Family Meeting

"Of course I did! Big Brother Shinichi, you haven't come to see Kaede in ages."

Kaede answered in her babyish voice from the arms of Shinichi Hyuga, then hugged his neck tightly.

The little girl named Kaede Hyuga was the daughter of Nikku Hyuga, the head of the Branch House. She was four years younger than Shinichi, born while he was away from the clan studying under his master.

Holding Kaede, Shinichi chatted with her as he walked toward the clan's main hall.

He had barely taken a few steps when he saw a group of people running toward him. Looking closer, he realized they were all children, each with a familiar face.

The children must have heard Kaede's call and rushed over to see what was happening.

When they saw Shinichi holding Kaede, their faces immediately lit up with delight, and they swarmed around him.

The boys kept calling out,

"Big Brother Shinichi! Big Brother Shinichi!"

Their voices rose and fell, full of warmth and affection.

The girls turned their attention to Kaede in Shinichi's arms, clamoring for Big Brother Shinichi to pick them up, too.

Faced with this, Shinichi could only smile and set Kaede down first. Then he lifted the children up one after another and hugged them.

Seeing the boys nearby who were just as eager to be lifted up and hugged, Shinichi didn't leave them out. He picked them up one by one and gave them the same affection.

There were twelve children in all, so it took a while to get through them.

But during that brief interaction, every child was grinning from ear to ear, their laughter filling the air.

For Shinichi, it was a profound reminder of the warmth shared among his clanmates, and it stirred a deep sense of happiness in his heart.

As he neared the clan meeting room, Shinichi slowed his pace and finally stopped. He bent down slightly and spoke softly to the children trailing behind him.

"Go play for now. Big Brother has some things to take care of. Later, I'll cook you a delicious meal myself to make it up to you."

Whenever he returned to the clan, they held a grand banquet. Each time, he would volunteer to prepare a few of his signature dishes.

All these adorable children had tasted Shinichi's cooking, and every one of them was a devoted fan of his.

At the news that Big Brother Shinichi would be making them something delicious later, they all cheered. After saying goodbye to him, they went off to play hand in hand.

Standing in the corridor, Shinichi watched the children scamper away in high spirits and couldn't help smiling fondly.

He turned and walked into the meeting room.

As soon as he entered, he saw Nimitsu Hyuga, the head of the Main House, seated at the head of the table, with Nikku Hyuga, the head of the Branch House, sitting beside him.

The elders sat along both sides below them, while Hiashi Hyuga and his younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga, sat at the far end.

When Hiashi and Hizashi saw Shinichi, they both smiled with delight.

"Shinichi, you're finally back. We thought you'd forgotten about us."

Hiashi said.

"Hahahaha, sorry, Brother Hiashi. I've been so busy lately that it slipped my mind."

After speaking, Shinichi greeted everyone in the room. Seeing both clan heads and the other elders there, he wasn't so conceited as to think they had all gathered to welcome him. They must want to discuss that matter with him.

Just then, Nimitsu, seated at the head of the table, spoke.

"Shinichi, your return coincided with our meeting. This meeting concerns you, too. We're discussing a partnership with the Inuzuka Clan and the Aburame Clan."

Mm, just as I expected—it was about this matter! Back then, it had caused quite a stir, and all three clans had taken action.

Even Lord Hokage had been alerted. After learning the details, Sarutobi Hiruzen had immediately been unable to sit still.

With such a powerful lineup, gathering intelligence and tracking enemies would both become easy.

However, getting the three clans to successfully train the next generation of the Eye-Nose-Ear Squad wouldn't be easy.

The Hyuga Clan had it relatively easy: all they had to do was select children with a talent for the Byakugan. The real challenges lay with the Inuzuka Clan and the Aburame Clan.

The Inuzuka Clan had to use special medicinal herbs and spend a great deal of time applying their clan's secret techniques to effectively train their dogs' sense of smell.

As for the Aburame Clan's Sound-Stealing Bugs, they were even more difficult to raise successfully. The success rate was extremely low, and only a handful survived.

Thinking about it now, it still seemed incredible. He had no idea how Aburame Tomohiro had managed it. Perhaps it could only be explained as incredible luck.

So far, the Eye-Nose-Ear Squad consisted of just one team: Shinichi, Inuzuka Gai, and Aburame Tomohiro. The next team hadn't yet completed its training and selection.

This meeting had been called to select new candidates who could be trained as the next "Eye."

Shinichi looked over the list in his hands. After reading the information, he spoke.

"Clan Head, can we call in the candidates on the list and take a look at them? The written information alone isn't enough."

"Mm. Bring them in!"

After Nimitsu called out, the meeting room's side door slowly opened, and two children were escorted inside by guards.

Their innocent faces revealed a mixture of curiosity and timidity, and each clutched a toy tightly in their hands.

Shinichi slowly approached the two children, crouched down, and examined them carefully.

According to the document in his hand, they were twins who had just turned two.

After putting the two children at ease, Shinichi activated his Byakugan, intending to examine their physical condition.

Ever since receiving Hamura Otsutsuki's blessing, Shinichi's Byakugan had improved significantly. He could now perceive the subtle details inside the human body more clearly.

That was why he had volunteered to help Namikaze Minato fuse with a Kekkei Genkai. With such keen observation, he could quickly detect even the slightest problem or abnormality and immediately call a halt.

Turning his attention back to the two children, Shinichi focused and used his Byakugan to examine each of them in turn.

Before long, he discovered that both children had excellent physiques and were promising candidates for the Gentle Fist.

"Clan Head, these two children are both excellent."

Shinichi turned to Nimitsu, seated at the head of the table.

"Even if they don't end up joining the Eye-Nose-Ear Squad, with proper training, they'll still become pillars of the Hyuga Clan."

Nimitsu didn't question him and agreed with Shinichi's assessment.

They then began discussing plans to train the two children. Shinichi also praised their excellent physiques, saying they were both promising candidates for the Gentle Fist.

After a pleasant discussion, they decided to have two elders train them, one child each.

These two elders were no ordinary instructors. They had both picked up Taiji Fist incredibly quickly, and they were the best Gentle Fist practitioners among the elders!

Once they had worked out all the details, the meeting came to a successful close.