Mikoto had prepared fish for dinner along with tempura vegetables. If Hanako had to compare her mother's cooking to Mikoto's in a competition, Mikoto would definitely win. "This is delicious, Mikoto-san!" Hanako said with her mouth full.
Mikoto chuckled softly. "Thank you, Hanako-chan. I'm glad," she replied as she watched Hanako continue to devour her food.
Sasuke watched the girl with a slight frown. "When did we decide to invite her, Tou-san?" he asked without taking his eyes from Hanako.
Hanako looked up at the boy and smiled. "What is it, Sasuke-kun? Don't you like my company?"
Sasuke's frown deepened. "No, I don't."
Hanako did her best to appear offended, placing one hand over her chest. "Oh my, you hurt me, Sasuke-kun!"
"I asked your brother to bring her along," Fugaku explained. "So, control your manners Sasuke." Sasuke looked down after his father spoke. Hanako gave him a victorious look but it died when she noticed Sasuke's sad expression. "We invited you here to celebrate both yours and Itachi's promotion to Chuunin. Please continue to become important Shinobi for the village."
"Of course," Hanako looked at Itachi who had remained silent for the entire evening, only looking at his brother from time to time. When he looked back at her, he smiled softly before continuing to poke his food. When Hanako looked at his plate, her eyes widened. He hadn't eaten anything.
"Thanks for the food," he said suddenly and stood up from the table.
"But Itachi, you haven't even touched your plate." Mikoto looked at her son with a concerned face.
"I'm not hungry," Itachi bowed at his mother before leaving the room. Sasuke became eager all of a sudden, eating the rest of his food in a single mouthful.
"Thank you for the food!" he snapped with his mouth still full before leaving the table after his brother.
Mikoto sighed, "Kids..." she muttered.
Hanako was still looking at Itachi's full plate with concern. "Hanako," Fugaku's voice snapped her out of her trance and she looked up at him. He was staring at her with stern eyes. "May I speak to you in private?" She pursed her lips into a thin line and nodded.
"You may already have an idea about why I asked you here," Fugaku said as he sat in a futon. Hanako was sitting in another futon in front of him.
"I have no idea, Fugaku-sama," she said. The leader smirked.
"A scroll went missing from the Uchiha Library during the exams. Did you know about it?"
Hanako looked at Fugaku in the eyes. "No, I didn't."
"Are you sure about that? It was the transcript from the Uchiha stone tablet. The only reason someone might have stolen it is to be able to know what the stone says." He sighed. "Why would you need to know what it says?"
Hanako frowned. "I don't need to know what it says."
"Everyone needs to know what it says at some point, they just can't read it. That's what the transcript is for."
"Can you read it without the transcript?" Hanako suddenly asked. Fugaku was taken by surprise.
"Do you know what's required to read the stone?" Fugaku narrowed his eyes at her.
Hanako smiled. "I was just wondering, Fugaku-sama, I don't understand what the big deal is." She tightened her hands into fists. "I find books extremely boring, as you might want to know. So I'd rather stay away from libraries."
