I am back in the Hyuga compound. Funny (not) story, Hizashi did not allow me to go stay in the mountains to live away from everyone else.
Something about it being unhealthy for my mental state, or something. Pure bullcrap, but whatever.
I just spend my days, from as early in the morning as possible to as late as I can outside. I mostly train my body and chakra control, running around the village until my legs give out and then training other parts of my body until they give out as well. Of course, I do so while covering each of my tenketsus I can find with my Byakugan with a leaf I need to stick in myself as I run.
This sort of multitasking is not exactly great, but it helps with control.
In good news, I managed to visit the public library of Konoha. Sure, there were no books about chakra or jutsus available in the public section, but there were some about geography, history, and biology.
I would read them while running around and doing the chakra control exercises. Of course, for safety reasons, I would run on the surroundings of the village instead of inside it since I was not able to pay enough attention to my surroundings as well as everything else I was doing, so running on 'autopilot' while taking care of the rest was good.
The books were surprisingly interesting. The history books are something I take with a few tons of salt since they were 'hokage approved' books, which pretty much guarantee they were edited to not show any bad parts of Konoha and exude its power and that of its clans instead, but even so the books helped me fill in some of the gaps of my knowledge and learn more of the different ninja clans across the Fire Nation and beyond.
As for the biology and geography books, they would serve me well moving forward if I intend to survive this world. Besides, I have absolutely no clue how to improve one's mental energy, which improves one's chakra, so I figure that maybe studying helps?
I don't know, shooting blind here, but whilst it doesn't work at least this helps with multitasking ability.
"Passing through!" An excited voice spoke as I was giving a lap around the village, passing by me far faster than I could run.
I looked on as two green clad males passed me by. Shrugging I continued reading my book and, one hour later, as I felt my body nearly giving out I saw once more the same pair passing by with the taller one stopping and giving me a thumbs up.
"Keep going kid, you are on the right path of showing your youth!"
I could only shakely nod as I kept on pushing. When I was too exhausted to keep on reading and my chakra reserves got too low I stopped on those two and focused just on running to completely exhaust my body.
By the time the father and son duo met me once more, I had laid down on the floor exhausted. Taking a few deep breaths for a short while I saw the two looking at me curiously.
Not hesitating I go and start doing sit ups to train my abdomen.
"See that Guy! Your friends are also burning their youth brightly!"
"But father, I don't know him."
"You idiot! He is a konoha shinobi, he is just a friend you haven't talked to you yet!"
"I see. You are so smart, father!"
Damn, they are loud. But, seeing their interaction made me smile a bit inside. The Might family is like I expected, a family that supports one another and is the type that makes one simply be incapable of hating or disliking them as far as I am concerned.
Reminds me of my own before this life, despite the fact that we were never quite as loud or exuberant.
"Hey, you." Guy approached, making me stop and look at him curiously. "My name is Might Guy, the future blue beast of Konoha. Let's fight!"
"No." I said easily and he faltered at that.
He looked confused as he once more called me for a fight, but I just decided to elaborate.
"I am too tired to fight, and I am not strong enough to fight anyone else." I said, stopping a bit to relax as I talked with him.
"That is fine, I am tired too!" Guy says loudly with his father Duy on the side, seeming about to release tears of pride for his son.
… They are oddballs alright, but of the lovable kind.
"How about we leave the fight for when we are stronger? It would be more interesting by then, right?"
Guy actually stops at that before thinking for a bit and shaking his head in the negative.
"No, that won't work. My father said that we can only make true friends after we challenge one another, so fight me!"
"... How about a challenge then?" I said, wondering if I had somehow taken the position of 'Kakashi' in this one?
Well, not like I would think this is bad or anything.
"Yosha! Should we fight it out now?" Guy asks and this time I am the one who shakes my head.
This whole situation is just too amusing.
"Nah, I am still tired. How about this, I challenge you for who can do push ups for longer. Loser buys the winner some ramen."
"Deal. Be ready to lose!" Guy says as he goes to the floor beside me.
Duy, on the side, was just about crying as he saw us and Guy asked him to be the judge.
"On your marks… Go!" Duy says as Guy starts doing push ups at full speed while I take my time, going slow and steady.
We kept on doing push ups with Guy pushing himself with his exuberant amount of energy while I went my own rhythm and cared for my breath and positioning.
After around ten minutes of this, my abdomen was burning up, but it was Guy who in the end stopped before me.
"Hah, Hah, I won." Guy says as he gives his father a thumbs up.
