"Brother Neji is here too?"
Hanabi's crisp voice broke the brief silence in the flower shop. Her gaze bypassed the others and landed on Neji, who had been standing quietly in the shadows by the door, a look of surprise appearing on her small face.
"Is Father back as well?"
Following Hanabi's question, the others' attention temporarily shifted from Karin to Neji.
Meeting everyone's gaze, Neji took two steps forward, placing himself fully under the bright light.
His expression was calm, and his pure white eyes were the same as usual, but a careful observer might notice that deep within them, there seemed to be something more—a sense of settled maturity that wasn't there before.
Facing Hanabi's inquiry, he nodded and replied in a steady voice, "Yes, Uncle brought us back to the Village early. He sent me here to pick you up... to come back and stay at home."
As his words fell, a strange silence filled the flower shop for a moment.
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly; it seemed he had missed some exciting drama last night.
Hanabi blinked, a trace of confusion on her face as if she were confirming whether she had misheard.
Hinata also widened her pure white eyes slightly, looking at Neji with some surprise.
Even Aunt Rino raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.
The issue wasn't the news Neji brought itself.
It was perfectly normal for Hiashi to return to the Village early and pick up his daughters.
The issue was the way Neji addressed him.
"Uncle."
He called Hiashi... "Uncle."
In terms of bloodline and seniority, there was absolutely nothing wrong with this form of address.
Hyuga Hiashi was indeed the twin brother of Neji's father, Hizashi; he was Neji's genuine biological Uncle.
However!
In everyone's impression over the past years, Neji's way of addressing Hiashi had always been the respectful yet distant "Lord Clan Head."
The word "Uncle" had never once escaped Neji's lips.
And yet now, Neji had used the term "Uncle" so naturally and calmly.
What did this mean?
This was definitely not just a change in address.
Behind this, there must have been a transformation in the relationship between Neji and Hiashi.
It seems quite a few incredible things happened during this trip to the Hidden Mist Village!
For someone as proud and long-suffering as Neji to naturally change how he addressed the head of the Main House, the experiences he went through likely far exceeded the imagination of those who stayed behind in the Village.
Was it mutual support during a life-or-death crisis? Was it the uncovering of some hidden truths? Or was it... that Hiashi had given Neji some kind of ground-breaking promise or recognition?
Whichever it was, it was enough to show that Neji had returned from this mission a different person than when he left.
Yamanaka Rino thought to herself that she must tell Inoichi about this as soon as he returned.
Hinata also understood the significance. She looked at Neji, and besides surprise, her pure white eyes held a touch of concern and inquiry.
She keenly felt that the gloomy edge Brother Neji used to have seemed to have lessened, replaced by... an indescribable sense of depth and determination.
Hanabi clapped her hands happily: "Great! Father is finally back!"
Neji didn't seem to mind the brief daze and whispering caused by his change in address.
He looked at Hinata and Hanabi, his tone remaining steady: "Uncle said there are some family matters to attend to, and he also hopes you'll come back to stay for a few days. Your things can be brought over later by clan members; for now, come back with me."
His attitude was natural, carrying an unquestionable steadiness belonging to an "elder brother." He was like a different person compared to the old Neji, who was always silent, enduring, and strictly bound by the duties of the Branch House.
"Since it is Lord Hiashi's wish, Hinata, Hanabi, you two should pack up and go back with Neji."
Yamanaka Rino was the first to break the silence. She offered a gentle urge in her capacity as an elder, while also nodding to Neji, her eyes carrying a faint, indiscernible trace of scrutiny.
Hinata quickly responded, "Yes, Aunt Rino."
She pulled on Hanabi, who was still immersed in the joy of "Father being back."
"Hanabi, let's go pack our things."
"Oh! Okay!"
Hanabi skipped along after Hinata toward the back.
"I heard that this time, the Chunin Exams will be a Joint Chunin Exams involving multiple Villages."
Naruto spoke up at the right moment, pulling the conversation back and refocusing on the upcoming official business.
He turned his gaze to Ino.
"The opponents come from various ninja Villages, so the situation will definitely be more complex than before. Let's get Shikamaru, Sakura, and the others together to discuss it. We should make some preparations in advance. Also, we can introduce Karin to them."
As the one with the most flexible tactical mind and meticulous thinking among Konoha's younger generation, Nara Shikamaru was undoubtedly the best candidate for discussing strategy.
Hearing this, Ino nodded: "Alright! We really do need to plan carefully. We can't let those guys from other Villages look down on us Konoha Genin!"
Seeing her agreement, Naruto smiled and turned his gaze back to Neji, who was preparing to leave with Hinata and Hanabi.
"Hinata, I'll come find you in a bit."
Neji suddenly looked at Naruto. He suddenly understood why his Uncle occasionally ground his teeth when mentioning Naruto.
"Neji, do you want to join us? Your team should be participating in these Chunin Exams too, right?"
Neji's pure white eyes met Naruto's sincere, inviting blue eyes.
After a brief hesitation, he nodded: "Fine."
After agreeing, he added: "However, I must take Hinata and Hanabi back first and inform my Uncle. Once I've seen them safely home, I'll come meet up with you."
Naruto replied readily: "No problem! Let's pick a place... how about Yakiniku Q?"
This time, they would give those outsiders a little 'Konoha shock'.
If several of them worked together near the tower in the second stage, the Forest of Death, to intercept those coming their way, then in the end, not a single person from other Villages would be able to enter the third stage of the Chunin Exams.
However, they still had to save some face for the other Villages appropriately.
The Chunin Exams were held twice a year and were generally important occasions for allied nations to observe each other's national strength.
To put it bluntly, it was an arms race, a stage to showcase the young talents of each Village.
Hokage Office.
The Sandaime looked at the compiled list for the Chunin Exams.
Sunagakure: Ten teams
Amegakure: Seven teams
Kusagakure: Two teams
Takigakure: Two teams
Konohagakure: Twenty-nine teams
Otogakure: One team
Two members of Kusagakure had been nearly turned into vegetables by Naruto's lightning and were still lying in the hospital, and Karin was now by Naruto's side.
In other words, Kusagakure effectively only had one team left.
Konoha was facing a gap in talent, and Iwagakure wasn't doing much better; the envoys sent to Iwagakure a few days ago returned saying that Ōnoki had declined the invitation to the Joint Chunin Exams.
This morning, Hiashi also reported on the attitude of the Hidden Mist Village.
The scale of this Chunin Exam was acceptable.
Although there were only Villages from two Great Nations, the intended effect of the Chunin Exams could still be achieved.
Furthermore, could it be that the Mizukage has already been assassinated?
The Sandaime narrowed his clouded eyes.
It seems the Ninja World is facing new turmoil!
The cause of the last Great Ninja War was the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, and then Sunagakure insisted on pinning that mess on Konoha.
Now the Fourth Mizukage is also dead.
They couldn't let the Hidden Mist Village throw dirty water at Konoha again.