The Feast

Zeyu returned to the gates of Konoha alone, just in time to run into Kurenai Yuhi's squad as they were coming back.

"Hinata!" Seeing Hinata in the lead, Zeyu called out and walked over.

The others, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned to look when they heard someone calling for Hinata from behind.

"Ah, Zeyu, you're here." Hinata looked at Zeyu, her small face flushing red.

"How was it? Did everything go smoothly? Are you hurt anywhere?" Zeyu circled around Hinata, checking to see if there was anything unusual about her.

Hmm, nothing unusual, except for how unusually cute she is. Hehe, Hinata-chan. Zeyu finished his circle, found no issues, and felt his heart bloom with joy.

Hinata gripped the corner of her clothes with her right hand and pinched her collar with her left, bowing her head slightly with a flushed face as she shyly said, "I'm fine, Zeyu. Thank you for worrying about me."

Zeyu felt relieved upon hearing this and asked Hinata with a smile, "Hinata, do you have any other plans for a bit? Are you hungry? Let's go grab something to eat."

Hinata felt a bit conflicted, as Kurenai Yuhi had the same idea—a dinner to celebrate the formation of their squad. She didn't know what to do.

She kept her head down, clutching her clothes, and muttered softly, "Um, that..."

Kiba and Shino, standing to the side and feeling like third wheels, knew it was time to step in. Kiba reached out to speak and tell Hinata not to worry about them, but Kurenai Yuhi pressed down on his head from behind and spoke first.

"Well, Zeyu, we were planning on having a group dinner. If you don't have any plans, why don't you join us? My treat."

Zeyu, who had been grinning, suddenly realized that there was a dinner planned, and that his invitation had put Hinata in a difficult spot.

This cute little girl wasn't very good at refusing others; she always wanted to look after everyone else's feelings, even at the expense of her own.

His mouth twitched, and he scratched his head as he said to Kurenai, "Kurenai-sensei, our squad doesn't actually have any plans yet—we might have forgotten. How about I go back and ask? Maybe our two squads could have dinner together?"

He then leaned in close to Hinata's ear and whispered, "I'm sorry, Hinata. It was my oversight, and I put you in a difficult position."

Hinata felt her mood lighten. She pursed her lips, looked up at Zeyu, and said, "It's okay, Zeyu. You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who didn't explain things clearly to you; I'm the one who should..."

Before Hinata could finish saying that she was the one who should apologize, Zeyu placed his index finger on her lips, signaling her to stop.

Hinata stared at Zeyu, stunned and blushing. Zeyu shook his head gently and said, "Hinata, I'm at fault here too. You don't need to take all the blame on yourself; it makes my heart ache."

Zeyu pulled his hand back, paused, and added, "Also, if you ever feel conflicted, you can tell me. I won't blame you. I'm a bit slow, so if you don't tell me, I might not notice. Hehe."

After saying this, Zeyu scratched his head and looked at Hinata with a goofy smile.

"Zeyu..." Hinata was deeply moved by how much Zeyu cared for her.

The three people standing nearby were left completely dumbfounded.

Is this kid Zeyu a player? He's so smooth, Kurenai thought, raising an eyebrow.

When are we eating? I'm starving, Kiba thought.

They really have a great relationship, Shino thought.

Just then, Nana appeared with Megumi and Shota.

"Zeyu, wait a second!" Nana waved and walked over.

Everyone turned to look at the sound of her voice.

"Zeyu, let's go have a group dinner. My treat, to celebrate the squad's formation." After saying this, Nana leaned in closer and whispered, "I've heard everything. Don't be angry with those two; you need to get along, okay?" Nana then went off to greet Kurenai.

Zeyu was left speechless and rolled his eyes.

Hinata, standing nearby, had heard everything. She grabbed the corner of Zeyu's clothes, looking at him with concern.

Zeyu felt Hinata's gaze and leaned in to whisper, "It's nothing major, Hinata. I'll tell you all about it on the way."

"Mm." Hinata felt a little more at ease and smiled.

Just then, Hinata's stomach let out a loud growl.

Zeyu froze for a second, then burst out laughing.

Hinata's face turned bright red instantly. She clutched her clothes and said shyly, "Zeyu, you're not allowed to laugh at me!"

As she spoke, her cheeks puffed up in anger, which, combined with her flushed face, made her look incredibly cute.

Zeyu looked at the adorable Hinata before him, stepped forward, and took her hand.

"Sorry, Hinata."

"You look so cute when you're angry."

Upon hearing this, Hinata became even more bashful, steam erupting from the top of her head.

Zeyu pressed his advantage, stroked Hinata's cheek, and said, "Let's go get something to eat; my Hinata must be hungry."

