The Meeting

/Konoha, Senju compound/

/Zasu Pov/

"Are you ready?" Tsunade asked me, wearing a full formal kimono.

"You can look beautiful when you want to, huh?" I said teasingly

"You're the one to talk. Your usual outfit already compliments you, but seeing you in formal Senju attire makes you look nobler. It fits you well; if not for the fact that I already tested our blood, I'd think you were my grandfather's hidden child." she tells me while looking at me with a smile.

"yeah yeah, I heard it all." So I said, laughing, "are we heading out now?"

Tsunade and I were heading to the Hyuga clan to meet Hinata and Hiashi. The meeting was set to be formal, so I dressed in formal Senju attire. Although I'm not technically a Senju, Tsunade insisted I wear the outfit.

"Well, let's get going then," Tsunade said as we headed out.

The walk to the Hyuga clan wasn't very long as it was close to the Senju compound. While walking, Tsunade introduced me to many places she had memories of, mainly of her little brother; I hadn't seen her smile as much since we got to the village, so it was a pleasant surprise to see her happy.

When we got to the Hyuga compound, we met a few Hyuga clansmen, many of whom were elderly; at the center was Hiashi Hyuga himself. Next to him were both his daughters; little Hanabi was wearing a formal kimono, albeit plain. On the other hand, Hinata was dressed in bright blue kimono flower patterns throughout the outfit. She was also wearing light makeup and had many hairpins that looked beautiful and expensive.

'She looks beautiful. I see they are pulling out all the stops, even dressing down the other daughter to express Hinata's beauty.' It seemed that they wanted to enchant me. Figuring it was easy to gain further influence for the future, with low risk, of course.

Unluckily for them, I didn't show any emotion; I had already activated my theater mask skill. Allowing me to show no emotion besides the soft smile I was sporting.

"Welcome, Princess Tsunade." Hiashi said, "I hope you have been well these past few days since we last met?"

"Hello, Hiashi; thank you for expressing your concern; I have been well." Tsunade smiled and said before she looked at me. "This is Zasu Doku, my second apprentice. Zasu, this here is Hiashi Hyuga, clan head of the Hyuga clan."

"Hello, lord Hiashi; it's a pleasure to meet you," I said with a polite expression.

Hiashi stared at me for a few moments before smiling "he is indeed a wonderful child, princess Tsunade."

"This here on my left is my youngest daughter and heir, Hanabi." he said with a soft expression before looking at his other side, "and this here is my eldest daughter, who I cherish greatly, Hinata. Hinata greets our guest."

I could see her struggling to say something, fidgeting, and looking at the ground, barely able to maintain eye contact with Tsunade, let alone me.

"He... hello, nice to meet you, princess... Tsunade... za... Zasu." she said, struggling to keep her composure.

Hiashi looked a little disappointed before quickly taking charge of the situation. "Well, since we have all introduced ourselves, let's move to a more appropriate location." before dismissing the rest of his clan elders and his younger daughter.

We walked into the main Hyuga mansion before making our way to a spacious hall decorated formally with a large table filled with food.

"Please sit and make yourselves comfortable. Eat as much as you like." Hiashi said, maintaining a bright smile.

'He is trying pretty hard here. It seems I underestimated how much he wants this engagement to work.' So I thought as I listened to the man speak about unimportant topics with Tsunade. I maintained my soft smile as I sat still and ate a little occasionally. Hinata was doing a lot worse as she barely ate anything. She was mainly staring at the ground with a depressed expression.

She seemed as though she could break at any moment. This allowed me to shake the mood.

"Hinata? Are you OK? You seem pale?" I said in a worried tone

After hearing what I said, Hinata panicked "yes! I... I'm OK..."

Hiashi frowned for a moment. "Hinata, make sure to eat well; you know that you can be frail sometimes."

"Yes... father..." Hinata says while staring down, looking as if she might cry at any moment.

'Is he trying to pass her off as a trophy wife? Calling her frail in front of her suitor.' I thought, "if Hinata isn't feeling well, maybe we should postpone the meeting until a later date when she is feeling healthy."

