Chapter 352: Chapter 353: Hyuga Hiashi
Chapter 353: Hyuga Hiashi
Hiashi’s wife passed away from illness just a few months after Hanabi was born.
His father was also a use... mediocre Clan Chief, lacking the courage to fall out with the other branches of the Main House.
Hiashi had pored through ancient texts to find excuses against the other branches, preparing a relatively peaceful plan to protect both his daughters from being branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
He poured all his heart and expectations into his two daughters.
Watching them grow from infants in swaddling clothes into graceful young women and excellent Ninjas...
They were the most important pillars and continuation of his life.
And now, the two most precious pearls of his life were about to be "plucked" by the same person.
Even though that person was excellent enough, and even though this might be the best destination for his daughters, as a father, behind the gratification of seeing his daughters grown was a very real and intense sourness and sense of loss that "daughters ultimately become part of someone else’s family."
"Both daughters are going to be taken so cheaply by that brat..."
Hiashi squeezed out a sentence through his teeth, his voice muffled and filled with thick resentment.
Although he had started mentally preparing long ago, constantly convincing himself this was a good thing, when the moment of witnessing it and the emotional impact actually arrived, this old father’s heart still felt as if it were soaked in aged vinegar—sour and hard to describe.
Inoichi Yamanaka looked at his old friend’s appearance, sighed understandingly, and stopped trying to persuade him.
He knew that at a time like this, any words of comfort would be pale.
He could also relate somewhat to this complex feeling of "marrying off a daughter."
He patted Hiashi’s shoulder, picked up his things, and stood up.
"Alright, take your time eating. I have to go find Ino Yamanaka, or she’ll get angry."
"Remember, Hiashi."
Inoichi looked back before leaving, a serious smile on his face.
"Our children’s happiness is our greatest wish, isn’t it?"
After saying that, Inoichi Yamanaka’s figure blended into the crowd of the festival to find his wife.
Only Hyuga Hiashi remained on the bench. He sat alone in the shadows at the edge of the clamor, looking at the brightly lit main road filled with laughter in the distance, watching Naruto’s faintly visible figure surrounded by the girls, and then looked down at the empty sake cup in his hand...
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
, , , , , , , , , ,
Another space-time.
In the bustling crowd, a man with white strands appearing in his hair walked down the lively street with two children.
He wore a deep gray traditional kimono, his face etched with the marks of time, but those pure white eyes were still bright and piercing, revealing wisdom and peace after experiencing the vicissitudes of life.
This was exactly Hyuga Hiashi, once the Clan Chief of the Hyuga Clan, and now a retired old man enjoying the joy of playing with his grandchildren.
With his left hand, he led a young girl wearing a yellow yukata with a sunflower pattern.
The girl had black hair and white eyes inherited from her mother; she was Uzumaki Himawari.
And in the crook of his right arm, he steadily held a little boy who looked only three or four years old.
The little boy also had the signature white eyes of the Hyuga Clan, but his hair was golden and his face was chubby, his large eyes staring curiously at the lively surroundings.
This was the son of Sōta Naruto and Hanabi, Hiashi’s grandson.
The combination of one elder and two youngsters, three generations together, looked exceptionally heartwarming in the festival crowd.
"Grandpa, Grandpa! I want that!"
Little Sōta suddenly squirmed in Hiashi’s arms and pointed a chubby little finger precisely at a Takoyaki stall on the roadside that was steaming and smelling delicious.
His large white eyes were full of longing, and his little mouth unconsciously pouted.
Hiashi looked down at his grandson’s greedy little look, and the wrinkles on his face immediately smoothed out, revealing a smile full of affection and happiness.
That pure joy of family from the bottom of his heart made his whole being seem enveloped in a soft glow.
"Okay, okay, Grandpa will buy it for you!"
Hiashi agreed cheerfully, his voice resonant and pleasant.
"Himawari, do you want to eat Takoyaki too?"
"Yes!"
Himawari immediately replied sweetly, her little hand also pointing at the stall, "I want extra bonito flakes!"
"Haha, alright!"
Hiashi was in a great mood, holding Sōta steadily in one arm and leading Himawari with the other as they walked toward the familiar Takoyaki stall.
The owner behind the stall seemed to have changed generations, but the enthusiasm remained undiminished.
Hiashi said to the owner with great vigor:
"Owner, three servings of Takoyaki."
"One normal, one with extra bonito flakes, and one with extra dried fish flakes."
"Coming right up! Please wait a moment, it’ll be ready soon!"
The young owner deftly began preparing them.
While Hiashi was waiting for the food with his two grandchildren, not far away, another pair of grandparents and their grandson were also enjoying the festival’s fun.
