Shikaku, after the incident of Megumi being sent to prison, could not sleep that night. He still couldn't believe that a five-year-old boy had been sent to prison.
"Good morning," he said to his wife, who was breastfeeding their son.
Yoshino only glanced at him before looking away.
"I already spoke to Minato about it. He'll be free after a few days," Shikaku said.
"Why don't you let the boy gain more experience there and serve his term completely?" Yoshino said as she carried Shikamaru, who had already fallen asleep, to his bedroom.
Shikaku could tell that her words were filled with sarcasm.
"I just hope my son will not become your elders' plaything."
Shikaku's heart skipped. Why are you trying to drag our son into this?
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to Megumi, I promise," Shikaku said quietly.
"What do you mean by nothing will happen to him? When he was severely injured by your elders' dog, what did you do?" she asked. "You did nothing."
"You know what pisses me off the most? That so-called prodigy was spared without punishment. Both of them left the clan, and in less than two months, that same weak boy defeated the arrogant Hyuga clan and almost killed a two-tomoe Sharingan Uchiha officer!" she said, her voice rising with anger.
Breathing heavily, Yoshino stared at Shikaku, who was already sweating.
"Now tell me, can your prodigy take on an Uchiha and cause that kind of damage? Or let's say he comes back for revenge—do you think he should regard you as his uncle or as the head of the Nara clan?" she said before walking away to pick up the baby, who had begun crying from Yoshino's earlier outburst.
"Just know this, Shikaku," she said coldly, "the only reason that boy hasn't killed your elders and that prodigy is because of Kaede."
---
Elsewhere, in Kaede's house, two women stood covered in blood as the sound of chopping filled the room.
They were Kaede and Tsume Inuzuka, the head of the Inuzuka clan.
They were cutting up the deer Megumi had brought home to prevent it from spoiling. Kaede couldn't take it to the butcher shop since the Nara clan was investigating every store to see who had bought fresh meat recently.
"Hey, how did your son kill this thing, and how was he able to carry it with that small body of his?" Tsume asked while handling the toughest part of slicing the deer.
Kaede looked at her unreliable friend. "I don't even know, but I know he always finds his way."
"Hahaha! How about your son marries my daughter?" Tsume said casually. Their clans often believed that the strongest should lead, so such talk wasn't unusual to her.
"No," Kaede replied instantly without even looking up.
"Huh?" Tsume's laughter stopped. She looked at Kaede with surprise. "What do you mean, no? Aren't you the one who said he liked Hana? What are you trying to do, Kaede?" she asked, locking eyes with her.
Kaede sighed, already used to her friend's blunt nature. "I can't force him to do things. If I did, how would I be any different from the Nara clan?"
Tsume frowned but shrugged after a moment. "Fine. Then we'll just engage them when they're ready."
Kaede's mouth twitched as a vein pulsed on her temple. "Whatever makes you happy."
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Are you expecting someone?" Tsume asked.
"I'll go check," Kaede said, wiping her hands before heading to the door.
When she opened it, three figures stood outside—two teenage girls and an older man.
"Long time, Teacher Shinku," Kaede said, bowing in greeting.