“Pfft!”
With just a gentle step, Seven Nights' figure blurred.
Then, as if teleporting, he appeared ten meters away.
His movements never stopped, his figure flickering between solidity and transparency as he moved.
Like a drifting breeze, effortless and natural.
Even Hyuga Soen couldn't predict where Seven Nights would land next.
After a dozen seconds, Seven Nights returned to his seat in front of Soen.
Soen set the book aside and asked, "Can the 'Body Flicker' from this book be practiced to your level?"
Seven Nights' eyes flickered slightly as he nodded firmly, "Of course, just a little talent and some effort."
Soen stared at him with a vacant gaze, remaining silent.
Seven Nights stared back with wide, sincere eyes.
After a moment of silence, Soen chuckled.
"Heh, you kid..."
Soen smiled in satisfaction.
The best things are naturally meant to be kept for oneself.
But this child's willingness to share this jutsu shows he still holds family in his heart.
Soen suppressed his smile and pondered as he looked at Seven Nights.
Seven Nights' talent was already becoming evident, not just in his mastery of Gentle Fist, but more importantly, his innovative ability.
Soen had spent two years teaching him, and he knew Seven Nights' character well.
He had talent, perseverance, a calm personality, and could endure solitude...
Once he matured, he would be the face of the Hyuga clan.
"What reward do you want?"
"What?" Seven Nights was taken aback, "There's a reward?"
Soen said with a stern face, "Hmph! Since it's a new jutsu, handing it over to the clan naturally requires a reward, whether it's a jutsu of the same level or corresponding training resources... This is the old rule."
"Of course, I have to handle this personally. Those guys in the main family these days..."
Soen stopped mid-sentence.
He simply snorted coldly, his face not looking good.
Seven Nights didn't press further on what was wrong with the main family. His little body didn't need to worry about those things yet.
What reward should he ask for?
Seven Nights went through what he had learned so far.
His training resources were already better than many of the inheriting children from smaller families.
With Hyuga Soen as his backing, Seven Nights wasn't lacking in guidance.
He had seen his uncle perform the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and the Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation. When he mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms, he could then ask his uncle for further instruction.
He could further develop 'Body Flicker,' and in his imagination, its potential was immense.
Especially for Seven Nights now, his body was still small, lacking strength, so he could only compensate with speed.
The 'Circulation Breath Method' was currently sufficient for nurturing his body and spirit, but just barely. He'd love to have deeper knowledge, like some information about the Yang Release and Yin Release.
"Should I learn some other nature-related jutsus?"
Seven Nights had already used chakra paper to test his nature, and he only had Wind Release.
Of course, in his opinion, everyone should have all five nature releases, but due to physique and bloodline, some were more inclined towards certain nature releases.
"Forget it, I'm still too young. Learning too much can lead to being well-versed but not proficient..."
"Moreover, low-level Wind Release jutsus can be learned through many avenues later..."
After careful analysis, Seven Nights realized that all he needed to do was stick to his training step-by-step. What he currently possessed was enough to keep him busy for a long time.
“...Uncle, I want to learn Summoning Jutsu.”
In the end, Seven Nights chose this.
Nourished by his chakra and ample food, the Azure Bird had grown rapidly. In just a year, it was over a meter tall with a wingspan of nearly two meters.
Chakra was flowing through its body, though not much, but its intelligence had grown immensely. It could now fully understand Seven Nights' instructions, but it couldn't yet speak like other summoning beasts.
Seven Nights didn't expect the Azure Bird to fight for him. He considered it a companion to talk to and relieve boredom from training.
Of course, if it could become stronger, that would be great.
He eagerly awaited the day when the Azure Bird could speak.
…………
The Hyuga clan, main family estate.
Hyuga Kenshin—Hyuga Hizashi's father, the current head of the Hyuga clan.
He read the jutsu scroll labeled 'Body Flicker' in his hands, his face betraying no emotion.
He was more interested in the person who sent the jutsu—Hyuga Soen.
A clan elder from the branch family, an old relic who had lived since the Warring States Period.
There weren't many people in Konohagakure as old as Hyuga Soen, even fewer in the Hyuga clan.
"Body Flicker?"
"A rapid movement jutsu developed by Hyuga Seven Nights, eliminating the stiffness of the normal Body Flicker Jutsu…"
"A graduation gift for Hizashi and Neji…"
Hyuga Seven Nights?
Was he that kid who entered the academy last year?
Hyuga Kenshin searched for his memory of this name... ah, he always stayed with Hyuga Soen, and Hizashi had mentioned him occasionally, saying that he was quite talented...
"Heh, he's just a bit clever!"
"He's just borrowed a bit of the essence of 'Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation'."
"Besides being convenient for travel, it's nothing special."
'Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation' is a jutsu that releases chakra from every acupoint in the body, creating a defensive maneuver unique to the Hyuga clan.
While 'Body Flicker' releases chakra from the acupoints in the soles, although it's compressed in a special way, in Hyuga Kenshin's eyes, it's just picking up scraps.
Of course, for a child who had just entered the academy, being able to improve the Body Flicker Jutsu and eliminate its stiffness was commendable.
But that's all it was. There was nothing particularly impressive about it.
The moon hung high in the sky.
At Seven Nights' home, he practiced a modified version of Gentle Fist.
…………