"Nope." I counter just as Duy was about to give his son a return thumbs up. The two turned to me and I smirked. "I lasted longer doing the exercise."
"But, but I did so much more than you."
"And that is related to win or losing, why?" I said cheekly and Guy just stared at me incredulously before his father began to laugh.
Guy turns to him and says.
"Father, he cheated!"
"No Guy, he acted like a ninja." Duy says before patting him on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I am proud of how you went about the challenge. You showed me your burning youth brightly."
"Father."
"Guy."
"Father."
"Guy."
The two then gave a manly embrace and I swear they used some kind of Genjutsu around themselves to imitate a setting sun. It is so bizarre, but-
"Uhum." I voiced, making the two turn to me. "So, since I won, I think you owe me some ramen. Also, I almost forgot. My name is Hyuga Setsuna, it is nice to know you guys. Please take care of me."
"Yes, nice to meet you too." Guy said, giving me a thumbs up once more.
And this is how I met Might Guy. It would be another week before the start of classes andI spent most of that time training with the Might family. Every day early in the morning and in the afternoon we would train together.
Almost every day they would invite me to eat with them as well. I admit I shamelessly accepted their invite every time since, as it turns out, Duy was an amazing cook.
The guy knows his way around the kitchen extremely well and, as someone who studied considerably about biology in my previous life, I can tell that Duy really was doing his very best with these meals.
These meals were all balanced, extremely healthy by all modern standards, and had plenty of protein and everything needed to maximize the body's absorption of it. It was leagues better than anything I would be able to get back in the Hyuga compound, which was saying something considering that Duy was the only one getting any money here and the guy could only do D rank tasks since C rank normally needs a team and no one was willing to make a team with him.
I looked at it once, he works at night and many hours every day just making missions to put the food on the table. The guy is a fucking example of a true man, and I am glad that there are people like him around.
As for Guy, well, he was a riot most times. I could rile him up and get a laugh out of his antics so easily, it was ridiculous. Of course, I would also act childish every once in a while and I had more than once gotten beaten up when I saw someone calling the two names and mocking them.
I would not let that pass, so I would go give them a piece of my mind and, for that, I would get beaten up most times.
Still a kid, but that won't stop me from calling bullshit when I see it. These two were great people who treated me right, no way would I just ignore when someone mocks them just like that.
It was on day five of this situation that, as I relaxed on the side as Duy and Guy were doing squats (stamina freaks) I decided to use the Byakugan on them.
"... The hell?" I voiced, making the two stop and look at me.
Duy and Guy looked confused over me just up and using my Byakugan on them, but I did not care as I observed Duy's body and-
"Mister Duy, you should visit the hospital." I said honestly and directly.
"Huh? What are you talking about little Setsuna? I am feeling great, my youth shining brightly and burning strong." Duy said and I shook my head.
"No, no you are not fine. Your body has accumulated many small internal injuries. How can you even train in this state?"
Duy just stopped at that before sighing.
"Well, that just happened as I trained. I had to learn and improve on my own, but this is fine. I am still more than strong enough to keep going and small injuries will not stop me on my path of youth." Duy said and I looked at Gui
"Gui, please help me on this one. Your father needs to at least check into the hospital and-"
"No." Duy said firmly, making me stop. "We cannot do that. If I go there and they say I am unfit to even be a genin, I will not be able to support Gui anymore." Duy said with a much firmer tone than he has ever used.
Gui, on the side, looks confused. He is still a kid, but he seems to understand that his father is hurt but is not searching for help due to him. I can understand the man, sacrificing yourself willingly for one's family is something I can get behind (which is another reason why I despise the Hyugas), BUT-
"I see." I said before getting up and walking away. Duy seems to want to say more, but I did not care as I moved away and walked towards somewhere else.
It was still around midday, but I did not mind it one bit as I went in front of the Senjuu compound.
Duy wants to be stubborn for the sake of Guy? Then I will show him I can be just as stubborn for the sake of him! Sitting down in front of it, knowing that at some point Tsunade should show up and go back into her home from the Konoha hospital (she worked there as the principal), I just stayed there while using my Byakugan to just watch.
I wasn't really looking at anything specific, just using the Byakugan to try and see things in different degrees of 'penetration'. I have nothing to do until Tsunade comes back, so I will just do that to at least get some use out of my time.
