The clan meeting

Just as Genya and Hinata finished their last mouthfuls of noodles, Naruto was still battling his second bowl.

The entrance curtain of the Ichiraku Ramen Shop lifted.

A sharp-featured, middle-aged ninja wearing the standard vest of the Uchiha Military Police Unit walked in.

He went straight to Genya's side, bowed, and lowered his voice.

"Young Master Genya, Lord Sosuke says there are still clan matters to attend to. Please return as soon as possible."

The Uchiha spoke respectfully.

Clearly, the commotion at the Hyuga Clan Compound today had already swept through the Uchiha like a storm.

Quite a few people were probably eager to meet him, the "eye of the storm."

Genya was not surprised in the slightest.

He had known all along that his "heroics" today would send enormous shock waves through the clan.

Whether they offered praise, doubt, scrutiny, or had ulterior motives, he had to return and face them.

"I understand, sir."

Genya stood and nodded to the older Uchiha.

"Thank you for coming all this way. Please wait a moment. I'll take Hinata home first, then return with you."

The Uchiha Ninja said nothing more. He bowed and withdrew to a corner.

Genya turned to Hinata, who looked a little lost beside him, and spoke softly.

"Hinata, we should go."

Then he spoke to Naruto, who was still noisily slurping his noodles.

"Naruto, Hinata and I are heading home. Take your time eating. See you."

Naruto raised his head, broth still clinging to the corner of his mouth.

He glanced at the elite Uchiha ninja, then at Genya and Hinata, envy in his eyes.

He did not envy Genya for having someone from his clan come to fetch him. He envied how naturally Genya could walk Hinata home.

He swallowed his mouthful of noodles and called out loudly.

"Yeah! See you, Genya! See you, Hinata!"

Genya smiled at Naruto and left the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, with Teuchi cheerfully calling, "Come again!" and Naruto watching him go.

The Uchiha ninja followed at an unhurried pace, keeping a dozen or so meters behind them.

At a quiet corner some distance from the gates of the Hyuga Clan Compound, Genya stopped.

He turned to face Hinata and gently rested both hands on her shoulders.

"Hinata, I'll leave you here."

Genya spoke gently.

"Going any farther might make things awkward."

Hinata nodded in understanding. Her small hands unconsciously tightened around the hem of Genya's shirt, her eyes filled with reluctance and worry.

"Genya... will you... be all right when you go back?"

She might have been innocent, but she knew how much trouble Genya had caused for her sake today, and how many people he had offended.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Genya gave her a reassuring smile.

"The clan calling me back isn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe... they just want to understand what happened."

Seeing the certainty in his eyes, Hinata felt her worries ease a little. She pressed her lips together and murmured, "Mm."

The sight of her, so sweet yet so worried, softened Genya's heart.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"Hinata, there's one more thing..."

He gathered his words, his gaze growing more serious.

"Today, at the Hyuga Clan Compound, I may have gone too far in what I said and did to your father... Clan Head Hiashi. Though I don't regret stepping in to protect you."

"But... he is your father, after all, and the head of the Hyuga Clan. The way I handled things may have caused some unnecessary trouble and distress for him and the clan."

His tone was sincere.

"So... if you can, please apologize to your father for me when you get back. Not for protecting you, but for possibly worsening the tension between the Uchiha and the Hyuga in my impulsiveness, and... for offending his dignity."

Genya had thought this apology through carefully.

He needed to be firm, but easing tensions and making the right gestures mattered just as much.

Having Hinata convey the apology would also allow her to act as a buffer and pass along his goodwill.

It was also a way of taking a step back to move forward, showing that he was not simply reckless and understood where to draw the line.

As for the matter of using him, whether he accepted that was another question entirely.

Hinata had not expected Genya to say such things. She stared at him in a daze.

Genya... even after going so far for her, he still considered her father's feelings and the relationship between their clans afterward...

"Genya..."

Hinata's voice caught.

"I... I will. Thank you... thank you for thinking of me so much."

"Silly girl. You're the person I want to protect. Of course I should think about these things."

Genya reached out and gently ruffled Hinata's hair.

"Go on home. Get some rest and let your injuries heal. I'll come see you again..."

"Mm! You be... careful too, Genya."

Hinata nodded firmly and gave Genya a long look, then headed toward the Hyuga Clan Compound, turning back every few steps.

Only after Hinata had safely disappeared through the compound gates did Genya look away. The tenderness faded from his face, replaced by his usual composure.

He turned and nodded to the Uchiha ninja, who had been waiting in the shadows the entire time.

"Sorry for the wait, sir. Let's head back."

"Yes, young master."

Their figures flickered, and they sped toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.

There, undercurrents and discussions concerning him-and the future of the Uchiha-awaited him.

The Uchiha Clan Compound.

Naka Shrine was brightly lit and filled with clamoring voices.

Unlike the usual clan meetings, today's arguments threatened to tear the roof off.

The air was so heated that a single spark might set it off.

At the head of the gathering, Uchiha Fugaku sat with his brow furrowed, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously.

He tried to maintain order, but it did little good...

His eldest son, Uchiha Itachi, stood silently in the shadows behind him, dressed in his Anbu uniform.

The flicker in his eyes behind the mask revealed his inner unease.

A little farther away, another figure leaned against a pillar on the other side-Shisui Uchiha.

His arms were folded, his posture seemingly casual, but his tightly pressed lips betrayed how closely he, too, was following the uproar.

Sosuke Uchiha and Uchiha Izumi sat near the front.

Sosuke's expression was grave, his sharp gaze sweeping over the arguing crowd.

Izumi sat close beside her husband, her beautiful face full of worry and anxiety. Her hands were tightly clasped, and she kept looking toward the entrance of the secret chamber, hoping to see her son.

Naturally, the argument centered on Genya Uchiha, who had stirred up such an enormous storm at the Hyuga Clan Compound that day!

"Outrageous! Utterly lawless behavior!"

Uchiha Yashiro, a stern-faced hardline elder, slammed his hand on the table, his booming voice full of anger and accusation.

"For a little girl from the Hyuga Clan, he dared to storm another clan's grounds alone and attack its head! He even sent flames into the sky and made a spectacle everyone knew about!"

"What regard does he have for our Uchiha clan rules? Does he think our already delicate relationship with the Hyuga Clan is a game?"

Another middle-aged Jonin from the radical faction immediately chimed in, his words even sharper.

"And that's not all! Did you hear what he said in front of the Hokage and the advisers? The Will of Fire? The Will of Fire, my ass! Protecting his comrades? It certainly sounds noble!"

"But who taught him that speech? Or did he come up with it himself?"

"He's a six-year-old child, yet he spouts the very same rhetoric the village promotes, without a word about the Uchiha's predicament or our conflict with the village. He even seemed to be questioning the Hyuga on the village's behalf!"

"We have no choice but to ask: this new genius of ours-does his heart belong to the Uchiha, or has he already sided with the village?"