After Hiashi arrived, he told Hinata and Hanabi to hurry home.
The two girls were reluctant, but they had no choice but to do as they were told.
Hanabi eyed the fried rice that she hadn't finished with a look of longing. Zeyu had no choice but to pack it up for the two of them.
"Um... Red Hair, could I..." Hanabi said, nibbling on her finger as she stared at the vat of Red Iced Tea on the table.
Zeyu flicked her on the forehead and said, "Call me Big Brother! What's with 'Red Hair'? If you don't, I won't bring you any next time!"
As he spoke, Zeyu handed the Red Iced Tea to Hanabi.
Hugging the vat, Hanabi giggled and hid behind Hinata, making a face at him. "Hmph! My sister would never do that."
"All right, all right. Hurry home," Hiashi urged from the doorway. Xia stepped forward behind him and took the things from their hands.
"Then, Zeyu-kun, we'll be going..." Hinata said, meeting Zeyu's gaze, her eyes full of reluctance.
Just as everyone was about to leave, Zeyu called out to Hiashi. The others were surprised and all turned to look at him.
Zeyu bowed slightly to them and said, "Uncle, Hinata and I are going away to train starting in the next few days, so we can prepare for the Chunin Ninja Exams a month from now. Please give us your permission!"
After speaking, Zeyu bent even lower, almost to a ninety-degree angle.
"Zeyu-kun..." Hinata murmured, one hand held to her chest. Her pupils trembled, and she was deeply moved.
After hearing him, Hiashi closed his eyes, turned around, and sighed. "Stand up. I understand."
Zeyu raised his head and smiled. He exchanged a glance with Hinata, and they were both happy.
"Hmph, looks like you had this planned all along," Hiashi said, shooting him a sidelong glance.
Then he turned to Zeyu and said, "Boy, you're still here tomorrow, right? Come over for dinner. We need to talk."
He turned as if to leave.
"Huh? Are you asking for my hand in marriage?" Zeyu asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"No!" Hiashi spun around with wide eyes and denied it.
"We're just talking! Don't prepare anything weird!" Hiashi shouted, pointing at Zeyu, who had already started taking out his wallet and counting money.
Hinata watched Zeyu from the side, her face red as she touched her two index fingers together in front of her chest.
Hanabi was already too hungry to wait. Xia crouched beside her and fed her fried rice.
"Forget it, I'm leaving. You'd better remember, kid. Just try not to show up!" Hiashi said, waving a hand as he left.
"Ah, so it wasn't a marriage proposal..." Zeyu said regretfully, his head drooping.
Just then, Hinata, walking at the rear, glanced at the others ahead of her, then suddenly turned and hurried over to Zeyu. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips, then cupped his face and said, "Thank you, Zeyu-kun. I love you most."
After that, Hinata hurried to catch up with the others. Once behind them, she glanced back at Zeyu, who was frozen in place, and smiled as she touched her fingers to her lips.
"Good grief, that was amazing!" Zeyu thought as he watched Hinata.
Up ahead, Hiashi folded his arms and glanced back, then coughed twice.
Hinata quickly resumed walking obediently, her heart racing and her face bright red.
Hiashi sighed and continued on.
"Father, thank you," Hinata suddenly said from behind him.
Hiashi's pupils trembled. Then he closed his eyes and said, "Neji told me everything. You've worked hard. You did well."
Hinata looked up at Hiashi's back, her pupils widening and trembling slightly.
"That boy seems like a good person. Get along well with him from now on, understand? Don't bring shame to the Hyuga Clan," Hiashi added.
"Yes, Father," Hinata replied, her lips trembling as she choked up. She lowered her head and began to cry, her hands in front of her as she nervously twisted the hem of her clothes.
"Zeyu-kun... I'm so glad I met you. Thank you, thank you..." Hinata thought. She wiped her tears and smiled.
The sun was setting. Its reddish light fell on the group, casting long shadows, and Hinata's face shimmered in its glow.
Not long afterward, Mikoto and Sato returned. They joined Zeyu in preparing a lavish dinner, and everyone enjoyed themselves.
"My, my! Our little Zeyu has grown up and can stand on his own now. That's wonderful," Mikoto said after taking a sip of wine.
Sato ate beside her, watching the two with a smile.
"Auntie, you should drink a little less," Zeyu urged.
"It's fine, it's fine... I'm happy! I have to drink, hehe," Mikoto said, taking another sip.