I could see Hiashi's face panic for a split second before he smiled "no, that won't be necessary! Hinata has always been a shy girl."

"Hiashi, you didn't pressure your daughter into this, did you?" Tsunade said with a dark expression.

"No! I did no such thing, Princess Tsunade." suddenly, Hiashi's expression darkened, "she agreed to this herself; I even told her that she had the option to decline."

Hinata suddenly looked up and saw her father's stern face and started to tremble. "I.... I..."

"It's OK, Hinata." But Tsunade said softly, "you can tell me if you want to decline the engagement."

Hinata struggled a bit before her expression changed as if she remembered something. "No! No, it's my responsibility! I agreed to the engagement on my own!" she said frantically.

It was clear that although she had agreed to the engagement, she did not favor it either. Her decision might have been her own, but it wasn't something she wanted. It was even more apparent by how Hiashi's face made a deep frown at what Hinata had said.

"Oh, well, as long as you agree." Tsunade brightly smiled as she told Hinata. Hinata shuttered, tears slowly falling from her face.

'Your even crueler than me, Tsunade.' I thought as I Ignored the crying Hyuga, "Lord Hiashi, although both parties already agreed, I would like to add something rather minor to the deal. I wouldn't want this engagement to break down the line due to a change of heart."

Hiashi's face changed for a split second "the deal has already been made; changing it now would be unjust."

'Why are you suddenly acting like a clan head, old man?' I thought while I sighed.

"Are you sure you want this engagement left as is, Hiashi?" Tsunade suddenly said, "as is, either party can cancel the engagement without much penalty. However, Zasu will not inherit the Senju name. He will inherit everything else. So I do not want to risk him entering an engagement only to have it fall through. It's a waste of time and an insult to Zasu and myself. So I'd rather end the engagement now if that's the case."

Hinata suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling with a small amount of hope. At the same time, Hiashi fell deep into thought.

'Tsunade saying she would end the engagement, in the end, wasn't only a threat, but to show Hiashi how easy it would be for the deal to fold through.' So I thought while I waited for Hiashi.

"He said a minor change?" Hiashi suddenly asked Tsunade.

"Yes, a minor one; the clan to break the engagement will, in turn, send their representative to the fire temple to become an official monk, never allowed to step into the leaf village again. The Hyuga clan Representative will be Hinata Hyuga, while the Doku clan representative will be Zasu Doku." Tsunade said sternly.

"Impossible! We can't have a member of the Hyuga clan live outside the clan's compound!" Hiashi angrily said.

"What's the matter, Hiashi?" Tsunade suddenly narrowed her eyes "were you planning to cancel the engagement?"

Hiashi went wide-eyed "no! Of course not!"

Hiashi then went silent as he thought deeply for a few minutes. Tsunade and I patiently waited for his answer. Even if he didn't agree, it wouldn't matter, as other clans in the village would always agree to an engagement without hesitation. I'm only doing this to pressure Hinata to slash her hope of marrying Naruto in the future. Although I have no feelings for the girl, I'd instead not get N T R in the future.

I could see that Hinata was having a more challenging time waiting for Hiashi's response. Her face was morphing between hope and despair.

Hiashi suddenly took a deep breath and sighed. "I agree to add the change; although harsh, it is fair, as it affects both clans," Hiashi said

In turn, the Hyuga princess paled and started to cry silently. A little while later, Tsunade and I left the Hyuga clan's compound. Hinata and I only exchanged a sentence or two throughout the whole ordeal.

"I'm surprised he agreed to the change." As we walked back to the Senju compound, Tsunade said, "although it wasn't too much to ask for, with his daughter being so affected by the engagement, I would've expected him to reject it. I didn't picture him as such a cruel father."

"Well, the Hyuga are pretty conservative, though I'm not sure he may have another reason for the marriage. Something big enough for him to bear his own daughter's hatred." I said while in thought

"In any case, what will you do now that you're free for the next few days?" Tsunade asked me

"the only thing to do." I smiled "prepare for the chunin exam."