Returning to the boredom that was my house arrest, I was lying on my back, looking at the ceiling, and theorizing what to do next. It was not enough to just train my body in taijutsu, ninjutsu, or genjutsu; I had to have a plan, something more than simply taking things as they came. Fugaku... Maybe he will be my first hurdle or serious change, especially if I take a closer look at how he approached me... I was sure he would try to recruit me later, maybe after graduating, as I could be a strong rallying point and asset within the clan.
I have no idea how radical he or the clan is now, but I think I have time to steer them away from any kind of rebellious thought. The kyuubi hasn't attacked us yet, so we aren't marginalized at all, and people don't look at the Uchiha as weirdoes. I bet there are still some hardliner members, but they can be dealt with, and I could turn things around... I just have to make sure that as Fugaku becomes chief, he won't go down the more and more radical route and can help stop the others from wanting to take over the Village by force.
Which brings up a second issue. If Fugaku made his move, I bet that others did so, too. Especially Danzō, the one-eyed bastard. I won't be able to find out who his agent is that he probably had sent to spy on me, but I guess I will be safe amongst the Uchihas for the moment. And... I couldn't help but smile, because I knew that he had yet to have Shisui's eye, as he hadn't been born yet. It is my best moment to strike and eliminate him... Question is...? How?
Haaah... that will be tricky, especially because if I am right, he is currently working with Orochimaru, testing and experimenting with Hashirama's cells... I should gather my strength and, when Orochimaru is exposed, I should be there, push the Hokage to not only deal with Orochimaru but also with Danzō. As for dealing with Orochimaru... I don't know how much strength I can gather by then to finish him off; if not, I can live with that. But... Danzō must die. That I can't postpone... Scrunching my eyebrows, time-line-wise, if my memory holds, I have until the end of the Third Shinobi World War... It was then that Hiruzen stepped down and Minato became the fourth Hokage... Partially because of the war and Orochimaru's antics... haaah. This is going to be a pain in the ass!
Just then, someone knocked on the front door, shaking me out of my thoughts.
"Sayuri?" I asked myself, looking at the clock, noting that school was already out, so... It should be her.
"Renjiro?" came her voice through the door, soft and slightly nervous, as she could tell I was arriving on the other side, seeing my silhouette from her side.
Ohhhh boy... calm down, Renji. Big breath! When I opened the door, what greeted me was her blonde hair braided over one shoulder, her cheeks already pink, holding something behind her back, as if she were smuggling contraband into a prison, maybe some nailfliers, to cut through the bars or something.
"Um…" she said, eyes darting everywhere except at my face, now that the door was open. "Hi."
"Hi," I echoed like an idiot, suddenly remembering every embarrassing thing I've ever done in both lifetimes simultaneously, and all the failed attempts when I tried to confess to someone... Hell.... I have been a wreck, thinking back about it. I stumbled through my lovelife, like I did with my regular one...
"I, um..." She stuttered, "I brought these." Then she held out a small cloth-wrapped bundle to me, "I made them... Just some... Cookies. For… you. As thanks..."
"Ah..." I froze as the scent hit me first... Ah... what a lovely fragrance! Cinnamon, roasted nuts, something floral... absolutely delicious, guilty snacks with an increased rush of sugar... "For me?" I blinked, finally shaking myself out of my stupor, "You sure?"
"Y-yes... of... course," she muttered, cheeks now matching that of a tomato.
"T-thank you," I took them, murmuring to myself, and stepped aside, letting her in. "And no need to thank me or feel guilty, trying to make it up to me. None of what happened was your fault... Arai's just an idiot with legs, and he managed to walk straight into me."
"I still feel bad…" she murmured, slipping off her sandals, bowing to nobody before walking in. "If I hadn't asked for your help..."
"Sayuri." I looked dead into her eyes, picking out one of the cookies and pushing it into my mouth, "Sthap thaft alfreadfy."
"Please swallow first!" She answered, holding back a laugh, yet relaxing a lot, seeing that I was still the same idiot, gulping before speaking again. It also helped that I wasn't limping, had no visible injuries, and showed no signs of being sick... I think my steps were even way too light, because I was feeling awesome for some reason. Probably the cookies. Yes. It was the work of the cookies, and I won't even try to think otherwise.
"You did nothing wrong." I repeated, "Plus, I'd walk you home again any time. With or without the five idiots." Uuuugh... That was cheesy... it was, wasn't it? Idiot... Yet... Her lips twitched, and not annoyingly, but more into another shy smile, blushing once again.
In the end, I led her into my room without thinking much about it, only when I saw her flinch and fidget, not knowing what to do or where to sit... so she just sat on the floor cushion, like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to touch anything. Ah... Oops... I am too used to leading Minato into my room that I didn't even think about it.
"These are," I swallowed the third cookie already, "Oh my god, they're actually good. Like… really good. You should advertise these!"
"Really?" Her whole face lit up, seeing me eating them, "I added some chrysanthemum and honey. It's calming… helps with tension... and... nerves..."
"Did you just call me tense?" I stopped, watching her with a slight grin. "Heh~!"
