Another Hyuga Mirai

"An outside merchant caravan?"

The boy carefully observed Hyuga Mirai. Seeing no trace of a ninja about him, he lowered his guard and reminded him in a more relaxed tone, "When you come to Konoha to commission a mission, it’s best not to wander around. Otherwise, the Police Force might arrest you."

"Sorry, the environment here was so nice, and it’s my first time visiting a ninja village. Before I knew it, I ended up here…"

Hyuga Mirai scratched his head and spoke awkwardly.

Hearing Hyuga Mirai’s words, the boy could not help showing a hint of pride. "Of course. After all, I chose this training ground. It’s much better than the ones within the clan."

Concerned with appearances and fairly straightforward, but whether that was an act was hard to say. I’ll test him a little with an Illusion Technique.

Hyuga Mirai thought to himself, then pretended to be curious as he asked, "Are you a ninja too, kid?"

"Of course. Look at these eyes of mine. They represent one of Konoha’s prestigious clans—the Hyuga Clan."

Upon hearing that, Hyuga Mirai immediately clapped and praised him.

"That’s amazing. You look much younger than me, yet you’re already a ninja. And I’ve heard of the Hyuga Clan’s great reputation in the Land of Fire. They say it’s Konoha’s strongest clan."

It was probably the first time the boy had been praised like this, so he was somewhat embarrassed. "Heh, it’s nothing. Calling us the strongest clan isn’t wrong, I guess. Besides, I’m a ninja who’s about to become a Chunin. I can already carry out C-rank Missions."

"That’s incredible!!"

Hearing Hyuga Mirai’s flattery, the boy was delighted and felt himself practically floating.

I never knew being praised felt this good. Next time I go see Young Miss, I should act like this big brother too, the boy decided inwardly.

Then I’ll be able to help Young Miss…

"What’s your name?"

"Hyuga… Mirai."

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen…"

"What techniques do you know?"

"I’m about to learn the Eight Trigrams… Thirty-Two Palms…"

"What was your original name?"

"…"

Between questions and answers, Hyuga Mirai had extracted many answers. Against a ninja who was not even a Chunin, Hyuga Mirai’s hypnotic Illusion Technique could silently take control of ‘Hyuga Mirai.’

That was right. The person before him was himself from another space-time. No, more accurately, another Hyuga Mirai.

"As expected, I am unique, but there are many Hyuga Mirais. This guy is merely an ordinary ‘Hyuga Mirai.’"

Hyuga Mirai confirmed this inwardly. However, to be safe, he used the Spirit Transformation Technique to read ‘Hyuga Mirai’s’ inner memories, confirming his thoughts and some of his memories once more.

His Chakra reserves were average—perhaps stronger than those of a civilian ninja, but he would only ever reach Jonin in the future. His techniques were rather weak. He focused wholeheartedly on practicing the Gentle Fist, but without anyone to guide him, problems could easily arise, just as they had now.

Using a wooden post to practice the Gentle Fist was often pointless effort. If this ‘Hyuga Mirai’ continued training like this, he might not even become a Jonin in the future.

Snap!

Hyuga Mirai snapped his fingers, waking the dazed boy before him.

"Are you all right? You look rather tired. Didn’t you sleep well last night?"

Hyuga Mirai asked first. The suggestion he had just left in the other’s soul through the Spirit Transformation Technique was something ‘Hyuga Mirai’ could never detect with his current soul strength.

"A little, yeah. Looks like I overexerted myself just now."

‘Hyuga Mirai’ scratched his head and tried hard to wake himself up. Yet after suddenly stopping his fist practice, it seemed as though much of the energy in his body had vanished at once.

"Even when training, you need to take care of your body. You should still get a proper rest at night."

Upon hearing this, ‘Hyuga Mirai’ felt a warm current flow through his heart. Having lost both parents at a young age and grown up in the Branch Family, aside from Young Miss, it had been a long time since anyone had cared about him.

Looking at the young man before him, who made him feel naturally close and at ease, ‘Hyuga Mirai’ suddenly felt a lump rise in his throat.

"Th-thank you for your concern. I’ll be more careful from now on."

Though the heartfelt concern of a stranger had made him happy, ‘Hyuga Mirai’ still replied politely.

Then, ‘Hyuga Mirai’ smiled brightly. "My name is Hyuga Mirai. May I ask your name? Would you like me to show you around Konoha? There are plenty of beautiful sights that only ninjas can visit."

"Haha, thank you, Hyuga, but I need to meet up with the merchant caravan soon. I’m very happy to have met you today, so let me give you this. Oh, right, my surname is Kimori. My name is Kimori."

Hyuga Mirai smiled as he declined. Then he took a ring from his clothes and placed it in ‘Hyuga Mirai’s’ hand.

"I found this ring in an ancient temple. According to my research over the years, this ring will only reveal its miraculous abilities after meeting its true owner. But I’m an ordinary person, so in my hands, it’s nothing more than a pretty ornament. I’m giving it to you now, Hyuga. I hope you can discover this ring’s hidden abilities."

"I really don’t deserve this."

‘Hyuga Mirai’ looked at the beautiful ring in his hand. Under the sunlight, a glimmer of light even flashed across its surface. Even if it possessed no other abilities, its appearance alone made it worth quite a bit of money.

