"Huh… the Cloud ninja?"
"Thanks for the information." Megumi knew that even though he didn't share a strong bond with his father, he should at least stand up for him.
Shikaku didn't want the conversation to continue in that direction. "I think we should focus on the reason we're here."
"That's right," Koharu Utatane said sharply. "We're here to discuss his bratty behavior, and now, after insulting the Fourth Hokage, he deserves punishment." She had never liked Kaede—not when Kaede was an ANBU, and certainly not now.
"For his offense, he should be sent back to prison. I don't even know why you're still insisting on pardoning him," she added.
Kaede simply looked at her and smirked, a silent reminder that she never truly respected the elder.
"I understand your point," Hiruzen said calmly, "but the real problem here is that this boy is getting spoiled. The main reason for this meeting is to decide that Megumi will no longer stay with Kaede."
You think you've escaped my grasp? We'll see about that, Koharu thought to herself as she rested her chin on her hand.
Kaede didn't show any bitterness. She knew a time would come when Megumi would walk his own path.
"You have nothing to say, Kaede?" Homura Mitohura asked, uneasy with her silence.
"No. Whatever the village decides, I'll accept it," Kaede replied coolly.
Shikaku thought it might be time to bring Megumi under the Nara clan's care, but before he could speak, one of the older Nara elders interrupted him.
"We, the Nara clan, don't want that spoiled brat," Tsunayoshi declared coldly. He didn't want the boy anywhere near the clan. He was convinced that both mother and son were doomed, and if they died within the clan, the blame would fall on them.
Shikaku was stunned, for the first time questioning if this man truly deserved the title of clan elder. He was about to call him out for his disrespect when a voice cut him off.
"Hey, old man," Megumi said, glaring at Tsunayoshi. "I thought I already told you—I'm not part of your clan anymore. I'm only keeping my father's name until I'm old enough."
His tone hardened. "That means I reject the Nara clan as family. So you'd better watch how you talk to an outsider—because someone might just punch you in the face for running your mouth."
Megumi's words struck like blades. He remembered clearly—this was the same elder his mother had mentioned, the one who always gossiped about them.
"Watch what you're saying, you brat!" Tsunayoshi roared, clenching his fists as his eyes burned with fury. Just you wait—you'll be joining your father soon enough, he thought darkly.
"Calm down, Elder," Hiruzen said firmly, his gaze narrowing. The foolish old man was about to ruin his plans to bring this child under his control.
Tsunayoshi immediately backed down at the Third Hokage's tone, lowering his head like a loyal dog obeying its master.