"Onii-san, wahhh…"
On December 12th, Hanabi (the "little sister-in-law") finally made her "long-awaited" appearance.
After entering the traditional-style house and finding Izayoi seated on a tatami mat surrounded by a pile of scrolls, Hanabi wasted no time rushing into his arms, letting out a pitiful fake wail.
"What's wrong?"
Izayoi casually tossed aside the ninjutsu scroll in his hand and hugged his little sister-in-law back, gently patting her on the back as he asked, "Who bullied my precious Hanabi? Tell Onii-san. I'll use the Transformation Jutsu and help you get revenge."
"Pfft…"
Since Hanabi had only been pretending to cry, she couldn't hold back a laugh. Still, she stuck to her act: wiping non-existent tears from the corner of her eye and tilting her head upward to stare pitifully at Izayoi.
"It's Father and the elders," she said plaintively.
A cold gleam flashed across Izayoi's eyes. He asked in a serious tone, "Are they forcing you to get the Caged Bird Seal?"
If so, then he needed to pay the Hyūga clan a visit. If the shock value of his Wood Release wasn't enough, he'd make them taste the power of the Tenseigan.
At this point, with how obvious his relationship with Hinata was, they still had the nerve to brand Hanabi with the seal? A self-proclaimed noble clan without a single Kage-level shinobi to back them—where did they get that kind of nerve?
"Caged Bird Seal? What's that?"
Hanabi blinked, apparently clueless about the clan's harsher traditions. However, seeing how Izayoi's expression became rather scary, she realized she'd taken her teasing too far. Pouting, she explained, "I don't really know what's going on with Father and the elders lately. Every day they keep pushing me to train harder, nagging that if I stay lazy, how am I supposed to uphold the clan's honor and stuff like that. They have people waiting for me at the school gates every day after class, and they won't let me go out on weekends either. They won't even let my sister take me anywhere, so I haven't had any time to come see you, Onii-san."
Izayoi's face froze for a moment before he gave a helpless smile.
He had assumed the Hyūga were being reckless, planning to butt heads with a Wood-Release ninja. Turns out they were just as pragmatic as ever, already prepared to marry off their heiress (Hinata) and groom the younger daughter (Hanabi) to be the clan's next leader. That explained why Hanabi hadn't visited him all this time.
He reached out and pinched Hanabi's cheek, asking with a grin, "So how'd you manage to come out today?"
"The elders agreed to let me go this time," Hanabi replied.
She took out a letter from inside her robe and handed it to Izayoi. "They told me to deliver this and make sure it gets directly into your hands, Onii-san."
Izayoi accepted the envelope curiously and tore it open. Inside was a single invitation. After reading the text, the corners of his mouth quirked upward.
"Onii-san, what does it say?"
Seeing Izayoi smile like that, Hanabi grew curious. She stood up behind him, leaned forward over his shoulder, and propped her chin on it, peering at the invitation as well.
Soon enough, she pouted again in displeasure. "They're so biased. They never gave you any invitation for my birthday party, but for Sis's birthday, they send me to deliver one. So unfair."
And with that, Hanabi began tugging at Izayoi's hair, "throwing a fit":
"I don't care! Onii-san has to come to my birthday party next year, too."
"All right, all right…"
With his hair mussed up, Izayoi had no choice but to surrender. He repeatedly assured her, "Next year, I'll definitely come to Hanabi's birthday party. Even if you don't send me an invitation, I'll show up uninvited."
Truth be told, Izayoi had already wanted to celebrate Hanabi's birthday in a similar manner to how the Hyūga sisters would spend every birthday with him.
But Hanabi's birthday fell on March 27th—a particularly inconvenient time, as it clashed with the "fetal movement" phase of Izayoi's Tenseigan awakening. By the time that ended, her birthday had long since passed.
Hanabi, of course, knew nothing about all that. Feeling gratified at Izayoi's promise, she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Heehee… So that's a done deal, right, Onii-san? If you bail on me, I'll spike your milk with laxatives and spit in it."
"Hmm?"
Izayoi's eyes narrowed instantly. He pulled Hanabi around to face him, smushing her cheeks a bit. With a half-smile, half-scowl, he demanded, "Spit in my milk? Where'd you even get such a prank? Don't tell me you've already tried it before!"