Moreover, he seemed to believe the story Hyuga Mirai had fabricated. He truly thought it was a ring containing unknown powers, so he immediately wanted to return it.

"Kimori, this is far too valuable. Please forgive me, but I can’t accept this gift."

"No, no, keep it. It’s getting late, and I should be heading back too."

Hyuga Mirai forcefully pushed the ring back into "Hyuga Mirai’s" hand, then pretended he had only just noticed the bento box and pointed at it as he said, "By the way, Mirai-kun, make sure you eat on time from now on. I’ll be going now. We can chat if we get the chance next time we meet."

After saying that, Hyuga Mirai turned and left without hesitation.

"Kin-san, please wait!"

"Hyuga Mirai" wanted to catch up and return the ring, but then remembered that his bento box was still nearby. He hurried back beneath the tree and picked it up.

But in that brief moment, when "Hyuga Mirai" turned around again to look for him, the Kin-san who had seemed like an older brother was already gone.

"Byakugan!"

"Hyuga Mirai" immediately activated his Byakugan, but even after searching everything within a one-kilometer radius, he still could not find him.

"Huh? Did he leave that quickly? Or did I miss something just now?"

"Hyuga Mirai" sighed. He knew he would not be able to catch that man unless he searched through every merchant caravan in Konoha. But he still had to return to the clan soon, so he did not have that much time.

"I can only return it to Kin-san the next time I see him."

Having made up his mind, "Hyuga Mirai" picked up the ring and examined it carefully. This time, he looked much more closely and discovered some of the ring’s remarkable qualities.

It felt cool to the touch and looked like both metal and jade. Moreover, the five characters "Otsutsuki Hamura" were engraved inside the ring. They were probably the name of the ring’s first owner.

"Hyuga Mirai" tried the ring on, and to his surprise, it fit quite well.

"I forgot to eat again. It’ll spoil if I wait until I get home. It’s almost time for the appointment—I need to head back first."

"Hyuga Mirai" packed away the bento box, then immediately ran toward the Hyuga compound. The Main Family branch he belonged to was no longer what it once had been. Even the slightest mistake would be magnified without end.

He had just finished training and should have been utterly exhausted, but as "Hyuga Mirai" ran, he suddenly felt as though energy was constantly welling up inside him.

"Did I improve again today? Great, I’ll sprint all the way home!!"

A delighted expression appeared on "Hyuga Mirai’s" face. His pace quickened again, then abruptly doubled as he raced toward the Hyuga compound.

From a distant rooftop, Hyuga Mirai watched the fellow with a face almost identical to his own behaving so childishly and possessing such a personality. He wanted to laugh, yet could not bring himself to do so.

"Can this wind really stir the Ninja World? Hmm, I may be getting a little too emotional…"

Still, Hyuga Mirai only complained out loud. Since he had chosen this game, he naturally had to try the hard mode. Clearing the easy mode in one go would have no fun to it.

Hyuga Mirai shook his head, then put away the flesh and blood he had just obtained. Only after conducting a thorough examination could he truly call himself Kimori.

"I actually ran all the way back from that far away in one go!"

After returning to the compound, "Hyuga Mirai" realized that he was not tired at all. When he raised his hands to inspect them, he seemed to see a glimmer flash across the ring on his left hand again.

But when he looked carefully, the ring on his hand had returned to its ordinary appearance.

"It was probably just my imagination."

After thinking it over, "Hyuga Mirai" stopped dwelling on the ring and continued deeper into the compound.

However, the direction he took became increasingly remote. The farther into the compound he went, the lower "Hyuga Mirai" bowed his head, as though he wanted to bury it in the clothes against his chest and become a headless man.

Fortunately, there were not many clansmen on the streets at this time. He passed only one member of the Branch Family. Upon seeing the bowed-head "Hyuga Mirai," the man instinctively frowned and shot him a glare before leaving without another thought.

The few hundred meters of streets within the compound felt like crossing a battlefield to "Hyuga Mirai." Only when he arrived before a Main Family courtyard did he slowly let out a breath.

There were no guards at the entrance. In the past, at least two Branch Family members would have stood guard outside the Main Family courtyard.

But now, because they had committed an unforgivable mistake, most of the Main Family’s privileges had nearly all been revoked.

"Hyuga Mirai" pushed open the courtyard gate and walked inside. There were some weeds in the yard, and after catching sight of them, he decided to clear them away later.

After walking farther in, "Hyuga Mirai" arrived before the main house. He gently knocked on the door and asked, "Kiyomi-sama."

"Come in," a voice answered from inside.

"Hyuga Mirai" pushed open the door and entered. A smile immediately appeared on his face, and he began telling her about the interesting thing he had encountered today. "Kiyomi-sama, I’m sorry. I got too absorbed in training today. I met a kind, good person in the forest today—someone as kind as Kiyomi-sama."

Hyuga Kiyomi quietly listened to "Hyuga Mirai." Though she wanted to answer his amusing story with a smile, the hollow where her right eye had been made it impossible for her to smile.

First update!

Sorry, I didn’t get home until ten. It was another day of overtime. There’ll be another update later.

I originally planned to adjust the update schedule and post them together, but a single day of overtime completely broke me. Please give me two days to adjust. I’ll probably have to work overtime tomorrow too; the project ends the day after tomorrow.