"Only a little," she said, turning redder, pursing her lips, "I didn't really know, okay?! They weren't telling me exactly how you are! Were you hit? It was still five against one! I thought you had to be hurt here and there... a black eye? A broken hand? Something?! Minato also said you are fine, but... What does fine mean? Especially for you two..." She grumbled, letting it all out, but watching me, realizing that... I was unharmed. Which also meant that... Well, I was skilled. Let's keep it at that.
"Fine, fine, true." I chuckled, reaching for the fourth cookie... Damn. You could sell these and make a ton of money... "I understand, and sorry, in Minato's name, too. It wasn't a long fight," I shrugged, "Arai is loud, but he isn't good. Neither are his cronies."
Sitting there, in a bit of silence, not really speaking, just me munching on cookies, I noticed it. I mean, the way Sayuri kept glancing at me from the corner of her eye, then snapping her gaze away when I caught her doing so. Heh... Cute. In my old life, I'd had girlfriends, well... um... One. One actual girlfriend... Not just a fling after a party or a blind date that I signed up for... Yeah… And those relationships mostly happened when I was young, basically about holding hands awkwardly and then breaking up because someone moved to another orphanage or got adopted. Later? Nothing. Nothing like… serious. I tried, but... nothing worked out.
"Stop looking..." Sayuri tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, pulling herself smaller than usual.
"Sorry, I was thinking." I shook my head, "But you never had an issue with it before. I mean, me looking."
"Ugh! And?! Still!" She crossed her arms, "Anyway..." She deflated at once, her nervous anger evaporating, "Renji…" she whispered, hands tightening on her skirt, "When I heard what happened, I… I got terrified. Not because of Arai, that idiot got what he deserved! I was afraid... Because... because you could've gotten hurt."
"We are going to be a shinobi," I said gently, rubbing my neck, watching her blush again, "This was nothing, if you think about it. We will have much worse to deal with, and this isn't even enough to consider training. Look.. I'm not invincible, but I'm also not made of porcelain." Um... Maybe I should have said something else, because she looked relieved and disappointed at the same time... Um... Should I have said I was afraid so she could pat my head? Wait... no, that would have been even more embarrassing.
"Will they... blame you?" She asked, playing with her braid as she looked at me.
"Oh yeah," I chortled, "But because Arai was the instigator, and he is also an Uchiha, it will be handled inside the clan, I'm pretty sure. As for the rest, and the Akamichi's, well, that's theirs to deal with."
"That won't be an issue, I think," Sayuri added, nodding, "I heard my parents talking about it, and I think the Akamichis won't pursue the matter at all."
"That's good to hear!" I started, but then the door to my room suddenly opened.
"Renjiro? I'm home— oh!" Mom stood there, her eyes suddenly flashing, "Do we have a guest?" Of course we do... I know you saw her sandals! You just... wanted to know who is here!
"Ah! Um!" Sayuri turned a shade of pink I didn't even know existed in nature, shooting to her feet and bowing to my Mom. "Sorry for the intrusion!"
"Oh my, Sayuri-chan," she said, clasping her hands together. "Well, hello, sweetheart! Aren't you a lovely surprise? You should come over more. I barely saw you since Renji's little Sharingan-party."
"Naori-san," Sayuri squeaked, trying to sound collected, but she wasn't even close to it. "I'm sorry... I just... um... I brought cookies... For Renji."
"Of course," My Mom's smile grew in real time, almost swallowing her face, "For Renji," she repeated slowly, then she looked at me. Oh no... I won't hear the end of this...
"I should go! I didn't mean to intrude! I just wanted to check on him... and... Um... thank you for letting me! Goodbye!" Sayuri said, fidgeting, speaking at a speed that was faster than Minato's Flying Raijin.
I never saw her flee so quickly, out the door, down the hall, sandals barely on her feet as she disappeared like she never was here.
"Good job..." I muttered as Mom watched her leave with her hand over her heart. Ugh... "You scared her away."
"Renjiro…" she murmured dramatically. "She is adorable."
"Moooom...?"
"And polite! And thoughtful! And she bakes! Perfect." She nodded her head, making me twitch my lips, seeing where this was going... Stop. Please.
"Mom."
"And she came all the way here just to check on you, with homemade food. Cherish her, my dear!"
"I swear, Mom, if you start planning a wedding..." I groaned, holding my head, hearing her answer me with a giggle.
"Oh, I'm not planning anything, I'm just saying… she seems like a lovely girl. It shows that she cares about you a lot, so don't go break her heart, Renjiro, or I am going to disown you!"
"I... She... It's not..." I tried, feeling the air was stuck in my chest.
"Oh, don't bother," Mom chuckled, patting my head. "I know a crush when I see one. Your Dad was worse at it, so I am glad you two can handle it better than we did."
"Handle what?!" I cried out, "We were simply talking!"
"In your room," she hummed knowingly, "Sure, sure, my son is growing up, inviting girls into his room..."
I collapsed backwards almost then and there, not wanting to deal with this anymore... Turns out, house arrest wasn't the only thing that served as my punishment. It was my Mom... And then my Dad, because the moment she told him about Sayuri, he was already asking when he could meet his future daughter-in-law. What's wrong with everyone here? Haaah... It's not that Sayuri is not... cute or nice... It's just...
Eh... Whatever. I'll head back to my room instead and finish those cookies. No way I am sharing them with my parents, not after the things they are putting me through!d