Chapter 105: Hinata's Birthday, Enduring Glances"A three."
"Royal flush! Airplane."
"Ehhh—"
Inside the card room of the villa, Tsunade, who was taking a midday break, brought Shizune over to play landlord with Izayoi.
No matter how many rounds the charitable card queen lost, her addiction remained as strong as ever.
However, this round finally broke her.
Seeing that she had only thrown down a diamond three, and Izayoi immediately followed with a royal flush and an airplane, instantly ending the game,
Tsunade was stunned, then said with an angry face, "With such good cards, why didn't you bid for landlord?"
"Blame me? You were the one who insisted on bidding," Izayoi spread his hands, retorting mercilessly, "Besides, Hokage-sama, your card luck is too bad, you can't carry anyone. Even with my cards as a peasant with you, Shizune might just have a spring hand."
"What did you say! You brat want to fight?" Tsunade rolled up her sleeves, looking furious.
"Tsunade-sama, calm down," Shizune quickly comforted her with a wry smile.
Izayoi, however, was not afraid at all, shaking his head and sighing, "Playing cards with you, Hokage-sama, there's really no sense of accomplishment at all. I'm really afraid you'll lose all the military expenses allocated by the daimyo."
"Nani! Am I the kind of person who would embezzle public funds?!"
"Who knows? After all, when a gambling addict's eyes turn red, they can do anything, right?"
"You brat, if you have the guts, let's go to the arena and fight!"
"No fight, I'd have to pay for repairing the damaged ground myself."
"Aaaah..."
Watching Tsunade, who was so angry that she grabbed her hair with both hands, smoke practically coming out of her seven orifices, yet unable to do anything to Izayoi, Karin entered from outside with a fruit platter and said softly, "Izayoi-kun, don't bully Tsunade-sensei."
"Just stating the facts."
Izayoi got up and smiled, "Karin, why don't you play? I'm going to go train."
"Wait..."
Tsunade called out to Izayoi, her expression serious. "Change places, the four of us will play mahjong, and I have something to tell you."
Izayoi tilted his head, looking somewhat puzzled.
Then the four of them moved to another table and started playing mahjong.
"You brat has been resting for so long, when are you planning to do missions?" Tsunade said while shuffling the tiles. "Although you're very rich, your mission record is really too small. If this continues, it will be difficult for you to participate in the jonin exams next year."
"No rush, I'll talk about it after a while," Izayoi said with a smile, "Besides, Shino hasn't been promoted to chunin yet, Hinata and I can't leave him too far behind."
"Actually, the chunin exams are held twice a year. The reason you only remember the July chunin exams is because that exam is more grand, with the purpose of observing the national strength of allied countries."
Tsunade said slowly with a smile while discarding a tile, "Considering that some teams already have members who have been promoted to chunin, to avoid an imbalance of strength in the July chunin exams, those teams that already have chunin members are not allowed to participate in the July chunin exams. However, the remaining members who are still genin can participate in the chunin exams held in the first half of the year, which are only for genin from our own village."
"I see... Riichi." Izayoi nodded slightly, then placed his tile face down.
Black lines instantly filled Tsunade's forehead, and a bit of cold sweat also appeared on her face. She continued, "Shino Aburame's strength is very good. To be precise, none of the Aburame clan members are weak. With his strength, the chunin exams in the first half of the year shouldn't be difficult for him."
"So you better work harder next year, don't be so lazy like you are now," Tsunade said sarcastically, "Kakashi Hatake was already an all-around jonin at your age."
"Tsumo, Seven Pairs."
"You can even draw that kind of hand, what kind of luck do you have, you brat!" Tsunade's defenses broke down again, then she pushed her tiles away. "I'm not playing anymore, it's no fun at all."
"You can stop playing, but pay up before you leave."
"I'll... I'll owe you for now."
Tsunade, who had been full of momentum, suddenly weakened her tone, then changed the subject, her expression becoming serious. "Also... you must be careful when you leave Konoha in the future. That guy Jiraiya sent me back some intelligence a few days ago."
"The head of the legendary Three Great Dojutsu, the Sage of Six Paths' eyes, is real."
"And there's more than just one pair of such eyes."
