“What are you guys planning to do during summer vacation?” Ino asked curiously.

“Sleep,” Shikamaru replied with a yawn.

The recent combat training and shadow manipulation drills had left him physically and mentally drained, and he was determined to recover over the break.

“Eat,” Akimichi Choji answered simply, crunching on a handful of potato chips.

“Don’t you two have any aspirations?” Ino paused and grumbled.

“What kind of aspirations do you need?” Shikamaru responded seriously. “Life is short. The most important thing is to enjoy it.”

“You’re only six, and you’re talking like life’s almost over?” Ino stared at him, speechless.

“I’ll be seven in two months,” Shikamaru replied, hands behind his head. “And after going through Kitazawa-sensei’s training, I’ve already come to understand life.”

“What about you, Ino?” Choji asked after finishing his chips. “Any plans for summer?”

“Training!” Ino said, clenching her fists with determination.

“You’ve gotten obsessed with training. Hopeless,” Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head as he looked at her.

“What do you mean by hopeless? I just want to beat Sakura!” Ino declared fiercely. “I’m going to make sure she has double the homework this summer!”

“Cruel woman,” Shikamaru sighed again, resigned.

Ino had been training alongside Sakura. One would seize consciousness, and the other would heal the body, and their bet was that whoever lost would have their homework doubled.

Because Sakura had extremely high Medical Ninjutsu talent, Ino lost more than she won.

“I’m home now. See you guys later!” Ino waved and headed toward her family’s flower shop.

“See you, Choji.”

Before long, Shikamaru arrived at his house. He took out his key, opened the door, and stepped inside.

“Why didn’t you say anything when you got home?” Nara Shikaku asked, glancing up when he heard the door open.

“Didn’t have the energy,” Shikamaru muttered.

“Too lazy to even say ‘I’m back’ now?” Nara Yoshino emerged from another room, frowning.

“It’s only noon—why is everyone already home?” Shikamaru asked, quickly changing the subject.

“I finished work early,” Shikaku said with a smile, stretching out a hand. “Hand it over.”

“Hand what over?” Shikamaru asked, flopping down on the sofa—only to sit upright again after noticing Yoshino’s sharp glare.

“Your report card,” Shikaku prompted. “Today was the final exam, wasn’t it?”

“What else could it be?” Yoshino snorted. “Another 60 points, I’m sure.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Shikaku replied with a smirk. “I trust Kitazawa’s methods.”

“Wait a minute!” Shikamaru’s eyes widened. “Did you ask Kitazawa-sensei to scare me into working harder?”

“Threaten you? What’re you talking about?” Shikaku looked genuinely confused.

“Forget it. Let’s not get into it.” Shikamaru pulled out his report card and declared confidently, “No one’s going to disturb me this summer!”

“You sound confident.” Shikaku took the card, scanned it, and froze.

“How’d he do?” Yoshino stepped closer. Despite her usual complaints about his grades, she still cared deeply about his performance.

“First place and fifth?” Yoshino rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things.

“Is this really your report card?” Shikaku asked, dumbfounded.

“Of course it is,” Shikamaru answered casually.

“This isn’t like you!” Yoshino said automatically. “How’d you go from 60 points to 100?”

“What’s so strange about that?” Shikamaru said matter-of-factly. “I am a Nara, after all. Being a little clever is normal.”

“Then why were you always scoring 60 before?” Yoshino’s face darkened again.

“I was still naive back then.” Shikamaru quickly added, “From now on, I’ll do whatever you say, Mom!”

“I’ll believe it just this once.” Yoshino’s expression softened. With his grades this good, she had no real reason to scold him.

“But if you’ve already learned the Shadow Imitation Technique, how did you only get fifth in the practical exam?” Yoshino asked again.

“Why else?” Shikamaru muttered, “There are a bunch of monsters in my class!”

“That, I can understand,” Shikaku nodded, then began listing off his son’s classmates to Yoshino—Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Aburame Shino, and Yamanaka Ino, among others.

“No wonder,” Yoshino murmured after hearing the names. “Given your classmates, you really did do your best to place fifth.”

Aside from Uzumaki Naruto, the rest were clear geniuses from powerful ninja clans. A single Shadow Imitation Technique wouldn’t stand out much in that crowd.

And as the wife of the Nara clan head, Yoshino was well aware of Uzumaki Naruto’s true lineage. Being the son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, meant Naruto was far from an ordinary child.

“But I have to say, hiring Kitazawa as your tutor was definitely worth it,” Yoshino said with satisfaction.

