With the festival behind us, it was time to get back to normal day-to-day things, get more training, and hang out inside the clan with the others.
Today, we decided to forgo the training and do something else for a change.
"So," Sayo said, leaning over with an exaggerated whisper, "how did your date go?"
I arched a brow. "Which one of us are you asking?"
Sayo blinked innocently. "I was talking to you, obviously. I already know how mine went."
"Well, maybe I want to know," I teased and splashed some water at her, causing her to giggle and return fire, or water as it were.
"Come on, Yuki, you were on a date with Lord Hiashi, we all want to know about it!" Sayo said, and the other girls with us in the hot spring all agreed.
I sighed theatrically, leaning my head back against the smooth stone rim of the spring. Steam curled around us in gentle waves, scented faintly with sakura bark and hinoki.
"It was perfectly pleasant," I said, drawing out the words.
Sayo narrowed her eyes. "That tells me absolutely nothing."
"I wore a nice outfit, he was stiff and formal, I teased him, he got flustered, I fed him sweets. The usual."
One of the younger girls, Aiko, giggled behind her hand. "You fed him?"
"With a taiyaki," I clarified. "I can't not mess with him, you know, it just wouldn't do to not make a main family member act like a fool."
We all laughed, just because we didn't hate the main family, didn't mean we didn't all enjoy taking the piss out of them, after all, they did often act like they were better than us branch folk.
"Did he smile?" Someone asked.
"Please, you think he wouldn't smile when on a date with me? It's Hiashi we are talking about, not his father."
That drew a round of giggles.
"And the ring toss?" Sayo pressed, eyes gleaming with scandalous interest. "I saw you two lingering there forever."
"Oh, that." I waved a hand. "He beat me. I let him win, obviously."
"Well, it's pretty easy, but I guess it's still nice. I saw you walk around with that white fox, so I guess it was from there right?" one girl asked.
"Yes," I said, letting a faint smile pull at my lips. "He gave it to me like he was offering a sacred treasure. Both hands, full bow. I was halfway convinced he'd start reciting poetry."
Sayo buried her face in her hands with a squeal. "That's so dramatic! You lucky thing."
"Hardly," I drawled. "You try holding a giant fox plush all night while your date pretends he's not dying of curiosity about a promised prize."
"Oh, I get it!" Aiko leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "You promised him something if he won, didn't you? That's the only reason I can see you willingly losing to him."
I raised one finger to my lips. "Mmhm."
"What was it?!" three voices asked at once.
I waited just long enough to draw it out before saying, "A kiss."
Sayo gasped. Aiko nearly slipped off the stone ledge.
"You kissed Hiashi?!"
"A small one," I said with mock dignity. "Barely counts. A reward kiss. As in 'good boy, here's your prize.'"
"That still counts!" Sayo said, nearly splashing half the pool. "You kissed the clan heir!"
"Honestly," I said, glancing upward toward the clouds of steam, "he handled it quite well. No fainting, no stammering. He might actually survive being married to me."
"You're evil," Aiko said with a giggle.
"She's an inspiration," one of the older girls corrected, nodding solemnly.
I laughed.
Moments like this—warm water, giggling voices, the scent of herbs and clean stone—this was peace. Not in the grand, political sense. Not even in the shinobi sense.
Just girls being girls, in a quiet corner of a world too often ruled by war.
I'd take that over the battlefield any day.
"Well," I said, straightening slightly. "If any of you want a fox plush of your own, you'd better start practicing your ring toss."
"Oh please," Sayo scoffed. "Like Maro could beat me even if I wanted to lose."
We all couldn't help but laugh at that.
-----
By late afternoon, I had dried off, changed, and was sitting in the shaded study hall reserved for internal instruction—where those of us in line for leadership, marriage alliances, or clan representation were taught things more valuable than just chakra control or combat.
Politics. Diplomacy. History.
And today, unfortunately, was politics.
A long, rectangular scroll was unfurled across the low table before me. It was divided into careful sections—each one labeled with a clan name and the neat characters for "allied," "neutral," "strained," or "hostile."
Across from me sat Hyūga Masaru, one of the quieter elders of the main family. He was narrow-faced, calm, and had the kind of voice that could put most people to sleep in three minutes if they weren't paying attention.
"You are expected," he began, "to be able to advise your husband on internal and external alliances. You will be seated beside him during future clan councils. And therefore, you must understand not only where we stand, but why."
I folded my hands neatly in my lap and nodded.
"Let's begin with our current allies," Masaru continued. "List them."
"First is the Inuzuka Clan, one of our oldest allies. While we have no overly strong ties with them, we have a long history of working with them, and their nature as sensors and taijutsu-based combatants means they share many common traits with us." I recited with ease.
Honestly, I likely knew far more about our alliance with the dog nins than even he did. From within the moon, I had seen most of the time that the two clans cooperated before the founding of Konoha. I had seen the reasons, the outcomes, and every dirty little secret.
"Second, the Aburame Clan," I said, turning the scroll slightly. "One of the newer clans to reach power during the Warring Clans era. Unlike most, they weren't elevated due to combat ability but for their specialization in information gathering and battlefield denial. The insects make them ideal for it, of course."
