Night had fallen at the entrance of the Hyuga residence.
Uchiha Akira personally escorted Hinata to the entrance of her home. Her beautiful white eyes gazed at Akira, brimming with emotion, as she watched him quietly. Akira naturally extended his hand.
Hinata took half a step forward, leaning into Akira's embrace, and giving him a deep kiss before letting go.
Although they had been together for quite some time and were no strangers to hugging and kissing, Hinata still felt shy every time. Her cheeks flushed red as she watched Akira walk away.
Even after Akira's figure had gone far, far into the distance, Hinata still didn't turn around. After all, with the power of her Byakugan, the darkness of the night didn't affect her vision at all. Even if she turned her back on Akira, she could still clearly see him walking away.
Only after Akira had disappeared completely did Hinata turn around and head back into the house.
"Sister, did you go on another date?"
Hanabi, now in her early teens and becoming curious about relationships, approached Hinata, asking eagerly as she noticed her sister returning.
"Yes," Hinata nodded softly.
"Sister, you better hold on to him tight! If you let someone else steal my brother-in-law, you'll be the one crying!" Hanabi said seriously to Hinata as they walked inside.
"Steal him? What do you mean?" Hinata asked as they continued walking, curious about Hanabi's words.
"You don't know? Recently, some of my girlfriends and I ranked the hottest guys in the Leaf Village."
"My brother-in-law was ranked as the absolute top, without a doubt!"
"Many of the girls even said that if they could marry him, their lives would be complete!" Hanabi explained, giving Hinata a clear idea of Akira's popularity in the village.
"I see..." Hinata thought for a moment. Indeed, it made sense.
He was handsome, with striking dragon horns that added a unique charm to his appearance. He had become famous at a young age.
Now, as the head of the Anbu Black Ops in the Leaf Village, and regarded as one of the most promising candidates for the Sixth Hokage, Akira was a prodigy of the Uchiha clan.
With all these qualities combined, it was no wonder he was not only considered the most handsome in the Leaf Village but had practically become a national heartthrob in the Land of Fire. It was perfectly reasonable.
Thinking of all this, Hinata couldn't help but feel a slight sense of crisis rising within her.
But more than that, she also felt a bit of insecurity deep down.
Akira was so exceptional, even though he was devoted to her. How could she possibly be worthy of him?
"Don't worry, sister! Today, I made sure to put those girls in their place. They were all talking about stealing my brother-in-law, so I beat them down and made sure they gave up that idea!" Hanabi said, noticing Hinata's unease and trying to comfort her.
Hinata's eye twitched in response, caught between laughing and crying. She hadn't expected Hanabi to be so fierce.
People were just talking about how great it would be to marry Akira, and Hanabi took that as them trying to steal him and beat them up?
"Hanabi, you really shouldn't be so overbearing outside," Hinata said softly, touched by her sister's efforts but unable to condone violence due to her gentle nature.
"Oh, come on, sister. You're just too kind! If we don't stand our ground now, will you regret it when my brother-in-law is taken by someone else?" Hanabi replied, showing no intention of changing her ways.
"Well…"
Hinata hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Bullying others wasn't something Hinata wanted to see.
But the idea of Akira being stolen by someone else? Hinata found that thought even harder to bear.
"Hey, sister, your eyes…" Hanabi suddenly exclaimed, noticing the occasional blue light flickering in Hinata's eyes.
"Hinata's eyes? What's wrong with them?" The voice of Hiashi Hyuga came from behind, as he'd overheard Hanabi's outburst.
"Father, sister's eyes are acting strange. There's a blue light flashing deep within them from time to time," Hanabi explained as Hiashi approached.
Given how important the Byakugan was to the Hyuga clan, Hiashi immediately came closer to examine Hinata's eyes closely.
Sure enough, there was a faint blue glow that occasionally flickered within her Byakugan.
This was unusual—something that had never happened in the Hyuga clan before.
"Hinata, what happened to your eyes? Why are they changing like this?" Hiashi asked urgently.
"Father, it's because of Akira. He…"
Understanding how important the Byakugan was to the Hyuga clan, Hinata explained to her father what had happened at the research facility and how Akira had helped her gain a certain power.
