The Hokage’s office was thick with smoke.
The room was practically filled with secondhand tobacco fumes.
The culprit, Hiruzen Sarutobi, showed not the slightest hint of guilt as he leisurely puffed away on his pipe.
His deep, thoughtful gaze remained fixed on the crystal ball resting atop his desk.
Within it was the image of a blond-haired boy running through the streets, seemingly searching for someone.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
Hiruzen quickly lowered the crystal ball beneath his desk before speaking.
“Come in.”
An ANBU ninja entered the room and respectfully handed over a file.
“Lord Hokage, this is all the information we have on Aoba Hayashiand his family.”
Yes.
Simply because Aoba Hayashihad briefly interacted with Naruto, he had already attracted the Hokage’s attention.
Hiruzen accepted the file and casually flipped it open.
The very first page surprised him.
“So he’s Hayashi’s nephew.”
“No wonder the surname sounded so familiar.”
He continued reading.
“His parents were heroes who sacrificed themselves for Konoha as well…”
“‘Aoba’…
Even his name carries the Will of Fire from birth.”
The further he read, the more favorable his impression of Aoba became.
His background was remarkably clean.
After finishing the report, Hiruzen finally understood why the boy had stepped in to help Naruto.
“He helps anyone being bullied…”
“He truly embodies the Will of Fire.”
“Though…”
“He’s a little too obsessed with money.”
“And some of his methods are a bit…
excessive.”
Hiruzen stroked his chin in thought.
He silently considered whether Aoba should continue associating with Naruto.
A child from a minor clan…
A spotless background…
A good personality…
Finally, he smiled faintly.
“Let’s allow things to develop naturally.”
“Naruto needs to make friends on his own.”
“I won’t interfere.”
He set the report aside before giving another order to the ANBU ninja.
“Continue the protection mission.”
“If anything unusual happens, document it immediately and report back.”
“Yes, Lord Hokage.”
The ANBU disappeared.
Hiruzen no longer paid much attention to Naruto’s affairs.
Instead, he returned to the endless mountain of paperwork awaiting him.
At the same time…
In a dark, gloomy underground chamber…
“Aoba Hayashi?”
“Hayato Hayashi’s nephew?”
“Hmph!”
With a loud smack, Danzō Shimura slammed the report onto his desk.
His expression was filled with irritation.
Hayato Hayashi was one of Konoha’s elite jōnin.
Among the village’s strongest combat forces, he was known for his unwavering resolve, calm judgment under pressure, meticulous work ethic, extensive battlefield experience, and exceptional command abilities.
The reason Danzō knew him so well…
Was because he’d once tried to recruit him into Root.
Hayashi had rejected him without the slightest hesitation.
Danzō had almost forgotten about that humiliation.
Yet now…
His nephew’s file had landed right in front of him, forcing those memories back to the surface.
Although annoyed, Danzō didn’t take the matter too seriously.
If someone of unknown origin—or worse, someone from one of the major clans—had approached the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki…
He could have marched straight to Hiruzen and used the incident to pressure him into giving Root more authority.
If it had been someone from the Uchiha Clan…
He would’ve had even more excuses to suppress them.
But Aoba Hayashiwas different.
His background was spotless.
He was the orphan of village heroes.
His character was upright.
Most importantly…
He had Hayashi protecting him.
There was no point going to Hiruzen only to make a fool of himself.
Every time Hiruzen managed to strike him where it hurt most…
It left him thoroughly frustrated.
“Continue surveillance.”
“Yes, Lord Danzō.”
The Root ninja quietly withdrew.
Left alone once more, Danzō lowered his head over another stack of documents.
His thoughts returned to the Uchiha problem.
The masked man had already approached him.
The plan was ready.
But he still couldn’t determine Hiruzen’s true attitude.
Until then…
He didn’t dare make his move.
Ichiraku Ramen
Four large empty bowls were stacked neatly beside Hinata.
After swallowing the final bite of her fifth bowl, she let out a deeply satisfied smile.
The pleasant feeling of a full stomach filled her with happiness.
At home, she always had to mind her manners and maintain the proper image expected of the Hyūga heiress.
She could never eat this freely.
“Amazing…”
Ayame couldn’t help blurting out in amazement.
Plenty of adults could finish several bowls of ramen.
But seeing such a tiny little girl eat this much was rare.
What surprised her even more…
Hinata’s stomach barely looked any bigger.
Where did it all go?
Only after hearing Ayame’s exclamation did Hinata realize that many of the customers in the restaurant were staring at her.
She blinked her large eyes.
Then—
Her entire face turned crimson.
It looked as though steam would start pouring from her head at any second.
She even swayed slightly.
Aoba was genuinely worried she might faint from embarrassment.
“So…”
“Are you finally full?”
He glanced at the pile of empty bowls before asking.
“Y-Yes…”
“I-I’m full!”
Hinata nodded so rapidly she looked like a pecking chick.
Aoba eyed her suspiciously.
Five bowls of ramen…
And she looked perfectly fine.
Is this really one of those dimensional stomachs?
“Since you’re full…”
“I’ll walk you home.”
It was already getting late.
Even inside Konoha, letting a little girl head home alone wasn’t exactly safe.
After saying that, Aoba thought for a moment before paying for his own bowl.
Hearing he was taking her home, Hinata instinctively clutched the corner of her clothes again.
For some reason…
A strange sense of loneliness welled up inside her.
She didn’t want this time together to end.
“Hinata.”
“It’s time to pay.”
Seeing her zoning out again, Aoba reminded her.
The eldest daughter of the Hyūga Clan obviously wouldn’t be unable to afford a few bowls of ramen.
But what if she simply forgot?
As for paying on her behalf…
Absolutely not.
Those five large bowls together cost almost enough for another gacha pull.
“Oh…”
“Right.”
Snapping out of her thoughts, Hinata hurriedly took a small wallet from her pocket.
Aoba glanced over.
His eyes nearly popped out.
He hadn’t looked closely before.
Now he realized…
The wallet was stuffed full.
Every bill inside was a thousand ryō note.
There had to be tens of thousands of ryō in there.
She’s even richer than Tenten…
Although Hinata rarely went out, Hiashi still gave his eldest daughter generous spending money.
For a brief moment…
Aoba’s resolve wavered.
But he quickly regained his composure.
Looking at Hinata’s doll-like face, he suddenly realized something.
Right now…
He had absolutely no legitimate reason to take her money.
“…At the very least…”
“I’ll have to wait another seven years…”
By the time he finished muttering to himself, Hinata had already paid Ayame.
When she turned back around, she noticed Aoba quietly mumbling under his breath.
Tilting her head adorably, she grew curious.
Without saying a word, she cautiously leaned closer, hoping to hear what he was saying.
It was an unusually bold move for someone as shy as Hinata.
Perhaps today’s events had made her just a little more daring.
“What are you doing?”
Before she could make out a single word, Aoba noticed her.
He looked curiously at the little girl, who had unknowingly leaned so close they were almost touching.
“Mmph!”
Hinata’s face exploded into an even deeper shade of red.
She immediately jumped back, lowered her head, and refused to meet his eyes.
…What just happened?
Aoba stared at her, utterly confused.
But seeing that she looked ready to start steaming again, he decided not to ask.
“Come on.”
“It’s getting late.”