Hyuga Clan, Main House.
Morning light filtered across tatami in a spare, elegant room where the clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, sat facing the senior elder, Hyuga Kei.
"It has been four days. Still no trace of the killers?"
Hiashi's brow tightened. For a clan that bore the Byakugan, to lose the gate guards without even a hair of the culprits to show for it was humiliating.
Kei's face was grim, the lines at his eyes fanning like a paper fan. "We confirmed which elder applied the Caged Bird Seal to those two. Their seals have been activated. We do not know when.
"There are no signs of a fight. No bodies. No weapon. No blood. Those two had no known grudges. And of all times, it was at high noon in a deserted corner of the compound. Not a single witness."
Hiashi rubbed his chin. Whoever did it would be hard to catch.
The Hyuga were many, their grounds among the largest in Konoha. They could not exactly live in the bustling center. People said the Uchiha lived out of the way. The Hyuga were only a shade less remote.
"Good thing it was not someone from the Main House," Kei said, trying for comfort. "Still, I have already strengthened the Main House perimeter. I will not allow this to happen at home."
Hiashi nodded. Sound judgment.
"If we truly cannot find the culprits, notify the ANBU."
Clan pride mattered, yet two lives had been lost. A bigger danger than death itself was friction between Branch and Main. This could not be allowed to spark it.
"I sent word last night," Kei said, face darkening.
Hiashi did not need to ask to know the answer would not please him.
"The ANBU said unless it is a mass disappearance or one involving a Konoha shinobi with a registered number, it is outside their remit. The two brothers served the clan privately. They never attended the Academy and have no shinobi numbers. They are to be handled as civilians."
Hiashi did not need to hear the rest. Civilians meant the Konoha Military Police Force. Asking the Uchiha for help would be to discard every scrap of face they had left.
"The ANBU are that inflexible?"
"Short-staffed," Kei replied. "My messenger said there were only two people at their base. One of those was a Shadow Clone. Everyone else is deployed."
So it was not a slight. They truly had no hands to spare. As to why, Hiashi and Kei traded a look. Nothing more needed saying.
"In times like these we must avoid any entanglement with the Uchiha," Hiashi decided. "Soothe the Branch families and let this matter rest."
"Yes."
…
Konoha's central shopping street.
Morning mist still clung to the lane when a bronze wind chime stirred at an eave. Dew slid from the honeysuckle over the lintel and bled dark rings into the wooden sign of Yamanaka Flowers.
Konome tilted her head up. On the left of the sign stood the Yamanaka clan crest.
She was headed to Konoha Hospital to visit Kazama Etsu. Courtesy demanded a gift, especially from the one who had put him there.
Nutritional tonics were pricey. Fruit baskets and snacks were not much cheaper. Flowers would say she had thought about it without bankrupting her.
More importantly, she knew the shop's junior proprietor. A friendly discount would not hurt.
All this brainpower to save a few coins. Blame Guy.
"Your hair is all over the place. Sit, I will fix it."
"I know, Mom. I am going to be late."
Konome slid the door open. A refined woman with her hair neatly pinned was fussing over Yamanaka Ino. Their faces, especially the shape, might have been carved from the same mold.
"Welcome," the woman said, glancing up. Her gaze flicked once to the black cloth over Konome's eyes, surprise no more than a ripple. Her poise made Ino's fidgeting seem all the messier.
"Konome? What are you doing here?" Ino had not expected to see her this early. She had wrestled all night with yesterday's bargain.
Clan secret arts were out of the question. The basics of Yin Release nature transformation were another matter. Not exactly top secret. The clan did not forbid sharing fundamentals in private. Yamanaka relatives had taught close friends before, as long as no true secrets were touched. In theory, such basics could be found elsewhere.
Which left Ino torn. She liked Sasuke for real. If Konome helped and Sasuke managed to challenge her, Ino could rack up a pile of goodwill. But passing on Yin Release theory was not trivial. She needed to ask at home.
"Ino, is this a classmate?" the woman asked.
"Hello, ma'am. I am Konome Taketori, a friend of Ino's."
Friend, are we, Ino thought darkly, but with her mother there she swallowed it.
Yamanaka Rino glanced at Konome's empty hands. "You two are… meeting to walk to school together?"
"No. I am here for flowers."
"For whom?" Ino's brow pinched and a warning bell rang. Sasuke? Bold of you.
"For Kazama-sensei."
Konome did not have the energy to tease her. Her real goal today was wind-nature transformation. Ino's Yin Release could be handled in parallel. School Konome had a standing order to strip the Academy for parts. Ino and the others were perfect for a clone to cultivate. Konome herself had no time for schoolyard games.
The Uchiha would be culled soon. In five years the canon story would ignite. She had only a few years to grow. She could not waste them.
Ino exhaled, relieved.
"Which flowers are proper for a hospital visit, Yamanaka-san?" Konome asked.
"Lilies," Rino said after a moment's thought. She turned and selected a lily.
"Please pick an inexpensive stem. Thank you."
Konome's plainspoken request made Rino cover a smile. "If you are Ino's friend, this one is on the house."
"Thank you very much." Konome pressed her palms together and accepted without a trace of shame. This had been the plan.
Watching Konome get a free flower and angle for free Yin theory, Ino suddenly felt fleeced. Greedy did not begin to cover it.
"Goodbye, ma'am."
"Goodbye." Rino watched the small figure disappear, then looked back at her daughter's stormy face and sighed. Children.
To find a friend who had beaten a jōnin at six was a blessing you did not squander. The moment she heard the name Konome Taketori, Rino knew who this blind girl was. The ward of Might Guy, closest to the Third. The prodigy who floored a jōnin homeroom teacher on her first day and then thrashed an Uchiha star in practicals.
Peerless talent. Solid backing. Firm loyalties. A visible future.
"Be good to Konome from now on," she said.
"Got it," Ino answered, waving as she slung on her bag and dashed out. She had not gone far before her freshly smoothed hair started to come undone again.
Behind her, Rino sighed and let it go.
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