Before they knew it, night had fallen.
After dinner, Mikoto was already drunk, so Sato helped her back to her room to rest.
After Sato and Zeyu finished cleaning up together, Sato said he was heading home.
"Why not stay here tonight, Uncle?" Zeyu said to Sato, who was about to leave from the doorway.
"No need, Zeyu. Mikoto and I aren't married yet, so it wouldn't be appropriate to stay together. You get some rest. I'll head off now." With that, Sato shut the door and left.
Zeyu smiled slightly and looked toward Mikoto's room. Auntie's met a good man. That's great.
After washing up, Zeyu lay down on his bed.
Staring at the ceiling, he thought back over everything that had happened that day, feeling like both laughing and crying.
"Honestly, every day is one thing after another. There's no peace," Zeyu thought, turning to look out the window.
When he saw the bright full moon outside, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait, that's not all. There's one more thing!" Zeyu thought. Gritting his teeth, he sprang out of bed and hurriedly prepared his ninja tools.
Then he rummaged through the boxes and found a set of dark clothes and a mask, quickly changing into them.
He leaped onto the windowsill. After making sure no one nearby was watching, he vanished into the moonlight in an instant.
Some time earlier,
After leaving Zeyu's house, Kakashi had been looking for someone. He finally found Genma Shiranui on his way home around dinnertime.
Kakashi offered to buy him dinner in exchange for his time, and Genma agreed to stay.
After the meal, the two stood on a rooftop somewhere.
"What's up, Kakashi? What did you want?" Genma asked.
"Well, nothing special. I just wanted you to take a look at something for me," Kakashi said, pulling out the Kunai he had swiped from Zeyu.
"What's there to look at on a Kunai? Boring," Genma said, turning to leave.
"Come on, take a closer look." Kakashi grabbed Genma by the shoulder, the veins on his hand standing out.
Genma sighed, shifted the Senbon in his mouth to the other side, and took the Kunai from Kakashi. Then he examined it.
"What's wrong with this Kunai? Is there something..." Genma said absently. Then he noticed the few characters on the handle. His gaze froze, and his mouth fell open.
"Well, this is why I came to you. Try it out. Does it work?" Kakashi asked.
"Yeah, I'll try," Genma said. The casualness had left his voice, and he began to take it seriously.
Closing his eyes, he focused on the Kunai in his hand. Under Genma's senses, the few characters on it began to glow faintly.
Genma opened his eyes and stared at the sharp Kunai in disbelief. He remained silent for a long time.
"What's wrong? Doesn't it work?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, it works. But why? Who did this?" Genma murmured, staring at the Kunai.
"Whose Kunai is this, Kakashi?" Genma asked, looking at him with a serious expression.
"Sorry, I can't tell you right now," Kakashi said, reaching for the Kunai.
Genma dodged his hand and placed his own on Kakashi's shoulder, speaking earnestly.
"Kakashi, we were both taught by the Fourth Hokage, so you could say we're fellow students. There's no one who understands better than us what the Flying Thunder God Technique means."
Kakashi nodded at that.
Genma handed the Kunai back to Kakashi and said, "If the owner of this Kunai is an enemy of Konoha, you know what the consequences will be, Kakashi."
"Are you sure you want to cover for him?"
As he spoke, Genma clenched the Senbon in his mouth.
Kakashi glanced at the Kunai in his hand and thought of what the Third Hokage had said, as well as Zeyu, whom he had gotten to know over the past few days. He answered solemnly, "Yes. I trust him. He's a Leaf shinobi, and I don't think he would turn against Konoha."
Genma looked at the seriousness in Kakashi's eyes and smiled. "Good. I hope you're right."
Then he moved closer to Kakashi and whispered, "Can you tell me who it is? I promise I won't tell anyone."
Kakashi gave him a dead-fish stare. "All I did today was buy you dinner. Then we each went home. Got it?"
"Well, see you."
With that, Kakashi set off, leaping across the rooftops in a few quick bounds.
"Tch, stingy," Genma muttered as he watched Kakashi leave, shifting the Senbon in his mouth.
You don't want me to know? So what if I find out? We're all from Konoha. Grinning, Genma grew curious and quietly followed.
So it was true. You've learned the Rasengan and the Flying Thunder God, Zeyu. What are you still afraid of? Is there something even more terrifying in Konoha? Kakashi thought, feeling a faint unease.