SS024

With Ino pressing him to think of something, Seikun managed to get her and Sakura permission to visit his new home a few days after he moved in by convincing not only their parents but the parents of his classmates to come over and experience things for themselves. He even went out of his way to prepare the open-air bath, so it turned into an event where roughly half the kids in his class and their parents came by to soak and eat BBQ in their rather...old-fashioned swimsuits.

"This is quite the place you've gotten your hands on!" exclaimed a kind-looking, perpetually smiling man with dark skin, blue eyes, and dull-pink hair fashioned into the shape of a cherry blossom. His sideburns formed sharp angles at his jawline and flowed into his mustache as sharp points, but despite looking odd, he was a pleasant and charismatic individual.

Ruffling Seikun's hair with his right hand, the man, Haruno Kizashi, aka Sakura's father, teased, "If your place is this big, you should have plenty of space for me and my wife to move in! Bwahahahaha~!"

Punching the back of her husband's head, Mebuki, wearing an off-white, somewhat dated-looking one-piece swimsuit beneath a jacket, remarked, "It's much too soon to be discussing things like that..."

"Mebuki, my love...!" exclaimed Kizashi, rubbing the spot Mebuki had punched as he asked, "Haven't you seen this place? It's huge! Don't you think Seikun here would feel lonely living in such a huge house all by his lonesome?"

"Mr. Haruno isn't wrong...it is kind of lonely..." Seikun appended, fixing his hair with the calm, mature composure he was known for.

Raising her brows, Mebuki looked down at Seikun with the countenance only a mother could pull off, crossing her arms as she asserted, "I know you only invited us over today because Ino pressed you to do so, Seikun. And, while we appreciate your willingness to endure discomfort to spend more time with our daughter, inviting us to stay here is a big decision and not one that should be made in haste..."

Though he was secretly hoping that Mebuki would agree so he wouldn't need to cook and take care of all the chores on his own, Seikun pretended to be seen through, an awkward smile adorning his face as he rubbed the back of his head and offered a faint, "Sorry, Mrs. Haruno...all of this is new to me, so I guess I got carried away..."

"Look what you've gone and done, Mebuki," said Kizashi, wiping away an imaginary tear from his right eye as he remarked, "You've made our future son-in-law-"

Smacking the top of Kizashi's head hard enough to make his eyes pop and his legs give out, Mebuki placed him in a headlock, looked down at Seikun, and said, "I need to have a chat with my husband in private. You should go and have fun with the other children. If you spend all your time training and studying, you'll miss out on what it means to be a kid..."

Without waiting for Seikun's response, Mebuki dragged a lifeless-looking Kizashi toward the entrance of the open-air bath. Seikun had been doing his best to be a proper host until that point, but now that he had been told to join the other children, he looked over to where Naruto, Kiba, and some other boys from his class were having a splash fight. Shikamaru and Choji were also present, but the former was lazily observing things from a safe distance while the latter was helping his dad and some of the other adults grill the food.

Fortunately for Seikun, Ino didn't call out for him to join her and the other girls despite noticing the moment he was alone. She would have insisted on it if it were just her and Sakura, but since every other girl in their class had accepted the invitation to his housewarming party, including Hinata, she ultimately decided to get his opinion on her swimsuit later that day or another one entirely...

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"Holy crap, guys, look at Seikun...!" exclaimed Naruto, turning heads and causing the majority of boys to become slackjawed as they witnessed the former walking atop the water's surface.

"Mind if I join in...?" asked Seikun, smiling as he performed a quick series of hand signs, causing the water to surge like a wave.

"Oh, come on...!" shouted Shikamaru, going from soaking his feet to trying to escape as the wave rolled toward everyone indiscriminately. Lucky for him, Seikun was mostly just showing off the result of persistent training, the wave inexplicably freezing in place as he appeared atop it, grinning as he asked, "Pretty cool, right...?"

Recovering a bit faster than the others, Kiba shouted, "Cool!? More like totally badass!" before wadding through the water and sticking his hand and arm into the wave, marveling at how it was able to maintain its shape and close behind him as he moved his hand through it.

Allowing the water to settle, as holding it up made him feel like he was straining every muscle in his body, Seikun breathed a sigh, smiled, and explained, "And it's all thanks to my training. If you guys are will-"

"How are you doing that...!?" exclaimed Naruto, interrupting Seikun to wave his hand under where the latter was standing, searching for the unseen object he was looking to keep afloat.

"That's what I was trying to explain..." responded Seikun, doing his best to appear calm. He still harbored a slight grudge toward Naruto for what happened outside, but not so much that he was unwilling to tolerate the ultimately blameless youth's antics.

With his Chakra already dispersed through the water beneath his feet, Seikun raised his right hand and motioned as if he were pushing down on an invisible surface. In response, the water beneath Naruto lowered and then retreated away from him until he was only submerged to his ankles.

"Whoaaaaa..." muttered Naruto, his eyes sparkling with awe and intrigue that intensified as Seikun reversed the direction of his hand, causing the water to retract before raising Naruto nearly five meters, supported by a bell-shaped water column.

"Whoa! I'm so high up...!" exclaimed Naruto, his loud voice and situation drawing the gazes of nearly everyone present. Unfortunately, the gazes of so many people were like fuel to the fire that was his mischievousness, his blue eyes gleaming as he made imaginary binoculars with his hands and remarked, "Hotties spotted...!" in reference to the girls sitting on the opposite end of the bath.

