"You're too careful, Captain."
As the waiter hurried off with an uneasy glance, Aya Hyuga shot a look of mild irritation toward Uchiha Kai. But her disapproval lacked any bite—at least, none that could faze someone like him.
Aya Hyuga had become Kai Uchiha's unlikely partner, bound not just by circumstance but by choice—and a dangerous one at that. Months ago, she had secretly brought Hyuga Teru to Kai. The boldness of her move had stunned him.
"How did you move so fast?" he had asked her back then.
But Aya had come prepared. She had studied the Hyuga clan's patrol schedules down to the minute. She exploited a brief blind spot, subdued Teru, and delivered him to Kai.
Her plan had been in motion for months, and it succeeded.
Still, Kai wasn't particularly interested in the Byakugan for himself—he wasn't from Kirigakure, after all. So instead, he gave Aya one final test: return Teru to the compound and stage his suicide. If she could do so without discovery, he would offer his full support.
Aya had paled at the time. It was a cruel demand, practically a death sentence if she failed. But she went through with it.
She strangled Hyuga Teru in front of Kai, sealed the body in a scroll, and vanished.
By dawn, the Hyuga compound was in an uproar: Teru had reportedly taken his own life.
The clan was shocked—but they could find no evidence of foul play. Aya's timing had been impeccable. Kai never did figure out how she got in and out of Teru's room undetected.
Her reputation helped. She and Teru had maintained the appearance of a cordial rivalry. They often sparred, but Aya always held back just enough to avoid suspicion. Teru had never beaten her in a single match—and his father had even joked that he would never surpass Aya.
The clan elders chalked the death up to Teru's personal demons. No formal investigation was launched. After all, involving the Uchiha-run Konoha Police Force would have been unthinkable—the Hyuga resented them too much for that.
Publicly, the incident was hushed up. Internally, Aya was quietly grounded and stripped of mission privileges. But she'd expected that.
She had already made her choice: if the clan was going to treat her life as expendable, then she would make her own path—even if it meant aligning with Uchiha Kai.
At least with him, she could breathe a little.
"Don't be too cautious," Kai said as he stirred his drink lazily. "Do you know who owns this tavern?"
"I don't," Aya admitted. "But being careful never hurts. I doubt Rin Nohara mentioned anything about us before..."
"Rin's been gone a long time. Let's not bring her up," Kenta Imai interjected, scratching his head and sighing. "But yeah… I never thought she'd be so... decisive. That part still surprises me."
Aya gave a wry smile. "Maybe that's what it means to be part of Konoha's medical corps. Quiet resolve beneath a gentle face."
"Let's drop it," Kai said flatly. "She was a comrade once. There's no point speculating now."
"Fair enough," Kenta said, watching Aya with a raised eyebrow. "But you didn't bring us here just for dinner, did you?"
Aya's lips curled upward. "Can't old friends catch up over food?"
Kai narrowed his eyes. "You don't do anything without a reason."
Aya chuckled. "Then let's say it's partly social—and partly professional. I wanted to ask how your… experiments are going. Do you need medical support?"
"Experiments?" Kenta blinked. "Wait—what experiments?"
Kai glanced at Aya, then back at Kenta. "Just some minor things. Internal clan work."
Aya tilted her head. "Minor? Last I checked, 'minor' didn't involve turning a former war hero into a test subject. Or blaming everything on Orochimaru, for that matter."
Kenta stiffened. His time helping Kai shape internal narratives had given him doubts—but he hadn't realized the scope. "You're telling me it wasn't Orochimaru?"
Kai didn't answer. Aya's smirk said enough. She wasn't accusing him—not directly. She was reminding him she knew.
"Alright," Kenta sighed. "Let's be honest with each other. What is your goal, Captain?"
Kai leaned back. "Simple. I want a Hokage who serves the interests of everyone—not just the old guard. The Third... he's lost touch. You know it as well as I do."
"Don't drag me into that," Kenta said reflexively. But he didn't deny it.
Aya folded her arms. "And what about Orochimaru? Do you really think public opinion will crown him Hokage?"
"The seeds are planted," Kai said. "And they're growing. Distrust is spreading—about the Third, about Danzo, about the village's handling of war orphans and clan politics. We just need to water them carefully."
"And your actual candidate?" Kenta asked. "If it's not Orochimaru…"
Kai gestured subtly toward the corner of the room, where an older shinobi nursed his drink.
"Watch. Listen. Everything we need is already moving."
Aya and Kenta exchanged glances. The web Uchiha Kai was spinning stretched farther than either had realized—and now, they were part of it.