"Right, Hiashi's been asking about you a lot lately. Whether he's trying to build ties or whatever, you'd better go see him. It saves him hounding me every single day, which is exhausting."
Tsunade sat down and wearily began tackling her mountain of official paperwork. Shizune was still young and in school, unable to share the crushing workload. The only truly reliable assistant in the building was Shikaku, but as head of the Nara Clan, Tsunade felt guilty making him run trivial errands.
The Hokage's seat really was a job only idiots would want. Tsunade grumbled mentally.
"Hiashi's been thinking about me?" Takeshi was briefly surprised, then recalled the man's heavy hints. It was probably about formalizing a contract with the Neko Clan, an idea Hiashi had floated before, which Takeshi had ignored.
This old fox... it felt a bit calculated. Previously, Fugaku had approached Tsunade to indirectly save the Uchiha, trying to get Takeshi to pull strings. Was the Hyuga heir finally on the way?
If this world followed the original timeline, Hinata shouldn't be born for another three years. What the hell?
Did Hiashi get bored sitting at home after the war ended early and start making babies every day? It wasn't impossible.
Originally, the global conflict should have raged for at least another three to four years. As the head of the Hyuga Main House, Hiashi would have been trapped on the front lines acting as partial command. He'd have had absolutely no chance to return to the village to start a family.
But if Hinata was born early, what about the prince of the series?
'Wait, no. Since his father didn't become the Fourth Hokage, that child probably won't be a prince at all. Odds are higher it'll be Menma Uzumaki. If that's the case...'
So this was a parallel world? Takeshi speculated. Minato didn't seem to have the hardened personality he'd displayed in the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, but raising kids was notoriously tricky. One careless parenting move and they might end up raising a Naruto based purely on Sasuke's brooding template.
If it really was Menma, that would be highly entertaining. He chuckled at the thought.
But it was only idle musing. Madara wasn't dead yet. According to the cycle of Asura and Indra, Naruto probably wouldn't be born, unless Madara had completely abandoned his obsession with competing against Hashirama, finally accepting himself as the acknowledged Asura of his era.
If that happened, there would be no need for a next generation of reincarnations. For now, it was impossible to be certain.
The Shadow Clone's mission was fully settled. Madara was being unexpectedly cooperative, and Orochimaru was showing a terrifying level of enthusiasm. Even though the subject was a dominant legend, right now he was just a fascinating research specimen.
There was nothing to fear. Orochimaru's absolute passion for ninjutsu vastly outweighed his survival instincts. Besides, Madara was securely sealed, like a racehorse with crippled legs.
Takeshi felt zero pressure. With the Uchiha handled, unless the Otsutsuki suddenly plummeted out of the sky, he honestly couldn't imagine a single entity capable of threatening his life.
Kaguya was safely locked inside the Moon. Only her empty husk could be summoned through the Rinnegan, a massive, indestructible meat shield devoid of consciousness.
He was feeling slightly puffed up, almost invincible. And it was basically true. Even those alien invaders didn't scare him much. The Rinnegan was immensely powerful, but it wasn't without hard counters.
His strength came directly from his system, unlike Naruto and Sasuke, he didn't rely on humiliating emergency power patches to win fights. Even if the Otsutsuki launched a full invasion, he was completely confident he could crush them.
When he reached the Hyuga compound, Takeshi spotted several Uchiha patrolling the outer perimeter. After their peaceful submission, the village no longer needed the Hyuga to act as a political counterweight.
Naturally, the two great dojutsu clans had transitioned from bitter rivals to cautious allies. Both sides still deeply coveted the Hokage's seat, but the deep blood feud had dissolved.
"Meow~ Hiashi's location... Mm, the Small Tea Room again." Takeshi pinpointed his chakra.
The compound was crowded with medical-nin, people were rushing in and out frantically. A swift dash later, Takeshi arrived on the roof of Hiashi's home.
Before dropping down, he scanned the interior, not out of fear, but because interrupting a deeply private moment would be painfully awkward for everyone involved. Fortunately, the coast was clear.
"Alright, let's leave it like this for now. Hizashi, you can head back. We'll discuss this matter again later."
"Yes."
Another man answered from inside, then stepped out into the tranquil courtyard. He looked up, spotted the cat on the clay tiles, and offered a respectful nod.
"Meow!" Takeshi responded, then flickered smoothly out of sight.
'Too fast.' Hizashi was quietly impressed. It felt like only yesterday he'd boldly proposed promoting Takeshi to tokubetsu jonin, and now the feline had become Konoha's mightiest pillar. It hadn't even been two years.
"I hope my brother's wish can come true. If so, maybe the Branch house can also..." His gaze lingered heavily on the sliding doors before he turned away.
He hadn't been this anxious initially. But upon learning Hiashi had a child on the way, Hizashi suddenly felt the crushing urgency. They were the exact same age, it was about time for him to start a family as well.
Branch house children had the cursed Caged Bird branded onto their foreheads by age three. No one could break that brutal tradition. Not even Hiashi.
But with Takeshi's influence, it could be different. And that was without the clan even knowing that the legendary Uchiha had been captured alive. If Takeshi could achieve that, the stubborn Hyuga elders would no longer dare to breathe a word of dissent.
"Takeshi, I didn't expect you back in Konoha so soon. If I'd had the time, I should have visited you myself, but things have been busy. I had no choice but to ask Tsunade-sama to pass on my request."
"Meow, it's fine. I just happened to be passing through on business."
Takeshi glanced around. Only Hiashi was present. The clan head was a deeply reserved man, even with his first child arriving, his face remained a mask of perfect composure.
Hiashi didn't ask what the business was. If it was something he needed to know, Takeshi would tell him. He gracefully poured a cup of hot tea. Even if the cat might not drink it, the strict formality mattered.
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