If not for certain factors, Hinata Hyuga would've long been arranged for by the Hyuga clan, just like clockwork.
A glance at the Hyuga family history shows that ever since Konoha was founded, there hasn't been a single instance of a Hyuga main family mber marrying outside the clan.
"Whatever, I'll just deal with it," Takuya sighed.
After soaking in the hot springs and returning ho to change into clean clothes, he decided to grab a quick bowl of ran to tide himself over.
With Kushina not around, Minato and Nawaki off at the Land of Rivers frontlines, and Mikoto Uchiha busy with her duties at the police force, Takuya found himself feeling a bit... bored.
"Hey old man, two bowls of veggie ran, please," Takuya called out.
"I'm not an old man!"
Teuchi's son, who had taken over the family ran business, wasn't much older than Takuya, but his ran-making skills far surpassed his father's.
Every ti Takuya called him "old man," Teuchi's son, who had inherited the sa na, felt an overwhelming urge to chuck a rolling pin at his head.
This kid always had a way of riling people up.
I may look a little older than my age, but is that really a reason to call "old man"? I'm only three years older than you!
"All right, all right. You're the big bro, happy?" Takuya waved dismissively, chuckling. Teuchi gave him a sharp glare but didn't respond.
"Where are your friends? They haven't been around for ran in a while," Teuchi asked while preparing the order.
"Minato and Nawaki went off to the frontlines, Mikoto's tied up with the police force, and Kushina... well, who knows where she's gone. Just tonight," Takuya explained, accepting a small side dish Teuchi added as a courtesy.
Whenever a regular dropped by, Teuchi always threw in a little sothing extra.
Before long, the ran was ready, and Takuya dug into his two bowls of veggie ran, savoring each bite.
Teuchi watched with mild amusent as Takuya ate, shaking his head. He much preferred Minato's approach-Minato always clasped his hands together and said, "I'm about to dig in!" with such sincerity.
Takuya clearly hadn't picked up that habit.
Teuchi was destined to be disappointed once again.
"Lately, there's been a lot of rowdy drinkers causing trouble in this area. Tomorrow's patrol will need to focus more on keeping things under control. We can't let things get out of hand, especially during warti-spies might take advantage of it."
Takuya heard the conversation drifting closer, and when the ran shop curtain was pulled aside, he looked up.
Both he and the person who had just walked in froze.
"Well, what a coincidence," Uchiha Fugaku said, his stern face softening into a faint smile as he greeted Takuya with a polite nod.
What Fugaku didn't know was that when his face was set in a stern expression, he actually looked sowhat dignified.
But when he smiled... Takuya imdiately felt a chill run down his spine.
So people just weren't made to smile. For Fugaku, smiling made him look worse, much
worse.
When he had a serious expression, it only made him seem strict. But when he smiled, it was the kind of smile that made you want to reach out and pull his face tight again, smoothing it out as quickly as possible.
"Yeah, quite the coincidence," Takuya replied, eyeing him. After a mont of hesitation, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Has anyone ever told you that your smile's kind of... scary?"
Cough! Cough!
Fugaku had co in for a bowl of ran after work, hoping to fill his empty stomach. He hadn't expected to run into Takuya here, since the young jonin rarely visited the ran shop. Still hoping to curry favor with Takuya, Fugaku had offered a polite smile and greeting. What he hadn't anticipated was Takuya's... blunt honesty.
Fugaku nearly choked, his already dark complexion turning a shade redder.
The two Uchiha clan mbers who had followed him in wore equally bewildered expressions.
Everyone in the Uchiha clan knew that Fugaku wasn't suited to smiling, but no one had ever dared say it to his face-until now.
Takuya had just delivered that brutal truth straight to him.
"Maybe it's because I'm normally so serious," Fugaku muttered, trying to brush it off.
Despite feeling utterly mortified, he chose not to argue with Takuya.
It wasn't worth picking a fight with soone he couldn't win against, especially soone he still hoped to recruit into the clan.
"Three bowls of char siu ran, extra noodles," Fugaku called out to Teuchi, doing his best to ignore his awkward exchange with Takuya.
"No problem," Teuchi responded with a thumbs-up, quickly setting to work.
It didn't take long for the ran to be served. Takuya, who was eating leisurely and working through two bowls, was still in the middle of his al by the ti Fugaku's two subordinates finished theirs and left.
With the ran shop now empty except for Takuya and Fugaku, Teuchi glanced between the two before thoughtfully closing the door, giving them a bit of privacy.
Takuya shot him a perplexed look. You could've just left-why lock the door like that?
"So, just back from the frontlines?" Fugaku asked after a mont of silence.
It wasn't hard to gather information about Takuya's activities, especially since the Uchiha clan had mbers stationed in the Land of Rain.
"Yeah, just got back. I was escorting a group of wounded shinobi," Takuya answered, leaning against the wooden divider. The ran shop's lack of chairs with backrests was one of the few things he didn't like. After eating his fill, the only way to relax was to sit sideways and lean against the wall.
They exchanged a few casual words, but soon enough, Fugaku fell silent again, his fists clenching and unclenching as if he couldn't decide whether or not to speak.
Takuya could see the hesitation all over his face. No wonder the Uchiha clan had plunged into chaos under Fugaku's leadership-this guy clearly wasn't cut out to be the head of a clan.
"If you're here to ask to rejoin the Uchiha clan, don't bother," Takuya said bluntly. "I'm not coming back. It doesn't matter who asks ."
"Is that so?" Fugaku sighed, visibly relieved.
He'd had no idea how to broach the subject. The first ti he'd approached Takuya, the kid had shut him down hard. The second ti, they'd run into each other in the street, and it had
been just as humiliating.
Facing Takuya had beco a daunting task for Fugaku-he never knew what to say.
"The sa thing goes for the past. I don't want to dwell on it. Out of respect for my mother, I'm willing to let it go. But I'd appreciate it if you'd stop trying to interfere in my life."
"Why?" Fugaku asked, his tone becoming more urgent. "Coming back to the Uchiha would only benefit you. No one knows the secrets of the Sharingan better than our clan. Don't you want to learn more about it-about the Uchiha's forbidden techniques...?"
"Not really," Takuya cut him off, shaking his head without hesitation.
He genuinely had no interest in the Uchiha clan's so-called forbidden techniques. If he ever did get curious, there were plenty of ways to get his hands on them without getting tangled
up with the Uchiha.
As for learning more about the Sharingan...
If I were to show you my Mangekyō Sharingan right now, it'd blow your mind. "Do you really hold such a grudge against the Uchiha?" Fugaku asked, sounding defeated. As the soon-to-be clan head, he felt completely useless in that mont. "It's not that," Takuya replied. "The Uchiha clan has enough problems already. I don't need to get involved. The only people I've ever had issues with are a few of the old guard." "Anyway, that's all I've got to say," Takuya finished, standing up and preparing to leave. He wasn't interested in continuing the conversation. Whether Fugaku took offense or not didn't matter to him. The Uchiha clan was a sinking ship, and he had no intention of going
down with it.
"Is it over?" Teuchi asked, walking back in after stepping outside for a bit of fresh air. He smiled as he approached Takuya.
"Yeah, it's over," Takuya replied with a grin, stretching as he got ready to head ho. "Oh,
and big bro, I left the money on the table. Catch you later."
"I'm not your big bro!!" Teuchi shouted after him.
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