Thinking back on it, I should have seen it before. Duy and Guy were both Taijutsu experts who both use the same techniques, so how could Duy be only a Genin and was only able to, while using the the eight gate, kill four of the seven mist swordsmen, while Guy was able to become an elite jounin and able to almost kick Juubi Jinchuuriki Madara to death?
The answer, Duy was not in a perfect state. Heck, with my eyes I saw his body and the best allegory I had was that Duy was like a broken car that was holding up together with glue, duct tape, and a dream.
If he was in a perfect state, he might not have needed to use the eighth gate against the seven swordsman.
No, with what experience I have had with the Might family these days, I can see that Duy was teaching his son as well as he possibly could. The exercises he teaches Guy were as perfect as they can be, his food was as good as Duy could provide, the techniques as polished as he could make them. Probably, the man has experienced all sorts of things using his own body and used his own experiences to pave the way for Guy..
He really was an incredible man, and letting him kill himself just like that was not something I can agree with. Why should someone like that die while the disgusting trash in my own family can survive while flaunting their so-called superiority?
I refuse.
As such, I stayed in front of that place while practicing my Byakugan more and more. Activating and deactivating it as well as trying to change its penetration power. It was not really all that interesting a training, but I figure I may as well try and do something like the training we can see in Hunter X Hunter, being able to use one's vision to see anything they do not expect instantly the moment you notice something might be wrong.
Does it maybe creep out those passing me by? Who the fuck cares if it does? Honestly, if those passing by and sending me weird gazes have any sort of trouble with what I am doing they are more than invited to ask me why I am doing it, or fuck off.
Also, does this couple six hundred meters to the west, do you two really need to experiment with pegging now? Seriously, don't try to make me regret being a Hyuga more than I already do.
In the end, Tsunade was a no show until it was time for me to return home. It was very late at night but there was no sign of the woman, so all I could do was go back home and get some sleep… not,
As anyone who went through med school can attest, pulling all-nighters and spending a few days with little to no sleep is just routine.
If Tsunade is not returning to the Senjuu compound, I will just go looking for her in all the casinos I can in Konoha and, failing that, I will check all the bars. I ought to find her somewhere.
It was around four in the morning when I finally found the woman. It took me longer than I expected as the casinos were made with seals in place to block the Byakugan and the guards were not happy when a Hyuga kid was snooping around.
At least they didn't do more than tell me to piss off, good thing the guards could tell me that Tsunade was not present there, something I just had to trust in but whatever.
Anyway, in the end I found her in a bar on a far away place in town. It was not exactly the picture of elegance, but it hardly mattered for me.
I looked at the woman and, I gotta admit, she is beautiful. Her blond hair, round and elegant face, even the mark on her forehead, it was all incredibly attractive as far as I am concerned.
Regardless, what matters now is not her looks. I approach the woman who, noticing me, just raises a brow and says with a slight slur indicating her drunkenness.
"Oh, a Hyuga brat. Did that idiot Hiashi want to talk to me about something again? If so, tell him to fuck off, I am busy, hic."
"Nice to meet you, lady Tsunade. My name is Hyuga Setsuna and I actually came over to ask your help with-"
"Don't care. Get lost kid, I am on my rest time, if you want my help with something find me at work." Tsunade cut me off.
I winced, I know that going to meet her in the hospital won't work since Duy, for his own reasons, will refuse to go there.
"Lady Tsunade, please I need your help with-"
"Nope~~" Tsunade said with a sing-song voice and flicked me on the forehead and some energy entered my body, making me pass out then and there.
3° Person P.O.V.
"... You do know we are not an orphanage and we are closing, right Tsunade-sama?" The bartender said with an inquisitive tone to Tsunade who had just knocked the kid up with a simple application of her medical jutsu to force his muscles to relax.
A kid his age, clearly as exhausted as he seemed to be in her eyes, passing out with that was just about expected.
"Not my problem. Just give this kid to one of the Uchiha police forces and tell him to deliver him back to his clan." Tsunade said without a care, getting up and walking away to see if she could find some other bar that was open, failing that she would just go to the hospital and sleep in her office as usual.
Honestly, she wondered most days just why she bothers with staying in Konoha… Oh yeah, it was her grandfather's wishes for her to help protect this place. Frankly speaking, she was able to tell that a war would not take too long to happen again, the signs were clear on that one, and she knew for a fact that as soon as said war was over, she would get the fuck away from here.
As she walked through Konoha though, more and more memories passed her by as she saw the places and locations she went by. So many memories, happy and bad alike, all her family members who died in droves and all she experienced in this place. It was all simply too much and even medicine, the thing that once was her one salvation and the thing she enjoyed the most, was now just another curse for her. No, she wanted to get out of here as soon as she could.
