Ino-Shika-Cho

Senya got out of bed and rubbed his head.

Senya's movements woke Anko, too, but she only pulled the white blanket over herself and mumbled something incoherent.

"We haven't been asleep that long. You go ahead. I'm going to sleep a little more..."

Her voice grew fainter toward the end, until all that could be heard was her soft snoring.

Senya helped pull the blanket over Anko and gently stroked her cheek a few times.

He went into the living room, put on the clothes he'd left scattered on the floor the night before, and got ready to head to the Police Force to handle the day's paperwork.

When he climbed out the window, Senya realized the sun had already risen to its peak, hanging in the middle of the sky.

The autumn sun wasn't as scorching as it had been in summer. Gusts of autumn wind stole away the warmth, but the sunlight on his skin brought a little of it back.

It was lunchtime, anyway. He'd used up quite a bit of energy the night before, so Senya changed direction and made the Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant his destination instead of the Police Force.

Senya took a seat in a private room and ordered every dish recommended on the menu.

The waiter took the menu and left without any unnecessary fuss.

Senya was quite pleased with that. He poured tea from the pot into his cup and slowly savored it while waiting for the barbecue.

A few minutes later, the waiter brought out freshly sliced meat and set it on the rack to one side.

With practiced ease, Senya used his black chopsticks to pick up streaky pork from the gleaming white plate and lay it on the silver grill set over the middle of the brown wooden table.

The moment the pork hit the grill, the blazing heat from the red-hot charcoal beneath it made it sizzle.

The heat coaxed milky-white, translucent fat from the meat, filling the private room with wave after wave of mouthwatering aroma.

Before long, Senya had covered the grill with all the meat from both plates.

He turned over the hourglass and waited quietly. When the sand ran out, it would be time to eat.

In the private room next door, Akimichi Choza, Nara Shikaku, and Yamanaka Inoichi were dining together. A tall stack of empty plates had already piled up beside Choza.

Inoichi and Shikaku were busy replenishing the grill with more meat.

Just then, the restaurant owner hurried in.

Choza stopped eating and looked at Akimichi Dōdō.

"Dōdō, aren't you the owner? Why are you serving people yourself? And why did you rush in like that? Is someone causing trouble in the restaurant?"

Seeing Dōdō's anxious expression, Choza couldn't help imagining the worst.

Shikaku put down his chopsticks and rested a hand on Choza's shoulder.

"Choza, the village's security has improved a lot since the Police Force reforms. It's probably not trouble in the restaurant. Let Dōdō explain what's going on first."

Dōdō then told them something none of the three in the room had expected.

"Clan Head, Uchiha Senya suddenly showed up at our barbecue restaurant. He's in the private room next door."

"What? Uchiha Senya? What's he doing here? Who did he come with?"

Dōdō shook his head.

"I don't know why he came. He's alone in the room and ordered a lot of meat. I heard the waiter mention it, so I came straight to tell you."

For a moment, Choza didn't know what to do.

Then Inoichi spoke up.

"Dōdō, go on and take care of your work. Leave this to the three of us."

Akimichi Dōdō left the room and went back to minding the restaurant. Shikaku was right: ever since the Police Force reforms, hardly anyone caused trouble there. On the rare occasions when a few drunkards got rowdy, the Police Force took them away and dealt with them by issuing fines.

Business had improved quite a bit as a result.

After Dōdō left, Choza narrowed his already small eyes and looked troubled as he turned to his two companions.

"What do you think it means that Uchiha Senya suddenly showed up? Could he just happen to have come for some barbecue?"

Inoichi sat cross-legged opposite them, his head bowed in thought. He couldn't quite figure out what Senya had in mind.

Shikaku tapped his fingers on the table and thought it over for a moment.

"I doubt it's a coincidence. The three of us clan heads happen to be here together today. That newly appointed Vice Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan probably got wind of something and came to sound us out."

"Does that mean the Uchiha Clan has noticed Root's movements?"

