Chapter 78: With Eyes Like Mine, You Can Crush a Jonin

"In the end... I still lost."

With Ryosuke's help, Hyuga Hiashi struggled to his feet, his expression filled with unwillingness and frustration. His ninja vest was soaked in blood, and crimson stained the numerous cuts covering his body. While none of the wounds were deep enough to be fatal, there were many of them—each a result of his body failing to withstand the intense pressure from earlier.

"I'll go get a medic."

Ryosuke supported him to sit down beneath a nearby tree and turned to leave. But just as he moved, Hiashi grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

"No need. I've already stopped the bleeding myself. It's nothing serious."

His voice was complicated, laced with emotion, and carried a rare softness.

"Sit. Let's talk, father and son."

Hiashi stared directly into Ryosuke's eyes, the seriousness in his gaze undeniable. Ryosuke didn't take his words at face value, though. He narrowed his eyes and carefully inspected his father's physical state. Once he confirmed that Hiashi wasn't in immediate danger, he sat down beside him without protest.

The moment he sat, Hiashi asked, without any pretense:

"Tell me the truth—did you go all out just now?"

Ryosuke hesitated briefly, then shook his head.

"No. My chakra's still full."

Of course, he held back. He couldn't unleash his full strength against his own father.

During the fight, he deliberately expanded the area of pressure while weakening its intensity. If he had really let loose, his father wouldn't have walked away with just surface wounds. Bones could have shattered. Organs might have ruptured. He had seen animals crushed instantly by the same pressure.

Sure, a trained human body is far more durable than a wild animal, but as his own control and mastery increased, so did his destructive potential.

Hiashi silently nodded, then after a moment asked again:

"I noticed you didn't use any genjutsu. Were you holding back on purpose? Or… were you unaware you could've used it?"

"You know, if you had used your illusion techniques, this fight would've ended much quicker. It wouldn't have looked as dramatic as your pressure ability, but it would've been over fast."

Dispelling illusions took time. The Uchiha clan had always been a match for the Hyuga largely due to their genjutsu-enhanced Sharingan. Even the Byakugan, with all its clarity and vision, couldn't instantly break those illusions.

Ryosuke's version of the Byakugan had similar capabilities. If he had used them, Hiashi knew he would've lost almost instantly.

Ryosuke lowered his head and murmured, "…I wanted to beat you head-on."

Hiashi froze for a second, caught off guard by the honest answer.

Truthfully, Ryosuke didn't want to win by using tricks. Even if illusions were part of his natural ability set, it felt like cheating on a test. What he truly wanted was to defeat his father purely with taijutsu and skill.

But… that was easier said than done.

He lacked experience. He wasn't as familiar with the clan's techniques as his father. A clean, straight-up win just wasn't realistic yet.

Still, he didn't resort to shortcuts. He'd fought fair.

After a long silence, Hiashi turned to look at him again.

"You're still young… or maybe you just don't think much of me anymore."

"No—no, not at all! I didn't mean it like that," Ryosuke said quickly, waving his hands in denial. "I just… I want to gain more battle experience."

"You've seen it yourself. I'm still lacking when it comes to actual combat, especially against experienced opponents. Fighting you like this was a chance to learn in a relatively safe environment."

He spoke with complete sincerity, but to Hiashi, it sounded a bit... insulting.

Relatively safe? Did that mean Ryosuke didn't see him as a real threat?

Being sized up like that by someone so much younger—his own son in law—filled Hiashi with a strange mixture of pride and helplessness.

He wasn't unfamiliar with Ryosuke's powers. He'd seen both the illusions and the crushing pressure before. In fact, he'd spent a lot of time recently trying to figure out how to defend against them—and failed.

Hiashi had long since realized something important:

"So this is the Byakugan of our Hyuga clan... It really isn't any weaker than the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan."

He had repeated this thought countless times in his heart, but this was the first time he ever said it out loud. He hadn't told Ryosuke before—mostly because he feared the boy might grow overconfident, like so many Uchiha had in the past.

But now… he was starting to think there was nothing wrong with relying on that power.

"In that fight, your strength, speed, and reflexes were already at the level of a Chunin," Hiashi continued, now in a teaching tone. "But you still lack the reaction speed of a Jonin."

"You're thinking too much in the middle of battle. Overanalyzing slows your instincts. If you want to improve, start sharpening your combat intuition."

But then, he stopped and shook his head with a tired smile.

"Actually, forget that. Those tips are for average ninjas. You're not like the rest of us. You should be focusing on your unique Byakugan."

Even though he dismissed his own advice, Ryosuke nodded seriously.

"I'll keep that in mind, Father. I'll take your advice."

He truly valued his father's suggestions. In the recent battle, he clearly recognized his weaknesses, and he was already planning how to overcome them.

"No," Hiashi interrupted him, "You shouldn't follow my path. You're walking a different road."

"Our clan… we've made too many mistakes. Somewhere along the way, we stopped focusing on our bloodline. We chased after secret techniques and taijutsu, and forgot who we are."

He raised a trembling hand and gently brushed it against Ryosuke's cheek, before resting it over his eyes.

"These eyes… they're incredible."

There was a touch of envy in his voice as he gazed at Ryosuke's Byakugan.

"Just with this pair of eyes, you already have the power to crush a Jonin. Don't waste that talent, Ryosuke."

"From today onward, you're free. I won't interfere with your growth anymore. As far as I'm concerned, you're already a full-fledged ninja."

"But if you ever need anything—anything at all—come to me. As long as your request is reasonable, I'll do everything I can to support you."

His tone shifted from reflective to relieved, and at last, there was nothing left but pride in Hyuga Hiashi's heart.

A younger generation like this… and his own son-in-law at that.

Ryosuke's potential was blossoming more and more each day—and nothing could've made him prouder.

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