CHAPTER 77: THE FIRST GATHERING SINCE GROWING UP
A new day arrived. Around noon, the clock struck twelve.
Boom, boom, boom! Bang, bang, bang—
Knocking echoed through Ryuzen's house, the sound shifting from polite and gentle to aggressive pounding.
"Hey! Ryuzen, wake up! Come on, open the door already!"
Seemingly aware of Ryuzen's temperament, Shikamaru abandoned his usual laziness and knocked loudly while shouting. "I know you're in there! Hurry up!"
...Creak.
After more than a minute of relentless knocking, Ryuzen's door cracked open.
Wearing a bathrobe, Ryuzen stared at Shikamaru with a rare expression of pure disgust. His voice came out cold. "You... one of these mornings, I'm going to cut you down."
"Hey, hey... don't say such horrible things, alright?"
Now that the door was open, Shikamaru reverted to his usual lazy demeanor. His dead-fish eyes fixed on Ryuzen as he scratched his head. "I heard Naruto's back. We're putting together a small gathering. Ino and the others went to get Hinata. Chōji went to find Neji and the others. Kiba went to grab Shino. I got stuck with your side. So... do me a favor, Ryuzen-sama?"
Ryuzen stared into Shikamaru's completely unafraid eyes for a few seconds. Then he spoke words that felt oddly familiar. "Next time, I really will cut you down."
"Yeah, yeah."
Shikamaru nodded cooperatively, watching the door close again. He couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief.
Good thing I had Ino and the others intercept Hinata beforehand, he thought. Otherwise, this job would have been impossible.
A few minutes later, Ryuzen's door opened again.
Dressed in formal kimono with a tachi secured at his waist, Ryuzen stepped out.
Shikamaru led the way, guiding Ryuzen to a private room at a restaurant.
Even through the curtain, Ryuzen could smell the aroma of grilling meat.
He lifted the curtain, and twelve young figures came into view.
The girls sat on one side: Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and Tenten.
The boys occupied the other: Chōji, Naruto, Kiba, Shino, and Neji.
Chōji, Naruto, and Kiba were grabbing at the grill like it was a battlefield, meat disappearing as fast as it cooked.
Shino sat slightly apart, his posture calm, but the emotional fluctuations Ryuzen sensed through Observation Haki betrayed his desire to join the chaos.
Only Neji sat with arms folded and eyes closed, maintaining an air of aloof dignity.
Ino had Hinata cornered, whispering about something—likely Ryuzen-related, given how red Hinata's face and ears had become.
"Yo—Ryuzen, Shikamaru! You made it!"
Kiba spotted them first, waving with one hand while the other continued its assault on the grill. He grinned at Ryuzen. "What took you so long?"
Ryuzen looked at him with exaggerated disgust. "I'll kill you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Kiba and the others responded in perfect unison, completely unfazed.
Ryuzen had made similar threats more times than anyone could count.
They all considered him a comrade now, and none of them took his words seriously. It was precisely that trust—that absolute acceptance—that left Ryuzen helpless.
Suppressing a sigh, Ryuzen took a seat next to Neji.
Neji opened his eyes and gave a small nod in greeting.
Ryuzen nodded back.
Since Hiashi had formally acknowledged Neji's place in the clan—reconciling the branch and main family—Neji had transformed completely. He showed nothing but respect for Hinata, and by extension, for Ryuzen, the man destined to marry into the Hyūga clan.
After Ryuzen sat down, Shikamaru scanned the room. "Where's Lee?"
Neji answered. "At this hour, Lee and Guy-sensei are training."
Shikamaru's mouth twitched slightly at the thought of those two. "In that case... forget it. Let the party begin."
The gathering didn't have any formal activities.
It was just a simple meal to welcome Naruto back from his training.
None of them were twenty yet, so no alcohol was involved.
That meant the grill became Chōji and the others' personal battlefield. Ryuzen and those who weren't obsessed with barbecue ate lighter fare and talked among themselves.
The boys had their circle. The girls had theirs.
From the moment Ryuzen entered until now, Hinata hadn't come to see him. He hadn't gone to her either.
Sitting in the corner beside Neji, Ryuzen occasionally felt the weight of the girls' gazes on him.
But in the whispers among the girls, the loudest voices in the room belonged to Naruto and Kiba.
As the atmosphere warmed, even Ryuzen found himself chatting with Shikamaru, who had wandered over with a drink, about everyday matters and mission details.
Time passed. The meal finally ended when Chōji and the others had eaten their fill.
After settling the bill, eleven of them walked out of the restaurant together.
They reached an intersection where their paths diverged toward their respective homes. Only then did Hinata return to Ryuzen's side, waving goodbye to the others as they paired off.
Just as Ryuzen turned toward home, his eyes caught something—a tall building in the distance.
Hinata, always attuned to him, noticed immediately. "Ryuzen-kun? What's wrong?"
He withdrew his gaze and shook his head. "There's been a presence following us. But the target isn't us—it's Naruto and the others."
He paused. "The presence isn't hostile, though. Probably just my imagination."
As he and Hinata walked home, Ryuzen frowned slightly.
Now that I think about it...
If Team 8 hadn't interfered with the Suna mission, Team 7 would have faced Sasori. Sakura would have learned about Sasuke from him.
Because they had killed Sasori instead, they had still attended this gathering. The original plot should have corrected itself.
But even after Team 7's restructuring, they were still missing one member.
Without leads on Sasuke, Team 7 would have to wait for Kakashi to recover from using his Mangekyō Sharingan before taking on more missions.
Still, Team 7 was incomplete.
Once Kakashi recovered, he would naturally resume his role as their instructor.
Could that presence have been... Sai?
Whatever. Team 7's business isn't mine.
Ryuzen shook his head and dismissed the thought.
This gathering marked the first time everyone had come together since growing up. The atmosphere hadn't changed at all.
But compared to a few years ago, everyone had indeed grown.
Some things stayed the same. Some things didn't.
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