Ye Wudi, Who the hell are you, charging at me with a ball?
"Neji, isn't he just a regular civilian with nothing but speed? He doesn't even know any ninjutsu. Why didn't you just activate your Byakugan and finish him off with a proper technique?"
Neji stood in silence, lips pressed together. He didn't dare talk back to the Hyūga clan's elder.
Use the Byakugan? Win with ninjutsu?
Yes. That would have worked. He could have ended it easily.
But that wasn't what he wanted.
What he longed for... was a fair fight.
A real clash.
That thrilling sensation of going all out against a worthy opponent
And for just a moment... forgetting the pain.
Years ago, when Cloud shinobi visited the Leaf on a diplomatic mission, one of them secretly attempted to kidnap Hinata, aiming to steal her Byakugan.
But Hyūga Hiashi discovered the plot and killed the intruder on the spot.
Unfortunately, even after being exposed, the Cloud shinobi showed no guilt or remorse.
Instead, they flipped the narrative, accusing the Hyūga clan of murder and demanding Hiashi be handed over as compensation for the death of their "envoy."
Hiashi was the head of the Hyūga clan, heir to the main family. He couldn't be sacrificed so easily.
In the end...
It was Neji's father, Hyūga Hizashi, who became the pawn in that political game.
Who was sent to die in his brother's place.
All for the sake of the clan.
Since then, Neji had lived in the shadows.
He hated the main family.
Hated the curse seal that branded him like a caged bird.
Until that man showed up.
That man who was unlike anyone else
Carefree, unserious, always spouting nonsense...
But whose raw speed surpassed even Neji's.
That ridiculous, infuriating man who seemed like a joke
But in battle, was anything but.
"You're Neji Hyūga, Hinata's cousin, right?
Nice outfit, bro. Not as cool as mine though!"
"Hey, you got a broken brain or something? Will it kill you to smile? Come on, say it with me: I'm a pig!"
"What? You wanna race me?
Speed's not really my thing, I just know a teeny bit...
Oh no! My wife Hinata's coming. Gotta go! Whoosh!"
...
As Neji stood there, trapped in silence, Hiashi quietly stepped forward to smooth things over.
"That boy may be a civilian," he said, "but that clone technique he uses... it reminds me of Uchiha Shisui's Body Flicker."
"What? Uchiha Shisui?!"
The clan elder, who'd been full of scorn a moment ago, suddenly broke into a cold sweat. His entire posture stiffened with unease.
Shisui of the Body Flicker.
A prodigy of the Uchiha clan.
He once shook the entire shinobi world.
A man whose skills were said to rival even the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze a fellow civilian who'd ascended to the highest seat in the village.
If Shisui hadn't been born an Uchiha, but into some other prestigious clan in the Leaf...
His deeds in the Third Great Ninja War would've easily earned him the title of Hokage.
"Yes," Hiashi said with a nod, clearly pleased with the elder's reaction.
"That Shisui. Perhaps before his death, he left behind his Body Flicker techniques. By sheer chance, Ye Wudi might've stumbled across them."
"I see..."
The elder looked thrilled for a moment then his expression turned sour.
"Hiashi, you've known all along that this kid's not simple, haven't you? That's why you kept letting him get close to Hinata all these years, and never once tried to stop him!"
"Well, obviously," Hiashi replied, his tone light.
"I mean, who in their right mind spends years obsessively training their speed? Day in, day out, without giving up? Even the most paranoid idiot wouldn't go that far unless there was something real behind it."
Now that Hiashi had openly admitted it, the elder's face twisted with frustration.
He scowled and muttered, "Then why didn't you stop them earlier? If we'd caught him back there, the Body Flicker technique would already be in our hands!"
"What's the rush?" Hiashi said, calm as ever.
"He'll be back. Next time, have Neji fight him again, but this time use ninjutsu. That way, we can test him more thoroughly."
"And besides..."
Hiashi turned toward the unconscious Hinata, who'd passed out cold after Ye Wudi's dazzling display.
"That boy clearly likes Hinata. He's shown up day after day, for years now.
You think he won't come back?"
"Rather than force things, I'd much rather bring him into the Hyūga clan... as our son-in-law."
After all, his daughter was the heiress to the Leaf's most powerful family. Even if her talent was lacking, she still couldn't marry some nobody. Only a true genius would be worthy of her.
So if Ye Wudi had inherited Shisui's technique, then why not match them together?
Once their relationship was sealed, the Hyūga clan would gain a trump card:
Shisui's legendary Body Flicker Technique.
Hearing this, the elder finally gave a satisfied nod.
"Well said. Now you've got me looking forward to his next visit."
"Oh, and one more thing!"
As if something had suddenly occurred to him, the elder turned to Neji, his tone sharp.
"Neji! The next time you fight Ye Wudi, if the clan head confirms that he really has inherited the Body Flicker, then you better be careful don't hurt him!"
"And absolutely no one is to speak a word of today's events!"
Ding!
Congratulations, host. You've received 666 Negative Emotion Points from Hyūga Neji!
In that moment, Neji couldn't help but wonder
Just who the hell is the real Hyūga here?
But in the end, constrained by hierarchy, he could only lower his head and reply,
"...I understand."
The next morning, inside Ye Wudi's tiny shack.
"Ahhh, Ama-butterfly~ Pulling an all-nighter watching The Leisure Island Teacher Compilation... that was pure bliss!"
"Oh right. System, how many Negative Emotion Points do I have now?"
"Reporting to host: you currently possess 6,666 Negative Emotion Points!"
That much already?
Ye Wudi blinked, a little surprised.
Looks like the Hyūga clan really missed him after he left.
Especially those guards who had to revive the knocked-out Hinata... They must've contributed a lot of points.
"One hundred thousand points per draw... Looks like my journey to max out my 'cool factor' is still a long one."
"Well then! I've decided! I'm camping out again tonight. With some luck, I might just score another jackpot!"
"To the little guards of the Hyūga clan
See you tonight~"
Just as Ye Wudi pushed open the door, humming to himself and ready to head to the ninja academy
A blonde girl with twin tails suddenly slammed into him face-first.
He froze.
A giant question mark popped into his head.
What the hell?
Who camps out in front of my house this early in the morning?!
And she didn't just crash into him...
She brought her whole body along for the ride!
Whose daughter is this?!
"Boss!
You're finally out!"