"I, Uchiha Fugaku, am offering terms that are absolutely generous!"
"Oh?"
Byakuya raised an eyebrow at Fugaku's confident tone,
his interest piqued instantly.
Amused, he began to appraise Fugaku with curiosity.
"Go on, I'm listening~"
Hearing this, Fugaku hardened his resolve.
The terms the clan had initially prepared
might not be enough to sway Byakuya.
Something extra had to be added.
"Byakuya-sama, our Uchiha clan is willing to offer the commercial street closest to our central district!"
"Everything will be handed over to you, Byakuya-sama!"
"At the same time, we will assign five Uchiha high-ranking shinobi
to assist you with any demolitions or renovations."
"What do you think of that?"
For Byakuya, the offer was neither particularly impressive nor disappointing.
The Uchiha commercial street was bustling and well-developed,
with commerce running smoothly.
However, as for the five high-ranking Uchiha,
Byakuya wasn't entirely pleased.
Were they guards? Or spies embedded in his ranks?
Seeing Byakuya's interest wane, Fugaku grew anxious.
He quickly added,
"Our clan is also willing to arrange a marriage alliance with the Sarutobi family!"
This was clearly a plan Fugaku had considered long ago.
The Uchiha bloodline occasionally spread outward—
for example, Uchiha Hazuki.
Normally, when a child awakened the Sharingan,
their bloodline would be recalled—returning to the Uchiha clan.
However, if the marriage alliance took place,
the Sharingan-bearing child would belong to the Sarutobi family.
Byakuya's expression immediately brightened at this condition.
Nearby, Hyūga Hizashi was infuriated.
Compared to the Uchiha, the Hyūga clan's system guaranteed
that the bloodline never spread outward,
and no Hyūga would be married off externally.
Because almost every Hyūga had a Byakugan,
marrying them out would simply create yet another Hyūga branch.
Hizashi's head hurt.
Before Fugaku revealed his terms, he had been confident.
Now, not only were his own conditions less impressive than Fugaku's,
but just a single marriage proposal completely crushed him.
While Hizashi pondered, Fugaku smugly added,
"What? The Hyūga clan hasn't prepared anything, have you?"
"Is this an insult to Byakuya-sama?"
Hizashi, stirred by Fugaku's provocation, reacted immediately.
He had to secure the advisor position;
if Byakuya bore a grudge against the Hyūga, it would be disastrous.
"Hmph! Fugaku, what are you so proud of?"
"Is that all you've got?!"
"Byakuya-sama! Surely you remember my daughter, Hinata?"
"You rescued her from those delinquents back then!"
Hearing this, Fugaku's face turned grim.
Byakuya's interest was clearly piqued.
Hizashi continued,
"All these years, my daughter Hinata has never forgotten Byakuya-sama.
So, as her father, I hereby betroth Hinata to Byakuya-sama!"
"She will come tonight, along with the Hyūga family's dowry!"
At this, Fugaku was utterly flustered.
He had assumed Hizashi to be honest and naive,
but this move—offering his daughter in exchange for an advisor position—
completely upended expectations.
"Alright, alright!!"
"Hyūga Hizashi! You shameless man!"
"Playing this game with me?!"
For Fugaku, furious,
Hizashi's satisfaction couldn't be contained.
"What? You can arrange marriages, but I can't give my daughter away?!"
"Then go ahead and have a daughter yourself~"
This statement silenced Fugaku completely.
Had he had a daughter, maybe he could compete with this boldness.
Byakuya gladly accepted Hizashi's condition.
It also gave him a chance to slowly 'train' Hinata,
living together to correct her tendency to faint at the slightest embarrassment.
Otherwise, in the future,
she might pass out before anything even started,
and that would ruin the fun.
With both conditions agreed upon,
Byakuya didn't waste time.
He tossed the two advisor uniforms over.
"Fine, the two advisor positions are yours~"
"But~"
"Fugaku clan head, you'll have to listen more to Hyūga clan head from now on~"
At Byakuya's words, Fugaku's eyes went dark,
while Hyūga Hizashi smiled cheerfully in agreement.
"Then I, Byakuya-sama, shall take my leave~"
"This evening, I will have my clan bring Hinata over!"
With that, he rose and left.
Fugaku had no choice but to bid Byakuya farewell and hurriedly departed,
though he shot a deep glance toward Izumi before leaving.
Soon, both families returned home.
The Hyūga clan praised their head for the boldness and decisiveness,
while Hinata, upon hearing the news, blushed and nearly fainted again.
Seeing this, Hizashi's guilt faded—
his daughter liked it, everyone was happy, a true win-win.
Meanwhile, within the Uchiha clan,
although they also gained an advisor position, the atmosphere was entirely different.
"Damn it! That Hizashi bastard pulled this off!"
"Our clan, renowned for our dōjutsu, must now obey the Hyūga?!"
"Preposterous!"
Amid the outrage of the elders,
one elder muttered quietly:
"It's because the clan head didn't have a daughter~"
Though spoken softly, it cut sharply,
making Fugaku's already sour mood even darker.
His stern face turned pitch black,
ominously foreboding.
"Who said that?!"
"Have the courage to stand up and say it?!!"