Shirayuki Haruba stepped out of Ichiraku Ramen with Hinata at his side.
He had just turned to head in the direction of the Hyūga compound when a tall, broad-shouldered man suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
The man's expression was anything but friendly.
That look…It was familiar.
Haruba had seen it many times before—especially whenever he crossed paths with the parents of Tenten, Ino, or Sakura. They always gave him that same silent, threatening glare when they thought he wasn't looking.
But this man was a stranger.
Still… those pale, pupil-less eyes were unmistakable. He had to be one of Hinata's guards.
"Little… friend," the man said, grinding out the words through clenched teeth.
"Thank you so much for taking care of my young lady."
"Uh… you're welcome."
Haruba didn't look the least bit embarrassed. By now, he was used to this kind of attitude.
He turned toward Hinata, who still had her head bowed shyly."Haven't your people come to pick you up? I'll get going then."
"Ah?"
Hinata instinctively lifted her head—only to find Haruba had already turned and walked away.
Within seconds, the night swallowed his figure, and she could no longer see him.
She bit her lip, eyes full of disappointment… and then, as if remembering something, she looked even more downcast.
She had no idea when she'd get the chance to see him again.
"Lady Hinata?"
The guard noticed her unusual mood and quickly stepped forward in concern.
"I'm fine," Hinata replied, shaking her head.
But the guard could tell there was a trace of displeasure in her voice. That was… new.
For the first time, he felt a little wronged himself.
After all, he had found Lady Hinata a while ago—but he'd stayed outside when he saw her happily eating ramen. He'd decided to wait until she was done before approaching.
He'd even risked a scolding from the clan head by holding back.
And now…
That brat was dead meat.
The guard silently vowed that once they were back, he would report everything to the clan head in full detail. They needed to investigate this boy thoroughly.
Back home, Haruba pushed open the front door, still mulling over the strange events of the day.
Inside, darkness greeted him. He reached for the light switch—
And suddenly, a hand grabbed his collar and yanked him clean off the ground.
"Who's there?!" Haruba shouted in shock.
His body twisted in midair as he lashed out with a spinning kick—only for his leg to be caught effortlessly.
Undeterred, Haruba's free hand slipped inside his shirt lining. A flick of his wrist sent several shuriken slicing toward the shadow holding him.
At once, he felt himself drop as the hand released him. The sound of steel clashing against steel rang through the dark.
He steadied his stance, fingers reaching for an explosive tag—
"Relax. It's me."
The lights snapped on.
A rugged, weather-worn face came into view.
Shirayuki Yazan.
"Uncle, scaring people like that is dangerous," Haruba muttered, sliding the explosive tag back into his shirt.
Two thousand ryō—almost wasted.
"Hmph. You've been busy making waves in the village, haven't you?" Yazan dropped into a chair, eyes narrowing at Haruba.
He had just returned from a mission and still carried a faint killing aura. Even though Haruba knew his uncle would never harm him, a chill still ran down his spine.
Swallowing, Haruba asked, "Wh-what did I do?"
Yazan crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing further."What exactly is your relationship with the two girls from the Yamanaka family and the ninja tools shop?"
"Uh… just friends," Haruba answered honestly, scratching his head.
"Really? Just friends?"
In the shinobi world, kids grew up fast—it wasn't unusual for four- or five-year-olds to have a crush. Yazan wasn't against Haruba making friends—or even getting a little girlfriend—but he had his limits.
And if you added a Haruno girl into the mix, that would make three.
Three clan daughters.
If the boy wanted to be a heartbreaker, he could at least avoid targeting all the noble daughters in the village. Otherwise, being his uncle would get very awkward very fast.
When Yazan had returned to submit his mission report earlier, Yamanaka Haichi had given him the cold shoulder. Then, when he stopped by the tools shop for supplies, the shopkeeper did the same.
He hadn't been mistreated exactly… but clearly, something was off.
And after some questions, it all traced back to his nephew.
"I was just teaching Tenten how to throw shuriken. They came to me," Haruba muttered.
Yazan's eyelid twitched."And when I'm not around, do you always come home this late?"
"No, not usually. Tonight I just had dinner out with a friend."
"Which friend? Ino? Sakura? Tenten?"
"Uh… the Hyūga clan's young lady. Hyūga Hinata…"
"…."
Yazan fell silent for a long time.
Finally, he sighed."Haruba, I know you've always been a sensible kid. So you should understand… Even if my skills are decent, I'm just a civilian with a bit of ability. That's all I'll ever be."
The gap between civilians and noble clans in the shinobi world was a chasm. Sure, there were stories about commoners marrying noble daughters—but those were rare, pure romances, often with the man joining her clan.
But this kid… this kid was collecting them like trading cards. Yazan was starting to worry.
Haruba stared blankly at him. Yazan's gaze only grew more serious.
"My fear," he said slowly, "is that one day I'll come home from a mission, open the door… and find you in pieces."
"…."
Haruba had no comeback for that.
Yazan rose and patted him on the shoulder."Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, I'm testing your training progress. If a poor kid like you wants to be with a noble girl, your only hope is your own strength."
"So you're telling me… Hinata ate five bowls of ramen out there?"
Hyūga Hiashi stared at the guard, disbelief written all over his face.
His daughter, who usually set down her chopsticks after one small bowl and declared herself full, had apparently polished off five without batting an eye.
"I saw it with my own eyes," the guard replied.
Hiashi stared at him for a long moment before finally collecting himself.
"…I understand. You may go. And make sure to prepare a full dossier on this Shirayuki Haruba for me."
"Yes, Clan Head."
Hiashi dismissed him and returned to the living room.
There, Hinata sat quietly beside her much younger sister Hanabi, reading a book together.
Guilt prickled in Hiashi's chest.
All this time, he'd looked at Hinata only through the lens of her role as heir to the clan.
And yet… something so obvious that even a child could see it, he—as her father—had completely overlooked.