"DOCTOR UCHIHA STRIKES AGAIN!"
"Uchiha Heir Humiliates Hyuuga Heiress on First Date!"
"F-Bomb from the Flower of the Hyuugas — and Why We Kinda Love Her for It."
The next morning, every news outlet, tabloid, and online gossip site in Japan was ablaze with headlines and photos of Hinata Hyuuga mid-yell, her usually gentle expression twisted in pure, fiery wrath. Right beside her, Sasuke Uchiha looked utterly calm, if not mildly entertained — the perfect picture of a man who just couldn't care less.
Sasuke closed the newspaper with a sigh and tossed it across his desk at the hospital. "At least they got my good angle this time."
His colleague — the ever-smirking Doctor Naruto Uzumaki — was practically falling out of his chair laughing.
"BRO. You deserved that! I told you Hinata was sweet, but she's got bite! You humiliated her in front of half of Konoha's elite and she bit back! HAHAHA!"
"Shut it, Naruto." Sasuke rubbed his temples. "I didn't mean to—"
"Oh, you meant to! Don't even lie. 'Dark'? You pointed at her armpit, you psycho!"
Before Sasuke could respond, a thunderous vibration made the desk tremble. It was his phone. The screen glowed with the one name that made his blood run cold.
Mom.
He didn't even get to press "Accept" before the phone automatically answered itself — his mother had overridden his settings again.
"SASUKE UCHIHA!" Mikoto's voice roared loud enough to make the nurses in the hallway freeze.
"MOTHER—"
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE!? DO YOU!? YOU HUMILIATED THE HYUUGAS IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE NATION! HIASHI IS BREATHING FIRE, FUGAKU'S HIDING IN THE BATHROOM, AND I'M ONE MINUTE AWAY FROM DISOWNING YOU!"
Sasuke leaned back, exhaling slowly. "That might be for the best."
"DON'T YOU DARE! YOU'RE MEETING HINATA-CHAN TO APOLOGIZE TONIGHT!"
"What—"
"I ALREADY CALLED HIASHI-SAN. YOU'RE HAVING DINNER AT THEIR ESTATE AT 7. YOU WILL FIX THIS. AND YOU WILL NOT INSULT HER AGAIN. OR I'LL—"
"Cut my tongue off, yes, I know," Sasuke muttered.
"DON'T TEST ME, SASUKE!"
The line cut. Naruto, who had been recording the whole thing on his phone, snorted.
"Dinner with the Hyuugas, huh? I hope your life insurance is up to date."
Meanwhile, at the Hyuuga estate…
Hinata sat curled up on her bed, face buried in a pillow as Hanabi paced the room.
"I TOLD YOU TO SAY IT ONLY IF HE DESERVED IT — not scream it loud enough for the media satellites to hear!" Hanabi groaned, though she was clearly holding back a laugh.
"I-I… I didn't mean to… it just… came out…" Hinata's voice was muffled, her cheeks burning. "Now everyone's calling me 'The Hyuuga Who Swore'…"
"Well, it's better than being known as 'The Girl Who Got Roasted by Sasuke Uchiha.' You owned it, sis!" Hanabi said proudly. "And besides—wait… are you crying?"
Hinata lifted her head, eyes glimmering. "I'm not crying! I'm just… mortified."
Hanabi sighed. "You'll live. And for the record, Dad and Neji-nii are coming home early because of this."
Hinata froze. "N-Neji-niisan is coming back!?"
As if summoned by fate, the front door slammed downstairs, followed by a chillingly calm voice.
"Where. Is. Uchiha?"
Hanabi winced. "Aaand he's here."
--
By the time Sasuke arrived at the Hyuuga mansion that evening, he was mentally preparing for three possible outcomes:
Hinata refusing to see him.
Hiashi Hyuuga demanding ritual suicide.
Neji Hyuuga murdering him with his bare hands.
Unfortunately, all three seemed equally likely.
A maid led him through the long hall, his footsteps echoing against the polished floors. He noticed the family's portraits — stern faces, pale eyes, all exuding nobility. He hated it already.
Then the doors opened.
Hinata sat on one side of the dining table, looking composed — a little too composed. She was wearing a soft blue kimono, her eyes downcast, lips pressed in a tight line.
Hiashi sat at the head of the table, posture regal and expression unreadable.
Next to him, Neji Hyuuga — freshly returned, his gaze colder than Sasuke's surgical steel.
"Doctor Uchiha," Hiashi greeted, voice calm but heavy. "Thank you for joining us on such short notice."
"Of course," Sasuke replied smoothly, bowing slightly. "It's… a pleasure."
Hiashi's eyes didn't move. "Is it?"
Neji's hand twitched against his sleeve. "Father, if I may—"
"Neji." Hiashi's tone cut like a knife. "We will allow Doctor Uchiha to speak first."
Sasuke inhaled sharply, then turned toward Hinata. "Hyuuga-san, I wanted to apologize. My… comment last night was uncalled for. I don't usually—"
"Think before you speak?" Neji interrupted sharply.
Sasuke shot him a glare. "I was going to say embarrass people in public, but yes, that too."
Hinata blinked. Her lips twitched, almost like she was suppressing a smile. "T-thank you, Doctor Uchiha…"
"You can call me Sasuke," he said before he could stop himself.
Neji's eyes narrowed. "You won't mind if I call you corpse, then?"
"Neji!" Hiashi barked.
Sasuke smirked. "Try me."
"ENOUGH!" Hiashi stood abruptly, silencing both men. "You will both sit down. Hinata, dear, would you please pour the tea?"
Hinata rose silently, moving to the teapot. Sasuke's eyes followed her — not in arrogance, but with an unfamiliar sense of… guilt? No, curiosity. Despite everything, she looked composed, elegant, graceful. He had expected her to be timid again, but there was steel beneath the softness.
When she handed him his cup, their fingers brushed for half a second.
"Your mother called again," Hinata murmured so quietly only he could hear. "She said… she'll be joining us for dessert."
Sasuke froze mid-sip. "She what?"
And sure enough, at that exact moment, the front doors burst open.
"HELLO HYUUGA FAMILY!" came the cheerful voice of Mikoto Uchiha, followed by a sheepish Fugaku carrying a tray of wine and the world's most terrified butler.
Neji groaned. Hinata face-palmed.
And Sasuke whispered, "Just kill me now."