Leaving Fugaku's home, the air outside felt, hm... Different. Maybe it was just me, so I just took a deep breath, shook my head, and decided to head back towards my original direction.
"Tsk… Haaah. This won't be as easy as I hoped for, huh?" I exhaled through my nose, smiling to myself.
Well, for starters, it should still be a good-ish development, and it was… something, getting invited to these... meetings. Fugaku didn't shout at me, didn't try to threaten me, and most surprisingly, he didn't even argue all that much. It was also what made it hard to actually read him, and I was unsure what his thoughts were about what I just told him. Yes, I know it sounded idealistic, I wasn't blind to the fact, but it is how I feel and see things. The Senju were supposedly just as big and prominent as the Uchihas... then where are they? The logical answer was that they melted into all the others, which means it can be done. Just look at all the 'clanless,' great shinobis. Then there are the Sarutobis; even if they were their own clan, they didn't separate themselves as we did. Or, hell, the Hatake name? What about Minato? Don't tell me it wasn't because they had Senju blood running through their veins... What about Tsunade, too? And her family line? Did she have cousins? Or anything? Where are they now? Wait...
"Haaah… Whatever. I should stop overthinking; it gives me a headache."
I muttered it out loud, forcing myself to shake it off before it could get a hold and ruin my day. Not now, okay? I had something else to do. And unlike my previous conversation… This was something I was actually looking forward to. Heading back on the same streets, I moved away from the Uchiha district, and ten minutes later, I arrived at the Yamanakas' territory. Supposedly... It should be here somewhere, although I had never visited Sayuri before. Weird, I know... But it somehow just never happened. I turned a corner when the scent hit me, running into a flower shop that stood out more than the others. Its front was lined with carefully arranged bouquets, herbs, and plants that were probably worth more than most people realized, because they were sneaky enough to not put a prize tag on them.
Wait... Does... Does Sayuri live where Ino will...? Huh? Eh? Or is this a coincidence...? Wait... Did... Did I mess up the future already? I slowed just slightly as I approached it, suddenly thinking about a lot. What was Ino's mother's name? I couldn't recall... Uh. Fuck. I shouldn't let my thoughts wander like this!
"Guess I'm in the right place." I hummed, seeing a wooden nameplate on the door next to the flower shop, listing Sayuri, too. Okay, it was not inside the shop, so maybe I'm not screwing up something... Or am I...?
Eh, whatever! There was nothing to hesitate over, so I stepped up to the door and knocked firmly on the wooden frame. Stepping back and waiting, a few seconds passed, then the door slid open. The man standing there wasn't someone I had seen before… but I didn't need an introduction to know exactly who he was. Naturally, he had blond hair, tied loosely back, looking around curiously, then seeing me, his eyes went cold at once. What the fuck did I do, old man?!
"Can I help you?" he asked, sounding polite, but I could pick up on the edge that was present in that question.
"Yeah," I nodded, keeping my tone light, smiling at him. "I'm here to see Sayuri."
The moment I had spoken her name, there was a pause in his breath as his eyes moved over me one more time, and if not for his self-control, I guess he would be scowling now.
"You're a Genin..." he said.
"Last I checked, yeah." I chuckled, fixing the headband tied to my army, making sure I sounded unbothered, "But not for long if things go as I planned. And you?" I shot back suddenly, not going down without a fight, "Chūnin? Jōnin?"
Naturally, there was a sudden pause in both his breathing and words, just looking at me, making my grin grow deeper. So... Chūnin... eh? Well, well, well! Me too! Not officially, but it was only a formality now, I think.
"She's not home," he said suddenly.
"Ah..." Now it was my time to flinch, because that was quick, and I think... he lied. I could tell. So... I tilted my head slightly, asking again, "Really?"
"Yes."
Flat out lie. Tsk! What's up with you?!
"I see… I see." I repeated as I scratched the back of my head, glancing past him for just a second. "Shame, really."
"Good. Bye." He said through gritted teeth, making me narrow my eyes, but I wasn't letting him slam the door shut on me like that.
