Chapter 468 — Sorry, Sorry… (The Fluff You Wanted)
Ayaka Hyuga lay sprawled across her bed, her entire face buried beneath the blanket like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand.
She had been like this for the entire day.
Ever since returning home that morning, she had barely moved from this position.
Even Ayaka herself was confused.
How had things ended up like this?
Why had she agreed to Kei's invitation in the first place?
That guy's methods had practically been cheating.
Why had she leaned against him on her own?
Even she clearly remembered that she had been the one to do it first.
And most importantly—
Why had she stayed outside with him the entire night?
"Damn it… it's all that idiot's fault!"
Ayaka suddenly lifted her head, only to realize her face still felt burning hot.
She knew without looking that she was probably blushing fiercely right now.
After shaking her head helplessly, she buried herself back into the blanket again.
Even though her chest was full of frustration…
For some reason…
It had actually felt…
Pretty nice?
"No, that's definitely an illusion!"
Ayaka shoved her head deeper into the blanket again.
But only moments later, she lifted it back up once more.
"Damn it… my face is so hot… that idiot…"
"But…"
Ayaka sighed softly before a faint smile appeared on her lips, as though she had suddenly remembered something amusing.
"But that guy got bitten by me in the end. Serves him right."
The moment she recalled what happened that morning—
How Kei's arm had gone numb from being pinned beneath her all night…
And how she had easily bitten him because of it…
Most importantly, she had even bitten hard enough to draw blood—
Ayaka immediately found it hilarious.
Especially the expression on Kei's face back then.
Every time she remembered it, she felt both unbearably embarrassed and strangely entertained at the same time.
Probably no one else in Konoha could make that man suffer such a humiliating loss.
"…Though I guess I didn't exactly come out ahead either."
Aya lay on her stomach, staring blankly ahead.
Thinking about it carefully, she hadn't escaped unscathed at all.
After all—
She had slept in Kei's arms the entire night.
Even if nothing truly happened between them, for Ayaka, the emotional impact alone had already been enormous.
Ninja were capable of doing anything for intelligence gathering.
But ordinary mission-type shinobi rarely went that far.
Only organizations like the Root and the ANBU typically used those kinds of methods.
Especially Root.
For the sake of long-term infiltration, for embedding operatives deeply within enemy territory…
They would use female shinobi and exploit every possible advantage to completely ensnare their targets.
The morality of such methods was heavily disputed.
And ninja were generally far more cautious than ordinary people could imagine.
But to Root, results were all that mattered.
Those brainwashed to that extent no longer even cared about their own lives—
Much less their bodies.
Ayaka was nothing like that.
As a member of the Hyūga clan, she would never be assigned missions like those in the first place.
Her clan traits were far too distinctive.
Besides, she herself had absolutely no interest in such tasks.
For the vast majority of female shinobi in Konoha, those kinds of assignments were never necessary anyway.
Which meant…
What Kei did last night had truly shaken her.
And yet—
What confused Ayaka the most was that she didn't seem to hate any of it.
"Ayaka, are you asleep?"
Just as her thoughts spiraled further out of control, a voice suddenly came from outside her room.
Her mother.
Ayaka instantly snapped back to reality.
"N-No, I'm awake…"
She hurriedly sat upright, taking a deep breath to calm herself before preparing to get up and open the door.
"I'm coming in."
But before Ayaka could move, the door had already opened.
"You're okay, right?" her mother asked worriedly. "Why have you been sleeping all day?"
"I-I'm fine…"
Ayaka answered awkwardly.
"I see…"
Her mother's expression turned somewhat complicated before she finally sighed softly.
"As long as you're alright… that's good…"
Truthfully, Ayaka's mother didn't even know how to begin addressing this situation.
She naturally knew something about her daughter's current state was very wrong.
Especially after Ayaka failed to return home last night.
That only made things more suspicious.
Of course, her daughter was an outstanding kunoichi.
That was something she had always been proud of.
Ayaka's accomplishments had long since surpassed both her parents.
Even though they belonged to the branch family, nobody in the clan dared look down on them anymore because of Ayaka.
And her mother knew exactly how much suffering Ayaka had endured in the past.
As a branch family member, Ayaka had been sent to the battlefield at an extremely young age.