Inoichi suddenly looked up, remembering Root's actions a few days earlier.

"Bam!"

Choza slammed his fist against the table.

"Root! Damn Root! Who knows what the Third is thinking, allowing Root to demand people from Ino-Shika-Cho! And they only want children! Damn it!"

Shikaku sighed. Even he didn't know how to comfort Choza. It wasn't just the Akimichi Clan; Root had taken two children from each of the Nara and Yamanaka Clans, too.

"Root's actions may already have been noticed by the Uchiha Clan—or by Uchiha Senya himself."

"Though the village seems much more peaceful than before, under the surface, currents are running strong. The Uchiha Clan is probably lying low. It won't be long before they confront the village leadership."

The worry on Choza's face gave way to resolve.

"Shikaku, I know you'll have a plan. What should we do this time?"

"Shikaku, don't worry. Whatever you decide, we'll follow you without hesitation. Ino-Shika-Cho is one whole."

Inoichi, too, gave Shikaku a firm look, just like Choza. They both trusted the man before them, who had weathered decades of hardship alongside them since they were children.

Shikaku stopped tapping the table and stood up.

"Come on. Since Uchiha Senya is here, we shouldn't be rude. Let's meet him first. I can't make a decision lightly just yet."

"But after I've spoken with this newly appointed Vice Clan Head, I'll make the right choice."

Choza and Inoichi exchanged glances, nodded, and stood together. Then they followed Shikaku.

The red walls and orange-yellow lights in the private room whetted Senya's appetite. He'd already finished his third batch of barbecue.

He put the last few slices of plum pork on the grill, poured himself another cup of tea, and slowly drank the fragrant, refreshing brew.

The tea washed away the greasy aftertaste of the meat.

"Sir, three people would like to see you."

Dōdō spoke from outside the door, announcing the visitors on Shikaku's group's behalf.

Senya raised an eyebrow. Who would come to see him at a time like this? Three people—could they be the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans?

"Come in."

A black pineapple-shaped head, a red spiky head, and a light yellow ponytail.

The three entered the room and sat across from Senya.

It was unexpected, yet it made sense. The visitors really were the three clan heads.

Senya immediately began sorting through everything he knew about Ino-Shika-Cho.

"Clan Heads, what brings you to visit a humble Vice Clan Head like me?"

Shikaku waved a hand with a smile.

"Vice Clan Head Senya, you flatter me. You're the Police Force's Deputy Director as well as the Uchiha Clan's Vice Clan Head. Calling yourself a humble Vice Clan Head is a bit too modest, don't you think?"

Senya studied the three men sitting opposite him.

The grease stains on Choza's chest, the smell of charcoal clinging to all three of them—stronger than the smell in his own room—and the faint traces of alcohol on them.

Senya understood. They must have arrived before him, and it was simply a coincidence that he'd come to the Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant today.

The man who'd opened the door earlier had looked stout, with smoother skin than most people, which suggested he didn't do manual labor. But the hand he'd used to open the door had the calluses left by years of writing. He was probably the restaurant owner.

So his decision to come for barbecue must have led the three clan heads to connect it with recent events and suspect he had a reason for being there.

Hiashi had told him a few days ago that Root had taken Neji away. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans had probably had quite a few of their direct-line shinobi taken, too.

All the information he had interwove in Senya's mind, and at last he arrived at the answer.

Senya picked up the teapot, poured three cups of tea, and pushed them toward Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi. Then he said something they hadn't expected.

"Danzo was behind Shisui's death. Our Uchiha Clan has recently loosened its grip on the Police Force. As I recall, plenty of shinobi from your three clans have applied to join."

Cold sweat began to trickle down Shikaku's forehead, and his brows knitted together. Uchiha Senya was only sixteen. How could he already be so experienced at negotiating?

Senya had poured them tea himself, so Shikaku had thought he meant to show deference. He hadn't expected him to open with such a pointed topic.