negotiate with Lady Mito
"How could the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan marry an outsider?!"
An elderly Hyuga member glared angrily at Hyuga Retsu. "Even if the Fourth Hokage were still alive, I'd still say the same thing!"
This elder had a high standing in Konoha—Minato himself would have respectfully called him "senior."
Hyuga Retsu stayed silent for a moment before slowly replying, "That kid is Lord Hashirama's great-great-grandson. I hope you can be just as bold when you're standing in front of him."
The old man was instantly speechless.
"So what?!" Another elder stood up again, glaring at Retsu. "Are you just going to sit by and watch our Hyuga clan's Kekkei Genkai get passed to an outsider?"
Retsu went silent again, then calmly said, "You can bring that up when you talk to Lady Mito."
That elder also fell silent.
"Even Lady Mito has to follow reason," said a third elder. He didn't sound angry, but his tone carried a strange weight. "The Hyuga bloodline must not be passed outside the clan. That rule's been in place since the Warring States era. And Lady Mito is someone who understands such things."
"You have a point," Retsu nodded. Then he gave the elder a long look. "Then you'll be the one to explain it to Lord Tobirama."
The third elder: "..."
Come on, we were just talking. Why drag the big boss into this?
No words.
Hashirama was reasonable. So was Mito. Tobirama too.
But Hashirama being "reasonable" nearly handed the Hokage seat to Madara.
Tobirama being "reasonable" led to the Uchiha clan's downfall.
How the hell could he go reason with Tobirama? At this rate, the next Konoha Police Force might end up being the Hyuga clan.
As for Lady Mito—like it's always been said, among all the big clans, the one with the most prestige wasn't Tsunade.
The three elders suddenly felt hopeless.
Just then, the fourth elder, who had been quiet at the back, finally spoke. His eyes shone with cleverness:
"We don't have to break them up. We can try to have the boy marry into the Hyuga clan. Wouldn't that be like hitting three birds with one stone?"
The other three elders lit up.
The first elder stroked his beard. "I can't even tell how strong that kid is now. They say he's already reached that legendary level. He might even become the next Hashirama."
"If he joins our clan, then we'd gain a top-tier powerhouse,"
"Exactly," the second elder slapped his forehead. "And with his complicated background, once he marries in, all those forces behind him become our allies. At that point, the Hyuga could easily become the strongest in the ninja world."
"And we'd be bringing two people together. That would boost our clan's image too!" The third elder was so excited he nearly jumped up.
"Isn't that perfect?" The fourth elder burst into loud laughter, feeling like a genius.
Retsu watched the four of them getting all worked up without changing his expression. Then, after a long pause, he said quietly,
"Sounds great. Hope you still feel that way when you meet Uzumaki Kushina."
If Kushina agreed to that, Retsu swore he'd walk on his head from now on.
The four elders: "..."
Seriously? Just had to kill the mood, huh? Then what's your plan?
Retsu let out a long sigh.
"If I had a plan, I wouldn't be asking you. Kushina and that kid are waiting just outside the door. We don't have much time. If we don't figure something out, Lady Hinata really will marry out of the clan."
A Hyuga bloodline going outside the clan—something that hadn't happened in years.
Honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal. The Hyuga clan wasn't some foreign race.
But the outsiders in the past were all from impure bloodlines—basically people who couldn't awaken the Byakugan.
Hinata, as the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, had a very pure bloodline. Theoretically, no matter who she had a child with, there was a 90% chance the child would awaken the Byakugan.
What these elders feared wasn't Hinata marrying out—it was the Byakugan falling into someone else's hands.
"How about... the Caged Bird Seal?" the first elder cautiously suggested.
Right after he said it, he was met with four dumbfounded stares.
Hyuga Retsu rolled his... oh right, he already had Byakugan.
"You can try if you want. Let's see if that kid flips the whole Hyuga clan upside down. And just a reminder—don't forget how strong he is now."
Even if Naruto doesn't, Retsu would bet his head that Kushina definitely would. And once Mom steps in, you can bet the son will too. Heck, we might even end up with Hashirama, Tobirama, and Lady Mito showing up. That scene would be legendary.
Hyuga Retsu
He could already imagine the look on Lord Hiashi's face when faced with that group—completely stunned.
You're not offering a plan, you're basically trying to get the whole Hyuga clan wiped out.
The second elder sighed deeply and slumped back in his chair. "I've got nothing. Do whatever."
"It's about to rain, and I haven't taken in the laundry," muttered the third elder as he glanced out the window.
The fourth elder nodded. "I'll come with you."
"Ahem…" The first elder cleared his throat. Faced with Retsu's twitching eye, he quietly said, "My son's done with school. I need to go pick him up."
Polite Hyuga Retsu: You what now?
Let's start with the fact that Konoha no longer exists.
And laundry? Since when do you do laundry yourself?
And your *son*? Your grandson's about to get married and you're talking about your son getting out of school? Couldn't you at least come up with a better excuse?
So we're doing this, huh?
Fine, let's all just go with it.
Hyuga Retsu stood up, looked the four elders in the eye, and said, "Lady Hinata is with Hanabi. I'm going to find them. And… cough, my daughter said she wants some Ichiraku Ramen. I'll go buy her some. If Lord Hiashi comes back, let him know."
After saying that, Hyuga Retsu left the room, leaving the four elders staring at one another.
Konoha is gone—where exactly are you getting Ichiraku Ramen?
"Cough, I'm going home to take in the laundry."
Two elders stood up, coughing while walking out.
"Cough, my son's out of school…"
Another elder stood up and staggered out like some fragile old man, legs weak and slow, looking every bit like he was nearing the end of his days.
The last elder twitched his lips. "Didn't look so old yesterday when you were teaching your grandson Gentle Fist."
The old man froze for a moment—then suddenly dashed out of the room and disappeared without a trace.
That left only the first elder, staring blankly at the tea cup on the table. After a long pause, he smacked his forehead.
"I was too slow! Damn it, those old geezers!"
So in the end, the outcome of the whole "Hinata marrying out" meeting was…
Just drop it.
Let it go.
Unless you're ready to go reason with Hashirama, Tobirama, Lady Mito, and Kushina.
Go on, be my guest.
If you even dare say it out loud, you win. Everything else? Doesn't matter.
---
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