Chapter 28 — Virtual Reality

Hinata looked utterly blank.

Meow? Meow? Meow?

What the hell is the Primordial Sect?

Did they really think the Hyuga clan had no genealogy?

She had never once seen Wang Huai'an in that genealogy.

Though under the subtle influence of the mental field Hinata felt that Wang Huai'an's appearance bore a faint resemblance to her own, the dark gleam deep in his eyes was absolutely not the Byakugan!

"You don't have the Byakugan, so you are not from the Hyuga clan at all. Please don't treat me like a child and lie to me."

A determined look appeared on Hinata's delicate little face. "Please, you must let me leave this place. Otherwise, even if I die, I will not let you obtain the Byakugan."

Every branch-house member had the resolve to protect the Byakugan; as the eldest daughter of the main house's direct line, she would never bring shame to her clan!

"Silly child."

Wang Xu sneered.

He had miscalculated; he had assumed everyone read as fast as he did, never expecting Hinata's progress through that pile of "prophecy books" to be only fifteen percent.

If Hinata had finished all of Naruto, her reaction would probably have been very different.

After all, the illusory form Wang Xu now displayed combined the appearances of himself, the Otsutsuki brothers, and Hinata—four people in one.

However, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were only reading a story, while Hinata studied the drawing techniques in her mind as she read; it drained more energy, so she read more slowly.

"These Linxi Eyes are called the Ultimate Pupil."

Wang Yanzhou's voice was full of vicissitudes, as if he were recalling something, and he opened his mouth with a stream of nonsense: "The Hyuga line descends from Hamura Otsutsuki, the younger brother of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths. He bestowed the Byakugan upon his descendants, while the Sage of Six Paths passed down the Sharingan."

"When the Byakugan evolves to its utmost, it becomes the Tenseigan."

"When the Sharingan evolves to its utmost, it becomes the Rinnegan."

"And when the Tenseigan and Rinnegan fuse, tracing back to the source, they become these Ultimate Pupils, possessing the supreme power to create, destroy, and rewrite the past."

"So, I should count as the ancestor of your ancestors."

"And... let you leave? Silly child, this is your dream."

There was too much information; Hinata's mind was a little scrambled. A blank, adorable expression appeared on her plump little face, making one want to pinch it.

"Tenseigan, Rinnegan, Ultimate Pupil, dream..." Hinata murmured to herself.

She had only read part of the prophecy books, but she vaguely felt that Wang Xu might be telling the truth.

Looking closely at Wang Xu's handsome face, her hostility diminished somewhat.

"Then... what do you want with me?" Hinata said.

Wang Xu smiled faintly: "I am only a wisp of residual soul now. After all my wishes and enemies were completely settled, I exhausted my lifespan and died peacefully of old age. I passed my will down through my bloodline. Only a descendant blessed with deep fortune, when gripped by a powerful desire in their heart, can meet me in a dream."

"So it is not that I sought you out—it is that you sought me out. What is it? I can sense your confusion and your longing for freedom."

Hearing this, Hinata looked a little dispirited: "N-nothing... I'm fine."

Wang Xu sneered: "Your long-term depression and entanglement come precisely from turning the betrayal of your true heart into a habit. Your subconscious and conscious mind are completely at odds."

Hinata did not quite understand what he was saying, but she could not help feeling—he made so much sense!

"Foolish child! Still not awake?"

Wang Huai'an's voice was like the evening drum and morning bell, thought-provoking and deep.

"From now on, follow only what your heart desires. Because your courage is enough to bear the consequences of any decision."

Hinata was somewhat dazed.

How she longed to become such a person...

"Perhaps you still do not know what you want, but at least you know what you do not want!"

Wang Huai'an's voice continued.

"Love yourself. There is no need to cling to others. You possess the bloodline limit with the greatest potential in this world—do not waste yourself on pointless inner conflict."

"Seek the meaning of life. Truly live."

"Remember..."

"Be yourself!"

The final words were deeply branded into the depths of Hinata's heart.

"The Primordial Sect... waaah..."

Hinata cried.

She crouched down, wrapped her arms around her knees, and sobbed as if her heart were being torn apart.

No one had ever cared about her like this, no one had ever cared what she truly wanted, and no one had ever told her what she should do.

Wang Xu had once read a passage that struck him as very reasonable: "Practice is the most important thing. To accept all principles without acting on them is to keep struggling inside an endless loop."

Fortunately, Hinata was not that kind of person.

She had already understood what her heart wanted, and she had likewise strengthened her life's ideals and pursuits.

"A child worth teaching."

Wang Xu stroked his beard with his hand, but caught only air; his smooth chin had nothing for him to stroke.

Thick-skinned as a city wall, he felt not the slightest embarrassment. Instead, he adapted on the spot, pretentiously formed a hand seal, and turned a wisp of mental energy into a thought-body attached to the depths of her consciousness.

"Next time you need me, just say 'Primordial Sect' before you sleep."

Leaving only that sentence, Wang Xu vanished without a trace.

That night, Hinata slept sweetly.

...

The next day.

Sunagakure, Land of Wind.

The sun shone brightly; it was the season when all things sprouted, yet this desert nation had changed little—still yellow sand filling the sky, still turbid winds rolling on.

"I left a thought-body with Hinata, so there is no need to make a special trip there in the future."

Wang Xu had the auxiliary program run a calculation: guiding Hinata's fate would yield between twenty and thirty thousand resource points in the future.

That would make up for the deficit incurred by purchasing the Timeline Observer secondary profession.

Breakfast was very simple, yet nutritionally well balanced: pan-fried beef chunks, fresh-pressed cactus fruit juice, and white bread.

After breakfast, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa held a cordial meeting with the four from Konoha.

"I come to Sunagakure on behalf of the Ninja World Peace Council. There are three matters to handle."

As soon as Wang Xu said this, the smile on Rasa's face quickly disappeared.

Although he did not know what the Ninja World Peace Council was, the name of the organization alone revealed its nature.

Rasa's tone was calm, but carried a hint of no room for doubt: "If you are here to persuade Sunagakure to give up its tailed beast, you had better not speak, lest we hurt the harmony."

"How could I! Before joining the Council, I was a merchant. A merchant must uphold the principle of harmony bringing wealth. If I were to make you give up your tailed beast, I would never take such a job."

Wang Xu smiled gently, unoffended.

Beside him, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura broke out in goosebumps.

If they had not known him for so long, they would probably have believed Wang Xu was telling the truth.

That acting...

He must have practiced it!

The tense muscles in Rasa's face relaxed slightly: "That is good. And these three are?"

His gaze was like a blade, scraping back and forth over the three genin of Team 7, making all three's hair stand on end, cold sweat soaking their clothes.

"The nephews of some friends. They have received ninja training and are fairly capable. I brought them along this time to broaden their horizons."

Wang Xu explained, glossing over the important points.