by Innocence Uchiha Sat Jan 22, 2022 2:43 pm
Nyguyen Uchiha may have died but his legacy still lived on. It was present in the determination on Juniper's face as she sat seated next to Zenaku. She would be the "Elder" that Zen was thinking of and while it might be an accurate description of her influence within the Clan as Nyg's sister and wife to Satomi, she'd resent the geriatric implication. She'd sit there listening quietly as Zenaku governed the meeting and took on the mantle of Clan Leader.
Nyg's spirit was also in Yui's heart. The young woman he had raised under his roof and loved as though she were his own flesh and blood. His adopted daughter always had a fiery and protective spirit. One of the last things she had told him before his demise was that she had loved him. The evidence of that fact was now born in her eyes in the form of the Mangekyou Sharingan. The former Hokage's presence could also be felt in the silent tension of Mercedes's posture. The newly minted Konoha Jounin had taken up a position in the rear of the convention hall. She was leaning with her back against the wall and her arms crossed. Yui wasn't the only one to have been given a dark gift by the historian's passing. Nyguyen's eldest daughter wasn't as flashy though. That didn't mean that she couldn't understand Yui's anger. The maid had worshipped the ground her father had walked on and to hear the people of the Clan speak so blithely without any action plan was a bit irritating. Mercedes herself was a torrent of emotions. She was angry that her father had foolishly sacrificed himself for an ungrateful world. She was sad that she wouldn't get to see him sitting in that chair he was so fond of, reading yet another history tome. She was worried that her family wouldn't be able to withstand the grief of losing him. She was restless to get revenge on the likes of Kimiko and the Society. However she had always been better at controlling her emotions. Probably the best in her family. That also paradoxically made her the strongest, or at least she liked to think so. She kept still and said nothing. Instead, she looked at Yui with a bit of approval in her eyes. There was something about these clan meetings that encouraged people to challenge the status quo and she was glad to see that Yui was carrying her father's torch in that regard.
Innocence was not so approving. She had gone with Yui as her mother was not up to the task of attending such an event. The last Uchiha Clan Meeting was absolutely rancorous. People were accused of treason, fights broke out, there was yelling and all kinds of vicious insults. Porsche was in no mood to endure that kind of instability. She was still grieving her husband's death. She cried often, was constantly dressed in black and rarely smiled anymore. She had lost her one and only, and there was little for her to live for except her own children. Since Porsche had stayed home, if Innocence wanted to go then she'd need to have Yui as her chaperone. She was still a bit uncomfortable about what she had learned about Yui the night of Mercedes's Promotion Party. She had planned on using it to blackmail Yui but after her dad died, it didn't sit right with her. She was mischievous, but not evil. Yui was obviously taking it as hard as any of them and she wouldn't do that to someone she considered family. Still, the fact that Yui had harbored feelings for him made her confused and uncertain as to where she stood with the maid. She hadn't spoken to Yui about it and instead avoided her. She had been silent all the way up until when they arrived at the meeting. A tad bit late but Innocence wasn't one to care.
The genin was wearing her usual lab outfit. She had been working harder on her experiments recently and it showed. She had planned on observing in silence when Yui kicked off their arrival by calling out the new Clan Leader. Innocence looked at Zenaku and realized that she recognized him. Her father was very fond of him and he'd probably be pleased to see that he was taking control of the clan's affairs. When Yui berated him for making a mockery of her Dad's memory, she gave Yui a dirty look. She resented her statement that he had "died for nothing." He sacrificed himself for us all! For the Clan! For the Village! For the world! Innocence had seen the Indaina Kujira with her own eyes. They had been evacuated from the village safely but not before the monstrous Bijuu had made its appearance. It was the most frightening thing she had ever seen in her life and he had died fighting it. That was not "nothing."
Innocence didn't necessarily disagree with the rest of Yui's points though. She didn't like the way most Konoha-Nin looked at the Uchiha. They usually feared or hated them, sometimes both. She knew her father would always try to reconcile with them for the sake of the village, but there had to be limits. Apparently Chikamatsu Hyuuga was one of those limits. Innocence wanted to chime in but she was a bit self-conscious about her lisp. She didn't care about decorum only what people would say if they heard one of Nyguyen's daughters talking like a cartoon character. So she simply crossed her arms and pouted like she did at the last Clan Meeting.
Fortunately, Yuichi said exactly what she was thinking. He was so eloquent and he had always been kind to her. Unlike most kids her age, he accepted her. He treated her with respect despite her speech impediment and he was so strong. If it wasn't for his occasional lessons, she'd probably have flunked out of the academy for good. She smiled at him but didn't wave. From where he was, he would see her prominent gap tooth and know that she supported him. This was still a clan meeting though so she had no intention of going full fangirl. Besides the part of the adoring fan wasn't even her style. Innocence listened as Yuichi pitched his plan to Zenaku. He wanted to put together a team of shinobi to hunt down Kimiko. Innocence heart began to beat quickly as she wondered what it would be like if she could join such a squad. She longed for adventure. She longed for the chance to avenge her father and show that she could be just as powerful as he was. But she tempered her expectations.
She was weak. Who would want to bring her along on such a dangerous mission? She was just an Uchiha who couldn't activate her Sharingan at 14. She'd be a liability. She looked away and listened to Yuichi's strategy. She didn't know anything about Kimiko or precisely why the girl had left. She assumed it had something to do with the fact that her boyfriend had been executed by the Clan, but it wasn't like Akihiro's death had caused a rift within the broader family. Everyone understood why the decision was made. It was tragic sure but if there was one thing Innocence had learned about the Uchiha, it was that family always came first. And Akihiro's hijinks had become a threat to their family's safety.