Inoichi Yamanaka also had some white hair, but he was high-spirited, wearing a sophisticated deep blue kimono, still showing traces of his shrewdness and capability from back then.
Standing beside him was Ino Yamanaka, who had also aged but still possessed charm. Time seemed to have treated her exceptionally well; her silver hair was combed meticulously, and her temperament was even more gentle and elegant. Though there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes, they didn’t diminish her noblewoman’s air at all, truly proving the saying "Time never defeats a beauty."
Standing before them was a tall, handsome youth with a resolute gaze.
He was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with dazzling golden hair and green eyes very similar to his mother’s, though his temperament was more steady and restrained, with less playfulness and more self-discipline.
At this moment, Inoichi Yamanaka was looking at his excellent grandson Yūto with a face full of expectation and even a bit of a "pleading" tone.
He held a fox mask in his hand, trying to hand it to Yūto:
"Yūto, look how interesting this mask is. Why don’t you try it on?"
However, Yūto frowned slightly and rejected his grandfather’s kindness:
"Grandpa, no need. I’m not a child anymore."
As the son of Uzumaki Naruto, especially the eldest son, Yūto had lived under the legendary halo and achievements of his father since childhood.
He had heard from his mother and countless others how many hardships his father had experienced and how many incredible feats he had accomplished by this age.
The height his father reached and the responsibilities he bore at thirteen or fourteen were like a towering mountain standing before Yūto.
This was both supreme glory and pride, as well as heavy pressure and a spur.
Although the current father didn’t look like the great figure in the legends at all, after experiencing the last incident, he had already understood just how powerful his father truly was.
Therefore, Yūto had begun to strictly demand of himself from very early on.
He practiced hard, refined his Ninjutsu, studied the knowledge of governance, and worked hard to temper his Heart-Nature.
He tried to erase the "child" label from himself, desperately wanting to prove that he was mature and strong enough to be worthy of the name "Son of Uzumaki Naruto" and even... in the future, to become a pillar who protects Hidden Leaf Village and peace like his father.
Seeing her grandson’s serious and self-disciplined "little adult" look, Ino Yamanaka couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
She stepped forward and stretched out her still well-maintained hand, gently but firmly taking Yūto’s hand.
"What silly things are you saying?"
Ino’s voice was gentle and full of affection, carrying the wisdom settled by time.
"In the eyes of your grandpa and grandma, no matter how old you grow or what remarkable achievements you make..."
She looked up and met Inoichi’s eyes; both had the same smile and doting look in their eyes.
"You will always be our beloved ’child’."
Ino lightly patted the back of Yūto’s hand, her tone becoming serious and concerned:
"We know you want to follow in your father’s footsteps and grow up quickly to become stronger. That’s good, you have ambition."
"But, Yūto," she looked at her grandson’s eyes, which were very similar to Naruto’s but more calm,
"Growth takes time, and more importantly, it requires a balance between tension and relaxation. Today is a festival, a day for relaxation and enjoying happiness.
Occasionally acting like a ’child’—tasting snacks, playing with masks, watching fireworks—won’t affect your determination to become stronger."
"We’ve seen your training intensity lately. Listen to your grandma, don’t push yourself too hard."
"Your father didn’t become that strong just by relying on blind hard practice back then; even if you want to cultivate, you must pay attention to combining work and rest.
Your father has a heart that cherishes companions and protects bonds, and he knows how to stop at the right time to enjoy the beauty life offers."
Ino’s words were like a trickling stream, moisturizing things silently.
She gently placed the fox mask into Yūto’s hand, not forcing him to wear it, just letting him hold it.
"Take this as a souvenir of the festival."
Yūto looked down at the fox mask in his hand, then up at his grandmother’s gentle gaze, and then at his grandfather’s face full of expectation and kindness... the young man’s tense heartstrings, eager to prove himself, seemed to be lightly plucked.
His tense shoulders relaxed slightly, the corners of his mouth curled up almost imperceptibly, and finally, he nodded gently.
"Mm... thank you, Grandma, Grandpa."
He didn’t put it on, but he didn’t refuse again, just carefully held the mask in his hand.
Just then, Hiashi finished buying the Takoyaki. Sōta impatiently used a bamboo skewer to pick one up and took a bite; his cute appearance of huffing from the heat but being reluctant to spit it out made Himawari giggle.
Hiashi also laughed heartily, carefully helping his little grandson blow it cool.
Inoichi and Ino looked at the heartwarming scene over there, then at Yūto beside them, who was starting to relax and was attracted by the festival’s liveliness, and they smiled at each other.
"Big brother! Grandpa Inoichi and Grandma Ino!"
At this time, Sōta also noticed the three behind Hiashi. He held up a Takoyaki with his bamboo skewer and pointed it toward the three of them.
"Eat!"
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