Chapter 10: *

(A month after the establishment of Kanbi coffeeshop and 2 months after Kanbi fast-food opened.)

Hiroshi, with a plan in mind, approached the elder's compound with a sense of purpose. The morning sun cast a warm glow over the familiar surroundings, but his attention was drawn to the sight of Itami's house. It stood tall and elegant, a testament to the Hyuga clan's prestige, with intricate designs adorning its exterior.

As he made his way inside, Hioshi exchanged nods with the guard, an old chuunin whom he knew well. With permission granted, he proceeded through the house with practiced ease, guided by memory to the backyard where Itami often trained.

As he strolled through the garden, it felt like stepping into a living masterpiece. The garden was a thoughtful arrangement of vibrant plants, winding paths, and peaceful ponds. Stone lanterns and small pagodas dotted the landscape, adding a touch of old-world charm.

Everywhere he looked, there were inviting spots to pause and take in the tranquility. In spring, cherry blossoms burst into bloom, painting the garden in delicate shades of pink. And in autumn, fiery leaves danced in the breeze, casting a warm glow over the scene.

It was a place of serenity, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. The sound of water trickling in the ponds and the chirping of birds created a soothing melody that washed away any worries or stress. In this enchanting garden, time seemed to stand still, inviting him to linger and savor every moment of natural beauty.

There, he found her engrossed in her Gentle Fist practice, her movements fluid and precise. Beads of sweat glistened on her clothes, accentuating the contours of her body as she pushed herself to the limit. Hiroshi hesitated to interrupt, knowing the importance of her training, but before he could call out to her, he was confronted by another Hyuga who looked about perhaps fifteen years old or more, possessed a decent appearance and a well-built physique, regarded him with open hatred. Confusion flickered in Hioshi's eyes as he tried to make sense of the sudden hostility. 

 "What are you doing here?" the Hyuga demanded, his tone sharp with accusation. "Who gave you permission to approach the mistress?"

"And who the fuck ..." but before he could finish the sentence, the guy had been beaten to the ground by the aggressive coming Itami who saw the situation. 

"How dare you touch my friend here you bastard?" while beating him hard, so hard that made Hiroshi unable to bear it anymore "Hey, you don't need to beat him so hard right? He didn't do ..." But was interrupted by a hidden wink from Itami's eyes.

Hioshi was a bit confused about what was going on, but he decided to follow Itami's lead. After the beating had gone on for a while, Itami allowed the guy to lie there and then guided Hioshi toward her living area.

"What's up with him? Why did you go at him so hard?" Hioshi inquired., sitting down at the kotatsu.

"That guy's a real bastard. I've disliked him for a long time." Itami explained.

"What? Why though?" Hiroshi questioned.

"He's been trying to court me," she said, glancing at Hioshi, "but in the most disgusting way possible."

"He's just a substitute for your position after you left," Itami began, her hand playing with an orange she took from the basket on the table.

Hiroshi listened, a mix of surprise and concern evident on his face. 

"What did he do?" he asked, clearly disturbed by the details. He couldn't help but understand the motives behind the guy's actions—it was a one-way ticket to freedom, after all, and who wouldn't want that? 'And that's why he was so hostile towards me.'

"He tried to impress me with his muscles, flaunting them every chance he got, like it's beautiful or something, ugh. Sometimes, he even 'accidentally' exposed himself naked in front of me, and Mia," Itami explained, her disgust evident in her tone. "He seemed to have read too much stuff from Jiraiya's book, like, I'm 12, and I may have learned about that stuff as a kunoichi but hey I'm still 12 mtfk. What did he expect? We gonna be brainwashed by seeing a dick, pah, Mia's dildo is bigger than his..."

"Hey, ojou-sama, don't say that out loud." Suddenly a girl rushed out from behind the slide door and tried to stop Itami's mouth from speaking. 

"Heh, that's your price for eavesdropping other people's conversation." 

With a flushed face, the girl, Hyuga Mia, a 16-year-old, with a "respectable appearance" (decent), who he remembered to be his colleague here before, turned towards him, offered a polite nod, and then ran away. 

"Don't worry, she likes it, known by someone she knows, get her excited, bet she had a dildo up her ass right now."

"Ojou-sama" a loud shout came out from the direction to which Mia run before.

"Are you serious? How could I never know? Wow, can I borrow her for a day? Wait, no, that's a joke," he blurted out uncontrollably as if a hentai plot just suddenly happened in front of him.

"Of course ... not. It's obvious that you don't know. She just tried it after I showed her the picture of... ahem," she trailed off, opting not to delve into details. "Hey, why do you ask so much?"

