[Based on the overall evaluation of this simulation, you may choose one of the following two rewards.]
[Option 1: Slightly increase Byakugan range.]
[Option 2: Slightly increase Byakugan evolution potential.]
Thinking of that mysterious scroll in the secret room, Hyuga Hinata chose the second option without hesitation.
The instant she made the choice, she distinctly felt a surge of power flowing within these eyes—
This was absolutely not an illusion.
"Now… I should be able to see more content on that scroll."
But when her gaze swept over the simulator interface, the **cooldown time—more than a year long—**made her heart sink.
Lady Tsunade had already returned to the village together with Kiyonari. If she wanted to seize that opportunity and act… she would never make it to the next simulation.
And then Hinata realized another problem.
In the futures the simulator revealed, even after the branch family had "woken up," they still hesitated and failed to understand her actions. If that was the case in the future, then right now the outcome would be even worse.
"What should I do?"
Even the next day, Hinata was still agonizing over it—until a maid told her someone had come to see her.
Hyuga Kiyonari was standing at the courtyard entrance, wearing simple casual clothes, holding a small bundle.
"Kiyonari—why are you here?" Hinata asked in surprise.
"I was worried about you." Kiyonari walked over and set the bundle down.
"I brought some rice balls. Eat a little first—you definitely didn't get full last night. And—judging by how preoccupied you look, you probably didn't eat properly today either."
"…Mm." Hinata smiled and sat with him in the courtyard.
She held a rice ball, took small bites, one after another, slowly filling her stomach.
After quite a while, she finally made up her mind and spoke:
"Kiyonari… I—I want to… change the Hyuga clan. I think… the main family and branch family system is really terrible."
Even in simulations, she rarely pulled Kiyonari into her actions—she usually went to Neji instead.
She wanted to protect Kiyonari.
But now, she could only ask him for help.
"But… you've seen how things are in the compound. The branch family looks more and more respectful toward me, but they're actually distancing themselves from me. I don't understand—why? Why can't they understand what I'm trying to do?"
Kiyonari took a bite of his own rice ball, then looked up at the bare cherry trees in the courtyard.
"Hinata, have you heard the saying that there's only a thin line between a genius and a madman?"
Hinata blinked, then shook her head. "No."
"I'm… a living example, aren't I?" Kiyonari sighed softly.
"You know that even though I have a lot of ideas, I rarely speak up. In front of most people, I play the role of 'Tsunade's disciple.'"
"I train hard and study medical ninjutsu—so when people see me, they say, 'Lady Tsunade's disciple should be like this.' And that's why… I become the 'genius' in their mouths."
"But if I stood in front of them and talked big—my understanding of the First Hokage, my views on Konoha and the Will of Fire, methods to resolve the Uchiha–Konoha conflict—do you think they'd call me a genius, or a madman?"
Hinata's eyes widened. She whispered, "So that's how it is…"
It wasn't that she'd "started the raid" and the branch family were still hesitating.
It was that the branch family couldn't even perceive that she'd started it.
What she was doing had already exceeded their range of understanding. Branch or main, they all saw the simulator-version Hinata as "crazy."
And nobody listens to a madwoman.
Kiyonari finally loosened the knot in his chest. He'd rushed over at dawn for exactly this reason.
If Hinata really did something like that in reality, she'd die even more horribly.
In the previous simulation, carving the Caged Bird on herself only harmed her own interests. But this time, carving it on all main family members would make her the enemy of most of the Hyuga—if anything, that was putting it mildly.
After centuries of conditioning, who knew how many branch members truly served the main family willingly?
The essence of politics is to make more friends and fewer enemies.
Before you have overwhelming power, doing what Hinata did would lead to only one end: death.
Kiyonari continued, "Hinata, I know you sent Hyuga Toneri to the border because you didn't want him bowing and scraping before the main family. But the branch family can't see that, and you didn't explain it—so their misunderstanding and resistance were inevitable."