That experience had changed her profoundly.
She had barely managed to survive and return home—
Only to become entangled with a main family member afterward.
But that damned boy had committed suicide for reasons no one fully understood.
And as a result, Ayaka ended up bearing an unimaginable amount of blame and slander.
As her mother, she had witnessed all of it.
Yet she had been powerless to stop any of it from happening.
The only thing she could do was quietly comfort her daughter and take care of her as best she could.
But what she never expected…
Was that Ayaka hardly seemed to need comforting at all.
The resilience she displayed surpassed everyone's imagination.
Despite enduring countless rumors and accusations within the clan, she carried on as though none of it affected her.
Perhaps that steadfastness earned her fate's blessing.
Or perhaps…
She had simply met good teammates.
The name Kei Uchiha had gradually become impossible to ignore in her mother's ears.
A member of the Uchiha Clan—
A clan that, ever since Konoha's founding, had been entangled in endless conflict and hostility with the Hyuga Clan.
Yet after becoming Ayaka's teammate and accomplishing what should have been an impossible mission together…
That young man began shining brighter and brighter.
Vice Commander of the Police Force.
Then Head of the Department.
And eventually the architect behind transforming the Police Force into the most coveted department in all of Konoha.
He had accomplished all of that in merely four years.
And during those same four years—
The reforms he brought to both the Uchiha clan and the Police Force were so incredible that even someone uninvolved in politics like her understood how terrifyingly extraordinary they were.
Even the younger generation within the Hyūga clan—
Both main family and branch family alike—
Viewed this young Uchiha with astonishment.
Whether they envied him, hated him, respected him, or feared him…
No one dared provoke this terrifying figure who now stood at the center of Konoha's power.
Especially now, after the release of the Jōnin Reform Act.
Throughout the village, people treated this young Uchiha department head with immense respect.
Truthfully…
Someone like him should have existed impossibly far away from her.
Without extraordinary circumstances, she would never have crossed paths with such a person in her lifetime.
And yet—
That person was her daughter's teammate.
And they had already spent four or five years together.
During those years—
More accurately, during the last two—
She had heard countless rumors.
Rumors claiming her daughter shared an unusually close relationship with this powerful Uchiha chief.
She never wanted to interfere in such matters.
Or perhaps she simply understood that anything she said would be meaningless.
Her daughter had already grown up.
Ayaka had the right to make her own choices.
But this time…
Things felt different.
Whenever there wasn't a mission, Ayaka almost never stayed out overnight.
Even if something important prevented her from returning home, she would always inform them in advance.
Yet this time—
Rumors had spread throughout the village that both Kei and Ayaka failed to return home last night.
Combined with the fact that yesterday had been Kei's seventeenth birthday…
And Aya's current behavior today…
Her mother could not help imagining certain troubling possibilities.
After a long sigh, she finally spoke again.
"If you're alright, then come meet the guest outside."
"A guest?"
Ayaka frowned immediately.
"Who's here looking for me?"
"It's…"
Her mother hesitated before finally speaking the name.
"Your teammate."
—
"Head Kei—"
"What are you doing here?!"
Kei was currently seated in the living room of Ayaka's home.
It was actually his first time visiting her house.
Truthfully, he had been pretty curious what kind of home Ayaka lived in.
And now that he'd seen it—
It honestly wasn't bad at all.
At the very least, it was noticeably larger than his own place.
The style of the house was understated as well—traditional black-and-white tones woven together in a quiet, elegant design.
Perhaps that was simply the classic aesthetic of the Hyuga Clan.
What puzzled Kei, however, was that he still hadn't seen Ayaka.
He had no idea what that woman was doing.
She had obviously returned home that morning.
Yet after following Hizashi Hyuga here, the only person he met was Ayaka's mother.
And judging from her complicated expression and hesitant replies, Ayaka had apparently locked herself away to "rest" ever since coming back.
That left Kei completely baffled.
He swore he truly hadn't done anything last night.
Was it really necessary for her to react this dramatically?
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.
Before long, Ayaka's voice finally reached his ears.
Turning his head, Kei noticed she really did look like someone who had only just gotten out of bed.
Her eyes weren't sleepy, but her hair was slightly messy.
