't leave any hidden dangers. If you can't beat it, just run away. Don't feel embarrassed."
Shiraishi finally gave a word of advice.
As the original initiator of the Joint Chuunin Exams, he naturally knew what the specific contents of the three exams were.
Compared with the written test part of the first test, the second test is a real elimination round. The elimination process will inevitably be accompanied by fighting and death.
But due to the rules, he couldn't tell Asuka and Cai the specific content of the exam, so he could only tell them to deal with it carefully.
"yes."
Asuka and Cai nodded solemnly, and under the watchful eyes of Shiraishi and others, they carried their travel bags and slowly boarded the carriage.
"Then, it's time for me to set off for the Kingdom of Wind. Then the handover work before the third exam must be done well."
Although she was not the examiner of the third exam, Kazuki was also responsible for the extradition task in the third exam.
Candidates who pass the first and second exams will gather in the Kingdom of Wind and then transfer from the Kingdom of Wind to the Kingdom of Ghosts. The person responsible for the extradition of the candidates on behalf of the Kingdom of Ghosts will be Ichiji.
Shiraishi and the others didn't say anything about being careful. With Yiji's established strength, as long as they didn't encounter some special circumstances, they would basically not encounter any danger.
After Kazuhime and Shiraishi said goodbye, they walked towards another train, where there were already several Jōnin from the Kingdom of Demons waiting for her to move together to the Kingdom of Wind.