With that, he led Hinata toward the group, who were still exchanging pleasantries.

Hinata was so flustered by his flirting that she simply stopped thinking and followed along.

When they reached the group, Megumi, standing to the side, glared at Zeyu with a face full of disdain.

Seeing this, Nana shot Megumi a look, which Shota, standing nearby, also noticed.

Seeing his sister remain unmoved and still pouting in a huff, Shota stepped forward to stand before Zeyu and said, "Um, Zeyu, it was our fault earlier. I hope you won't take it to heart. I apologize to you—I'm sorry."

Zeyu heard him, glanced at Shota, then looked at Megumi behind him, thinking, This guy is a total sister-complex.

He then sighed and said, "It's fine, I forgive you. I was in the wrong too. I think we can get along well from now on, so let's put this behind us."

Shota finally felt relieved and said, "Alright, Zeyu, no problem. I've heard you're very skilled; I'd like to ask you for some pointers in the future."

At this, Megumi behind them let out a "Tch."

Zeyu heard it, but he didn't want to bother with it. Rather than bickering with this brat, he'd much rather spend time with Hinata. He rolled his eyes at Megumi and said to Shota, "No problem, Shota. I'll teach you a couple of ninjutsu techniques later."

Shota was thrilled upon hearing this and said, "Really? Zeyu, that's great!"

Kurenai, seeing that things had settled down, called for everyone to go eat barbecue together.

On the way, Zeyu put his arm around Hinata and explained what happened after the bell-snatching test, his face very close to hers.

However, Hinata barely heard a word, her face flushed and steaming the entire way.

At the barbecue restaurant, they ran into Asuma's team. The three teams ate together, and it was a lively and happy affair.

During the meal, Zeyu ordered plenty of meat, but he barely ate any himself, giving it all to Hinata.

I have to say, Hinata can really eat, yet she still has such a great figure, Zeyu thought as he watched Hinata devouring the meat beside him.

In the corner opposite them, Megumi watched Zeyu's side, lost in thought.

After the dinner, everyone went their separate ways.

It was getting late, so Zeyu walked Hinata home.

The two chatted along the way, and time passed quickly.

Soon, they arrived at Hinata's doorstep.

"Bye-bye, Hinata, see you tomorrow," Zeyu said.

"Mm, Zeyu-kun, see you tomorrow," Hinata replied.

Before Hinata could even enter, the door opened. Hiashi Hyuga stood behind it with his hands behind his back, saying sternly, "Ahem, Hinata, you're back."

Hinata hadn't expected Hiashi to be there and was a bit panicked. She quickly stood straight, her small hands placed in front of her, and said, "Yes, Father, I'm back."

Hiashi asked, "And who is this?"

Hinata stepped aside, her small hands trembling slightly as she gestured, saying, "This is my friend. We were just having dinner together."

Zeyu saw the scene and realized how terrified Hinata was. This Hiashi is so strict with his own daughter, he thought, though he didn't show it, instead wearing a smile.

"Hello, sir. My name is Ruzeyu, and I'm a good friend of Hinata's. It's our first time meeting, and I didn't bring a gift, so I hope you'll forgive me."

As he spoke, he bent his back and gave a slight bow.

Hiashi listened, looked at Hinata, and said, "Has Hinata been causing you any trouble?" He then stared intently at Zeyu.

Beside them, Hinata kept clutching the hem of her clothes, not daring to move much, and looked up at Zeyu with a timid glance.

Zeyu thought to himself, Good grief, is this old man always this fierce? No wonder Hinata is so timid; she was scared into it.

"Ah, no, Uncle, Hinata has been very good and hasn't caused us any trouble at all. If anything, it was a bit late today, so I'm the one who caused Hinata trouble. Please don't blame her," he said.

"Hmm," Hiashi replied softly with his eyes closed.

He then spoke up, "Zeyu, it's getting late, so I won't keep you. Thank you for bringing Hinata home; you should hurry back yourself."

Zeyu replied, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I won't disturb you any further. Goodbye."

He then gave Hinata a wink and took his leave.

Seeing this, Hinata couldn't help but smile, though she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, not daring to make a sound.

Hiashi saw it all but didn't call her out. He beckoned Hinata to return to her room, followed her inside, and closed the door.

Once Zeyu had left and saw the door close, he turned back around and left a Flying Thunder God mark at the entrance.

On his way back, he thought, That old geezer is really hard to deal with. Sooner or later, I'll win Hinata over and drive you crazy.

Back in his room, Hiashi took a sip of water and thought to himself, That kid is truly difficult to handle. His words were flawless. Sigh.