Hokage, no one knows better than me how to cultivate talent.

The Gentle Fist technique emphasizes releasing force only when the palm touches the opponent's skin. The moment their palms touched, Hinata could feel her sister's chakra gathering and surging in her palm. Her own chakra was also condensed in her palm, but at the moment of collision, she subconsciously withdrew her strength again, afraid of hurting Hanabi.

Hanabi, unaware of her sister's thoughts, suddenly unleashed chakra from her palm, creating a tiny gap between their hands. She then slipped through the gap, her small shoulders resting against her sister's chest, her foot gently tripping.

thump.

Hinata's back slammed against a pillar, the dull thud echoing through the empty training ground.

Hanabi wanted to step forward to help, but a stern voice stopped her in her tracks.

"No need to help her up."

Hiashi Hyuga walked out from the corridor, his brows furrowed and his face filled with barely suppressed anger: "Ten years old, and you can't even use the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist of the main family properly. The main family doesn't need such a piece of trash."

The Hyuga clan has always had strict rules. Neji Hyuga, who was born in the branch family, was able to guide his chakra and awaken the Byakugan at the age of three. In the past two years, he has mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, a technique that can only be learned by the main family, simply by observing Hinata's practice. Hinata, as the heir of the main family, cannot even beat her younger sister who is five years younger than her.

Hinata was still leaning against the pillar. She was already used to the pain in her back, but when she looked up and saw the disappointed look in her father's eyes, she suddenly felt a little suffocated.

From a young age, she knew that she was the one on whom high hopes were placed. While other children were playing, she was training; while other children were sleeping, she was still training. Day after day, year after year, all she got in return was one scolding after another. There was no one around to confide in. And now, her father's words finally crushed the emotions that had been building up deep inside her for so many years.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Hinata didn't say a word, turned and ran. She crossed the corridor and the courtyard, and her small figure quickly disappeared.

"Sister." Hanabi's eyes showed worry, and she subconsciously wanted to chase after her.

She took a half step, then stopped, because she noticed her father's gaze on her. Although he didn't speak, it carried more weight than any words. Hiashi Hyuga was usually stern and rarely smiled, and while Hanabi respected him, she always harbored a trace of fear in her heart.

Hinata Tennin stood still the entire time, without moving an inch, until Hinata's figure disappeared from sight. Only then did he slowly speak, his voice calm to the point of being indifferent: "I think Hinata's talent is actually quite good, but her personality is too weak. If she becomes the clan leader in the future, I'm afraid she will have a hard time managing the Hyuga clan."

Hiashi Hyuga remained silent, offering no response.

"How about we focus on training Hanabi from now on?" Hyuga Tenjin continued, his gaze falling on his granddaughter as if he were examining an object. "Although her talent is a bit less than Neji's, her temperament is much stronger than Hinata's."

Hiashi Hyuga stood there in silence for a moment. He looked at his youngest daughter in front of him, then at the direction Hinata had disappeared, and finally just nodded slightly.

Hinata Hyuga ran out of the mansion gate and kept running with her head down, not knowing how long she had been running.

Until all that could be heard was the sound of her own heavy breathing and heartbeat, her father's scolding, Hanabi's worried eyes, and her grandfather's calm face were all left far behind.

Twenty minutes later, she finally stopped, leaning on her knees and panting heavily.

Hinata looked up and saw an unfamiliar landscape around her, far from the main city. A sense of bewilderment appeared in her eyes.

She grew up in her clan's territory and rarely went out alone except to attend the ninja academy. She had no idea where she was.

On the lawn not far away, several boys of similar age were chasing and playing, and they were walking in this direction.

Hinata's heart suddenly clenched.

She recalled her childhood experience of getting lost, the unfamiliar faces, the curious stares, and the panic of having nowhere to escape. She subconsciously lowered her head, hiding her face behind her bangs, and clenched her clothes tightly with her fingers.

Fortunately, the boys were having a great time playing and were shoving each other as they ran past her, none of them noticing her standing by the roadside with her head down.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Hinata looked up and watched the figures disappear around the street corner. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief, loosened the clenched hem of her clothes. She didn't want to go home now, and she didn't know where to go, so she crossed the small bridge in front of her and continued walking forward.

Just then, her gaze caught sight of a familiar figure.

Hinata froze, then instinctively hid behind a large tree by the roadside. She pressed herself tightly against the trunk, poked half her head out, and rubbed her eyes.

"How come there are four Narutos? And two Shusui-sensei?"

A voice suddenly came from behind Hinata.

After leaving home, Qiu Shui went to a store and bought several bottles of electrolyte water with different flavors before heading to the training area.

After he crossed the bridge, he suddenly saw a girl in a black mesh training uniform standing under a big tree not far away, tiptoeing with her neck slightly outstretched, as if she was looking at something.

Qiu Shui slowed his pace, and the girl's familiar hairstyle and innate sense of stealth quickly told him that it was Hinata Hyuga.

He remembered that in the original story, Hinata always hid behind trees, around corners of walls, and in the bushes outside the training ground to spy on Naruto's training. He never expected to run into her today.

Qiu Shui walked quietly behind her, a slight smile playing on her lips, but she didn't speak immediately.

Hinata Hyuga was so engrossed in watching that she didn't notice someone sitting down behind her.

"Hinata-san," Shusui suddenly spoke, "what are you doing here?"

Hinata's shoulders jerked violently. She turned around like a startled little rabbit that had been stepped on, only to find that Akisui-sensei was standing right in front of her, holding something in his hand, calmly looking at her.

"N-nothing," Hinata's voice was barely audible.

Shusui didn't expose Hinata's lie, because given Hinata's personality, she would probably faint on the spot.

"Gurgle."

Hinata's face instantly turned bright red.

Her face turned red from her forehead to the roots of her ears, and from the roots of her ears to her neck. Her face was as red as a ripe tomato. She kept her head down, staring at her toes, wishing there was a crack in the ground she could disappear into. She hadn't eaten much since getting up that morning, and had been practicing with Hanabi on the training field. She had just run such a long way, running too fast and too fast, and her stomach had been growling for ages. Why did it have to growl now of all times?

Even though Hinata had her head down, Shusui could sense her embarrassment. He said gently, "Teacher made lunch. If you don't mind, please join us."