Maybe wait until little Shizune completed the basic education in ninja school before taking her as a disciple, she owed Dan that much after she failed to save him.
For now though, she was just a woman who wanted to rest and to stew in her depression.
It would only be hours later that she would wonder what exactly that kid wanted to ask of her, but by then she honestly could barely even remember the kid's face so whatever.
It was probably not that important anyway.
Setsuna's P.O.V.
Waking up I quickly stood up.
"It seems you are awake, huh."
Turning to who spoke up I saw that it was Hizashi sitting in a corner of… I guess this is his office.
"So, tell me what exactly were you doing that we needed to have an Uchiha to come and drop you over here?" Hizashi said with a slightly displeased expression.
"I went to try and talk with lady Tsunade." I said easily as I stretched and got up from the couch.
I would like to complain about how a couch in what I can only assume is Hizashi's office is better than my bed, but preferential treatment is kinda expected here so whatever.
With a glance I noticed Hizashi frowning at my direction as he then spoke up.
"You should stop acting like this. I have been hearing many complaints lately about you. Associating with those two jokes of the village, leaving clan land so early and coming back so late, not interacting with anyone in the clan. I even heard how you refused to participate when you were invited to the clan lessons after you were accepted in the genius class." Hizashi said with a tone of reprimand.
I honestly could not care about any of what he just said, but I guess this is the guy who more or less pays my bills and he is still civil with me so I can at least answer him out.
My hatred is more towards the main clan anyway, not the domesticated slaves like Hizashi.
"I just don't want to be another clone." I said easily, making the man in front of me raise a brow.
"Clone?"
"Every ninja of the Hyuga is the same, especially us of the side branch. We all have to wear the same clothes, the same hairstyle, interact in only the same way and our fighting style is also supposed to be the same." I said, irritated at that more and more.
"It is our costume. It shows we are Hyugas and-"
"Make us predictable." I countered, making the man stop. "I will become a ninja of Konoha, and ninjas should never be predictable."
Hizashi nods at this, the man is surprisingly understanding it seems.
"I think you have a point, but as a Hyuga you should still focus more on the clan teachings, especially if you will be joining the genius class and interacting with kids from other clans. I was willing to let you continue playing around a bit more as you wished since you were not causing trouble, but being brought back by a Uchiha was trouble." Hizashi said, proving he barely listened to any of what I just said. "You are to come over here every day from now on after school time, I will personally instruct you about what and how you should act as well as the knowledge you must have as a member of the side branch."
I wince as I hear this, wanting to do such a thing about as much as I want to pull off my teeth with a rusty knife.
"But, but this will cut down on my training time and-"
"If you can find time to stay out until so late every day, you can find time to learn more about the clan." Hizashi said. He then sighed and said. "I understand you are not pleased by this, but the clan is not as bad as you think it is. I can even help you a bit with learning a gentle fist if you behave well and work hard."
I just look at the man with incredulous eyes. Not because I wanted to learn the death poking technique, that was boring and honestly weak, but because the man thought my problem was that.
Wasn't he supposed to be an Elite Jonin? How can he be that and still not be able to listen and understand what other people tell him to his face?
Him, however, clearly saw my incredulous expression and understood all wrong.
"I know, you did not expect me to be willing to teach you this. Normally, we of the side branch are taught by our parents what they can. Even my father, the Clan Head, taught me together with my brother plenty about the Gentle Fist, even if the secret techniques of it were only taught to my brother as the next clan head. I understand that, as someone who has had no one to teach you until now, you might have searched for other things to learn, but as the side branch head it is my responsibility to teach you, a future genius of the clan, what you should know."
I wanted to facepalm at the guy's idiocy at thinking I cared about that, but the man might think I am too happy or some crap like that. Just my luck, I will have to hear indoctrination bullcrap about how incredible Konoha and the Hokage are at school, before coming home to hear indoctrination bullcrap about how even more incredible the Hyuga clan is and how glorious is the fate of being a meat shield for spoiled little shits born to get out early from the right pair of legs.
Damn it all, but this will not stop me. Even if now I will need to stand twice as much crap as I ever wanted, I will still have Tsunade help me with what I want. Duy, I will make sure you get better.
Never underestimate the stubbornness of someone who worked part time while still getting top marks in med school! If I set my eyes on something, I will get that no matter how hard it will be.
Believe it