Most importantly, her clothes were somewhat disheveled—as though she had hurriedly thrown them on and rushed out before properly fixing them.
That only made Kei even more confused.
What exactly had this woman been doing?
"I came to find you," Kei answered calmly before turning toward Ayaka's mother. "Sorry for troubling you, Auntie."
"It's no trouble at all, Chief Kei." Ayaka's mother gave a slight bow. "You and Ayaka can take your time talking. As for dinner tonight…"
She hesitated briefly.
"Would you like to stay and eat with us?"
"Thank you, but there's no need to trouble yourself." Kei smiled politely. "I'll probably take Ayaka out to eat later instead. Sorry for the inconvenience."
"I… see…"
Aya's mother seemed momentarily absent-minded.
Her gaze drifted slowly between Kei and Ayaka before she finally forced a smile and nodded.
Then she quietly turned and left, even thoughtfully closing the living room door behind her.
For some reason, that reaction made Kei feel unbearably awkward.
It felt as though he had somehow become the kind of villain who forcibly stole someone else's daughter away while the parents could do nothing to stop him.
Ayaka clearly understood what her mother had misunderstood.
But she didn't bother explaining.
Because she knew very well—
The more she tried to explain something like this, the more awkward and suspicious it would become.
"What kind of scheme are you plotting now?" Ayaka took a deep breath before sitting directly beside Kei. "And your hand…"
"You really left me with quite the memorable 'mark,' didn't you?" Kei lifted his arm helplessly with a bitter smile.
"I already applied medicine, but the bite mark still hasn't completely faded. Looks like I'll need to wait a little longer."
"Serves you right." Aya snorted softly.
But the moment she realized her expression seemed too pleased, she immediately straightened her face into a serious look again.
"Forget that. You still haven't told me why you came tonight."
"We're discussing some things. It's probably because that guy Kenta has something bothering him." Kei lowered his arm. "He invited me along. Besides me, Kakashi, Rin, and you are all going too."
Ayaka looked puzzled.
What exactly had gotten into Kenta this time?
From the sound of it…
That stingy bastard was actually treating everyone to dinner?
After thinking about it for a moment, Ayaka honestly didn't want to go.
The emotional impact from last night still hadn't faded from her heart yet.
But if she refused…
Kei had already personally come all the way to her house.
Who knew how many people had seen him?
If she didn't go with him now, there would probably be even more outrageous rumors spreading through the village afterward.
"…Fine. I'll go with you." Ayaka sighed helplessly as she prepared to stand up. "Honestly…"
But Kei suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in place.
Ayaka looked at him in confusion.
"What now? You expect me to go out looking like this?"
"Of course not." Kei smiled faintly. "I'll help you."
Ignoring the fact that Ayaka clearly looked like she wanted to say something, he calmly reached out and began straightening her clothes for her.
"It's pretty rare for that guy to invite people out."
"…True."
Watching Kei seriously help fix her appearance, Aya suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
After a long pause, she finally muttered:
"I think I should just do it myself. The way you're fixing my clothes makes it feel like you're preparing a corpse."
"What nonsense."
Kei picked up a comb nearby while replying casually.
"Whether it's a teammate's remains or an enemy's corpse, I'd usually just burn them with fire."
As he spoke, he carefully began combing through Ayaka's hair.
"If it's a teammate, maybe I'd tidy them up afterward and bring them home in a box. If it's an enemy…"
His voice softened slightly.
"Then they can simply scatter with the wind."
"In that case, should I thank you for not stuffing me into a box?"
"The past should be left to the wind."
Kei looked quietly into those pale white eyes at close range.
"People have to keep moving forward. Heaven gave us black eyes so we could search for light with them…"
He paused briefly before smiling faintly.
"…Though I suppose white eyes can do the same."
For some reason, Kei suddenly found himself distracted while staring into those snow-white pupils from such close proximity.
Ayaka also seemed to realize their distance had become dangerously close.
And that realization only made her even less certain about what she was supposed to do.
As though they had silently understood each other—
Kei slowly leaned forward.
Aya gently closed her eyes.
And then—
The living room door suddenly swung open.
"Lord Kei, Ayaka, your friends are waiting outside the clan grounds—"
The speaker froze instantly.
"…S-Sorry. Sorry…"