"The one who joined forces with Orochimaru to launch the Konoha Crush was not the leader of Akatsuki, but a mysterious person of unknown gender, age, and identity," Tsunade said in a deep voice. "While Konoha was in chaos, he not only infiltrated the underground base of Root, killing all the members of Danzo Shimura and Root, but also took the opportunity to steal all the corpses of the fallen ninjas and capture an Anbu who was once a Wood Release test subject."
"It can currently be confirmed that the Rinnegan can use rule-based abilities like repulsion and attraction, and can also turn human corpses into puppets, even retaining their abilities from before death. In the future, Danzo Shimura and the members of Root, as well as that Wood Release test subject, might appear before us as enemies."
Speaking of this, Tsunade's tone was somewhat relieved. "Luckily you were smart and didn't reveal your Wood Release in advance, otherwise, during the chunin exams, that mysterious person's target would most likely have been you."
"..."
If his expression management skills weren't extremely strong, the corner of Izayoi's mouth would definitely have twitched slightly just now.
He thought it was something important, but it turned out she was reminding him to be vigilant about himself.
However, Izayoi still nodded seriously on the surface. "I understand, Hokage-sama."
"You have the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, so I'm not too worried about you, but the Rinnegan is appearing for the first time, and no one knows if these eyes have any other hidden abilities, so it's better to be cautious."
Tsunade got up and patted Izayoi's shoulder, saying with a mischievous smile, "The new Scroll of Seals is ready. If you want to learn forbidden jutsu, I can give you a price quote. Don't waste your ninjutsu talent."
"Sigh..."
Izayoi couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. "You can even take out forbidden jutsu to sell. Hokage-sama, when you say you won't embezzle public funds, it's really not convincing at all."
"Fine, if you don't want it, you brat, you'll regret it!" Tsunade immediately left angrily.
"..."
Izayoi, who almost couldn't help but catch her joke, stopped the words that had reached his throat.
At this time, Karin also waved at Izayoi with a smile. "Izayoi-kun, lunch is ready. If you're hungry, just go to the kitchen to heat it up. I'm also going to the Hokage Building to help and train."
"I know, good luck."
After seeing off Tsunade and the two girls, the villa instantly became quiet.
Hanabi hadn't started her vacation yet, so she should still be at the ninja academy at this time.
Hinata probably had something to do and hadn't come over yet.
The small fries had also gone out on missions. The huge villa was only occupied by Izayoi alone.
Izayoi didn't feel lonely but returned to the traditional building and created a few Wood Clones, letting them go to the underground base to train a certain jutsu.
The main body came to a room full of tools, sat down at a table, and continued to make the birthday present specially prepared for Hinata.
...
December 27th.
This day was a very ordinary day for Konoha and even the entire ninja world.
However, for the Hyuga clan, this day was a very important one.
Because this day was the birthday of the Hyuga clan's main family's eldest daughter.
As Hinata displayed her talent, her status within the clan far surpassed that of the original story.
Before Izayoi revealed his Wood Release, the elders, in order to solidify Hinata's position, even reprimanded Hiashi Hyuga multiple times, blaming this clan leader for taking the lead in violating the ancestral teachings by not applying the Caged Bird Seal to Hanabi.
If they weren't old, they might have even resorted to violence.
After Izayoi revealed his Wood Release, Hinata's status within the clan became even higher.
The elders, who had always been extremely kind to her, became even more benevolent and enthusiastic.
This year's birthday banquet was unprecedentedly grand.
Starting from the previous night, the branch family members began to busy themselves, making arrangements in various parts of the clan's territory.
Whether they were from the main family or the branch family, everyone needed to leave work early today and return to the clan in advance to prepare for celebrating the eldest daughter's birthday.
The last time it was so grand was nine years ago.
On that day, even when the Kumogakure delegation came to Konoha, the Hyuga clan didn't go out to participate in the celebration but celebrated the eldest daughter's birthday within the clan.
However, after that year, the eldest daughter's birthday banquets were no longer held on such a large scale.
This year's sudden grandness made many Hyuga clan members smell the scent of gossip.
And this day was also a very special and extremely significant day for Izayoi.
Nine years ago today, Izayoi used the beginner's gift pack rewarded by the Talent Keyword System and completed his defiance of fate.
If he hadn't copied Toneri Otsutsuki's red keyword, Izayoi's current strength would definitely not be so astonishing.
Even if he had copied Naruto Uzumaki's Sage Body (Red) and burst out Sasuke Uchiha's Sage's Eyes (Red), starting the convergence of the two extremes, his strength would still be far inferior to what it was now.
