I was tempted to retreat when the gates appeared in the distance. Heading to my grandfather's private quarters wasn't something I was usually eager to do.

When I reached my destination, the fellows guarding the gates had expressions of puzzlement. Seconds after, however, most of them seemed to recall who I was after I stepped into a better-lit area.

"Young master Hibari, did you come to dine this time?" The one I recognized from the last time I came, beckoned dubiously. Guards were among the low ranking members in the family. There were very few among them who shared blood with the clan. Those that were over sixteen and shared our ancestry had generally survived through the draft I was dreading.

Typically, all of them had gone through body conditioning and had established contact with Mana.

The one who was addressing me now happened to be a young bachelor. From his features, attitude, and the few times I heard him chat when I came, I could estimate that he was not over the age of thirty.

"Yes, is there any problem?" I asked when I noticed his unease.

The man scratched his head for a moment before looking at his colleagues. The latter, a bit older and more daring, snorted or simply turned their heads. They couldn't care less for the plea the guard made.

"The thing is, you weren't really expected..." The man replied after sighing.

"What do you mean?" I frowned, unpleased at the meaning behind the answer.

"I didn't mean anything by it, young lord. Don't take offense for me saying it. Still, you habitually do not partake in these meetings, so young master Akira came along with a female friend..."

The man paused and waited for me to react.

"How is that any of my concern?" I asked, confused.

"I'm not sure where the problem is either, young lord. However, after young Mistress Kaori came and saw that person enter, she halted for a moment before she followed.

She seemed annoyed, and minutes after she joined, some sort of quarrel happened. When we were hesitating to enter, your uncle arrived and diffused the problem.

The last time he appeared to the gates, he gave us instructions not to let you come inside if you ever showed up..."

The young guard explained, a bit embarrassed.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, young lord." He replied and rubbed his cheek.

Even now, I was a bit mad that servants could prevent me from strolling wherever I wanted in my own home. However, I didn't want to let it show. The other guards who didn't even try to hide their belittlement would be gleeful if I showed my distress.

However, I was more curious about what happened inside for my uncle to take such excessive measures. Why did I have to suffer because two idiots decided to argue?

I would need to find out, and I had just the right way to do it.

I thanked the guard for his honesty before I left. At least I pretended to do so. The man was just doing his job.

The path leading to my grandfather's quarters was surrounded by two natural "gardens;" if two lush and green parks could be considered as such.

I usually wouldn't proceed and act this reckless somewhere else, but grandfather Minoru's house was different. Despite how everyone else except my parents treated me like an outcast, the old man was lenient concerning my case.

Before I was able to judge with my own two eyes, my father had already done an excellent job of saving pictures. It wasn't difficult to understand why the man couldn't be too rigid with me when I looked so much like his younger self. That, with his enthusiasm for cultivation and the strict treatment imposed on those who couldn't uphold the Genjo name.

I walked a few hundred meters away from the gates, to a corner hidden in the forest. I approached the massive walls surrounding the place before I threw a piece of dry wood over them.

I regretted not being a bit better at the Chakra walking exercise when I silently performed the substitution jutsu and made an awkward landing on the other side.

"Ouch." Even with all the training I had done, the walls were a bit high, especially when trying not to expand too much Chakra on my feet. I had enough to do the Kawarimi precisely after my intensive training with Taira. However, I wasn't sure about the control in my feet.

I didn't want to alert anyone inside because my energy control was worse than early Shippuden Naruto.

I looked around to confirm I did not make more noise than necessary before heading for the place where I was barred.

...

"Uncle Yohei, forgive me for being so bold, but are you going to let this blow over and say nothing to the rest of the elders?" A young woman with pale blue long hair asked the middle-aged man standing at her side.

Before him, a young man who looked around the maiden's age was kneeling. He had a swollen eye and a cut on his lip.

"Shut up for me before I finish with this scoundrel." The man said calmly and evenly, but the girl flinched and obeyed. She couldn't repress a resentful and aggrieved scoff, however.

"Akira, we have thirty minutes before your grandfather and uncle head here. Repeat and do what I just asked you to before any of this blows into something even I won't be able to shelter you from." He looked at the person begging before him like a nuisance and enounced—his tone leaving no room for compromise.

"But father, Mayumi and I love each other, what's the difference in acting now or..."

"PAA!" A slap descended on the youngster's face before he could finish the sentence. He winced in pain for a moment and stared fiercely. However, after he looked in his oppressor's eyes, he trembled in terror before turning his face. Entirely avoiding eye contact. He was about to open his mouth when someone else yelled:

"Please, stop uncle in law!"

The young girl standing in fear behind him decided to step over and embrace him, shielding him in case the action was to be repeated.

"You unfilial son. Are you going to hide behind your own woman now?"

The man smiled before he asked scornfully.

"Then, uncle in law, can we..." When she understood the words spoken, the young woman's eyes widened. Even if rude, she saw hope in their current predicament.

"Don't ever call me like this again in public..." The man cruelly extinguished the young lady's hopes when he responded. "Shin!"

"Yes, father." The teenage boy standing behind before hid his mocking smile and walked over obediently.

"Take that silly girl home before anything goes sour. I trust you not to let her cause any problems before I'm done with your brother."

The boy couldn't hide the proud smirk painted on his face when he executed the command. This happening today was a blessing he had long been waiting for.

When he left, his father looked at his other son harshly before he asked:

"Akira, do you know what you've done wrong?"

"Yes, father." The boy nodded.

"I'm listening." The man closed his eyes and turned his chin up.

"I shouldn't have acted on an impulse and brought her to meet Grandfather without your consent."

"Looks like you still have some sense. But while I'm happy with your obedience, I'm worried about your future. Do you think that's the reason why I hit you earlier?"

"I-I don't know." The youth replied in panic and despair.

"I kept telling your mother not to spoil you. I can see now how she rubbed off on you." The man sighed before he turned. He looked in the direction his other son had left in realization before he chuckled.

"I guess that man was right when he told me that cultivation wasn't everything. It's my own fault for raising you so brash. Now, years later, I clearly see the error of my ways." He paused and crossed his arms between his back.

"Kaori."

"Uncle." The girl replied with an even tone. There wasn't any sign of respect in the voice.

"I'll compensate you heavily if you do not let any of this leak after today. What do you want?"

.....

Somewhere else, Shin was grabbing on the sobbing and struggling young girl with difficulty.

He was making an effort not to let her run back to her "boyfriend" when she managed to free her mouth from his grasp.

"Let me go!" The girl yelled hatefully. She was belligerent previously, but after being mistreated for so long, she wanted nothing more than to harm her bullies.

The boy who knew the property like the back of his hand had taken the care not to cross any congested road. When the stupid woman yelled, he felt that all his efforts were scattered.

He was about to knock the capricious female out when someone he didn't expect to meet in a million years here appeared:

"Mayumi?"