When Tokuma got home, it felt like the sky was falling.
Because he saw it with his own eyes—his grandfather was taking bite after bite out of the barbecue he'd packed up.
That was supposed to be his emergency stash. One slice a day, for a full month.
"Grandpa! Y-you…"
Tokuma pointed at him, his hand trembling.
You animal.
Leave me some, at least!
That was barbecue he'd packed up only after throwing his pride in the trash…
But Tokuma's grandfather just clicked his tongue in annoyance.
What, I eat a little of your barbecue and you're ready to explode?
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you snatching for? I'm not done!"
"Shut up, you old bastard!"
"You little punk! At least this grease—"
"No! Not a single bite!"
Tokuma cursed under his breath as he hid what little barbecue was left.
And they still called their household "Hyuga main family nobility."
What kind of noble house lived this miserably?
Grandpa—who was, in fact, the Hyuga clan's Second Elder—picked at his teeth like he couldn't care less.
When you're this broke, stop pretending you're refined.
Other than the Clan Head's household needing to maintain the last shred of Hyuga dignity, the rest of the branches were basically all living with their belts cinched tight.
"You went to interview at the hospital today?"
"Huh? How'd you know?"
"Any luck?"
"…Hard to say."
Got it. No luck.
The Second Elder's brow creased, and his eyes narrowed.
That matter was already on the schedule.
Which meant Kangetsu-san was the Hyuga clan's future lord-consort.
The Second Elder's eyes turned, and he decided the opportunity had arrived.
Why send Hinata-sama into a political marriage?
For what?
Wasn't it to get Kangetsu-san to let a little benefit "leak" their way?
Let's not pretend.
Most of the Hyuga main family had exactly that kind of character.
On the clan grounds, the ones yelling loudest for "marriage alliance" were the main family elders.
"Come here, Tokuma. I've got something to tell you."
What now?
Tokuma grudgingly leaned in.
"Hinata-sama will soon finalize an engagement with Kangetsu-san. Which means…"
In an instant, Tokuma's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Which means Kangetsu-sama is our Hyuga clan's future leader?!
A surge of excitement almost burst out of him—but the Second Elder slapped a hand over Tokuma's mouth.
"Don't make noise. And don't go telling people."
All you need to do is, during the hospital interview, hint at it discreetly to the higher-ups.
"Understand?"
Tokuma nodded rapidly.
His eyes were shining—almost too bright.
Wait.
We have that kind of connection?
If we had that kind of connection, why didn't you say so earlier?!
He immediately pulled out every last bit of barbecue.
"Grandpa, please! Don't be polite with me!"
The Second Elder scratched his head, feeling like the brat's reaction was… off.
A little too theatrical.
"Don't rush. First tell me—are the hospital salaries really like those nouveau riche were bragging?"
The moment it came to that, Tokuma lit up.
Then, without even noticing, he slipped into the mindset of "hospital staff" and slapped the tatami with pride.
"Grandpa, you have no idea! A chūnin gets 200,000 ryō the moment they're hired!"
"…H-how much?!"
"Two hundred thousand!"
Right then, the Second Elder wanted to curse those nouveau riche out loud.
Damn those show-offs. They didn't tell us the truth!
The hospital benefits were even better than they'd claimed…
And that was only base pay. According to what he'd heard—
There were bonuses on holidays, and year-end benefits too.
"Go, go, go! Hurry back there!"
The Second Elder couldn't sit still anymore.
Everyone knew hospital benefits were good, but he hadn't imagined they were this good.
Tokuma couldn't suppress his own excitement either.
He wanted to become a glorious member of Konoha Hospital.
Then, chest out, head high, he set off again.
When he arrived at the hospital entrance a second time, everything felt different.
With the confidence of someone who believed the job was already his, Tokuma let out a hard, aggressive breath.
Hm?
Why is this mission-grubbing bum here again?
Didn't we already reject him?
...
Inside the office.
Kampo genuinely couldn't understand Tokuma's thought process.
Sitting behind the desk, he looked Tokuma up and down—no longer timid, now brimming with confidence.
Kampo took a slow sip from his teacup, utterly puzzled.
A polite rejection. Can you understand that?
This time, though, Tokuma glanced around, and only after confirming there was no one else did he lower his voice.
"Kampo, our Hyuga clan's Hinata-sama is about to get engaged."
…Hah?
Your clan's Hinata-sama is getting engaged. What does that have to do with Konoha Hospital?
Are we supposed to pay a gift?
Kampo's gaze turned suspicious.
But then, a thought followed.
Wasn't the Hyuga clan's young lady the one who seemed to spend time at Kangetsu-sama's place all the time?
His heart stirred.
Don't tell me…
The moment the idea shifted, Kampo's attitude shifted with it.
His face lost the impersonal "official smile," replaced by real warmth.
Ah…
So we're family and didn't recognize each other.
If your Hyuga clan had this kind of connection, you should've said so sooner.
"Come, come, Tokuma! Drink some tea. The good tea!"
Tokuma bared his teeth in a grin.
It's done.
He clearly understood the hint.
"Um, Kampo, about what I said earlier—"
Got it. It's just a job.
Kampo stood up and personally poured him tea, draping an arm over Tokuma's shoulder with easy camaraderie.
All buddy-buddy now, none of that earlier scrutiny.
He believed Tokuma wouldn't dare lie about something like this.
Because this wasn't "just" a marriage alliance. There were political implications too.
"Tell you what, Tokuma—if you're free today, you start today.
I'll decide it. Didn't you say you can do tenketsu (chakra point) work? Then you'll serve as an external specialist for human tenketsu (chakra points)!"
And since you're a chūnin, you get the 200,000 ryō hiring money immediately.
The instant those words settled, Tokuma's eyes turned wet.
Good. Good. Good!
He gripped Kampo's hand tightly, and for the first time since the Hyuga clan's downfall, he felt his chest swell with real pride.
He wanted to drag his two former teammates here right now.
Look!
Look!!
What's a "Nara clan" compared to the Hyuga?!
He'd already planned exactly how he'd collect the banknotes—and exactly what pose he'd use when he tossed them into his former teammates' faces.
Kampo didn't show anything unusual.
If this was the clan marrying into Kangetsu-sama's circle, then it couldn't be treated by ordinary logic.
Of course.
Whether it was true still needed to be confirmed personally with Kangetsu-sama.
For now, it was better to calm Tokuma down first.
Before long.
Tokuma truly felt the weight of 200,000 ryō in his hand.
In that moment—
He wanted to shout it to the skies.
Brothers!
We've got money, brothers!
No more puffing up our cheeks to pretend we're full, brothers!
(End of Chapter)
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