"Grand Elder! Grand Elder!"
"Watch what you say!"
The two Hyuga ninja were so frightened their hands trembled.
The grand elder was normally cautious to a fault, meticulous in every detail.
Why had he suddenly lost his mind?
Admittedly, this Uchiha had hurled some filthy insults. The two of them would probably have snapped even sooner—
But that was no excuse to speak recklessly. Some things were fine to think.
Saying them out loud, though—
That was another matter entirely.
Leave those words unspoken and they weighed nothing. Put them on the record, and the consequences would be crushing!
"I—" The Hyuga grand elder had clearly realized something was wrong. He knew he had gone too far.
He was about to backpedal when Uchiha Kai cut him off.
"So you're saying the Hyuga Clan's rules outrank the village's?
"Being an elder must make you feel mighty important. You don't even respect a Jonin."
"You!"
"You what? You're only a Chunin, and you're already this arrogant?
"If you became a Jonin, would you ignore Lord Hokage's orders too?"
Mockery glinted in Uchiha Kai's eyes as he pressed the Hyuga grand elder.
"That's fucking bullshit!"
The furious Hyuga grand elder tried to argue, but the two Hyuga ninja beside him held him back.
Their voices were frantic, and cold sweat streamed down their foreheads.
Was this a joke? The boy was an Uchiha.
Who knew whether he had some special recording device tucked inside his clothes—
If those treasonous words were recorded—
"Kai, you've misunderstood. Our elder—our elder—he drank too much at the banquet!" The tall, thin Hyuga ninja stepped forward.
He forced an awkward smile as he explained to Uchiha Kai.
The boy tilted his head.
"Drank too much? Then he can get lost. Is he waiting for me to invite