As he stepped to stand to Genma's side, slightly in his senior's shadow (an old and ingrained Hyuuga behaviour), Haruichi saw all of those present but made sure to keep his eyes on his Hokage. Arakaki's presence was to be expected, but the sight of the other two sent a beat of shock through his stomach.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. Holy shit. Suddenly Haruichi felt as though he'd dodged a fatal strike in the fact that he was to be at the Hokage's beck and call alone, and not at either of theirs'. There'd always been a willfullness in their eyes that reminded him too much of the Hyuuga elders, and he saw it again now.

The thought prompted him to concentrate utterly on how he presented himself to Sarutobi-sama. He automatically did as he would do in the presence of any of the Hyuuga elders, eyes on the most important man in the room but not daring to meet Sarutobi's own. There was silence and stillness all around him, save for the flickering of the flames lighting the room.

Haruichi did not like it. Rooms like this and people like these always made him nervous. He'd sanguinely throw himself into a warzone, but this sort of ritualised assessment strained his nerves in an unhappy way. At least now he was slightly grateful for the fact Genma had shown up without warning at three in the morning. If he'd known this was coming he'd have been too stressed to sleep for days.

But as he looked at the serious and wizened face of his Hokage, Haruichi knew he'd have willingly put himself through this anyway. Hyuuga could read much from a person's eyes, and in Sarutobi's all there was to see was wisdom and courage that outlasted anything Haruichi could ever imagine himself capable of.

He didn't speak, and not just because he hadn't been invited to. Instead he bowed to his leader, and was reminded why he was a ninja at all. As a Hyuuga he was a failure, but as one of Sandaime-sama's best ninja he hoped he could be a success. Deserve to be trusted with the health and lives of those who protected the village's spirit. It was something to truly aspire to.

Even if his stomach was flipping like a landed fish.