"Alright," I said with a small shrug. "Guess I'll come back later—"
"Renji?!"
Hah! Well... There she is! The man's expression didn't change, but his body fidgeted in a way that told me everything I needed to know. Get. Rekt! Renji: 1. Angry Dad: 0. By then, Sayuri practically bounced forward, appearing at the doorway, leaning around him, her eyes wide as saucers.
"What are you doing here?!" she blurted out, staring at me like I had just dropped out of the sky.
"Had time so... I thought about checking up on you," I answered, giggling like an idiot, watching her blink once, before registering everything.
"You—! You're supposed to be in the exam! Did you forget the date?! Renji?!"
"Huh? No? Why would I forget that? Yes, I was there," I explained as if it was totally the most normal thing ever.
"Wait… What do you mean... by... was?" She stammered, still standing behind his father, who kept blocking the entranceway. Yet that news, of why I was here, left him so numb that Sayuri managed to push past him, ignoring him completely.
"What do you mean was?" she asked, looking me up and down, searching for injuries. "Don't tell me you..."
"Lost? Bah, who do you think I am? We just finished it early."
"Eh…?! What?!"
"Finished it," I repeated, shrugging like it was nothing, "Minato and I got through it, in a flash, in fact, he was like a Yellow Flash." I put it in, knowing dear dad was still listening, just stunned, gawking at me.
"You're joking," Sayuri said with a completely flat tone.
"Nope! Wait until the end of the week, and the second stage will end, and our record will be publicized. Ehehehe!"
Her eyes flicked over me again, scanning for injuries one more time, any damage on my clothes, face, fingers, anything! But... nothing.
"You're not even scratched." She said in the same, emotionless tone, looking at me blankly.
"I know, right? Disappointing, isn't it?"
She stared at me for a second longer, then began laughing and, suddenly, stepped forward, hugging me right in front of his dad, which made my face turn red. Uhm... o-okay? You know what? Watch this... daddy! So I hugged back without thinking about it anymore, holding her tight, which resulted in her hugging me even tighter.
"I knew it," she whispered, and I wanted to say, of course you did, but I just held it back. "How long did you take?" She asked after we let go of each other.
"Just under two hours." I saw her dad sway now, almost making me laugh.
"Whablrflr?" She started asking something but just stumbled over her own tongue, having to gulp once before finding her voice again, "Whaaaaat?! Two hours?!"
"Mhm."
"That's insane!"
"Thank you."
"Heh!" She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. "I knew you'd do well, but… that's just showing off."
"Hey, we were told to impress everyone. Jiraiya-sensei wasn't going to let his disciples be second."
"And you decided to break everyone in the process?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips, striking up a pose, still grinning.
"Exactly."
"Well. Good for you, then!" She nodded, and it was then that, behind her, her father finally found his voice.
"Sayuri." His tone wasn't harsh, but it was firm enough to make her pause.
"Yes?" She turned around, already thinking about following me.
"You are not leaving."
"Excuse me…? Why not?" She asked, her voice going a few notes higher, furrowing her brows, almost whipping me in the face with her ponytail as she turned around.
"You just heard me," he said calmly. "You still have chores to do."
Translation: I don't trust this... boy. Okay, Daddy-o, fuck you. Why can't you be like my parents? Hell, tonight, when Minato and I go home, there will be for sure a big party, when we surprise them with our record-breaking, awesome presence! You, of course, won't be invited, you damned sour-lemon-faced monk. I just had to make sure Sayuri didn't see me thinking about insulting her dad...
"You can't tell me that, especially after you told me to take the day easy, because I deserve the rest. You said it this morning!"
Troubled now, his gaze shifted back to me, prompting me to speak up.
"Then you can come with me to visit her?" I asked Sayuri, ignoring her dad, "Minato is already there, and... I wanted to pick you up." I enunciated it more than I should have, knowing her dad was going to have a heart attack hearing it. "She will be super happy to see you."
"Who?" Her father asked at once, while I just rolled my eyes.