Rolling his eyes, Seikun made a cutting gesture with his left hand, causing the upper half of the watery column to separate from its base. As a result, Naruto fell sideways into the bath, exhaling an over-the-top death wail on his way down. Then, in retaliation for Seikun's actions, he burst forth from the water, shouting, "Let's see how you like my counterattack...!" with an ear-to-ear smile as the water splashed directly into the former's face.

"Now you've done it..." muttered Seikun, adopting a grin full of feigned malice as he began waving his right hand from side to side, causing weak waves to smash into Naruto, sending him reeling. Kiba ended up getting caught in the crossfire, but instead of getting angry or lamenting his fate, the young Inuzuka recovered and shouted, "Alright, guys! It's time for the Boss fight! Let's teach Seikun a lesson...!"

Though the other boys were initially reluctant to get involved, as Seikun had gradually become an object of fear and envy, they eventually joined Naruto's and Kiba's assault after seeing their splashes land. Seikun could have easily dodged or smacked them aside, but instead, he allowed them to land, reeling dramatically before recovering with his hand gripping his chest as he shouted, "Such insolence! You want to defeat me!? Train for a hundred—no, ten thousand years first...!"

Punctuating his exclamation, Seikun twisted his body and made a slicing gesture with his right hand, causing a serpent-like column of hot water to form, swimming across the water's surface to devour Naruto and Kiba. It was an attack that was more form than substance, so while the two boys ended up being pulled along in the current Seikun created, they managed to break free and retaliate, encouraging the other boys to join in and vent at least a little of their frustrations...

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With his guests gone and the sun beginning to set, Seikun took his time cleaning the tiles around the bathing area using a broad-headed, hard-bristle broom. There was no need to take care of things right that instant, but as he didn't want to become the type of person to procrastinate until small issues became serious problems, he was determined to wrap things up before taking a proper bath and going to bed.

"Diligent, as always..." remarked a deep, familiar voice, causing Seikun to turn around and find Hiashi standing a few meters away in his usual grey robes and black haori.

"Lord Hiashi..." said Seikun, turning around fully and offering a polite bow as he added, "Had I known you were coming, I would have greeted you at the entrance..."

"I don't doubt that..." replied Hiashi, closing his eyes and nodding before opening them to meet Seikun's gaze as he asked, "What do you think of the property the Hyuga Clan has vested you...?"

"It's more than I ever could have asked for..." responded Seikun. "Which leads me to question...why? Why give me something so valuable? What is it that Lord Hiashi is expecting from me...?"

"You are mistaken," contended Hiashi, shaking his head before explaining, "This is your reward for not only meeting my expectations but surpassing them. My greatest concern these past few years had been my daughter failing to meet the expectations of her standing and becoming a victim of the Hyuga Clan's traditions. Had she failed to overcome her self-imposed limits by the time she became a Genin..."

Choosing not to go into detail, Hiashi shook his head a second time and said, "I've digressed. I will now state the reason for my visit. Whether or not you accept my proposal is for you to decide. Just know that it will not affect your ownership of this place..."

"Please..." said Seikun, lowering his head slightly, opening the floor for Hiashi to explain, "Now that Hinata's position has been confirmed, my youngest daughter's has been brought into question. I would rather not see her forced into the branch family, so I ask that you permit her to stay and train here. I will also send four branch family members to accompany her, so you will not be singularly responsible for her care."

'So that's what it was...' realized Seikun, his expression turning serious. He honestly didn't mind if Hanabi came to live with him, especially if she was accompanied by people who could perform chores around the house, but his instincts told him things weren't as simple as they appeared.

"Is Lord Hiashi attempting to arrange for Hanabi and me to marry in the future?" asked Seikun, choosing to get straight to the heart of the matter.

Crossing his arms, Hiashi conceded, "I will not deny that the thought has crossed my mind. But I have since determined it is better to wait and see how things develop without intervention from myself and the elders..."

'That would explain Hinata's increased freedom and the changes in her attire...' thought Seikun, reacting to Hiashi's words with a curt nod. Then, largely to confirm his suspicion, he asked, "Are Hanabi and her attendants already here...?"

"They are waiting nearby," affirmed Hiashi, promptly adding, "With your permission, she and Hinata will stay here together. Then, once she has gotten used to her new circumstances, Hinata will return to the Hyuga Clan Compound."

"You want them both to stay here...?" asked Seikun, various flags raising in his mind.

"Hanabi is young and has never lived away from home," explained Hiashi. "With Hinata here, she will feel more at ease, allowing her to adapt to her new environment more quickly. I have already discussed the matter with my eldest. She is prepared to stay for however long it takes to ensure my youngest doesn't become a burden to you..."

Shaking his head, Seikun was about to refuse but was interrupted by the pitter-patter of footsteps, drawing his attention to the bath's entrance as Hanabi ran inside wearing a fundoshi and apron-like chest covering called a haragake. Hinata wasn't far behind her, sporting a white one-piece and a beige jacket, as it got fairly cold at night during mid-October, so Seikun couldn't help feeling he had been forced into a corner as Hanabi beamed from ear to ear and shouted, "Big brother~!" in a happy tone.

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