"No, nothing" his mind was now using all possible power to suppress the newly developed boner that wanted to be free from the cage.

'Amitabha, god, Jesus, ... I'm 12, remember? Amitabha, god, Jesus.... shit, anime perverted girl is real...no no Amitabha,...'

His reaction made Itami let out a contented laugh, which could be her original purpose.

After a while, Hiroshi tried to shift the conversation away from the recent incident. "By the way, why not just sack that guy?" he asked.

"Not too soon," Itami replied with a knowing smile. "You just left, and if this guy gets fired too quickly, it could damage my reputation. So, I've decided to let him dance for a while, as the old man suggested. Besides, he's my servant. He can't do much."

Hiroshi observed Itami closely, noticing her striking resemblance to the unborn Hyuga Hanabi with fair skin, a slender build, long dark hair tied into a high ponytail, and a thin figure. Despite her slender appearance, he recognized her strength. Dealing with someone like the guy from earlier, whose role was merely that of a servant performing odd jobs, seemed like a minor challenge for her. And knowing her personality—naughty, unexpected, and smart—there was just no way she could be easily tricked. With that final thought, he let go of his worry.

After chatting for a while longer, Itami turned the conversation towards Hiroshi's purpose. "So, what brings you here? Surely not just for a visit, right? We promised to go to your store tomorrow, after all. And you never came to visit me again after you left."

"I have a problem and I need your help," he admitted, his tone slightly firm. "To be honest, you'll benefit greatly from it, while I'll only lose a little less."

Itami's curiosity was piqued. "What exactly do you mean?" she asked, leaning in with interest.

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Itami POV

Thirty minutes later, we emerged from my house. I asked the guard to clean up that disgusting individual. As we made our way, leisurely, towards the residence of the Hyuga clan head, Hiroshi repeatedly reminded me, "Are you sure you will help me with this?"

"Sure sure, I already decided," I said with a nonchalant face while in fact, I was dancing happily inside. 

Sure, I recently admitted to developing a crush on him. This admission wasn't entirely unexpected, given our shared history as childhood friends who grew up together. However, despite knowing him intimately and spending countless hours in each other's company over the years, I couldn't see him as more than a friend—until recently.

While I had always valued our time together, I couldn't ignore his imperfections. The void of drive, willpower, and the once-indomitable "never give up" attitude left me feeling profoundly disappointed. His failure in the genin test had a profound impact on him, and it saddened me to witness the loss of his enthusiasm for life. 

This disappointment even led me to express some hurtful words to him, such as "I'm disappointed in you." Those moments remain a source of deep regret, particularly since they once prompted him to attempt suicide. 

However, everything changed after that attempt. He underwent a transformation, so much so that if his chakra signature hadn't remained the same, I might have questioned whether someone else had assumed his identity. That's when a shift occurred in how I perceived him.

He had discovered a new path in life and found success with it, evident in the substantial income he now earned from the Kanbi store. Speaking of Kanbi, it felt like his silent confession to me, cute, really. However, until the day he chose to confess, I would continue to play dumb, finding his expressions each time rather intriguing.

Why don't I confess first? Why would I? All I would get is him. As I'm rich, I don't need his money. And all he would have is my body and freedom. The scale is not balanced at all.

Besides, he'd have to worry about some random guy popping up next to me, which isn't likely since I'm not heartless. While I'm not obligated to, since, well, freedom seems more fragrant than any pussy, isn't it? I could enjoy our time together until marriage. And even if he sought revenge, what could he possibly do? Spanking? That would certainly be interesting.

And why would I be happy right now? Well, it's all because of the plan he just proposed.

Firstly, it's interesting, and I have a penchant for interesting things.

Secondly, this plan officially allows me to enter his game. He allows me, or rather requests me, by asking me to cover his last weak point: Ninja.

Speaking of which, one of the factors that I like about him is the way he knows what he's doing and takes the initiative to do something, rather than waiting passively.

"We're here," he said to me as we approached the patriarch's house, a place I had visited many times before.

As we informed the guard of our visit, we were asked to wait outside for a while. Eventually, an old servant led us into the main hall, where Hyuga Kazama, the current patriarch, and his son, Hyuga Hiashi, were seated in the traditional Japanese manner.

As I took in the scene, a hint of pity crept into my thoughts as I recalled the existence of another brother, Hyuga Hizashi, who had been branded with the caged bird seal on his forehead. The reason was simple: if he didn't become a branch member, he would then become an elder when his brother became the patriarch, a scenario forbidden by the clan's elders.

