Better to get barbecue than get engaged

He cleared his throat, ignored the elder's words, and began on his own terms. "Everyone, a while back, I stumbled across something unexpected while carrying out a mission for Lord Third."

The three elders were already unhappy with his attitude, and this only annoyed them further. But their displeasure soon turned to shock.

"That discovery taught me quite a few things. For instance, the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan actually share a common ancestor."

The Second Elder and Third Elder instantly bristled. "What? A common ancestor? Boy, you must be talking nonsense!"

At that moment, the Third Hokage decided it was time to step in. He quickly coughed twice. "Ahem. I can personally guarantee that this is true!"

Uchiha Yi was delighted. Now that's what I call an assist.

Sure enough, the Third Hokage's words left the previously furious Second Elder and Third Elder stunned.

The First Elder, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke. "Lord Third, is what you say really true?"

After a pause, he added, "It isn't that I doubt you. This news is simply too shocking."

The Third Hokage said nothing, merely glancing at Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded, took out a Sealing Scroll, and shouted, "Release!"

With a bang, an enormous Stone Tablet appeared before them. Fortunately, the room was spacious enough, or it would never have fit.

Tsunade said, "I know this is difficult to believe, but it's all true. Take a look for yourselves, and you'll understand."

The First Elder wasted no words and immediately turned his gaze toward the Stone Tablet. The Second Elder, Third Elder, and Hyuga Hiashi gathered around it as well.

Uchiha Yi had brought this Stone Tablet back, but much of its information had been concealed. Only the portions concerning the Hyuga Clan remained, such as the fact that Hamura Otsutsuki was their ancestor, and that Hamura's older brother was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the legendary Sage of Six Paths.

The Second Elder and Third Elder still refused to believe it, shouting, "Impossible! This Stone Tablet is fake!" "That's right! There's no way we Hyuga share an ancestor with the Uchiha!"

But after a long silence, the First Elder suddenly spoke. "Our Hyuga Clan does, in fact, have records stating that Hamura Otsutsuki was our ancestor."

His words startled the Second Elder and Third Elder, but Uchiha Yi wasn't surprised. After all, the Hyuga Clan knew at least a little about the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon.

Soon, however, he realized that their knowledge went no further than that. The First Elder continued with a sigh. "I simply never imagined that Hamura had an older brother, much less that his brother was the legendary Sage of Six Paths!"

The Hyuga Clan kept a considerable collection of Classified Archives, but most were fragmentary. Even the information about Hamura Otsutsuki amounted to little more than a vague outline. Presumably, their ancestors had deliberately obscured it to keep their descendants from meddling recklessly.

Although the Second Elder and Third Elder didn't know why the First Elder had kept this information to himself, they understood one thing perfectly: only the First Elder had full access to the Hyuga Clan's secrets. If he acknowledged it, then it was almost certainly true.

But what difference did that make? The Second Elder thumped his cane against the floor and snorted. "Even if it's true, this marriage is out of the question!" The Third Elder stroked his beard, rolled his eyes, and nodded in agreement.

Uchiha Yi knew these two old fossils held a grudge against the Uchiha's ancestors deeper than the scars of the great shinobi wars. Even though the Uchiha were long gone, their anger hadn't faded. Ignoring them, he continued, "Our Uchiha Ancient Texts state it clearly: the Sage of Six Paths' sage eye was the Sharingan's ultimate form. And Hamura Otsutsuki, his brother born of the same mother, had a Byakugan that was no ordinary eye either."

That immediately silenced the Second Elder and Third Elder. Hyuga Hiashi's eyes lit up, and he finally seized a chance to speak. "You're saying our Hyuga Byakugan can evolve further?"

Uchiha Yi nodded and turned to the First Elder. "First Elder, unless I'm mistaken, you should know about another family that possesses the Byakugan, shouldn't you?"

Everyone froze at those words, and even the Third Hokage raised an eyebrow. Uchiha Yi turned to him and Tsunade with an apologetic expression. "Lord Third, Lady Fifth, this touches on the Hyuga Clan's secrets, so I didn't explain it fully to you before. I'm sorry."

Only then did the Third Hokage understand why Uchiha Yi had been reluctant to explain that part earlier. Startled, the First Elder glanced at him, then quickly understood as well.

The First Elder nodded. "You've certainly dug up all our Hyuga secrets." Uchiha Yi smiled. "Oh, these are just a few scraps I gleaned from our Uchiha Stone Tablet."

"Besides, our Uchiha Sharingan can evolve into the Rinnegan, the legendary sage eye. So what about the Byakugan?" The First Elder immediately sat up straight. No one in the Hyuga Clan, young or old, had ever heard that the Byakugan could evolve further.

"The Tenseigan!" Uchiha Yi said in a low, firm voice.

The First Elder could no longer sit still and leaned forward. "You can make the Byakugan evolve into the Tenseigan?" The Second Elder and Third Elder stopped making a fuss too, straining their ears.

"Of course I can!" Uchiha Yi looked thoroughly pleased with himself, while inwardly thinking, Heh. They've taken the bait!

Learning that the Byakugan could evolve into a Tenseigan on the same level as the sage eye sent a stir through the room. The First Elder suddenly slapped the table and spoke as though he'd made up his mind. "Uchiha Yi, I approve of your marriage to Hinata!"

The Second Elder and Third Elder sprang up in shock. "Brother!" The First Elder waved them into silence and fixed his gaze on Uchiha Yi. "But you must first awaken Hanabi's Tenseigan!"