“The Hokage was the one with the keen eye for talent,” Nara Shikaku replied with a smile. “If not for his recommendation, I wouldn’t have thought to hire Kitazawa to tutor Shikamaru.”

“Huh?” Shikamaru looked confused.

So it was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was behind it all? He usually admired him, but a single word from him had completely ruined his peace!

“Either way, Kitazawa will continue as his tutor next semester,” Yoshino said with a decisive nod.

As a family that earned its livelihood through medicinal herbs, the Nara clan wasn’t short on money. And compared to Shikamaru’s sudden transformation, money was a trivial matter.

“Of course,” Nara Shikaku agreed.

Shikamaru hesitated. He wanted to voice his opinion, but he feared that if he did, they’d escalate the decision and hire Kitazawa tomorrow, putting an end to his summer vacation before it even began.

Forget it. Enjoy the peace while it lasts. Let the future self deal with the trouble. Trust in the wisdom of future generations.

—

“Rice balls, they’re all rice balls,” Hinata hummed to herself, making up a tune. Then she suddenly changed the lyrics: “Sensei, Kitazawa-sensei is the best!”

She only stopped singing once she reached the gates of the Hyuga clan compound. Although she was now much braver than before, she hadn’t forgotten the clan’s strict rules.

Hinata stepped quietly into the courtyard. She glanced around but didn’t see Hiashi Hyuga anywhere.

The Uchiha clan oversaw the Konoha Military Police Force, so their clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, had official duties.

But the Hyuga clan, unlike others, didn’t manage any village department directly. Moreover, fearing leakage of the Byakugan’s secrets, the main family usually stayed indoors, unless it was during a major war.

Was he in the study? Hinata had planned to go to her room, but a sudden thought made her turn toward the study instead.

She raised her hand and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Hiashi’s voice responded.

“Father,” Hinata said softly, opening the door, stepping inside, and kneeling across from him.

“You’re back?” Hiashi asked. “How did you do on your exam?”

Ever since Hinata had awakened her Byakugan, his attitude toward her had changed considerably.

“Third place,” Hinata replied.

“Why only third place?” Hiashi felt surprised.

After all, she had already mastered the first four moves of the Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. By all logic, she should have dominated the Ninja academy.

“The top two were Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke,” Hinata said a bit embarrassedly. “I’m still a little behind them.”

Uzumaki… Uchiha? Hiashi’s eyes narrowed in realization.

Uzumaki Naruto was the son of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and Uzumaki Kushina, the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki.

Uchiha Sasuke was the son of Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan head, and the younger brother of the super genius Uchiha Itachi.

It made sense that Hinata couldn’t defeat them—yet.

“Although you’ve shown great promise in the Gentle Fist and mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, you’ve only been practicing for a short time,” Hiashi said after a moment. “Don’t be discouraged. Use the summer break to train diligently. Maybe you’ll surpass them next semester.”

The Uchiha and Uzumaki clans were renowned, but so was the Hyuga clan. Hiashi firmly believed that Hinata’s only disadvantage was her late awakening.

Her true talent had only begun to show after she entered the academy.

“Yes,” Hinata nodded. “With Kitazawa-sensei’s guidance, I’ll try my best to catch up.”

“He’s an outsider—what would he know about Gentle Fist?” Hiashi chuckled. After all, Hinata was still just a child.

“I think Kitazawa-sensei knows a lot,” Hinata said seriously, remembering some of his insights and advice.

Hiashi didn’t argue. Instead, he shifted the topic. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll stay home. I’ll personally guide you in the Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms as much as I can.”

“I… I have to attend Kitazawa-sensei’s summer training during the day,” Hinata hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.

“What did you say?” Hiashi frowned. “What use is it for you to train under someone outside the clan? I don’t agree.”

“No!” Hinata looked up, blurting it out before she could stop herself.

Hiashi’s eyes widened. Was this… the first time Hinata had ever directly opposed him?

Hinata immediately realized what she’d done, and her heart pounded nervously. But she couldn’t back down now.

“I already promised Kitazawa-sensei. I can’t go back on my word.” Hinata took a deep breath. “You taught me to always keep my word.”

Hiashi fell silent. To be honest, he was… pleased.

She would one day lead the Hyuga clan. She couldn’t afford to be meek or indecisive. Still, it was a complex feeling—being defied in favor of an outsider.

“You may go,” Hiashi finally said in a deep voice. “But if your progress in Gentle Fist and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms is affected, you must stop immediately.”

—

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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep