Chapter 550 By Staying Silent, You Wouldn’t Say Anything Wrong

"Neji... he's probably busy, right?" Naruto muttered vaguely, not giving it much thought. After all, Neji's marriage was practically set in stone.

Upon hearing that, Tenten's face grew even more depressed.

"Naruto, you're here to see Neji, right? Could you... bring me in?" Tenten asked, her voice tinged with a mixture of hope and anxiety.

Naruto was taken aback for a moment by the request but quickly patted his chest and agreed without hesitation.

"Sure!"

'What does it matter to me if Neji has trouble brewing at home? I, Uzumaki Naruto, is a well-known honest man, and he genuinely had a good relationship with Tenten and the others.'

"Come with me. I'll find someone." Naruto said, scanning the area. Aside from Tenten, who was wearing her usual high-collared outfit, there wasn't anyone else around.

"Forget it, let's just climb over the wall and go in." He suggested.

"Climb over the wall?" Tenten was startled. She might have been feeling down, but she was still clear-headed, 'Not getting in through the Hyuga Clan's compound's main gate is one thing, but sneaking in by climbing the wall? If someone saw us, it would be utterly embarrassing, not to mention damaging to my reputation.'

"No one's familiar with us out here, and it's inconvenient going in through the main gate." Naruto explained, and turned to urge Tenten in a low voice, "Why are you still standing there? Follow me."

"Once we're inside, it'll be easier. People in there know me, so it won't be an issue."

Tenten didn't know what else to do, so she followed Naruto's lead. Both of them were at the level of a Jonin, so scaling a wall was no more difficult than drinking water or eating a meal.

They effortlessly flipped over the wall and landed smoothly.

"Let's go." Naruto said casually, acting like he was walking into his own backyard, while Tenten was visibly nervous.

She knew well that the Hyuga Clan had always been insular, and even if they didn't openly show it, they still harbored those tendencies.

The Hyuga Clan's compound was off-limits to outsiders unless granted special permission. Tenten seriously doubted that her desire to see Neji would be enough for the Hyuga Clan to let her in.

But Naruto? He was practically barging in! What if they ran into some Hyuga Clan's members? Wouldn't it be mortifying to be stopped and questioned on the spot?

"Naruto, um..." Tenten hesitated, second-guessing her decision. She was starting to regret not leaving earlier.

Sure, she had felt sad while sitting outside the Hyuga Clan's compound, but more than anything, she was confused. Neji had a good relationship with her and they were also a teammate.

After going through many life-and-death experiences, there were certainly unspoken feelings, but at the end of the day, they were just friends. It wasn't as if their relationship had progressed to the point where she needed to sneak in to see him.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, turning back just as two Hyuga Clan's members appeared. He immediately fell silent.

Tenten felt even more embarrassed. She wanted nothing more than to dig the ground and hide in there. She was mortified and didn't know whether to turn around and run or stay put.

Naruto, however, didn't seem to care at all. He didn't even bother hiding, and just stood there openly.

"Someone is coming! Let's go." Tenten whispered, tugging at Naruto's hand. But he didn't move an inch.

"Ah!" The two members of the Hyuga Clan had already walked over. Tenten felt even more embarrassed, so she simply closed her eyes and left everything to fate.

"Naruto-sama, you're here to see Neji-sama, right?" One of Hyuga Clan's members asked politely?"

"Yeah, I forgot the way," Naruto replied nonchalantly."

"Neji-sama is at the clan affairs office, why don't we just take you there?"

Hearing this, Tenten opened her eyes in disbelief, staring at Naruto. She couldn't stop herself from looking at him again and again, making Naruto a bit uncomfortable. He quickly turned his head and, when the Hyuga Clan's members weren't looking, whispered to her, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"How are they so familiar with you?" Tenten asked, feeling puzzled.

"Well, isn't it normal?" Naruto avoided the truth. What was he supposed to say? That he had gotten close to the Hyuga Clan's main family's princess and had made secret plans with the future Clan Head?

That would just invite trouble. Now was not the time for such revelations, and Naruto had enough sense to keep quiet about it.

Hearing this, Tenten couldn't help but feel a little unhappy. No matter what, she is still Neji's companion, and she also has a good relationship with Hinata, so why didn't she get the same treatment as Naruto?

What she didn't realize was that Naruto had personally helped free all the young members of the Hyuga Clan's branch family from the Caged Bird. No wonder they all knew him.

Under the guidance of the enthusiastic branch family's members, Naruto and Tenten were soon led to Neji, who was busy at the clan affairs office. With the prospect of becoming the next Clan Head nearly certain, Neji looked a bit worn out.

"Why are you here?" Neji, wearing the traditional robes of the Hyuga Clan, stood up to greet them, "You should've let me know ahead of time so I could be prepared."

"We were just stopping by, no need for any formalities." Naruto said with a smile as he noticed that Neji's temperament had changed.

"Neji."

"Tenten, what's wrong?" Neji was caught up in conversation with Naruto, and occasionally took the time to reply to Tenten, but he didn't pay too much attention to Tenten's abnormality.

"No, nothing," Tenten eventually said, holding back her true thoughts.

Neji was clearly busy, and neither Naruto nor Tenten intended to stay long, so after chatting for a bit, they took their leave. Naruto mainly came to say goodbye, as he would be leaving the village the next day, and he wanted to inform Neji.

As for Hinata, Naruto and she had been in regular communication through their communicators over the past couple of days, and it is estimated that there will be another fierce battle this evening.

Naruto glanced up at the sky, and saw the sun is still hanging high in the sky.

After leaving the Hyuga Clan's compound, Naruto squinted at the blazing sunlight and, without looking back, spoke to Tenten behind him.

"Tenten, I'm heading back now."

"Mm." Tenten responded in a low mood.

Naruto didn't think much of it and left. He wasn't about to get involved in whatever was happening between Neji and Tenten, especially since there was no sign of a relationship between them yet.

Besides, now with the added complication, what could he say? Convince Tenten to give up or persuade Neji not to marry a daughter of Hyuga Clan's main family? Neither seemed like a good option.

There was no need for Naruto to meddle, and by staying silent, he knew he wouldn't say anything wrong.

Later that afternoon, Naruto met up with Shikamaru and Choji again. He mentioned that he was leaving the next day, but neither of them was surprised, as Naruto had hinted at it before.

"So soon?" Shikamaru asked as he clinked glasses with Choji and Naruto, "Ino's not in the village, and it seems like you and Hinata are..."

"Stop, don't say stuff like that." Naruto cut in cautiously, as usual.

Shikamaru and Choji rolled their eyes at him, thinking that this guy was too shameless. It's okay to eat double portions, but he was targeting the high-quality gourmet that was difficult to get.

"Alright, stop pretending," Shikamaru muttered, rolling his eyes, but he dropped the subject.

The three of them continued eating and drinking for a while, talking a lot. For the most part, it was Shikamaru and Choji, who were both married, grumbling about married life while Naruto chuckled from the sidelines.