Hyūga Clan.
Reception hall.
Hearing Hiashi's words, Ren narrowed his eyes slightly.
So Hiashi already knew that he had killed the Cloud Village ninja back then?
As expected of a great clan with a thousand-year heritage—one that had stood firm in the shinobi world through seven generations of Hokage and only grown stronger. That kind of information network and judgment wasn't built on luck.
But the real question was…
He knew—yet he never told the Third Hokage?
Otherwise, Ren wouldn't have lived so carefree for the past few years.
Interesting.
A faint smile slowly rose at the corner of Ren's lips.
He casually squeezed Hinata's small hand again and pulled her down to sit with him—without any intention of letting go.
Hinata, meanwhile… was already so red she looked like she might burst into steam.
Her mind was completely blank.
She obediently let Ren pull her down beside him, unable to react at all.
Hiashi's gaze flicked toward that little movement, and a vein twitched on his forehead.
Bold brat—daring to flirt with my daughter right in front of me!
This talkative Uchiha kid didn't quite match the rumors, did he?
After a brief pause, Hiashi poured a cup of tea and said calmly,
"This cup is to thank you for saving my daughter's life."
"Only thanking me now? That's two and a half years late."
Ren shook his head and drained the tea in one gulp.
He had already roughly guessed why the Hyūga clan head had invited him.
There was only one real purpose:
To leak information about Konoha's upper echelon—and to release a gesture of goodwill.
As the only two major clans left in Konoha, the destruction of the Uchiha would not benefit the Hyūga at all.
Originally, there were two pillars sharing the pressure. If one collapsed, all the pressure would pile onto the remaining one.
Of course, Hiashi wouldn't dare go too far.
He only hinted, subtly, at the higher-ups' growing wariness.
He also mentioned that if help were ever needed, the Hyūga could provide some support.
Finally, he refilled Ren's cup and smiled faintly.
" Ren, why don't you stay in the Hyūga clan for a few days as our guest?"
"These past two years, my daughter has missed you quite a bit."
"F-Father…" Hinata's face instantly turned crimson. She didn't even know where to put herself anymore, shrinking inward like a startled quail.
"So that's how it is. When I rescued Hinata back then, she woke up later?"
Ren shook his head, silently blaming his own lack of experience back then.
If it were now, I'd just knock her out again whether she was conscious or not.
He lightly turned the cup in his hand for a moment, then set it down and shook his head.
The Hyūga clan was indeed nice.
But he still preferred the wild, unhinged Uchiha atmosphere.
It was more relaxing when it came to chatting and fighting.
And besides…
The Hyūga's support would only come if the extermination battle began to tilt in someone's favor.
Before that, given Hiashi's cautious nature, even this warning was already his limit.
They could be icing on the cake—but never help in the snow.
Ren understood that perfectly.
It was simply hedging bets. A vital artery decision.
"Since that's the case," Hiashi said after a short pause, standing up, "you can let my daughter show you around the clan."
Just then—
[Ten-minute conversation with Hyūga Hiashi complete. Attempting to copy a tag…]
[Copy failed.]
Ren rolled his eyes.
Fine—if the clan head didn't drop loot, the clan had plenty of other targets.
Especially… Neji.
If talking didn't work, then—
He deliberately took Hinata's hand and led her outside.
Creak.
As the wooden door slid shut, the reception hall fell silent again.
After a moment, an elderly figure slowly emerged from behind a screen.
White-haired. Stooped. Moving only one careful step at a time.
He walked to the spot where Ren had been sitting, stood there for a long while, then murmured:
"I can't see through him."
"…What?" Hiashi was visibly shocked. His Byakugan even activated unconsciously. "Elder, even you can't see through him?"
This elder was the oldest living member of the Hyūga clan—and someone who had pushed the Byakugan to near-perfection.
"That child is shrouded in fog. Even my Byakugan cannot penetrate it… though his apparent strength doesn't seem high…"
The elder hesitated, then added uncertainly,
"Hiashi… are you truly going to bet on him?"
"The Uchiha clan's fate is already set in stone. Inviting Uchiha Ren at this time may provoke displeasure from the Third Hokage."
Hiashi waved his hand.
"Displeasure doesn't matter. The front lines still need the Hyūga's Byakugan. The Third Hokage won't act against us."
"Besides… this is what they owe Hizashi."
His voice softened, growing heavy.
Back then, under pressure from the Hokage and the elders, he had no choice but to sacrifice his younger brother.
But… that didn't mean the matter was truly over.
This invitation had only been a test.
At the mention of Hizashi, both men fell silent.
Boom!
Suddenly, loud noise erupted outside.
Hiashi frowned and slid the door open to look.
Outside—
A group of Hyūga youths had surrounded Ren tightly.
Hot-blooded teenagers, seeing their young lady being led around by the hand, couldn't hold back any longer.
One after another, they shouted:
"Hey! You brat—let go of the young lady!"
"You think you're worthy of touching Lady Hinata?!"
"Let go, or I'll duel you!"
Amid the noise, a calmer voice spoke up:
"Are you sure you want to duel someone from the Uchiha clan?"
"…Uchiha?"
The youths stiffened, finally noticing Ren's clothes.
Their momentum weakened instantly.
Among Konoha's great clans, the Uchiha were the most feared.
Not only were their abilities strange and terrifying—becoming an Uchiha's friend was even more dangerous.
Everyone knew the rumor: sacrifice a loved one, awaken the eyes.
"Heh…"
Neji stepped forward coldly once the crowd quieted.
" Ren, what are you doing here?"
They were from the same generation. Though they didn't meet often, he recognized Ren.
There had even been a period when Ren would chat with him every day—then suddenly vanish.
Weird, to say the least.
"Huh? Even you, genius Neji, are skipping class?"
Ren shot Neji an annoyed look.
This guy just interrupted my farming spot.
He immediately turned back, lifted Hinata's small hand toward the surrounding "targets," and grinned brightly.
"Ahem. Anyone here not happy with me? You can all come at once."
As he spoke, he openly brought Hinata's hand to his lips and gave it a light kiss.
Flash!
Hinata's face turned completely red—
Then her eyes rolled back.
She fainted on the spot.
The other youths finally snapped, their jealousy and rage boiling over.
"Everyone, get him!"
"That's right! Even if he's an Uchiha, there's no way he can beat all of us together!"
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