Hitting where it hurt!

When Uchiha Fugaku, Sosuke, Izumi, Genya, and Itachi appeared outside the gates of the Hyuga Clan Compound.

Before long, a Hyuga Main Family Elder came out to welcome them personally, his gaze lingering a moment longer on Genya and Itachi.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, everyone, Lord Hiashi is waiting in the Tea Room. Please follow me."

They passed through the courtyard.

Occasionally, members of the Hyuga Clan stopped to watch, their eyes filled with conflicting emotions.

Yesterday's events had already spread throughout the clan. Seeing the "culprit" openly paying them a visit naturally drew countless stares.

The Tea Room.

Hyuga Hiashi knelt at the head of the room, the tea service already laid out before him.

His expression was calm, betraying neither pleasure nor anger.

As the five Uchiha entered the Tea Room one after another, Hiashi's eyes registered surprise, especially when he saw Uchiha Itachi.

Such a large delegation?

Surely they weren't here to cause more trouble for the Hyuga...

"Clan Leader Fugaku, Deputy Captain Sosuke, Lady Izumi, and... Genya, as well as Itachi."

"Please sit."

Everyone took their seats in turn.

As clan leader, Fugaku spoke first.

"Clan Leader Hiashi, Genya recklessly intruded on your residence yesterday and caused considerable offense. We have come today expressly to apologize."

Sosuke and Izumi also bowed their heads.

Genya sat upright, his hands resting on his knees, and faced Hiashi without flinching.

"Uncle Hiashi, I acted impulsively yesterday. I entered your residence without permission, injured Neji, and even confronted you directly. I was entirely in the wrong. I hereby offer my sincere apology to you and the Hyuga Clan."

The apology was clean and direct.

Hiashi looked at Genya, then spoke after a moment.

"Oh? That wasn't what you called me yesterday!"

The five Uchiha: "..."

"Ahem, Uncle Hiashi, anger clouded my judgment yesterday... It was a slip of the tongue."

"Heh. I accept your apology. But Genya, yesterday you used the Hyuga Clan to make a show of strength, and today you can come here and apologize without so much as blinking... I truly must see you in a new light."

His words were mild, but everyone could hear the edge beneath them.

Genya met Hiashi's gaze.

"You're right, Uncle Hiashi."

"Yesterday, besides my instinctive anger at the injustice Hinata suffered, I did intend to use a confrontation with the Hyuga to demonstrate my strength before the Hokage and the Uchiha Clan. I won't deny that."

The blunt admission actually caught Hiashi off guard.

Itachi lowered his gaze to the teacup before him. Fugaku and Sosuke's expressions remained unchanged; clearly, they had already expected Genya to respond this way.

Hiashi suddenly gave a soft laugh.

"Interesting. Then apart from apologizing, what else do you Uchiha intend to do today?"

Genya knew the real negotiations had begun.

"Uncle Hiashi, some of the things I said yesterday truly angered you."

"Because they touched the Hyuga Clan's deepest wound, as well as the conflict you face as both a clan leader and a father."

Hiashi's gaze sharpened. This brat certainly knew how to hit where it hurt...

"I looked into the records afterward."

Genya continued.

"Years ago, Hizashi of the Hyuga Branch Family willingly died in his elder brother's place to preserve relations between the Hyuga and Konoha. But behind that willingness, how much was genuine choice, and how much was forced upon him by the system and circumstances?"

"Uncle Hiashi, you have two daughters. Hinata is gentle and kind, while Hanabi has only just turned one, innocent and adorable."

"Would you truly be willing to watch one of them, someday in the future, be branded with that cursed seal under Hyuga rules, her fate controlled by others from then on, with no say over whether she lives or dies?"

Hiashi's fingers tightened, and cracks appeared along the rim of his teacup.

"No father doesn't love his daughters."

Genya looked Hiashi straight in the eyes.

"Just as my father is willing to shield me from every storm, you must want to give Hinata and Hanabi the best possible future."

"But the existence of the Caged Bird Seal system has cast a shadow over that wish from the moment they were born."

Hiashi remained silent for a long time, then finally spoke.

"Uchiha boy, what exactly are you getting at?"

"An alliance."

Genya uttered the words.

"The Uchiha and the Hyuga, two ocular jutsu clans, two ancient clans that Konoha High Command distrusts, suppresses, and marginalizes alike, should join forces."

"Absurd!"

The Main Family elder behind Hiashi could not hold his tongue.

"The Hyuga and the Uchiha have been blood enemies for a thousand years. How could that possibly happen?"

"Blood enemies for a thousand years?"

Genya interrupted him, a mocking smile curling his lips.

"That was during the Warring States Era. Ever since the First Hokage founded Konoha, both the Uchiha and the Hyuga have been part of the village."

"Our common enemy is no longer each other. It's those who sit in high office and use so-called stability and the greater good to restrain and weaken us."

"Uncle Hiashi, you know better than anyone that the Hyuga Clan's standing in Konoha is declining. Hizashi's sacrifice earned you no respect, only even greater suspicion and restrictions."

"The same is true of the Uchiha. After the Nine-Tails' Attack, we were pushed to the outskirts of the village, and the Konoha Military Police Force became a force in name only."

"If we fight alone, we'll only be picked off one by one. But if we unite..."

Genya leaned forward, his passion powerfully persuasive.

"The combined voice of two ocular jutsu clans would be enough to make anyone think twice before dismissing us. We could support each other in village affairs, fight together for resources, and back each other up when facing pressure from the higher-ups."

"More importantly,"

Genya suddenly lowered his voice.

"We could help each other resolve our internal... threats!"

Hiashi's pupils contracted slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Those stubborn, conservative elders within the Hyuga Clan, those old fossils who regard the Caged Bird Seal as an untouchable tradition, are fundamentally no different from the idiot elders in the Uchiha who scream about a coup all day but do nothing except hold us back."

Genya spoke without the slightest restraint.

"They fear change and losing their power, so they use tradition and clan honor to hold the entire clan hostage while charging toward the brink of destruction."

"The Uchiha need to purge those voices, and so do the Hyuga."

Genya stared straight at Hyuga Hiashi, his gaze piercing!

"And we can help each other. The Uchiha's strength can support you as you reform the Hyuga from within and reclaim real authority. Likewise, the Hyuga's support can give the Uchiha more breathing room in the village and help us advance our own reforms."

The Tea Room fell deathly silent.

Neither Fugaku nor Sosuke had expected Genya to be so blunt!

Hiashi raised his cup and took a sip of tea that had long since gone cold.

"Genya, are you... truly only six years old?"

"Age doesn't mean anything, Uncle Hiashi."

"All I know is that if I don't want to see the people I cherish get hurt, I have to find a way out before disaster strikes."

Hiashi set down his cup and looked at everyone present.

Fugaku, Sosuke, Izumi, the unfathomable Itachi, and the preternaturally gifted boy before him.

He suddenly recalled the earnest expression on Genya's face as he stood in front of Hinata yesterday.

He recalled Hinata secretly coming to him last night, her expression solemn as she whispered, "Father, Genya isn't a bad person."

He recalled the way one-year-old Hanabi smiled at him from her swaddling.

He recalled the calm yet despairing look in his younger brother Hizashi's eyes before he left.

"What do the Uchiha want?"