In front of a shabby wooden house.
Thump thump thump!
While knocking on the door, Heiyan shouted, "Is anyone home?"
Soon, footsteps could be heard coming from inside the room.
Someone's coming.
Hiashi Hyuga stared nervously at the door, his heart pounding anxiously.
What kind of person was this teacher that Heiyan introduced?
Creak.
At this moment, the door opened. A tall man wrapped in many bandages and leaning on a cane appeared before the two, wearing a warm smile on his face.
Might Duy was released from the hospital earlier than expected.
The reason was the recent attack at the Valley of the End—many injured shinobi had been brought to Konoha Hospital, overwhelming its capacity.
To ease the burden and free up beds for more critical patients, Might Duy decided to check out early and continue recovering at home.
As usual, Heiyan exchanged brief greetings with Might Duy.
Then he got right down to business.
"This is the Hyuga clan's young master, Hiashi Hyuga."
Heiyan introduced. At this, Might Duy's face instantly showed shock.
But Hiashi looked even more stunned than Duy did.
Although he'd never seen Might Duy before, he had heard rumors about this "infamous" lifelong Genin within the village.
Many believed someone like Might Duy was a disgrace to Konoha's shinobi.
Could this really be the teacher that Heiyan recommended?
Hiashi stood there agape, both incredulous and unwilling to accept the situation.
Heiyan caught sight of Hiashi's reaction.
So he turned to him directly, "Duy once fought against Sanshouo Hanzo from Ame Village, and gained recognition from this semi-god-like figure in the ninja world."
"Haha," Might Duy said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
Hiashi was stunned.
With just a brief sentence from Heiyan, all previous prejudices Hiashi held against Might Duy were completely overturned.
"Hiashi, what are you waiting for?"
At this time, Heiyan gave him a meaningful glance, urging him onward.
Finally regaining his senses, Hiashi reacted.
"Teacher Duy, please accept me as your student!"
With utmost sincerity, Hiashi said, then fell down on both knees. Palms flat on the ground, he bowed forward until his forehead touched the floor.
"Eh...uh..."
Might Duy was completely taken aback when Hiashi suddenly knelt before him, leaving him flustered and unsure what to do.
After all, right in front of him knelt the eldest son and heir of the most powerful clan in Konoha—the Hyuga family.
And now he was kneeling before Might Duy, begging to become his disciple.
It all felt surreal to Might Duy.
Instinctively, he shot a helpless look at Heiyan, hoping the latter would rescue him from this awkward situation.
"Duy, actually this was my idea. Sorry I didn't consult you beforehand."
Walking up beside Might Duy, Heiyan patted his shoulder and whispered softly, "Hiashi is my friend. His talent and perseverance are both quite good—he'd make a promising candidate for mastering the Eight Gates technique."
"I see..."
Might Duy suddenly understood and readily said, "Since you're a friend of Heiyan's, I'll boldly accept this genius as my disciple then. Hahaha!"
Then he enthusiastically helped Hiashi Hyuga to his feet.
Hiashi gave Heiyan a deeply grateful look.
He knew full well Might Duy had accepted him only for Heiyan's sake. Moreover, Duy was about to teach him a secret technique called the Eight Gates.
At this thought, Hiashi steeled his resolve—he would one day repay Heiyan's and Might Duy's kindness through sheer determination!
"You two chat freely—I'm heading out first," Heiyan said.
Seeing everything settled smoothly, he left early, giving the master and apprentice some time alone.
That was all he could do.
As for whether Hiashi could truly learn the Eight Gates, that depended entirely on the young master's own talent.
Recommending Hiashi as Might Duy's disciple was merely an impulsive experiment on Heiyan's part.
He was simply curious—was there any real potential in combining the Byakugan with the Eight Gates?
In Heiyan's eyes, Hiashi had all the right qualities to master the Eight Gates.
Firstly, from a "hardware" standpoint.
The Eight Gates came with strict requirements—it demanded exceptionally high physical fitness from its practitioners.
As heir to the main branch of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi had been rigorously training in martial arts since childhood. Among his peers, his physical quality was absolutely unmatched.
Furthermore, the principle of the Eight Gates involved unlocking the body's acupoint seals, thus unleashing massive amounts of chakra.
The Hyuga clan, relying on the Byakugan's visual penetration abilities, had always conducted deep research into human meridians and acupoints. Admittedly, their research direction directly opposed the Eight Gates—they specialized in using Gentle Fist techniques to block enemy chakra points.
Whether blocking or releasing, having the Byakugan made things significantly easier either way.
One could say:
The Eight Gates naturally resonated strongly with the Hyuga clan.
Secondly, considering the "software" aspect.
The Eight Gates also placed high demands on a practitioner's mentality. One must fear no hardship or fatigue, persisting continuously through years of arduous cultivation.
Though Hiashi came from noble origins, he hadn't enjoyed a sheltered upbringing.
From a young age, he'd received strict elite education, never attending the ninja academy. Instead, within the closed family environment, under pressure from the clan head and elders of the main house, he trained relentlessly.
Compared to carefree peers laughing joyfully at the ninja academy, Hiashi endured far more hardships.
He was, at heart, a man of unwavering endurance.
This trait was clearly shown even in his original timeline by the strict educational attitude he displayed toward his daughter Hinata.
All things considered, Hiashi Hyuga was indeed the perfect candidate for cultivating the Eight Gates.
...
Swoosh!
Through the woods, Heiyan leapt lightly forward, heading home.
Recently, the intense training and combat had kept his nerves constantly tense without a moment's rest.
Maybe it was time to take it easy for a while.
Heiyan planned to take a few days off—to soak in some hot springs, sleep in a little, and calmly await notification from the Third Hokage.
It was also a way to prepare himself for the upcoming trip to Mount Myoboku.
He needed to get proper rest before he could refresh his spirit, focus completely, and devote himself fully to the cultivation of Sage Art.
However, it turned out that Heiyan would have an unusually busy day.
Because he suddenly sensed an unusual chakra fluctuation coming from the nearby woods.
"This chakra doesn't belong to a human ninja..."
Heiyan frowned slightly, thinking inwardly.
As his Sage Transformation progressed, his sensing ability had become increasingly powerful. He could now even visualize the target's height and body shape within his mind just from the chakra fluctuation.
So, he changed direction and headed toward the source.
A minute later,
Heiyan moved through the dense woods and reached a clearing. At a glance, he saw two groups facing off against each other.
On one side were several Konoha ninja—some Chunin, some Genin. Judging from their formation, they had been on patrol duty nearby. They held kunai, shuriken, or ninja-to, watching their "opponent" with tense expressions.
And that opponent was... a frog?
That's right, it really was a frog.
In addition, this frog wore a black cloak and carried a basket. It had light green skin, along with purple hair and lips. Although it barely reached knee height on an adult human, it radiated an air of authority. Right now, it was glaring at the Konoha ninja with obvious displeasure.
It was actually her.
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