"Kushina."
"Great!" Sayuri clapped, "She is under supervision, and unlike you two, for me it takes ages to get a permit to go and visit her!"
Apparently, Sayuri has a rebel streak in her, because she was already leaving with me and ignored what her father had said... or how he was looking at us from the back.
"You will return before evening!"
"Maybe!" She waved a hand, grabbing my arm, pulling me along, "Let's go! Dad can be a real nagging old woman when he gets like this... I think he thinks all the Uchihas are like Arai, so... don't mind him, okay?
"Well, true," I glanced back once, watching him still stand there, "Arai does give us a bad name."
"So… Two hours?" Sayuri said again, changing the topic.
"Yeah, you're stuck on that, huh?"
"That's not normal, Renji. What else should I be stuck on?!" She asked, as we still held hands.
"I know, I know. We could have been even faster."
"Faster?! What did you even do? Sprint through the entire forest, but tripped?!"
"Ummmm… More or less." I joked, then began explaining it from start to finish, detailing our fight with the Amegakure team.
"You and Minato are ridiculous," she interjected, rolling her eyes as I told her how it went.
"Thank you, we'll try to keep it up. Sometimes it's really hard, because we are just so awesome!"
"Idiot," she chortled, "I expected you to pass easily… but this? Damn. I don't even know what I will do when I get to that part, if ever!"
"Team up like your cousin did. Ditch your current team and find a new one." I added, telling her about the fight we'd watched of the Ino–Shika–Chō team, and I felt as she squeezed my hand.
"He isn't my cousin, just a clan member. But... My dad likes him for some reason. He is a bit stiff for my taste, though."
"Ah." I stopped, grimacing... Shit. Was she supposed to be... Ino's... mother? Oh... Ooooooh...
"What?" She looked at me, furrowing her brows, "Come on, every Uchiha is related now?"
"Isn't that the case?" I shrugged, "It's so messy... I'm afraid to ask them! What if my parents are related? I would not survive that!"
"Idiot!" She said again, laughing, elbowing me, but... dropped the topic because she apparently began thinking about it, turning her face red, then white... Yeah. Exactly! "So," she said after a moment, shaking the thoughts away, "What happens now?"
"Now?" I smiled at her. "We have time to catch up. Hungry? I haven't eaten yet, so..."
"I'm in," She grinned, not letting my hand go.
"I was hoping you'd say that. Anything particular?"
"Ramen."
"Really?" I looked over her, "Are you sure? We can grab something fancier."
"I like it, you like it, it's fine. Let me pay for it!" She beamed at me, "Celebrate your record!"
"You know what?" I began dragging her towards Ichiraku, "I'll take you up on that."
"Only the first bowl!" She added hastily, "Don't ruin me!"
"What?! Please!" I looked at her teasingly, "Your dad was already looking at me like I was a monster. I won't anger him further."
"You know," she muttered after a few seconds, trying, and failing to sound casual, "He just... Well..."
"He has a problem with it, I know."
"It's not you! I mean..."
"Hm." I nodded, "It's this clan thing. I get it."
"Stupid... Isn't it...?" She muttered, clearly waiting for my answer, her fingers slightly squeezing mine.
"Oh yeah." I agreed, without hesitation, "I had an argument about it with Fugaku-sama. I was already heading towards your home when he intercepted me."
"Oh..." She fell silent again, and this time, it was me squeezing her hand.
"I settled it. So, on my end, we are fine. Plus, you know my parents!"
"Oh... Oh?!" Her eyes lit up, then her whole head went pink, "W-w-what do you mean, we are good?!"
"What do you mean by what do you mean?" I asked, raising our linked hands, "What's this?" I grinned, pointing at us holding each other, "Hm?"
"..." She got even redder, but... she didn't let go. Instead, she clamped down, beginning to pull me, ignoring my question, "Ramen! Let's go, it's lunchtime anyway!"
"Sure thing!" I laughed, not wanting to push it, watching her bright red face. Heh...
This was nice.
Like... Super nice.