"N-no, I haven't!" Hanabi mumbled. "I only sneaked a drink of your milk."
"That's not so different from spitting in it! Wait, how'd you hide it from me?"
"Eheh… I just topped it off with water."
"So that's why a few times the taste was off! You little brat—time for a beating!"
Izayoi flicked Hanabi's forehead, and the two started horsing around on the tatami. It was like not seeing Hinata for a month and reconnecting as though newlyweds—except this was Izayoi's "little sister-in-law." Hanabi had missed him even more intensely.
In the original story, Hanabi ended up fawning over her older sister, primarily because once she became self-aware, only Hinata treated her gently at home.
Her father and the elders were always so solemn. She grew to admire her sister deeply, and after she beat Hinata once in a spar, Father and the elders placed huge expectations on her, forcing her to mature prematurely.
Yet now, with Izayoi's influence, not only has Hinata changed, but so has Hanabi.
In the source material, the reserved Hinata wouldn't have known how to look after a child.
But Izayoi, having lived two lives, had both the time and patience—and enough knowledge and ability—to train Hanabi.
Around him, she never had to worry about propriety or manners; she could be herself, knowing "Onii-san" would always indulge her.
And if she messed up, Izayoi would gently correct her, never raising his voice or scolding her sternly. As for strict training, well, even that ended with him letting her "get revenge" by biting him, plus healing up afterward.
Though Izayoi was only five years older, when Hanabi entered the Ninja Academy, he and Hinata hadn't even graduated yet—but he was already so impressive.
Neither her classmates, nor older students, nor even the teachers could compare to him. So Hanabi's hero-worship of Izayoi surpassed her admiration for Father.
After several years, instead of being "Sis-obsessed" as in the original, she'd become "Onii-san-obsessed." This was the first time since she had self-awareness that Hanabi had gone so long without seeing Izayoi.
Wrestling around, she suddenly pressed her face into Izayoi's chest and spoke in a slightly choked tone: "Onii-san, I've missed you so, so much."
Izayoi froze for a moment, then patted her head. "If you don't want to stay home to train, you can come to Onii-san's place from now on. I'll teach you here, same as before."
"Really?"
A sparkle lit Hanabi's damp eyes, but then her mood quickly dimmed again. Shaking her head sadly, she said, "But Father and the elders would never agree to that."
"I'll write a letter. You take it back and show them—then they'll agree," Izayoi said confidently. There was a certain dominating air in his voice.
He had his reasons for killing Danzo and crippling Root during the Konoha Crush. Had Sarutobi Hiruzen or Danzo stayed in power, Izayoi wouldn't be nearly as free, or enjoy the same status—even with Wood Release.
Now with Tsunade at the helm, Izayoi was Konoha's future and among its strongest. He could be polite and respectful to seniors, or he could refuse outright. The pragmatic Hyūga would definitely give him face. And if they didn't, he'd make them.
Hanabi, of course, had no clue how powerful her Onii-san truly was. She simply squealed with delight. "Yay! I get to be with Onii-san again!"
"Onii-san, I love you so much!"
She hugged his neck tightly, gave his cheek a big kiss, and then climbed up on his shoulders, shouting, "Onii-san, I want a piggyback ride—let's go look around outside!"
"Sure thing…"
Izayoi let her have her way. Interlacing fingers with her, he stood up and carried her out into the garden.
"Onii-san, are all these fish in the pond the ones you caught?"
"Hahaha… As expected of Hanabi, you noticed the key detail right away."
"Heehee… Onii-san, those trees over there, did you make them with Wood Release?"
"Some of them, yeah. But the cherry blossom trees, I brought them back from Sakura Street on a special trip."
"Onii-san, I see a swing over there! I want to swing!"
"No problem. That's exactly why I set it up."
"Onii-san, get your camera out. Let's take some pictures together!"
"Right, almost forgot…"
Thus, for the better part of the day, Izayoi accompanied Hanabi around his new home.
Once they'd explored the garden and traditional buildings to their heart's content, they headed to the villa. Though the weather was cold now, there was a heated pool indoors.
As a young heiress, Hanabi wasn't so interested in old-style structures, but she absolutely loved the modern villa—especially the pool, something she'd never experienced before.