After exchanging simple greetings, the two of us took seats opposite Kazama.

"Why have you come here today?" Kazama asked slowly, his head held high, back straight, each word spoken with a clear voice, displaying the dignity befitting a patriarch.

"Kazama-sama, I've come here today to request assistance from the clan," Hiroshi replied straightforwardly.

There seemed to be a flash in the eyes of the patriarch. "Elaborate." he commanded.

"I would like to receive some help from the clan, providing personnel for management and periodic escorts for business trips to the Land of Snow for the new company I intend to establish, called Kanbi Corporation. This includes all the Kanbi shops and the newly planned steel factory. In return, I plan to give 20% shares of the company," Hiroshi looked straight into Kazama's eyes and said calmly.

"I want 40%," Kazama replied after a pause.

'just like he said', I remembered Hiroshi's prediction before coming here. "The patriarch will ask a really high price for two reasons: first, to confirm my attitude toward the clan, it's a test. And secondly, he can, thanks to the caged bird, he just can.'

But 100% is impossible, that's akin to slavery. The official statement is to protect the Byakugan, so they can't openly endorse slavery, or the village would condemn them for it.

After a small discussion, Hiroshi suddenly changed direction. "How about giving it to her? She can manage the ninja working for Kanbi, and I'll give her 50% of the shares."

Upon hearing this, I immediately went with the flow. "Oh, nice! Give it to me then. The company has my name on it anyway. I'm sure Grandpa will love this idea, right, patriarch?" I responded.

Different from Hiroshi, I had nothing to fear from the patriarch. I didn't have the caged bird, had the support of an elder, and was the only child. There was no way for him to harm me. By giving me shares, theoretically, the interest would go to my family. If the patriarch decided otherwise, he would face dissatisfaction from the family of the elder, making it not worth the trouble.

According to Hiroshi, my presence would complicate things for the patriarch. After observing the scene, Kazama wore a thoughtful expression and said with a smile to Hiroshi, "Sure, if that's what you want," then turned to me and added, "I hope you will make the clan look better in front of outsiders."

Afterward, we left there. On the way back to my home, he asked me, "Hey, don't you have any questions about why I gave you such a high share?"

"Why would I? Isn't it because 'Kanbi' has half of my name in it?" I played dumb.

"Uh, yeah, that's right," he replied, wearing a weird expression.

Despite his response, I completely understood why he did it. After all, there were only two possibilities: either we marry and the shares merge, or if we don't marry, no matter how much money he accumulates, it's futile because the main clan can 'forcefully' reclaim it at any time.

"By the way," I suddenly remembered, "Didn't you promise me to write something about freedom before? Why didn't your new book have that?"

"I really can't, you know? At that point in time, there was no way for me to write something like that in the book. Well, after today, it should be fine. So next time, definitely."

"Okay, I'll remember that," I replied, though in my head, I couldn't help but think, 'He completely ignored the fact that he only said "I'll try" last time. Cute.'

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(third-person POV)

After returning to Itami's home, Hiroshi relaxed in the kotatsu while Itami went to find Mia. They had promised to play together tomorrow, but he decided to ask her out for today, to eat at Yakiniku Q as a thank you. She also wanted to invite Mia for fun. 'Bet she just wants to see Mia blush, but...' His thoughts suddenly drifted to Mia, giving him a sudden rush of arousal. 'Shit, calm down, Amitabha, God, Jesus...'

While Hiroshi's actions of giving things for free seemed unnecessary, the fact remained that if he didn't do so, he would incur much greater losses and risk losing the initiative. No clan would allow someone from their clan to develop rapidly without contributing anything, especially if they bore the caged bird seal.

Only by showing his attitude now, his next development plan would be stable.

After a while, Itami emerged with Mia, who was still heavily flushed. Both of them clad in traditional kimonos, each carrying an additional purse. Upon spotting Hiroshi, a sly smile played across Itami's lips.

"She still has it in her..." Itami's words trailed off as Mia quickly covered her mouth. "No, Ojou-sama," she interjected, her cheeks burning even brighter.

Hiroshi silently cursed to himself, "Oh shit, not again, Amitabha Buddha... is she an exhibitionist? oh no no, Amitabha Buddha, God, Amen,... "

After playing for a while, they prepared to leave. However, as they were about to depart, they noticed Hiroshi still seated at the kotatsu.

"Why are you still sitting there? Let's go!" Itami urged impatiently.

"Sorry, my legs hurt a little bit, so I'd like to sit for another 5 minutes," Hiroshi explained.