After all, these two red keywords had a considerable gap compared to the Otsutsuki Bloodline (Red), and it would take at least a decade to awaken the Rinnegan.
On the other hand, with the Otsutsuki Bloodline (Red) + Byakugan Prince (Red), Izayoi had already awakened the Tenseigan.
Feeling the power in his eyes, Izayoi had a premonition.
After a while, the Tenseigan would usher in its second gestation.
...
At dusk, Izayoi finished showering, put on the white robe given by the Hyuga sisters, and smiled at Karin, "Karin, you come with me to Hinata's birthday party."
"Eh? Is... is that okay?" Karin scratched her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed. "The Hyuga clan only invited Izayoi-kun, if I go with you, will it cause you trouble?"
"Don't worry, you're my family, they'll only try to please you," Izayoi patted Karin's head and smiled. "Besides, Hinata specifically told me to make sure to bring you along."
"Hehe... then I won't be polite and will go along to freeload," Karin said with a bright smile, bouncing up and down. "Izayoi-kun, wait a moment, I'll go get the gift."
However, when Karin came out, she had also changed her clothes, putting on a purple kimono with petal patterns, and her temperament instantly gained a bit of the feeling of a noble family's descendant.
Then, the two walked out of the house and headed towards the Hyuga clan's territory.
Along the way, Izayoi was the focus of everyone's attention, and many villagers greeted him enthusiastically.
Every time Izayoi went out, he received such treatment in the central street.
It's better now; at least he can still walk on the streets.
In the beginning, the villagers were even more frantic, forcing Izayoi to use flight every time he went out.
With a mask-like smile on his face, Izayoi nodded in response while quickening his pace.
After passing through several streets, Izayoi and Karin finally arrived at the Hyuga clan's territory.
The Hyuga clan seemed to have received news of Izayoi's departure in advance, or perhaps they had been waiting at the gate.
When Izayoi and Karin arrived at the entrance of the clan's territory, two white-haired elders, with several clansmen standing behind them (it was unclear whether they were descendants or subordinates), immediately greeted them with very enthusiastic tones. "Welcome, Lord Izayoi, to the Hyuga clan. We are truly honored by your presence."
"Uh..."
Karin was startled by this reception.
Izayoi was also slightly taken aback.
Looking at the elders who didn't have the Caged Bird Seal on their foreheads, clearly members of the main family and seemingly of very high status, Izayoi regained his senses and bowed politely. "Greetings, I apologize for the intrusion."
Seeing how approachable Izayoi was, the smiles on the two elders' faces widened even more. One of them quickly said, "The clan head and the young lady have been waiting inside for a long time. Lord Izayoi, please follow me."
With that, the two elders positioned themselves on either side of Izayoi, not even daring to be half a step ahead. They simply raised their hands to point the way, leading Izayoi into the Hyuga clan's territory.
Their enthusiasm and attitude exceeded Izayoi's imagination and also shocked Karin, and even the Hyuga clan members who were starting the buffet and accidentally witnessed this scene had their jaws drop.
Elders, each of them held great power within the clan and were also highly respected seniors.
Their decisions sometimes couldn't even be defied by the clan head.
For the branch family members, these elders were like the clan head, lofty and untouchable existences.
However, such important figures were now standing on Izayoi's left and right without any airs, their wrinkled faces beaming with smiles so wide their eyes were almost invisible.
Their benevolent appearance wasn't like elders treating a favored junior but more like servants fawning over their master.
It was very jarring and severely damaged their image.
Thus, Izayoi, being so fawned over by the two elders, immediately became the focus of the Hyuga clan.
Whether they were members of the main family or the branch family, they all curiously sized up Izayoi, making Izayoi endure countless 'Byakugan' glances along the way.
Some people recognized Izayoi, and after a slight realization, their expressions also became excited and thrilled, as if they understood something.
After Izayoi and the elders left, the sound of discussion began to rise, quickly spreading throughout the clan's territory.
It turned out that the reason the young lady's birthday banquet was so grand this year was to host Lord Izayoi, who had awakened Wood Release.
The young lady and Lord Izayoi were indeed not just simple classmates and companions.
This descendant of the Senju clan, the future of Konoha, was their future son-in-law!
The atmosphere of the Hyuga clan instantly livened up.
At this time, Izayoi, led by the elders, arrived at Hinata's home for the first time.
