"These clans seem easy enough to get along with," Aizawa mused aloud.
"That's because Takeshi is strong, not you," Megumi retorted, gently pushing her husband back down. "Why aren't you lying still? I told you not to move anything, but you just had to insist."
Instead of enjoying his good fortune, he'd gone and thrown his back out. Now she and Rin had to fuss over him.
Rin just smiled softly at the scene. This was part of her life, too. A little bickering was far better than the quiet, suffocating stillness of their old apartment. With Aizawa retired and idle, these squabbles gave their days a little spice.
"Father, if you don't need anything else, I'm going to head over to the hospital," she said, already getting restless.
More than training, she felt the pull of the hospital. She could help with simple medical cases, yes, but it was also the best place to practice her medical ninjutsu. Rin knew her strengths. Her path wasn't in combat, but in healing.
After she left, the house grew quiet. Her parents looked around the spacious home, a sense of disbelief still clinging to them. It was all like a dream. But the most surreal part was Takeshi. The little black cat they had taken in, thinking he was just an ordinary stray, was now holding conversations with the heads of Konoha's most powerful clans.
--**--**
On the street, Takeshi leaped onto a rooftop, his gaze sweeping over the village.
The Hyuga compound was beautiful, no doubt about it. Its pristine, traditional architecture stood in stark contrast to the homes of civilians and ordinary shinobi.
'Meow~ I wonder which side is the main house,' he thought, gazing into the distance.
After a moment, he gave up and simply picked a direction, hopping from roof to roof. The compound was too large, and all the houses looked infuriatingly similar. He'd just have to wander until he found it.
'The Hyuga is truly massive,' he mused, 'but they throw themselves into every war. Almost the entire clan mobilizes.'
He could see it as he passed over the courtyards below. They were filled with women and young children. He couldn't spot a single shinobi who looked older than ten. The Uchiha, by contrast, hadn't committed nearly as many of their own. Of course, that wasn't entirely their fault. The Third Hokage and Danzo's policies had played a significant role in pushing them to the margins.
After wandering for a while, Takeshi was getting tired.
Hyuga Clan territory had houses that looked almost identical. Searching like this, who knew when he'd find Hiashi.
'And as for gathering points... there's no one here to get them from. Only the weak are left.'
He might as well get this over with. He hopped down into an alley and activated Sage Mode. His senses spread out, and in an instant, he pinpointed Hiashi's chakra.
He was at home, and someone else was with him. Takeshi hesitated. From the feel of it, they were... occupied.
'Meow... Maybe I should just go back.'
He crouched on a nearby wall, debating. What if he was interrupting something intimate? That would be awkward. But just as he decided to retreat, the window of the room slid open. Hiashi stood there, a scroll in his hand. There was indeed another person inside, but a quick glance revealed it was just a servant girl, no older than ten.
'Well, that's embarrassing. Good thing Hiashi can't read my mind,' Takeshi thought, feeling a little foolish.
He leaped lightly from the wall into the compound. The clan head's home was certainly a cut above the rest. The room Hiashi had just left was clearly a study, piled high with scrolls and books that looked far from ordinary.
"My apologies," Hiashi said, leading Takeshi toward the tea room. "I was reading and didn't sense you outside. I hope you haven't been waiting long."
Tea. It seemed to be a Hyuga obsession. Takeshi had seen tea sets displayed in nearly every household he'd passed. Still, bringing him to a tea room was a bit absurd.
'I'm a cat,' he grumbled internally. 'Did you expect me to hold teacup with my paws?'
"Natsu, please bring a bowl for Jonin Takeshi."
"No need, meow."
Takeshi waved a paw, then deftly curled his tail around an empty cup on the table, lifting it to his mouth in a clear gesture. He didn't particularly like tea, but it was the custom, and refusing would be a hassle. Major clans were so formal.
"Clan Head?" the girl, Natsu, asked.
"He said there's no need," Hiashi said with an indifferent wave. "You may go."
Natsu bowed slightly and slowly exited the tea room.
Natsu bowed slightly and exited the room. The name rang a faint bell in Takeshi's mind, a maid from the Hyuga clan, but not an important character. He wouldn't have remembered her at all if he hadn't heard her name.
"Takeshi," Hiashi began, getting straight to the point. "You come from one of the sage lands, don't you?"
He had learned that being direct was the best way to deal with this cat. Beating around the bush would only end in frustration.
"Meow!" Takeshi didn't deny it.
It wasn't much of a secret anymore, not since he'd revealed his senjutsu. But things were different now. With the Flying Thunder God and Sage Mode at his command, no one could capture him unless they could neutralize him instantly. And Hiashi Hyuga, for all his strength, wasn't that person.
"I would like to propose a cooperation with your clan," Hiashi continued.
Takeshi gave him a look that clearly said, 'Are you an idiot?'
"My clan is extinct," he deadpanned. "There's just me. And a cat, who counts as half. Are you sure, meow?"
A forgotten sage land didn't count for much.
But Hiashi shook his head, his expression firm. "What matters for any clan is its bloodline, not its territory or numbers. As long as the kekkei genkai is not severed, a clan can always re-establish itself in the shinobi world."
The Hyuga's own history was a testament to that. As long as the main house survived, they could always branch out and rebuild. In Hiashi's eyes, Takeshi was just such a figure. The size of his clan was unimportant, it was his future that held value.
"Meow~ Let's talk when I'm stronger," Takeshi said, shaking his head without giving a firm no.
Cooperation depended on the circumstances, and right now, he couldn't see any benefit in aligning with the Hyuga. Money? Ninjutsu? He didn't need either to build his so-called sage land. For him, points were far more valuable. Still, that might not always be the case. It was best not to burn bridges.
"A pity," Hiashi said. "On another matter, I heard your clan possesses a kinjutsu similar to Maito Duy's. Is there any possibility for the Hyuga to learn such a technique?"
"I don't know, meow," Takeshi answered honestly. "Perhaps if one trains like Guy has since he was a child, it's possible."
He truly had no idea. He didn't know much about the Hyuga's ultimate potential, beyond the basics. There were secrets like the Tenseigan, of course, but telling Hiashi about that would be suicide.
"Train like Guy from a young age?" Hiashi murmured, stunned.
He had no idea how Guy trained. As the head of the Hyuga clan, he had little time to pay attention to a genin and his son. If Duy hadn't unleashed the Eight Gates, he never would have known such a taijutsu master even existed in Konoha. But if diligent training was the key...
He considered it. The explosive power of the Eight Gates was precisely what the Hyuga lacked. And even if it couldn't be integrated with the Gentle Fist, the physical conditioning alone would be beneficial.
"Thank you," he said, standing to give a deep, formal bow.
"Meow~ No need to thank me. I didn't say much," Takeshi replied with a wave of his paw.
'If you're so grateful, give me something substantial,' he thought. 'I won't ask for a Byakugan, but surely you have some other treasures you could share.'
"Regarding cooperation," Hiashi said, "my offer stands. You can come to me anytime. Also... it would be best not to tie yourself too closely to the Uchiha. It is not a matter of conflict between our clans, but many of them have a dangerous way of thinking. An alliance with them will not end well."
The warning was sincere. When dealing with a genius like Takeshi, honesty was the only viable approach. Deception might work for a time, but the moment he caught on, the entire Hyuga clan could face disaster.
The black cat gave no reply, simply leaping out of the window and disappearing into the afternoon.
===============
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