Time passed, and it was now the Hyuga family's dinnertime.
As dinner ended, Hinata cheerfully made her way back to her room.
Watching her daughter's joyful figure as she left, Hyuga Ayako felt as if the entire atmosphere around her was tinged with color.
"I never expected little Hinata to take the initiative to go out and play. I was worried that her personality was too introverted, and she wouldn't be able to make friends in the future," Covering her mouth with a light laugh, Hyuga Ayako felt much more at ease seeing the slight change in Hinata's temperament.
However, Hyuga Hiashi felt nothing but frustration. If it were just an ordinary friend, he wouldn't oppose it.
But this girl had been showing all her emotions on her face these past few days. This was definitely not just a normal friend.
He couldn't help but let out a cold snort, "Hmph! She's probably going to find that brat again!"
Hyuga Ayako still covered her mouth, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, "That brat? You mean the little boy who saved Hinata?"
She had heard about this matter from Hyuga Hiashi before and had even considered personally visiting to thank the boy. However, due to her poor health, she had postponed it.
"Who else could it be?"
Hyuga Hiashi's face was tense, as if someone owed him thousands of ryo.
"Heh heh~", Seeing her husband's somewhat exasperated look, Hyuga Ayako couldn't help but chuckle softly again, "Maybe it's a good thing. Spending time with him might help change Hinata's personality."
"Besides, the boy stood up for Hinata when she was bullied, and when she was hungry, he even took her to eat. From this perspective, he should be a good child, right?"
After hearing his wife's words, Hyuga Hiashi's eyelid couldn't help but twitch wildly.
'Spending more time together? A few more days of this, and my daughter's heart might already belong to that boy.'
Over the past few days, he had looked into Aoba quite a bit. While the boy's character seemed decent, those three little girls around him… he had seen that situation quite clearly.
"Ayako, you don't know yet, but Aoba already has three little girls following him, all of whom admire him greatly."
"And that brat hasn't even rejected any of them. Who knows, he might be thinking of having them all."
"This…", Hyuga Ayako hadn't expected this. Her delicate brows furrowed as she hesitantly said, "But they're still just kids… that shouldn't be possible, right?"
Hyuga Hiashi let out a deep sigh, "This is something I had someone investigate. And haven't you noticed Hinata's reaction?"
Now, even Hyuga Ayako was starting to feel a little worried, "Then, about Hinata tomorrow…"
"Sigh, that's exactly why I'm worried. But this is also an opportunity. Hinata has finally taken the initiative to make a request. If we use Aoba's influence, perhaps she really can shed her weakness."
Hyuga Hiashi then called for a servant, "Prepare one hundred thousand ryo and deliver it to Aoba later."
"Lord Hiashi, this is…?"
"Tell Aoba that this money is his payment. I hope he can help change Hinata's personality. At the very least, make her more decisive when she throws a punch."
"And also, give him a proper warning. He should keep his distance from Hinata," This was the only method Hyuga Hiashi could think of. He didn't want either of his daughters to end up caged birds.
"Understood," The servant responded before immediately leaving.
However, just as he stepped out of the room, Hyuga Hiashi called him back, "Wait."
"Lord Hiashi, do you have any other instructions?"
After hesitating for a moment, Hyuga Hiashi finally said, "I'll go with you. I'd like to see firsthand the boy who, after just one meeting, has made my daughter so restless."
———
Time slowly passed.
At Aoba's home, within the spacious courtyard, two figures moved under the moonlight.
Wooden swords clashed, producing a series of "bang, bang, bang" sounds.
However, during their sparring, Uzuki Yugao suddenly furrowed her brows tightly.
Aoba noticed this change immediately and halted his attack, "Sister Yugao, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Uzuki Yugao shook her head, but her left hand had already reached toward her ninja tool pouch, her eyes locked onto a corner of the rooftop.
"Who's there?"
Seeing this, Aoba quickly reacted as well, drawing several shuriken and immediately assuming a vigilant stance.
"Don't attack! Don't attack! I'm an ally!"
A ninja wearing a Chunin vest stood up from the rooftop and then jumped down into the courtyard.
His pure white eyes made it obvious that he was from the Hyuga clan.
Even though the person had revealed himself, Uzuki Yugao did not lower her guard. She tossed aside her wooden sword and drew her real one.
"Even if you're from the Hyuga clan, spying on fellow village ninjas like this isn't appropriate."
She was worried that the intruder had bad intentions toward Aoba. If she hadn't been here, given Aoba's current strength, he might not have even noticed the man. What if something happened when she wasn't around?
The Hyuga guard let out an awkward laugh.
He had been following Lord Hiashi's orders to secretly observe Aoba's strength. But he hadn't expected to be discovered despite how well he had hidden himself.
This purple-haired girl… her strength was nothing to scoff at.
"I'm actually here to find him," The Hyuga guard rudely pointed at Aoba, standing beside Uzuki Yugao.
Both of their expressions darkened slightly at this.
However, Aoba's face showed an "Oh, it's you" kind of realization.
"Oh, it's you, Hinata's guard."
The lighting had been dim earlier, so he had only now recognized the man.
"Aoba, you know him?", Uzuki Yugao was surprised but still kept her guard up.
Aoba nodded and said, "He's the bodyguard of the Hyuga clan's young lady, Hinata. We've met once before."
Uzuki Yugao looked puzzled, "Then why is he looking for you?"
Aoba shook his head, indicating that he had no idea either.
Seeing Aoba equally unaware, Uzuki Yugao refocused her attention on the Hyuga guard, "You, what exactly do you want with Aoba? If you don't explain clearly, I'll take you to Lord Hokage."
This matter could be serious or minor. If pushed, it could be framed as an attempt to secretly harm a fellow village ninja. Something strictly forbidden in the ninja world.
The Hyuga guard, understanding this, hurriedly pulled out a package from his chest.
"Here is one hundred thousand ryo. Lord Hiashi asked me to give it to you—he wants to request your help."
Upon hearing "one hundred thousand ryo," Aoba's eyes instantly lit up, but he quickly suppressed his reaction.
One hundred thousand ryo was no small sum.
"Explain first," Aoba's attitude became noticeably better. After all, money made everything negotiable, no matter where.
"Tomorrow afternoon, Lady Hinata will come to see you. Lord Hiashi hopes that you can change her personality. His requirement is that, at the very least, she should become more decisive when throwing a punch."
So it was about Hinata. Aoba recalled that at this stage, despite her hard work in training, Hinata wasn't well received by the Hyuga clan due to her personality.
"And how do you know I can change Hinata's personality?"
His own family's education had problems, yet instead of fixing it themselves, they came looking for him, a stranger they'd only met once.
"To be honest, this time, it was Lady Hinata herself who asked to go," The Hyuga guard was a straightforward man.
"This…"
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