Hyuga Hiashi's gaze dimmed, and he sighed inwardly. Outsiders all thought he was so disappointed in Hinata that he no longer even asked about her, but who understood his pain? What father didn't love his daughter?

It wasn't that he wouldn't look after Hinata. He simply had no choice! The Caged Bird Seal should originally have been placed on Hanabi, but Hinata had been timid as a child, and the three elders disliked her. They had placed the cursed seal on Hinata instead, allowing Hanabi to escape that fate. He couldn't decide things alone; everything depended on the First Elder's wishes. The First Elder's words made it clear that the Hyuga were now putting their efforts into Hanabi, grooming her as the heir.

Uchiha Yi raised his eyes to the First Elder and said calmly, "First Elder, you've misunderstood. I can help Hinata awaken the Tenseigan, not Hanabi."

The First Elder frowned slightly. The Second Elder and Third Elder immediately erupted, pointing at Uchiha Yi as they berated him. "Don't push your luck, Uchiha Yi! Agreeing to let you marry Hinata is already an enormous concession!"

"Isn't marrying Hinata what you want? We're showing you more than enough consideration by giving her to you, yet you're still not satisfied?" Uchiha Yi took back the little sympathy he'd felt earlier. Heh. And they call themselves a great clan with an attitude like that?

Tsunade and the Third Hokage remained silent. Neither could intervene at this point. After a long silence, the First Elder finally spoke. "That will do as well. But if your children with Hinata awaken the Byakugan, they must belong to the Hyuga Clan!"

Uchiha Yi said nothing, merely looking at the First Elder. The First Elder's expression darkened. "And what if I refuse?"

"Then there's no point discussing this marriage!" The atmosphere instantly froze, the air itself thick with tension.

Although Uchiha Yi remained silent, he understood the First Elder's little scheme perfectly. After all, if Hinata truly awakened the Tenseigan, then combined with his Rinnegan foundation, the children they had together would possess an exceptionally pure bloodline. Everyone present was shrewd enough to see it. The Second Elder and Third Elder, who had been raging moments earlier, immediately shut their mouths and barely dared to breathe.

After a brief moment, Uchiha Yi nodded. A smile instantly spread across the First Elder's face, and the tense atmosphere relaxed. Next came the marriage arrangements. Although both of them were still young, an engagement was now inevitable.

The three Hyuga elders were even more impatient than Uchiha Yi. Ever since learning there was a Tenseigan beyond the Byakugan, they'd been more frantic than if someone had stolen their wallets. They were stubborn old traditionalists who cared only about the Hyuga Clan's standing and future. Hinata's happiness and everything else came after that.

On Konoha's side, the Third Hokage and Tsunade were both quite pleased. After all, if Uchiha Yi became the Hyuga Clan's son-in-law, he would truly have put down roots in Konoha. If anything happened, he certainly wouldn't stand by and do nothing, for Hinata's sake.

Ever since Uchiha Yi revealed his eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the way people treated him had changed completely. Strength really did have the final say. Without that power, the confrontation earlier might well have ended with him being ground into the dirt. Uchiha Yi understood that perfectly.

Inside Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto was shoveling noodles into his mouth when he suddenly slapped the table and shouted.

"Hey, Yi, are you really getting engaged to Hinata???"

With a piece of chashu between his teeth, Uchiha Yi gave a vague nod.

"Mm, yeah."

Naruto stared, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"How is that possible? You and Hinata aren't even that old!"

Uchiha Yi couldn't be bothered to explain. He could hardly say he'd stolen Naruto's future wife, could he? Beside him, Shikamaru slouched in his chair with a cigarette between his lips and drawled.

"What a drag. Yi, I really don't get why you're stepping into the grave of love so early."

Choji looked up and chimed in between slurps of ramen.

"Mm, yeah. Better to get barbecue than get engaged."

Uchiha Yi felt that spending time with these two was nothing but self-inflicted suffering.

Although the engagement was settled, one troublesome issue remained. The Hyuga's condition was that the marriage would take place only once Hinata awakened the Tenseigan. The First Elder had even hinted that if she awakened it now, they could marry immediately. Too young? Back in the Warring States Period, some boys were fathers at thirteen. What was the problem?

The trouble was that Uchiha Yi wasn't absolutely certain he could awaken Hinata's eyes yet. He thought about how Otsutsuki Toneri had created the Tenseigan in The Last: Naruto the Movie by combining Hanabi's Byakugan with his own chakra. Did that mean he needed the power of the Ōtsutsuki?

As Uchiha Yi walked home, muttering to himself, he suddenly heard a chime. A system notification sounded.

"Friendly reminder: the host's plan is viable. Absorbing the Ōtsutsuki's enormous Tenseigan can allow Hinata Hyuga to awaken the Tenseigan!"

Uchiha Yi jumped, nearly tripping. How long had it been since this system last made a sound? Usually, it wouldn't respond no matter how long he called for it. He'd thought he'd been abandoned. Why had it suddenly come back from the dead today?

The system's unhurried voice sounded.

"Host, please do not disparage this system. My previous lack of response was intended to conserve energy."

"Waste?"

"Yes. Bringing the host across worlds previously consumed most of my energy."

"What about now?"

"Now that the host has grown stronger, I have recovered a little."

"You've recovered? Then can you unlock a skill exchange function?"

Uchiha Yi's eyes lit up, only for his hopes to be dashed.