"Neji, you're here too?"
Hanabi's clear voice broke the brief silence in the flower shop. Her gaze swept past everyone and landed on Neji, who had been standing quietly in the shadows by the door, and surprise lit up her little face.
"Is Dad back too?"
At Hanabi's question, everyone briefly turned their attention away from Karin and looked at Neji.
Meeting their gazes, Neji took two steps forward, bringing himself fully into the light.
His expression was calm, his pale eyes the same as ever, but a careful observer might have noticed something new deep within them, something that had settled there.
At Hanabi's question, he nodded and answered evenly, "Yes. Uncle brought us back to the village early. He sent me to bring you... home to stay."
A strange silence fell over the flower shop.
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed he had missed quite a show last night.
Hanabi blinked, a trace of confusion crossing her face, as though she were checking whether she had misheard.
Hinata's pale eyes widened slightly as well, and she looked at Neji in surprise.
Even Aunt Rino raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.
The issue wasn't the news Neji had brought.
Hiashi returning early and sending for his daughters was perfectly normal.
The issue was how Neji had addressed him.
Uncle.
He had called Hiashi... "Uncle."
In terms of blood ties and seniority, there was nothing wrong with that form of address.
Hyuga Hiashi was indeed the older twin brother of Neji's father, Hizashi, making him Neji's uncle through and through.
But!
Over all these years, as far as anyone could remember, Neji had always addressed Hiashi with the respectful yet distant title of "Lord Head of the Family."
The word "Uncle" had never passed Neji's lips.
Yet now, Neji had used