"What are you doing getting so close to me?"
Hiashi Hyūga was clearly uncomfortable with Satori Hyūga's proximity, his face showing clear resistance.
But Satori didn't care in the least.
In his eyes, Hiashi was nothing more than a kid trying to play grown-up.
"Young master, you've got to work hard. Don't let our Hyūga clan lose to the Uchiha clan."
Hiashi huffed and lifted his head proudly. "Of course not! I will definitely bring great honor to the Hyūga clan and show everyone who truly deserves to be called Konoha's strongest dojutsu family!"
At this young age, Hiashi carried some youthful arrogance and hadn't yet become the strict traditionalist he would later be known as.
Satori clapped his hands together enthusiastically, lavishing praise on him.
"No wonder you're the young master—you have such big dreams! You'll surely lead our Hyūga clan into a glorious era."
And that was almost exactly what happened.
He eventually grew up, worked hard, and fathered two daughters—both of whom married into the Uzumaki family, including Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage.
That alone practically guaranteed the Hyūga clan's rise to prominence.
Looking at Satori praising him like this, Hiashi felt a flicker of unease in his gut.
To him, Satori simply didn't seem like the kind of person who gave compliments easily.
"Alright," Hiashi said cautiously, "what exactly are you planning to do?"
Satori grinned and launched into his pitch.
"To lead the Hyūga clan toward glory, we first need to strengthen our power. After all, in the ninja world, strength is everything."
"You've seen how powerful my upgraded Gentle Fist technique is. So how about helping me spread the word among the clan? I just want to earn a bit of pocket money for tuition."
Hiashi was stunned, staring at Satori in disbelief. "You actually want to sell your personally developed jutsu to others?"
This was an original jutsu-taijutsu hybrid technique that no one had noticed yet.
Its secrets were completely unknown to anyone else.
In the ninja world, information and intelligence were the most important assets.
A martial art whose secrets were unknown represented an unexpected advantage.
If used on the battlefield, it could become a secret weapon—earning its user instant renown.
And here Satori was, openly selling it—that baffled Hiashi completely.
This attitude was indeed very different from the values held by most in the ninja world.
To them, personally developed techniques were sacred treasures—meant to be closely guarded.
Even if they were ever passed down, it was only given to one's own disciples or children.
Selling them publicly was completely unthinkable.
"Yeah, after all, I'm part of the Hyūga family too. Of course I want to contribute something to our clan!" Satori Hyūga declared solemnly.
In reality, though, he just wanted to rake in some cash.
The older he got, the more he ate.
Feeding-Back Jutsu 2.0 was extremely effective, enhancing his physical strength significantly.
However, according to the law of conservation of energy, the greater the enhancement, the more energy needed to refuel afterward.
Lately, Satori always felt famished.
So he had begun looking for ways to earn cash.
Instead of asking his grandfather, Hyūga Sounmei, for handouts, he preferred making money his own way.
The upgraded Gentle Fist was a style he had created somewhat accidentally—selling it didn't faze him at all.
As for truly valuable techniques—the real game-changers like [A Flick of the Finger / A Surge of Qi], or the painful meridian-targeting strikes—he had no intention of parting with those.
Doing so would also strengthen his status and importance within the Hyūga Clan.
Think about it—if someone created an upgraded version of the Gentle Fist technique, they'd surely be treated as a genius and nurtured accordingly.
As long as he could redirect the resources of the Hyūga Clan toward himself, that would be more than enough to keep him well-provided for.
Recalling the previous battle experience, Hiashi hesitated slightly before giving a slow nod.
"I'll speak for you. But whether or not the others in the clan are willing to learn from you is beyond my control."
This was exactly the response Satori wanted.
He had full confidence in his upgraded Gentle Fist.
It was strong on offense, solid on defense, and offered endless variations. Once someone started learning it, others would surely follow.
The reason he asked Hiashi to help promote this was mainly to shut up the traditionalist faction within the clan.
Satori had encountered those decaying old fools before.
They clung tightly to outdated traditions, refusing to accept anything new.
In their eyes, anything passed down from ancestors must be the best—change wasn't easily allowed.
This was a common problem among most members of the Hyūga Clan.
Even Hyuga Sounmei used to be just like them.
However, after Satori demonstrated his skills and defeated him decisively once, he didn't say anything else.
At the end of the day, strength always spoke louder than words.
It would be difficult for Satori alone to break new ground with the Gentle Fist style, so bringing Hiashi on board would help keep the conservative elders quiet.
Satori's plan made perfect sense.
Though Hiashi had been defeated by Satori, he held no resentment—he genuinely began spreading the word about Satori's new technique.
This significantly improved Satori's opinion of him.
Hiashi might have lacked a bit in power and talent, but he did possess vision.
What surprised Satori was that the first person to come and learn from him was Chonghuo Hyūga.
The very first person he had defeated.
Also the guy who had looked down on him all along back when they were classmates.
Chonghuo knelt formally on the tatami mat, bowing deeply with a serious expression.
"Master Satori, I admit my earlier shortsightedness. I sincerely apologize and hope for your forgiveness," he said.
They were all part of the same clan after all, and Chonghuo was just a young, hot-headed brat.
Satori didn't take it too seriously and waved his hand casually.
"Never mind, I accept your apology."
Hearing this, Chonghuo's face lit up with joy, and he quickly asked, "Then… may I learn your upgraded Gentle Fist?"
Seeing business picking up, Satori naturally saw no reason to refuse. Smiling, he replied, "Of course you can—but I do charge tuition. Two thousand silver coins per person."
Without hesitation, Chonghuo immediately pulled out a stack of money from his robe.
"I've already prepared it. Please accept this, Master Satori."
Satori's eyes brightened as he quickly counted the coins, confirmed everything was in order, then tucked them into his robe.
Two thousand silver coins might not seem like much, but it was actually enough for an average person to live comfortably for an entire month.
To him, this was quite a decent sum.
Whether for covering meal expenses or buying medicinal herbs for consumption, it worked perfectly.
With his first payment secured, he happily stood up.
"Chonghuo, follow me."
"
Since you've paid the tuition, I'll teach you my New Gentle Fist. I hope you can master it quickly."
At this moment, he took on the demeanor of a strict teacher, explaining the core principles and power-generation techniques of the New Gentle Fist.
Chonghuo Hyuga listened with increasing excitement, his eyes lighting up more and more. He couldn't believe the Gentle Fist could be applied in such a manner.
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