"Yes," Elder Masaru said with a faint nod. "And due to their natural neutrality, we have maintained a long and cordial relationship with them. But tell me—why is that?"
In reality, half of what I spoke was completely false; the Aburama clan wasn't new, but merely had a rough period not too long ago, and just recovered during the middle and latter parts of the Warring Clans era.
But sometimes, the right answer would be incorrect; after all, when it came to tests, being smarter than the one giving it meant you would fail it.
"Because they are mistrusted by other clans, due to their insects, many lesser clans are unnerved by them, only the noble Hyūga Clan with its Byakugan Kekkei Genkai can tell whenever or not their Kikaichū are nearby, meaning we have nothing to fear and can treat them cordially, and in turn that earns us their respect."
That part was true enough, even if I still found the sight of their little friends moving around inside their bodies to be distasteful, but at least I could tell when their friends got too close to me, so I could politely tell them off.
Masaru's lips curved ever so slightly. "Good."
I reached for the next name. "Third, the Nara Clan. Our relationship with them is stable but shallow. We don't share specialties or territory, and their reclusive nature limits diplomatic opportunities. However, they are always consulted on tactical matters."
"Anything else to mention?" he prompted.
"The Nara clan's true allies are the Yamanaka Clan and the Akimichi Clan; their relationship goes back centuries, and the Hyūga Clan and Akimichi Clan get along, but they aren't on our level, which means our ties with the Nara clan have never been truly friendly."
"Good, good, you clearly know older history, but many things have changed since the founding of Konoha, so let's see what you know about that." He pushed, moving the lesson onto a far more difficult topic.
After all, while the first part was politics, it was far more history in truth, but this was pure politics and far more sensitive stuff.
"Let us speak of the Uchiha," Masaru said next, his fingers resting lightly on the scroll. "Their relationship with us before the village was distant, occasionally hostile. Now?"
I gave a measured pause, as expected. "Officially, we are hostile, competing over which clan has the better dojutsu. In reality, the Uchiha Clan is one of our closest allies, and while we have and always have had a distant relationship, they are the most trustworthy partners given our shared status as dojutsu holders."
Masaru's brow lifted ever so slightly. "That is… an unorthodox answer."
"It's the truth," I replied calmly. "We posture, yes. We compete. But in that competition lies mutual respect. In truth, the Uchiha are among our oldest, most reliable allies. Not by affection—by necessity."
He was quiet for a moment, and then—surprisingly—he smiled.
"Good," he said, a rare note of approval in his tone. "Too many recite treaties and alliances like they're permanent facts. You've seen past that."
I inclined my head modestly.
"Then why," he continued, tone now more probing, "is our official status listed as 'hostile'?"
I smiled faintly, folding my hands in my lap. "Because the village only has room for one dojutsu clan in the spotlight. And that spotlight is dangerous. Whoever stands in it will be scrutinized, feared, and ultimately—targeted."
Masaru's eyes narrowed slightly, not in disapproval, but with interest. "You're saying it's safer to act as rivals than friends?"
"It's safer," I agreed, "it is a well-known fact that the second Hokage didn't trust the Uchiha Clan, so appearing too friendly would draw unwanted attention onto us, making it look like we have a hostile relationship with them benefits us."
A thoughtful silence followed. The type that meant I'd just said something that would be remembered later.
"You understand more than I expected," Masaru murmured. "Most think the founding of the village ended clan politics. You seem to grasp that it merely gave them new masks."
"Of course," I said. "Where there are benefits, there are conflicts, inside the village and outside it."
That made him smile—truly smile, which was almost unnerving coming from someone so composed.
"I would not have dared say that aloud," he said. "Even if I believed it."
I shrugged delicately. "I'm still young. They expect me to be bold. And allow me to be foolish."
"And what happens when you are no longer young?"
"Then I will be wise enough to only speak like that within the clan."
Masaru gave a quiet hum, then glanced at the scroll again. "We'll continue this next time. Review the clans labeled 'neutral'—I want to hear your thoughts on how we might shift them closer."
"Understood, Elder."
He stood, smoothing his robes, and gave me one last, measuring look before departing.
When the door shut, I let out a sigh of relief. I truly hated all these politics. It was too hard, too much work, too troublesome when pure overwhelming strength could solve all problems.
Back in my day, politics started and ended with my mood.
Still, as much as I disliked politics, I had to admit it was slightly interesting to see all the politics happening here in Konoha.
The anime likes to show the village as a perfect place of harmony, despite the fact that kids were sent to war, entire clans, women, children, and the elderly were slaughtered overnight.
Yeah, the amount of politics happening under the surface was immense, and it was interesting to see it all.
In particular, the leadership, which was always the big question, was how much power the Hokage held, and how he maintained it.
And how the fuck did Danzo get to stay alive?
If he did even half the stuff people back on earth suspected he did, then everyone would have more than a little reason to end that fucker… so what kind of politics kept everyone back and allowed that clown to one day become Hokage, even if it was only for a bit.
(End of chapter)
Good question, how the fuck is Danzo alive? Anyone with half a brain would want to end that guy, so clearly something is stopping them, because Konoha isn't only filled with stupid people.
But we will see some of those secrets, but later, because, like Yuki said, fuck politics… she never said that? Well fuck that too!