When Hyuga Aya learned of this matter, it would be a lie to say she wasn't angry.
But at the same time…
Because she had long known what kind of people her clan members were, nothing they did could truly surprise her anymore.
A servant girl for the main family's young master?
Heh.
If it had been the old her, she might have resigned herself to fate.
But now things are different.
On Uchiha Kai's side, she had her greatest confidence.
At worst, she could just defect!
After all, she truly held not the slightest bit of affection for this clan of hers.
Besides—
Uchiha Kai had just told her that once his ocular powers recovered again, he would completely undo her Caged Bird Curse Seal.
Therefore—
Aya had already made up her mind.
She would bide her time quietly within the clan for a while. When the critical days drew near, she'd slip away in advance. After all, once she was far enough away, the main family's methods would lose their effect.
Later, once Uchiha Kai was ready, he would completely remove her Caged Bird Curse Seal.
By then—
She could openly choose to defect and join the Uchiha.
Thinking it through, Hyuga Aya's mood improved considerably.
She went straight home and went to bed.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
After Nara Kazama returned to the Nara Clan, he didn't even go home first. Instead, he rushed directly to his uncle's place—Nara Hiroshi's residence.
Yes.
Time was tight, he couldn't waste a second!
He had to settle this matter quickly. Otherwise, if things dragged out, the longer the night, the bigger the risk—and his small body couldn't shoulder that kind of danger.
"Uncle, are you asleep?"
"It's me, Kazama. Hurry and open the door."
"Even if you've gone to bed already, you better get up for me!"
Standing outside his uncle's door, Kazama wasted no time and began pounding on it incessantly.
Roughly two minutes later—
Nara Hiroshi yawned hugely, opened the door, and said, "Alright, stop howling like a banshee. Come in."
"Eh, Uncle, you're still awake?" Kazama asked, surprised. "That's not like you at all, is it?"
Indeed.
His uncle, being a traditional Nara clansman, kept to an extremely regular routine.
Basically—
Every night at nine o'clock, he was already asleep. Not even the Jade Emperor himself could stop it.
But tonight?
It was almost eleven!
Hiroshi rolled his eyes.
"Quit guessing. Today the ninja from the Hidden Stone Village front line returned. With such a big commotion, how could I not know?
Since you little monkey came back tonight, of course you'd come find me to talk. How could I possibly go to sleep?
Even if I did, you'd only wake me up anyway.
So I waited for you on purpose. Satisfied now?"
Kazama blinked in realization.
So that was it!
With his doubts dispelled, the two went to the tea room.
They sipped tea as they talked—though mostly it was Kazama speaking and Hiroshi listening.
Kazama first gave a simple recount of his recent experiences, then got straight to the point.
"Uncle, time waits for no one.
These days I had you contact the three clans' members. Have you finished making the connections?
The longer this drags out, the worse it is for us.
Uchiha Kai and I have already agreed—delays bring change. The sooner we can gather those clansmen, the better."
Kazama's tone was urgent.
This was indeed a pressing matter, so he wasn't about to waste time on pleasantries.
But on the other side—
Nara Hiroshi sat there utterly relaxed, sipping tea at leisure.
Then—
For some reason, he even chuckled.
Kazama was dumbfounded.
What the hell?
He was talking about serious business here—why was his uncle grinning like that?
"Uncle, I'm talking about something important!" Kazama said helplessly.
Hiroshi quickly apologized.
"Ah, sorry, I couldn't hold it in.
But don't worry. I already contacted the clansmen. They're ready to move at any time.
It's just that, at this point—
There are some things it's time you knew.
You may still be young, but your position is… rather special.
Come with me."
His expression grew solemn.
Then, after a yawn, he stood and walked toward the door.
Kazama followed, bewildered.
What was going on?
What did he mean by "time you knew"?
What "special position"?
Could it be that his uncle had been hiding something all along?
With a head full of questions, he trailed behind Hiroshi into the back courtyard.
There, Hiroshi opened up a secret passage hidden in a storage shed.
Kazama sucked in a breath.
Good grief!
He never expected his uncle to have such a side to him.
His curiosity only grew stronger.
Just what kind of secret had his uncle been keeping?
His interest was piqued—but when, after winding through the passages, they finally stepped into a hidden chamber and saw the people waiting inside—
Kazama froze on the spot.
What in the world—!?
Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōza, Torifu Akimichi, Yamanaka Haichi.
Damn it all.
The core leadership of the entire Ino–Shika–Chō trio of clans were all here.
Kazama's mind went blank.
What the hell?
He'd just been plotting his big reversal, only to stumble right into his greatest enemies?
He turned toward his uncle, who was smiling at him with squinting eyes.
If it weren't for the fact that Hiroshi had practically raised him, Kazama would have thought he'd been betrayed.
Looking a little embarrassed, Hiroshi shrugged.
"Uh, Kazama.
Don't be too shocked—it's not what you think.
Come sit down. You'll understand in a bit."
He led Kazama to a seat in the chamber.
The others watched him with evident curiosity, which made Kazama extremely uncomfortable.
Torifu Akimichi wasted no words.
Being the senior-most present, he gave a cough and began.
"Let me speak first.
The Akimichi Clan is ready. Half the clan will be sent out, with all our elites among them.
What about you?"
In his words, Yamanaka Haichi immediately responded.
"Rest assured, Senior Torifu. The Yamanaka Clan is prepared as well."
"The Nara Clan is the same," Hiroshi nodded. "We can act at any time."
Shikaku's expression was stern.
He pondered briefly before speaking slowly.
"This time—
It's time once more for the Ino–Shika–Chō to split.
When we meet again, we'll be enemies.
Remember this, everyone!
Neither Uchiha Kai nor Sarutobi Hiruzen are men to be trifled with.
Even if it's just an act, we must play our roles to the very end!"
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