As night fell, the door to the top floor of the Foreign Trade Department finally opened.
The expressions on the faces of the merchants who had been waiting outside for hours instantly shifted from exhausted and frustrated to hopeful and smiling.
But in the next moment, all their smiles froze.
Standing at the door was Uchiha Hikaru, carrying none other than the infamous Red Queen of the ninja world—Kurenai.
For a brief second, Uchiha Hikaru thought he could hear the sound of dozens of hearts shattering.
"Kurenai isn't feeling well today. I'm taking her home."
"Come back tomorrow. If it's urgent, speak to Deputy Minister Yamato downstairs."
Kurenai nestled quietly in Uchiha Hikaru's arms, saying nothing. Though she tried to maintain her usual calm and commanding demeanor, her weakened body offered her no chance to perform. All she could do was bury her face in his chest, flushed and exhausted.
Without another word, Uchiha Hikaru turned and left under the stunned gazes of the crowd, carrying Kurenai back to her private residence.
It was still the same home as before. The layout inside hadn't changed much over the years.
As soon as they entered, Kurenai loosened her arms from around Uchiha Hikaru's neck and gently stepped down. Her legs trembled as she touched the floor, but she managed to slide on her slippers. Slowly and unsteadily, she made her way to the small altar in the living room and lit a stick of incense for her father, Shinku Yūhi.
Seeing this, Uchiha Hikaru followed and bowed three times to Shinku's faded photo alongside her.
"Please rest easy, Uncle," Hikaru said softly. "I'll take care of Kurenai from now on."
"You've earned your rest in the Pure Land."
Kurenai gave him a soft punch in the back.
"You still say you'll take good care of me…"
"Then why did you go so hard earlier?"
"It's hard for me to even walk now…" (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)
Uchiha Hikaru scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile.
"I couldn't help it…"
Since Kurenai rarely stayed here, the fridge was mostly empty except for some packaged food. With no fresh ingredients on hand, they simply ate a light meal before sitting together on the balcony, watching the stars.
For a long while, neither of them spoke. They simply enjoyed the peaceful silence, the night air between them light and quiet. Eventually, Uchiha Hikaru was the one to break the stillness.
"How's the situation with Kirigakure going?"
"Any major resistance?"
Kurenai set aside her wine glass and turned to face him on the recliner, her red eyes catching the soft starlight.
"At first, there were no issues. Kirigakure was eager for us to keep expanding our trade routes."
"It wasn't until the nobles of the Land of Water realized that our Konoha caravans had taken over all their commerce that the Daimyo started to act."
"A bunch of shops were forcibly shut down by the Daimyo's direct order."
The moment Uchiha Hikaru heard the word "Daimyo," his mood darkened.
Among all the ninja villages, only the Daimyo of the Land of Earth and Ōnoki seemed to act in unity. Meanwhile, the Fire Daimyo was constantly at odds with Konoha, despite the fact that it had been Konoha's backing that helped him secure his position.
As for the other daimyos? To Uchiha Hikaru, they were all the same: men who used their villages' power to bleed their own people dry and grow fat off the spoils of war.
"My name?" Hikaru muttered. "It's not the right time yet. But when the time comes… I'll make them cough up everything they've swallowed."
Kurenai listened quietly and nodded.
"The daimyos have looked down on shinobi since the Warring States Era."
"That mindset has been drilled into the people's bones for generations. If we don't strike hard, nothing will ever change."
"That's why I sent Itachi and Kisame."
"They led a squad of Konoha shinobi right to the border of the Land of Water. After that, the Daimyo had no choice but to unseal all the shops."
"Any nobles who tried to resist were handled directly by the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi."
"But speaking of her…" Kurenai narrowed her eyes at him. "Tell me the truth. That woman—do you have history with her?"
Uchiha Hikaru froze. He hesitated, thinking it through, unsure how to respond.
"Uh…"
"There's… some history…"
"I was the one who captured her and brought her to Konoha. That's all. What's the big deal?"
He looked at her with an innocent face, like he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
Kurenai wasn't buying it. She reached out and twisted his waist sharply. (ง •̀_•́)ง
"Still lying to me. Like I don't know exactly what kind of man you are."
Uchiha Hikaru winced in pain but quickly slipped into a shameless grin, leaning back with his hands behind his head like a man beyond shame.
"It was purely diplomatic. Nothing happened with Mei Terumi."
"She tried to seduce me, sure, but I stayed strong. She never got her way."
Kurenai stayed silent for a moment. Then she slowly slid off the recliner and into his arms, curling up against him.
"Sigh… What a life. How did I end up stuck with a guy like you?"
"But remember this—no matter what, I'm your first woman."
Uchiha Hikaru gently ran his fingers through her hair, pulling her into a warm embrace.
"Don't worry…"
Before long, Kurenai fell asleep in his arms.
That night, she slept better than she had in three whole years.
The next morning, Kurenai returned to the Foreign Trade Department to deal with endless piles of paperwork. Meanwhile, Uchiha Hikaru headed straight for the Senju clan's compound—Tsunade's residence.
"Master Hikaru, my Genin status has been officially registered… but what about my teammates for the Chunin Exams?"
Saya sat beside Uchiha Hikaru, eyes filled with curiosity and hope.
Hikaru smacked his own thigh with a jolt of realization.
Crap—he'd completely forgotten!
The Chunin Exams required teams of three… and Saya didn't have teammates yet!
Saya jolted from the sudden noise and let out a startled yelp.
"Eeeep~!"
"Master Hikaru, what's wrong?"
Uchiha Hikaru quickly withdrew his hand and gave a fake cough, trying to recover.
Cough, cough!
"Of course I've already made arrangements."
"You'll meet your teammates tomorrow morning at Training Ground 12."
He stood and made his way to the door.
"The Chunin Exams are coming up. I've still got a ton of things to coordinate. Go to the study and read up on Konoha's shinobi knowledge while I'm out."
And with that, he left.
But the truth was—he had absolutely no clue who Saya teammates would be.
Most of the eligible Genin were already grouped into squads. Finding last-minute replacements was a nightmare.
But then… an idea hit him.
Since he was already breaking the rules to begin with, why not go all the way?
Hoshigaki Kisame.
Maruboshi Kosuke.
One was an unregistered non-Konoha shinobi. The other was a legendary "eternal Genin."
Perfect.
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