Hokage, no one knows better than me how to cultivate talent.

Hinata gently opened the door, took off her shoes in the entryway, and walked in barefoot on the cool wooden floor.

"Is there something you need?" Hiashi Hyuga sat at his desk, a document spread out on it, and turned to Hinata to ask.

Although Hinata did not perform well in the last match against Hanabi, and he was indeed angry at the time, and the focus of the clan would shift to Hanabi afterward, Hinata was still the eldest daughter he had watched grow up. Over the years, he had spent a lot of energy and time on her. Putting aside her strength and talent, he still had a fondness for this gentle and always timid eldest daughter.

"The results of this month's exam are out." Hinata walked up to him, her hands neatly hanging at her sides, and said softly.

"What rank did you get?" Hiashi Hyuga asked calmly, without much expectation on his face.

He already knew Hinata's fourth-grade class very well.

That class was full of the best of the best. Apart from Uchiha Sasuke, the genius orphan who survived the night of the Uchiha clan's massacre, the other top students were basically the next clan leader successors carefully cultivated by their respective ninja clans. Each of them was no ordinary person.

Although the Hyuga clan is the most prestigious family in Konoha, Hinata is not like Neji, who could defeat all her classmates as soon as she entered school. She always hovers around the teens in every exam, neither good nor bad, but she has never stood out.

Hiashi Hyuga knew without a doubt that Hinata would likely finish in the teens again. Since the clan had already decided to focus on developing Hanabi, they would stop having her report after this one, to avoid repeated disappointment and embarrassment for Hinata.

"I got first place," Hinata said softly.

"What? First place?" Hiashi Hyuga paused in his movements, a look of astonishment flashing across his eyes.

How is that possible?

Over the years, his greatest expectation for Hinata was only second place. After all, Sasuke Uchiha had already awakened the Sharingan with one tomoe, and his combat ability far surpassed that of his peers. Hinata, who had not awakened the Byakugan, could never defeat him. However, he also knew Hinata's personality. This daughter had never lied since she was a child, and was often bullied by her peers because she was too honest.

Hiashi Hyuga felt a mix of emotions.

What kind of situation is this?

He thought to himself.

If you have this ability, why didn't you say so earlier?

The clan has already poured resources into Hanabi, adjusting her training plan, clan guidance, and cultivation resources. So when you tell him you got first place, it really caught him off guard.

"You did a very good job and did not disgrace the Hyuga clan." A rare smile appeared on Hyuga Hiashi's face.

Hinata's eyes welled up with tears upon hearing this, and a bright smile bloomed on her face.

"How did you get first place?" Hiashi Hyuga asked.

During this period, he didn't pay as much attention to Hinata's daily training as usual. He only knew that she came home very late every day after school, sometimes not until it was completely dark. He thought it was because the schoolwork had become more demanding.

"It was thanks to the special training I received from our new teacher, Shusui, and also because Naruto defeated Sasuke Uchiha, that I was able to get first place." Hinata's voice was full of gratitude as she spoke of Shusui, and her eyes lit up. She paused, then added, "If it weren't for Shusui training me all this time, I wouldn't have gotten first place, let alone received praise from Father."

Autumn waters?

Hiashi Hyuga looked puzzled and quickly went through all the Jonin in the village by name in his mind: Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi... The list went around in his mind, but there was no Jonin named Shusui.

Did Naruto Uzumaki, that fox demon kid, defeat Sasuke Uchiha?

He did know some inside information about Naruto Uzumaki, but wasn't his academic performance always among the worst?

However, Hiashi Hyuga didn't dwell on why Naruto Uzumaki had defeated Sasuke. He felt Hinata's first-place finish was somewhat questionable, and immediately asked, "Is this Shusui-sensei a Jonin?"

He was clear about the faculty configuration of the ninja academy. The vast majority of teachers were Chunin-level, and occasionally a very small number of special Jonin were assigned to teaching positions, but Jonin almost never went to the academy to teach.

"I don't think so. I remember that Shusui-sensei was only a Chunin." Hinata recalled for a moment, then quickly added, "But Shusui-sensei is really amazing. Not only is his cooking incredibly delicious, but training with him is never too tiring. The amount of training he arranges is just right. The content he teaches is also very easy to understand, unlike my previous teachers who were so boring. Oh, and he also taught me how to climb trees to familiarize myself with and control my chakra. My chakra control, which I used to struggle with, has improved a lot now."

Hinata rattled off a long string of words, only realizing afterward that she had said too much, and lowered her head slightly in embarrassment.

"It seems he's a teacher with good teaching abilities," Hiashi Hyuga said calmly after hearing the news.

He had already lost interest in Shusui. He had thought she was some newly promoted special jonin or a hidden master, but it turned out she was just an ordinary chunin teacher.

Even if his teaching ability is indeed better than that of the average teacher, he is still just a Chunin at the end of the day. His strength limit is fixed, and he can't be much stronger.

But on second thought, the fact that he was able to raise Hinata's ranking from the teens to first place does indeed show that he has some unique teaching methods.

Perhaps it was because Hiashi Hyuga had never spoken to Hinata so gently before, or perhaps it was because they talked about Shusui-sensei whom she was grateful to, or perhaps it was because she got first place in her first monthly exam and was praised by her father, that Hinata seemed to suddenly open up and was no longer as nervous as before, unable to speak after a few words.

She started chattering away, talking about the funny things that happened during Teacher Qiushui's classes, the little things that happened during training, and what her classmates thought of this new teacher. She kept talking nonstop, with a smile always on her face.

Looking at Hinata, who was all smiles and talking eloquently, Hiashi Hyuga felt a little unfamiliar with her.

When Hinata was with him in the past, she basically only said "Father" and nothing else.

Every time we met, it was like completing a task; I kept my head down and spoke so softly that I could hardly be heard.

But now she appears so lively and relaxed, almost like an ordinary daughter chatting with her father.

And the source of all this is that new teacher named Qiu Shui.

Hiashi Hyuga fell silent, his gaze fixed on Hinata's smiling face, and a thought suddenly came to mind.

Why didn't this guy come sooner?