"Father, did I do something wrong?"
Hinata looked up, her small hands clasped at her chest. She extended her index fingers and poked them together bashfully, blinking innocently as she spoke in her soft, gentle voice.
"Don't play dumb."
Hiashi Hyuga's face darkened. His fists clenched at his sides, and his tone grew sharp with anger.
"I already heard from your bodyguard, Hyuga Fuyu… He said you told him you liked that boy behind you—and that you were going to support him financially, and then brought him into the compound?!"
"That's not true. I never said I liked Lint," Hinata replied, shaking her head. "Hyuga Fuyu misunderstood."
Hiashi's expression eased slightly.
As long as she didn't like him, it was still salvageable.
Hinata was his daughter. According to clan tradition, she was the next head of the main family. She was practically the Hyuga princess. There was no way she could fall for a commoner.
If she was simply admiring the boy's face, that was fine. With the Hyuga clan's wealth, "keeping" someone was hardly an issue.
But just as Hiashi relaxed, Hinata's soft, innocent voice rang out again:
"Even though I didn't say I liked Lint, he is the most important person to me. He's my other half.
Father, from now on, you should treat him the same way you treat me."
!!
Hiashi's body stiffened, his fists clenched again, and a vein bulged on his forehead.
He wanted to demand what nonsense his daughter was spewing.
Saying Lint was her "other half"? Wasn't that just another way of calling him her future husband?
But… Hiashi restrained himself from blowing up.
After all, the one acting out was still his daughter—Hinata. And over the past year, she had been exceptionally well-behaved. Brilliant, even.
She'd done many remarkable things:
For example, without any formal instruction, she had instinctively figured out how to use chakra to walk up trees and across water. She even practiced by herself in her room until she could run on walls and stand upside down on the ceiling.
And using only balloons, without a single teacher, she had somehow developed an A-rank jutsu—the Rasengan, a technique of the Fourth Hokage.
With talent like that… could this really be the behavior of a girl driven by puppy love?
Was there another reason she had brought Lint home?
Hiashi fell into thought. Then, he turned toward the gathered elders, branch family members, and even his own twin brother Hizashi and said, "Everyone, this meeting is over. You may all go."
"No! We can't let this go so easily!"
One of the elders—old and hunched, his cloudy eyes filled with displeasure—spoke out loudly.
"Hiashi, look at what you've done to your daughter! She's only five years old!
Five! And she already wants to find a man? This is far too early! Completely inappropriate!
You must stop her! If this goes on and she inherits the clan head position one day, she might collect more men, and then the Hyuga clan's wealth could be drained away by whoever she takes in!"
"I won't!" Hinata protested softly. "I only need Lint. One person is enough for me."
And as she said it, she clung tightly to Lint's arm.
The elder's face turned even darker. He glared at Hiashi, silently commanding him to do something about this immediately.
"…Haaah."
Hiashi looked at his affectionate daughter, then at the elderly clan leader who seemed ready to explode. He could feel a headache coming on. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and said, "As I said—this gathering is dismissed. I'll handle the matter personally."
Beside him, Hizashi nodded and immediately motioned for the branch family shinobi to leave.
The other elders, seeing Hizashi taking the lead and Hiashi giving his word, had no choice but to disperse.
"Come with me," Hiashi said at last.
Once everyone had left, Hiashi resisted the very real urge to smack the yellow-haired boy who had apparently stolen his daughter's heart. He turned and walked toward his private quarters.
Soon, the three of them arrived at his study.
Hiashi shut the door behind them and sat down, looking seriously at Hinata.
"Hinata, I know you're a clever child—and a genius shinobi at that. Now tell me: what is the real reason you brought Lint into the clan?"
"To support him, of course."
That line made Hiashi's face go dark again.
Before he could explode, Hinata added, "Of course, besides supporting him, I do have another important reason… but I can't tell you what it is yet."
So there was another purpose!
Hiashi's heart settled slightly. Activating his Byakugan, he carefully examined Lint's body—and confirmed that the boy had zero chakra.
Only then did he say, "You're growing up, Hinata. Naturally, you're allowed to have secrets.
But bringing Lint here, saying you'll support him, even calling him your 'other half'… That kind of talk will damage your reputation. Many within the clan already disapprove."
Hinata replied calmly, "I don't care what others think. Lint is important to me. Very, very important."
"…"
Hiashi was stunned.
You're my daughter, Hinata. You just met this boy… and he's already more important than your own father?
What am I, then?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Hinata noticed the shift in his expression and added, as if remembering something,
"And Father, of course, you're important to me too."
…That sounded completely perfunctory. There was no warmth in it at all—nothing like the heartfelt tone she used when speaking about Lint.
Hiashi sulked for a moment in wounded silence, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine… Lint can stay in the compound. I'll have a guest room prepared for him."
"No need," Hinata said immediately. "He can stay in my room."
Hiashi's eyes widened. He looked at Lint, then back at his daughter.
"You… you want him to live in your room?!"