"But if Hiashi-sama were the one who did it, the clan would only think: Did the clan head send Toneri to the border for some special assignment? Or is he trying to cultivate his ability?"
Hinata's eyes cleared, understanding blooming. "No wonder… when you proposed the plan to solve the Uchiha problem, you warned Lady Tsunade again and again not to mention your name. If anyone asked, you told her to claim it as her own idea."
"Exactly." Kiyonari nodded. "If an ordinary person wants others to follow them, the only way is to seize opportunities bit by bit and accumulate status in everyone's eyes—this is called speech power. The same thing said by me versus said by Tsunade has completely different effects. For you, it's the same."
"Even if you're a genius, your age is a hurdle you can't bypass. When people think 'the main family's young lady,' they can imagine things like your Gentle Fist improving rapidly, or you awakening the Byakugan early—"
"But they'll never imagine you suddenly deciding who gets transferred to the border. That only makes them misinterpret it: did Hyuga Toneri offend Lady Hinata? If they can't find a reasonable explanation, they'll only speculate wildly—and then keep their distance."
Hinata nodded. "So that's why the clan's attitude toward me changed. Then… what should I do?"
Kiyonari rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Hinata, if you truly want to change the Hyuga clan, the best method is actually the same as mine. Find someone with enough authority to stand in front—and have them act according to your plan."
"That is—" Hinata's thoughts clicked, and she blurted out, "Father."
The tangled problems in Hinata's heart suddenly became clear in just a few sentences.
Without her noticing, she had begun to rely on him more and more.
"Kiyonari."
She turned her head slightly and playfully narrowed one eye. Her other pale eye sparkled as she looked at him, lips curving into a mischievous little arc—half pleading, half cunning.
"Help me again—help me think…" She paused on purpose. "Help me think how I can persuade Father."
There was no doubt: Hyuga Hiashi was traditional and strict.
He treated the clan's stability as his duty. Reform—forget acting on it; even accepting it, or silently allowing it…
…would be difficult.
Kiyonari heard her question, fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"I don't know the exact words to say. I can't give you a ready-made speech and tell you to recite it."
Disappointment flashed across Hinata's face—until Kiyonari's next words reignited her hope.
"But I can teach you how to communicate with people."
"A way to communicate?" Hinata's eyes lit up.
"Yes." Kiyonari nodded firmly.
He stood and paced the courtyard, as if sorting out his thoughts. Then he turned back to Hinata and said only one short line:
"The most important thing in communication is to take care of the other person's standpoint. Second is sincerity."
"Take care of the other person's standpoint… and sincerity?" Hinata repeated, half understanding.
Kiyonari sat down beside her again. "When many people communicate, they only think about expressing their own view and persuading the other person to accept it. They forget the other person is an independent individual too—someone with their own standpoint, thoughts, and worries."
"You have to think from their angle: why do they think that? What do they need? What are they afraid of—"
In his previous life, Kiyonari had read plenty of 'success' books—'Learn 100 Tricks and Boost Your EQ Easily' and so on. But later he realized: tricks only fool people who already want to believe you. And if they already want to believe you, tricks are pointless.
So sincerity is the ultimate move.
But sincerity alone can't be used like a magic password. It has to fit the other person's worries and values—otherwise it sounds like pleading, or pressure, or a performance.
"If you want to persuade your father," Kiyonari continued, "don't start with what you want. Start with what he protects."
Hinata's fingers tightened lightly in her lap. "The clan…"
"Yes. The clan's stability, the safety of the main house, the future of the Hyuga." Kiyonari's voice softened. "Show him you understand what he's carrying. Then be sincere about why you're asking anyway—and what you're willing to take on, not just what you're asking him to accept."
Hinata swallowed, eyes steady now. "So… I have to make him feel seen. And I have to mean it."
Kiyonari nodded. "That's it."
~~~
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