"Akira did this? Did he explain anything in detail?" Hiashi asked, somewhat relieved but still curious.
"Akira said this would enhance my Byakugan. If it completely changes from white to blue, it will have fully evolved. After that, it will no longer be called Byakugan but the Tenseigan," Hinata explained.
"The Tenseigan!?" Hiashi's face changed upon hearing that term.
"Father, do you know what the Tenseigan is?" Hanabi asked, seeing her father's reaction.
"No, I don't," Hiashi said, shaking his head after glancing at Hanabi.
Hanabi's mouth twitched.
If you don't even know what it is, why were you so shocked just now?
"But, seven years ago, Akira mentioned the Tenseigan," Hiashi added.
"Oh? What did brother-in-law say back then?" Hanabi asked curiously.
"Brother-in-law? You're already calling him that?" Hiashi muttered to himself, noting Hanabi's casual use of the term. However, he didn't correct her, simply shaking his head as he replied, "Back then, he only mentioned that the Byakugan could evolve into the Tenseigan."
"But he didn't go into any detail about how it evolves or what powers the Tenseigan has. So I only know the name, not much else."
"Why is my brother-in-law like that? He brings it up but then doesn't explain at the crucial moment!" Hanabi said with some annoyance after learning the situation.
Her comment made Hiashi's expression darken slightly.
It wasn't that Akira was unwilling to explain. It was more that, back then, Hiashi had made a bet with Akira and ended up losing ten million ryo.
If he had won, he would've asked more clearly!
But after losing the bet, how could he have had the nerve to keep pressing for answers?
Now, with Hinata and Akira together, and Akira actively helping Hinata progress toward evolving the Byakugan into the Tenseigan…
Even though the evolution had only just begun, it was clear that Akira not only understood the process but also knew how to trigger it.
For the Hyuga clan, this chance to further evolve the Byakugan was akin to the Uchiha clan discovering a way to evolve the Sharingan to the Mangekyō. It was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss.
"Hinata, did Akira say anything else about the Tenseigan?" Hiashi asked, looking at his daughter.
"Well, I… I didn't ask him about the Tenseigan at the time," Hinata admitted shyly, feeling embarrassed under her father's gaze.
Hiashi: "…"
Hanabi: "…"
Father and daughter stared blankly at Hinata, hardly able to believe their ears.
Was this some kind of joke?
She had a chance to evolve her Byakugan and didn't even ask about it.
Akira had willingly helped her start the process, so if she'd just asked, he surely wouldn't have hidden anything from her.
But she didn't ask.
Did she not realize how valuable the information about the Tenseigan was to the Hyuga clan?
Suddenly, Hiashi clutched his chest.
"Father! What's wrong?" Hinata and Hanabi asked in alarm as they rushed to his side.
"I… I feel heartache!" Hiashi said, still holding his chest.
"Father, you don't need to worry. As long as he's still my brother-in-law, there's the chance that information will slip away!" Hanabi said reassuringly.
Her words made Hiashi feel a little better.
That's right. As long as Akira and Hinata were together, there was no risk of losing that information.
And if Hinata really evolved her Byakugan into the Tenseigan, that would be even better!
"By the way, Hinata, how has your Byakugan changed? Have you noticed any differences?" Hiashi asked, wanting to know more about the actual effects of the evolution.
"My field of vision has expanded, and everything looks clearer. There also seems to be chakra slowly accumulating in my eyes," Hinata explained, detailing her current state.
"As expected! Your Byakugan's abilities are improving!" Hiashi said, his thoughts confirmed.
Her abilities were growing stronger—this was surely the beginning of the Byakugan's evolution.
"In that case, there's no doubt about it—Uchiha Akira will be our son-in-law, and no one will take him from us!"
"Hinata, you're still so shy!"
"She's nearly fifteen already. Perhaps it's time to give her a little hint about… cooking the rice before it's boiled?" Hiashi thought to himself. For the future of the Hyuga clan, this was well worth considering.
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 218 at patreon.com/Emik01.