So she slipped into a specially tailored school-style swimsuit Izayoi had made for her and jumped right into the heated pool to have fun swimming around.
"The water's not cold at all. Onii-san, come swim with me!"
"You got it."
Izayoi, wearing just swim trunks, dove in too. They raced each other back and forth. After they finished swimming, they went to an indoor court where he taught her how to play table tennis and basketball.
Izayoi wasn't sure if ball sports existed in this ninja world, but he'd introduced them here anyway. Besides the gym, there was also a card/poker room.
Often if the "Rookie Nine" came to visit and he was busy, he'd just send them there to entertain themselves with sports or card games—or even spar in the backyard's arena.
Tsunade also frequently brought Shizune, playing cards with Hinata and Karin, always walking away as the "champion."
Hanabi played with Izayoi until evening. By then, Karin had finished her training and was back in the kitchen cooking. Hinata also showed up, presumably to help out. So the sisters ended up having dinner at Izayoi's place.
They ate their fill, rested a bit, and then all changed into school-swimsuit-like outfits to soak in the private hot spring pool.
"Blub… blub…"
Noticing the "Squirtle" afloat on Hinata's chest, Karin revealed only her eyes and nose above the water, blowing bubbles in misery. Meanwhile…
"Onii-san, why isn't this hot spring open-air?"
Hanabi asked as she sat next to Izayoi, gazing up at the wooden roof beams.
"It can be, if you want to see the night sky," he replied with a smile.
"Yes, yes!"
Hanabi nodded eagerly. "It hasn't snowed today, so I bet the sky's beautiful."
"Alright, then let's open it up."
Izayoi got up to activate the barrier and press a button, causing the mechanized wooden roof to retract itself.
"Wow, it's gorgeous!"
Exclamations of delight came from the three girls in the hot spring. Izayoi didn't go back in right away; first he went to the kitchen to prepare some fruit platters and drinks.
He hesitated a bit when his gaze landed on a special bottle of saké he'd gotten for Tsunade, but ended up heating it and bringing it along.
He'd always heard about soaking in a hot spring with saké, but never tried it. Tonight's atmosphere was perfect, so he was going to break one of the "Three Shinobi Taboos."
When Izayoi returned to the hot spring with the drinks, the girls all shrieked:
"Ehhh! Izayoi-kun, are you actually going to drink alcohol? That's one of the Three Ninja Taboos!" Karin gasped.
"Izayoi-kun, I… I don't think that's a good idea," Hinata mumbled, fiddling with her fingers and avoiding eye contact.
"Heehee… Onii-san, I'll pour for you," Hanabi cheerfully offered, unconcerned about the so-called taboo. She grabbed the bottle and poured Izayoi's saké.
"I'm just curious," Izayoi said, giving a light chuckle as he sipped. He wrinkled his brow.
"What's it taste like?" Hanabi asked, eyes wide with curiosity. Hinata and Karin also turned to look.
"A bit sweet. It's a mild sort. Would either of you like a taste?" Izayoi asked Hinata and Karin.
"No, thank you!"
The two "good kids" frantically shook their heads.
"Onii-san, why didn't you ask me?" Hanabi pouted.
"Try sneaking a sip and I'll give you a spanking," Izayoi warned, raising a fist.
"Ewww, Onii-san's so mean!"
Hanabi scooped up a handful of hot water, splashing it onto Izayoi's face.
"Oh, so you dare splash me? Take this!" Izayoi promptly set aside his cup and retaliated with more water.
"Onii-san's bullying me! Sis, Karin-neechan, help!" Hanabi shouted.
"Hanabi, don't be silly," Hinata chided with a sigh.
But Karin giggled and said, "I got your back, Hanabi!" And so the two girls teamed up on Izayoi, constantly flinging water at him.
Before long, someone cheated by using chakra, turning a gentle splash into a powerful water jet—which accidentally hit Hinata in the corner, eyes closed, enjoying a moment of peace. Her hair, wrapped in a towel, instantly fell into a soggy mess.
Slowly opening her pale lavender Byakugan, Hinata's gaze became razor-sharp.
"Gentle Fist Art… Eight Trigrams: Water Flow Palm!"
A column of water erupted, instantly turning the cozy spring into a chaotic battlefield.
~~~
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