"Onii-chan..."
At the entrance of the clan head's residence, Hiashi Hyuga and the Hyuga sisters had already been waiting for a long time.
The impetuous Hanabi threw herself into Izayoi's arms at the first opportunity.
Seeing this scene, neither Hiashi Hyuga nor the elders reprimanded her. On the contrary, the latter's smiles widened even more.
The better the relationship between the future son-in-law and the future head of the main family, the greater the benefits for the Hyuga clan.
This way, they wouldn't have to worry about the young lady cutting ties with the Hyuga clan after marrying out.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hanabi."
Izayoi hugged the incoming Hanabi and smiled, patting her head.
At the same time, Izayoi also looked at Hiashi Hyuga next to Hinata. This was his first meeting with his future father-in-law.
Taking Hanabi's hand, Izayoi came in front of Hiashi Hyuga and bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you, Uncle. I am Izayoi."
"Welcome to the Hyuga clan, Izayoi."
A smile also appeared on Hiashi Hyuga's usually stern face as he bowed in return. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter all these years."
Seeing this, the elders all showed gratified smiles and then instructed, "Hiashi, Lord Izayoi will be your guest. Do not neglect him."
"Young Lady Hinata, happy birthday. This old man will not disturb you any longer."
"Elders, please take care."
Hinata, who had already toured the clan's territory with her father, immediately bowed.
After the greetings, Izayoi also sized up Hinata for the day, his eyes slightly brightening as he sincerely praised, "Hinata, happy birthday. You look incredibly beautiful today."
Hinata was still wearing a white kimono with petal patterns today, tied with a purple sash. However, unlike the usual combat-suitable kimono, today she wore a traditional kimono worn for important festivals, with the hem almost reaching her ankles and wooden clogs on her feet.
Her silky black hair had also been styled into a Hime cut, further enhancing her aura as a noble princess.
Her delicate and pretty small face was also lightly made up. Coupled with her height and figure, which were almost the same as in Shippuden, Hinata radiated brilliance at this moment, making Karin, who still looked like her teenage self, feel inferior.
Facing Izayoi's praise, a blush appeared on Hinata's small face, but she didn't shyly lower her head. Instead, she responded with a gentle smile, "Thank you, Izayoi-kun. You also look as handsome as ever today."
After speaking, the two smiled at each other again.
"Let's go inside and talk,"
Led by Hiashi Hyuga, Izayoi stepped into Hinata's home for the first time.
This was a good start, and it also meant that Izayoi no longer needed to wait outside the Hyuga clan's territory when he came to see Hinata in the future. He could come and go freely at any time.
Arriving at the dining room of Hinata's house, the dining table was already filled with delicacies, as well as traditional birthday foods like red bean rice, mochi, and seaweed soup, with a five-tiered cake in the center.
"Nee-san, make a wish and blow out the candles," Hanabi said, running over to turn off the lights and urge her after lighting the candles.
Hinata also clasped her hands together with a sense of ritual, made a praying gesture, and closed her eyes to make a wish.
After a while, Hinata, with her amazing lung capacity, blew out all the candles in one breath.
"Hinata, happy birthday."
After Hanabi turned on the lights, Karin immediately smiled and presented her gift, a delicately wrapped gift box.
"Thank you, Karin," Hinata said with a gentle smile, accepting it.
Hanabi came over, looking at Izayoi's empty hands with curiosity, and asked, "Onii-chan, where's your birthday present?"
Hinata also looked over with expectant eyes.
Izayoi patted Hanabi's head and smiled, "My gift is a bit special, I want to give it to Hinata alone later."
Hearing this, Hinata became even more expectant.
"Let's eat first."
Hiashi Hyuga, who was out of place with the young people, immediately invited Izayoi and the others to sit down.
In front of Hiashi Hyuga, Izayoi and the others also couldn't relax.
Even the impetuous Hanabi was very mindful of etiquette.
As if sensing their restraint, Hiashi Hyuga only ate for about ten minutes before getting up and saying to Hinata, "I'll go over there for a bit. Hinata, you stay here to entertain Izayoi and your friends, and also ask for Izayoi's opinion."
After speaking, Hiashi Hyuga nodded to Izayoi and then left the house.
"What opinion?" Izayoi asked Hinata with a puzzled look.
