[Part 1] 9: Young Uchiha, Time to Pay Your Debt!
[Part 1] Around ten in the morning, Ichiraku Ramen was bustling with customers.
Ino and the others, along with the newly hired servers, were all so busy that they barely had time to catch their breath.
When Hiashi Hyūga arrived holding little Hinata’s hand, even he couldn’t help feeling slightly surprised.
As the head of the Hyūga clan, Hiashi had countless matters to attend to every day.
He simply hadn’t had the time to pay attention to how much Ichiraku Ramen had changed.
“Big Sis Sakura, I’m here…” Sakura had just been pulled out of the kitchen by Ino when she heard Hinata’s cheerful voice.
“Clan Head Hiashi, good morning!” Sakura greeted Hiashi first before taking Hinata’s hand and pulling her down beside her.
“Thank you very much for what you did yesterday.” Hiashi maintained his usual stern expression.
But when he saw how close Hinata was to Sakura, jealousy practically radiated from his eyes.
His own daughter had never been this affectionate toward him!
Why was she so close to Sakura, someone she’d only met once?!
“Ahem.
There’s no need to thank me, Clan Head Hiashi.
We’re all from Konoha.
It was simply the right thing to do.” Sakura coughed lightly.
She really couldn’t handle the resentful look on Hiashi’s face.
It was far too strange.
“Be that as it may, I must still thank you for coming to Hinata’s aid, Miss Haruno.
If you ever need anything in the future, the Hyūga clan will lend you its full support.” Hiashi offered her a solemn promise.
There was still a trace of lingering fear in his eyes.
If Sakura hadn’t intervened in time yesterday, there was a very real possibility that Saburo and his men would have successfully kidnapped Hinata.
Even if they had failed to take her away, Hinata’s life would have been in serious danger.
“Clan Head Hiashi, there’s no need to be so serious.
Hinata and I are friends now.
When a friend is in danger, of course I’m going to help.” Sakura took the plate of pastries Ino brought over and placed it on the table.
She then picked up a piece and handed it to Hinata.
“…” You two have only met once!
How are you already friends?
And why is Hinata so affectionate toward you?
She barely ever smiles at me!
Watching Hinata happily eat the pastry Sakura had given her, Hiashi’s jealousy surged.
His entire body practically radiated displeasure.
“Clan Head Hiashi, are you wondering why Hinata and I get along so well?” Sakura picked up her teacup and took a sip, deliberately trying not to look at Hiashi’s face, which seemed ready to drip vinegar.
“…” Hiashi said nothing.
But the answer was written plainly in his eyes.
“Sometimes, fate is a very strange thing.” Sakura smiled.
“Take Ino, Naruto, and me, for example.
We became close friends and had plenty to talk about almost immediately after our first meeting.
The same goes for Shikamaru and the others.
We were complete strangers before, yet somehow we became good friends very quickly.
I suppose that’s just the wonder of fate.” She paused before adding, “Of course, besides fate, attitude matters too.
I’m willing to open my heart and become friends with them, and they can feel that sincerity.
But, Clan Head Hiashi, you’re simply too serious.
You’re always wearing such a stern expression.
How could Hinata possibly feel comfortable joking and playing around with you?” “Too serious?” Hiashi carefully considered her words.
It seemed she really had a point.
As the head of the Hyūga clan, he naturally had to maintain a dignified and composed demeanor.
He had grown accustomed to wearing this expression whenever he dealt with other members of the clan.
So even when he was delighted to be around Hinata, his face instinctively remained stern.
Combined with the rather rigid atmosphere of the Hyūga clan as a whole, he rarely took the initiative to chat or play with Hinata.
No wonder she always seemed somewhat nervous around him.
“If you have the time, Clan Head Hiashi, perhaps you should observe how other parents and children in Konoha interact.
You might find a way to solve the problem.” Sakura offered her suggestion.
She could genuinely feel how much Hiashi loved Hinata.
It was just that Hiashi’s expression was far too stern.
The authority he had accumulated from years of being clan head wasn’t something an ordinary child could easily handle.
“I’ll consider it.” Hiashi looked thoughtful.
He was already planning to sneak out onto the streets later and observe how other parents interacted with their children.
Just then, an ANBU shinobi wearing a mask suddenly appeared, interrupting Hiashi’s thoughts.
“Lord Hiashi, the Hokage-sama requests your presence.” After delivering the message, the ANBU shinobi vanished just as quickly as he had appeared.
He was merely the messenger.
Whatever happened afterward had nothing to do with him.
Hiashi frowned.
It seemed they were probably going to discuss what had happened the previous night.
“Miss Haruno, I’ll leave Hinata in your care for now.
I have to go to the Hokage’s office.” “Of course.
Don’t worry, Clan Head Hiashi.
I’ll take good care of Hinata.” Sakura secretly couldn’t wait for Hiashi to leave.
Talking to someone so rigid and serious put her under quite a bit of pressure.
After Hiashi left, Sakura immediately took Hinata into the kitchen.
Hinata was somewhat shy and introverted, so working as a server wasn’t particularly suitable for her.
Helping in the kitchen with quiet tasks such as making pastries suited her much better.
On the streets of Konoha, a young boy with the Uchiha clan’s fan crest emblazoned on the back of his clothes walked along with an unhappy expression.
His older brother had promised to spend time playing with him, only to stand him up yet again.
As someone who idolized his older brother, this left him extremely annoyed.
When he reached the area around Ichiraku Ramen, the little Uchiha noticed that he was hungry.
Without thinking much about it, he walked straight inside.
After looking over the menu, he ordered a bowl of tomato-and-egg ramen before continuing to brood silently.
“Someone ate without paying?
And it’s a kid from the Uchiha clan?” Sakura developed several question marks over her head when Ino informed her of the situation.
The Uchiha clan was wealthy and powerful.
Why would one of their children need to eat and run without paying?
Even in the original story, Uchiha Obito, despite being an orphan, didn’t seem to have much trouble with money.
She could understand an ordinary person eating without paying.
But an Uchiha?
Given their proud nature, it would be strange if they actually did something so embarrassing.
When Sakura walked out of the kitchen and saw the little boy who had been caught after eating without paying, she almost burst out laughing.
“Uchiha Sasuke?!” Thinking about the brooding, vengeance-driven boy Sasuke would eventually become in the original story, then looking at the little boy standing before her with a face as red as a tomato, Sakura suddenly wanted to burst out laughing.
Does this count as Sasuke’s dark history?
“Y-You know me?!” Sasuke’s face immediately turned even redder.
Getting caught because he’d forgotten to bring any money was already embarrassing enough.
Now the person in front of him actually knew who he was.
For a moment, Sasuke felt as though his entire life had fallen into darkness.
“More or less.” Sakura glanced at Shikamaru and the others, who were busy working throughout the shop.
A rather wonderful idea suddenly occurred to her.
Gathering all nine members of their generation together to work part-time… That actually sounds pretty fun.
“Um… Could you send someone with me to the Uchiha clan compound?
I’ll go home and get the money to pay you!” For some reason, Sasuke suddenly felt a chill run down his back.
It was as though something terrible was about to happen.
“We don’t need to worry about that just yet.” A smile curled up at the corners of Sakura’s mouth.
“Why don’t we sit down and have a nice little talk first?” She had finally gotten such a good opportunity.
And Sasuke had practically delivered himself right to her doorstep.
Did he really think she was going to let him leave that easily?