For the sake of his future happiness, Nawaki had made all sorts of preparations.
Everything was in place, and even Takuya couldn't find any flaws in his plan.
"Alright then, just don't regret it later," Takuya remarked. After all, the Hyuga clan's rules are strict, and no one could say he wasn't warned.
"Hello, Lord Takuya, are you here to see Miss Suzune?" one of the guards asked.
"Yes, I need to speak with Suzune. Could you please deliver the message?" Takuya requested.
"Please wait a moment," the guard replied.
The Hyuga clan was different from the Uchiha.
While the Uchiha clan didn't have people guarding their compound, the Hyuga clan did.
However, the guards were all from the branch family.
The official reason for their patrols and guards was... to protect the safety of the main family members.
A flimsy excuse, but that was how the Hyuga clan operated.
At the main family's residence, Hyuga Suzune and her father, the Hyuga Elder, were having a meal. When she received the message, Suzune blinked in surprise:
"Captain's looking for me?"
"Father," she said, looking to her father for permission.
Without hesitation, the Hyuga Elder nodded. "Go ahead. There may be something important."
"Yes, Father."
Receiving his approval, Suzune stood up, placing her hands gracefully in front of her, and walked away in her wooden sandals with a soft clatter.
Her personal attendant, Hyuga Meiko, followed her.
"Captain, were you looking for me?" Suzune asked when she saw Takuya. It seemed that Hyuga Meiko, as expected, had followed her out as well. Takuya needed to find a reason to shake off Meiko, but first, they had to leave the Hyuga compound.
With a slight smile, Takuya spoke in a somewhat troubled tone:
"I've recently encountered some problems with my taijutsu training. Since the Hyuga clan excels not only in Gentle Fist but also in taijutsu, I thought I could ask you for some advice. Do you have a moment?"
"I do," Suzune replied promptly, lifting her foot to leave. But Meiko quickly tugged at her, and only then did Suzune realize she was still in her formal kimono.
"Captain, could you wait a moment? I'll be right back."
Despite her wooden sandals, Suzune moved quite swiftly as she dashed back inside.
Takuya was surprised to see how fast she could move in such footwear.
Before long, Suzune returned, now dressed in a combat outfit, but Meiko still followed closely behind her.
The three of them made their way to the training grounds, and once they arrived, Takuya stopped and turned to Meiko, who hadn't left Suzune's side for a moment.
"Excuse me, but the questions I'm about to ask may be…"
He gestured vaguely before continuing, "Could you wait here for a bit?"
"???"
Why does he need to ask about taijutsu privately?
Meiko was confused.
Does the captain feel uncomfortable discussing these things with someone else present?
Suzune, on the other hand, never imagined that someone as strong as Takuya would one day ask her for advice.
So she said to Meiko, "The captain might feel embarrassed, which is why he wants you to wait here. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
"Understood, Miss."
Although Meiko felt uneasy, she couldn't refuse Suzune's request. Besides, Takuya didn't seem like the type of person who would do anything inappropriate. If he had ill intentions toward Suzune, he'd had plenty of chances in the past.
After all, with Takuya's strength, Meiko's presence wouldn't make much difference if he intended to do something.
"I've done all I can for you, Nawaki. Now it's up to you," Takuya thought with a sigh, glancing at where Nawaki was hiding in the shadows. He then shook his head and led Suzune into the training grounds.
In a secluded corner, Takuya sat cross-legged on the ground, and Suzune followed suit, sitting gracefully with her hands on her lap, waiting for Takuya to raise whatever question he had.
But what she didn't expect was that Takuya didn't plan on asking anything.
After taking a glance at Suzune, who had become even more beautiful, Takuya asked:
"Are you ready to take the jonin exam?"
"Huh?!" Suzune was confused. Wasn't the captain going to ask her something?
Why is he asking about this?
Though puzzled, she answered obediently:
"Father says my strength is sufficient to take the exam, but as a member of the main family, I don't need to take such an exam. Plus, I'm a girl, so..."
So you'll be promoted automatically, right?
Ah, the perks of being from a noble clan. The Hyuga, Uchiha, Ino-Shika-Cho, Shimura, Sarutobi—these big families all had special privileges.
When clan members were strong enough, they didn't need to participate in exams to be promoted; they could rise in rank without it.
This was one of the perks the village gave to the prominent clans.
"Not bad," Takuya nodded, unsure of what else to say.
As for asking for advice...
Forget it. Aside from the Hyuga clan's secret Gentle Fist techniques, there wasn't much Takuya could really ask Suzune about.
But what about the advice you were going to ask? Suzune thought, blinking her big eyes and biting her lip, feeling puzzled. After a moment of hesitation, she asked:
"Captain, have you just returned to the village after completing a mission?"
"Yes," Takuya replied, smiling. "We were guarding the Land of Fire's shipping routes at sea. We had a little skirmish with some Mist Village shinobi and managed to snag a weapon. The mission is almost over."
"You once promised to take us out, but you didn't," Suzune said quietly, her tone a little downcast as she recalled the past.
Takuya felt embarrassed, a slight blush warming his cheeks. This was awkward.
He had indeed promised to take his team out to gain some experience, but after clashing with the higher-ups, he had refused to work, and the whole plan had fallen through.
Now that Suzune had brought it up, Takuya felt awkward.
"Ahem, there will be opportunities in the future," he said awkwardly.
"In that case, Captain, you'll have to tell me all about your recent mission as compensation, okay?" Suzune suggested with a playful smile.
"…"
Ah, the downsides of being born into a noble clan.
Takuya sighed and started recounting his mission in detail, almost as if he were telling a story. Suzune listened attentively, hanging on every word.
Meanwhile, outside the training grounds, Meiko stood with her arms crossed, growing increasingly impatient.
Time passed, and still, neither Takuya nor Suzune had come out. This made her even more frustrated.
It had been over an hour—why hadn't they come out yet?
Did they really have that many questions to go over?
An elite jonin asking a chunin, one who he had once led, for advice—what sense did that make?
Meiko was starting to suspect that Takuya had ulterior motives.
Using training as an excuse to invite Suzune out, only to ditch her—what was he really up to?
Ugh!! So annoying!
Lost in her irritation, Meiko didn't notice someone approaching her.
"Um, hello there. My name is Nawaki. What's yours?" a voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
Irritated by the disruption, Meiko looked up, frowning. She was in no mood for pleasantries and replied coldly:
"You must be a guest from the Cloud Village. If you're looking for a guide, please find someone else. I'm busy!"
"Uh…"
Nawaki, who had worked up all his courage to approach and introduce himself, stood there like he'd been struck by lightning. The rejection hit him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him frozen in place.
A guest from the Cloud Village?
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Next Bonus: 3500 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 320+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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