"There's actually another banquet outside, but Father and the elders were worried that Izayoi-kun wouldn't like that kind of atmosphere and were also afraid that the clansmen might accidentally offend Izayoi-kun, so they arranged a separate family banquet," Hinata explained softly. "The elders all want to meet Izayoi-kun and also introduce Izayoi-kun to the clansmen. They asked me to ask for Izayoi-kun's opinion on whether you would like to attend the banquet over there?"
"I see," Izayoi nodded slightly, feeling somewhat amused.
Good heavens, as expected of the pragmatic Hyuga clan, they really considered everything.
No wonder they sent him an invitation but hosted him with a family banquet. It turned out they even considered his feelings.
Good, loyal enough!
It had to be said that the Hyuga clan successfully earned Izayoi's goodwill.
Izayoi's first impression of them was very satisfactory.
However, on the surface, he shook his head and smiled, "We'll have a chance to meet them in the future. Right now, I just want to celebrate your birthday with you, Hinata."
"Mmm-hmm..."
Hinata nodded repeatedly. She actually didn't like those kinds of occasions either and preferred a simple family banquet.
"Onii-chan, did you bring the camera?"
After her father left, Hanabi instantly revealed her true nature, sat on Izayoi's lap, and teased with a smile, "Nee-san is so beautiful today, aren't you going to take a picture?"
Izayoi's eyes immediately lit up, and he rubbed his little sister-in-law's cheek, smiling, "It's all Hinata's fault, she mesmerized me at the door. If Hanabi hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten."
Rolling up his sleeves, Izayoi took out the camera stored in the sealing scroll, loaded a new roll of film, and then pressed the shutter, aiming at Hinata, who was currently gobbling down food with her small face puffed out.
Hearing the sound, Hinata, holding a large chicken leg, looked over with a puzzled gaze.
The princess with the Hime cut holding a large chicken leg didn't look crude at all but instead exuded a contrasting beauty. Her cheeks puffed out, and her confused and adorable expression was instantly preserved forever.
"Onii-chan, make a clone, let's go take a group photo with Nee-san and Karin-neechan."
"Okay!"
Izayoi and Hanabi, who didn't have big appetites, started to mess around.
Handing the camera to a Wood Clone, Izayoi pulled Hanabi and Karin over to Hinata's side, gave the birthday girl the center position, and then took a photo of them sitting at the dining table.
At first, it was normal picture-taking, and they didn't disturb Hinata, who had just gotten into the mood.
After Hinata cleared the plates one after another like a whirlwind, leaving only the five-tiered cake in the middle, which she had barely touched,
Izayoi and Hanabi exchanged a smile and, with perfect understanding, grabbed a handful of cream. The former slapped it on Hinata's face, making the girl look up at him blankly.
And Hanabi suddenly backstabbed her beloved Onii-chan, smashing the cream in her hand at Izayoi, hitting him right in the face.
The latter looked at his clingy little hug pillow with disbelief.
Karin covered her mouth and chuckled beside them.
Click!
The sound of the shutter clicked, and the Wood Clone captured this scene.
"Izayoi-kun..."
Hinata stood up, clutching her small fists, her eyes covered by shadow, and black gas radiating from her body.
"Cough cough... I was wrong, I was wrong, it was all my fault."
Izayoi took out a handkerchief, wiped the cream off Hinata's face, also wiping away the black gas from her body, and said with a smile, changing the subject, "Hinata, I prepared a surprise for you, I'll take you to see it now."
After speaking, Izayoi said to Karin, "Karin, you stay here with Hanabi, or let Hanabi take you out for a stroll."
Immediately, the figures of Izayoi and Hinata disappeared into thin air.
The Wood Clone also disappeared.
"Disappeared!"
Hanabi, who had grabbed a handful of cake and was ready to retaliate at any time, exclaimed in surprise, "There wasn't even a sound, how did Onii-chan and Nee-san disappear?"
Karin also formed hand seals with both hands, fully releasing her Mind's Eye of the Kagura, then said with a shocked expression, "There's no chakra of Izayoi-kun and Hinata in Konoha. That just now was... Space-Time Ninjutsu!"
"So... so amazing!"
Although Hanabi didn't know what Space-Time Ninjutsu was, after hearing that Izayoi and Hinata were no longer in Konoha, her beautiful eyes instantly sparkled. "They can leave Konoha in an instant, doesn't that mean Onii-chan can take Hanabi out for travel anytime in the future?"
(End of this chapter)