After casually knocking on the door of a restaurant and purchasing some delicate pastries from a nervous merchant, Hyūga Soushu successfully eased the fears of other merchants who were still hesitating behind closed doors.
As he finished his purchase and turned to leave, the previously silent Commercial District slowly came back to life as merchants began reopening their shops. Along the street, those merchants who usually acted high and mighty now bowed repeatedly in respect toward Soushu—the Hyūga lord who dared to say no to the Anbu.
If Soushu had intended to establish himself here and set up shop, he probably could have collected quite a bit in tribute money and miscellaneous fees alone on opening day.
However, being a ninja naturally meant looking down on money—after all, that was one of the Ninja's Three Taboos.
If lower-ranked ninjas stopped acting like money was beneath them, where would the higher-ups—the clan and village leaders—get the funds to waste away?
Surely they couldn't expect the lofty Hokage or the head of a clan to take missions just for basic sustenance!
When Soushu once again arrived at the entrance of the Uchiha Compound, he suddenly felt hesitant.
He wondered whether Mahiru-chan's parents were home...
But after hesitating for a moment, he lifted his head proudly and boldly stepped into the heart of the Uchiha territory, under the subtly curious gazes of Uchiha ninja from the Policing Department who clearly enjoyed the spectacle.
This time, without Mahiru Uchiha leading the way and wearing his clearly distinctive Hyūga outerwear, Soushu drew considerable attention wherever he went. However, these Uchiha clansmen kept their distance, only giving him sidelong glances when passing closely, with no further interaction or interference.
Since he was alone this time, Soushu also had the leisure to admire the scenery along the Uchiha Clan's compound.
Overall, compared to the ever-exquisite Hyūga District, the Uchiha Clan's architecture style and garden designs were somewhat rustic—in direct terms, quite plain—especially since they used black, white, and gray as their main color palette, and looked aesthetically unimpressive.
Yet everywhere one looked, there were omnipresent clan emblems shaped like folding fans—whether carved into window frames or drawn carelessly on walls by children resembling tennis rackets—showing off the Uchiha's strong sense of unity.
This was something rarely seen within the Hyūga Clan.
In addition, the Uchiha Compound resembled more of a village within a village. Unlike the quiet and uniquely elegant Hyūga District, the Uchiha area housed many small shops, particularly noticeable now during mealtime as the aromas wafting from each eatery were quite enticing.
"Hello, Uncle Hand-fired."
Soushu intentionally took a detour, arriving at the takoyaki stall he had visited previously with Mahiru.
"Oh right, I remember now—you're Mahiru-chan's friend!"
Uncle Hand-fired scratched his chin thoughtfully before clapping excitedly and exclaiming, "Now I got it—you're Soushu JONIN, the one who loves donkey meat!"
"You've got a great memory, Uncle Hand-fired."
Soushu rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"It's just that... I wanted to buy some beef pancakes that Mahiru-chan likes."
"Sure thing!"
Without delay, Uncle Hand-fired picked up his cleaver, chopped the meat rapidly, and quickly assembled several generously stuffed beef pancakes.
"By the way, does Mahiru-chan's parents like okonomiyaki? Please pack me a few more."
Hyuga Soushu asked casually.
"They really like beef okonomiyaki too, but it's lunch time now. They usually don't come home for meals."
Uncle Hand-Fired tied an elegant ribbon around the lunch box beautifully. "That'll be 4,000 yen, please."
"Oh? Then that's really too bad?"
Soushu, who had successfully gathered important information, almost grinned to his ears. He cheerfully paid up, said goodbye to Uncle Hand-Fired, and then hurried toward Mahiru Uchiha's house.
"Knock knock!"
The excited and cheerful Hyuga Soushu arrived at Mahiru's doorstep, but instead of entering directly, he gently knocked on the half-open courtyard gate, simultaneously relaxing his previously restrained chakra presence.
"Soushu-kun!"
As expected, the person inside instantly sensed the familiar chakra signature. Accompanied by a crisp cheer, Mahiru Uchiha appeared at the second-floor window using Body Flicker, waving enthusiastically at Soushu.
He simply raised the takeout bag marked with Uncle Hand-Fired's logo, smiling quietly.
"Come right in! I'll be right down!"
The cheerful Mahiru-chan called out, then disappeared.
It was Mahiru-chan who called me.
Touching his chest to calm himself, Soushu took a deep breath before slowly taking this small step forward—yet a giant leap in life!
Even after two lifetimes, this was his very first time stepping into a girl's home!
"Soushu-kun!"
Just as Soushu crossed the courtyard to the front door, Mahiru already opened the door downstairs, her cheeks flushed pink.
"Look,"
He handed her the still-warm lunchbox. "It's your favorite—beef okonomiyaki."
"But donkey meat buns are okay too (a traditional Chinese snack)."
Though she spoke shyly, Mahiru clearly seemed even happier.
It wasn't anything special, but it all depended on who had brought it!
"Come in, here're some slippers for you."
Mahiru pulled Soushu into the entrance, then gave the door a quick slam shut behind them, before squatting to fetch a brand-new pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, placing them before Soushu while preparing to untie his shoelaces.
"Who is this?"
Just as Mahiru, heart racing, was about to make her move, and Soushu intended to go along with it, suddenly a childish voice came from upstairs, making Soushu's hair stand on end in alarm!
"Younger brother?! Why are you still home?"
Startled, Mahiru immediately jumped up nervously.
"Your brother?"
Surprised, Soushu pointed at the four-or-five-year-old boy peeking around the corner of the stairs with narrowed eyes and a curious tilt of his head.
"Didn't your big sister ever mention me to you?"
The mischievous little boy kept staring at Soushu up and down, as if he were seeing something truly amazing.
"Uh… this is my younger brother, Kenjiro."
Somewhat embarrassed, Mahiru finally introduced the little rascal, pointing at him.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Soushu also felt somewhat flustered, as if he was about to do something naughty and had suddenly been caught in the act.
"Kenjiro, here are your pancakes."
Mahiru Uchiha flickered over with [Body Flicker], scooped up the boy, then grabbed the lunchbox lying nearby and shoved it into his arms. "Keep this and go play with your friends, okay?"
"But we were gonna play ninja at my place today!"
Kenjiro clung to the lunchbox with a smile, but what he said next broke her heart: "Oh right! I told you last night, and you even said you'd help me make ten wooden kunais!"
"Uh..."
Mahiru had indeed forgotten all about that.
Then, she dropped her bratty little brother onto the shoe cabinet. "No time! Can't do it! You figure it out!"
"Soushu, wait a moment while I change clothes. Let's grab some BBQ real quick."
Without waiting for Hyuga Soushu's response, she immediately dashed back upstairs using her Shifting Body Technique.