"At last, they're gone." Uchiha Fuyou watched the two groups leave, shook his head with a sigh, then looked at the dispirited Rinne and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing~" Rinne smiled and shook her head.
"..."
She certainly didn't look like nothing was wrong. Otherwise, why had she stopped eating the several plates of meat beside her?
That wasn't like Rinne's appetite~
Of course, Fuyou could roughly guess what was going on.
It was probably because of what Fugaku had said earlier... the Hyuga Clan's bullshit practices.
The branch family spent their entire lives protecting the main family, their lives and deaths held in the main family's hands. In a sense, they had no freedom at all, let alone anything else.
And solving that was simple...
Just become strong enough!
If Hinata married out, did the Hyuga Clan dare put the Caged Bird on her or her children?
The moment they even had that thought...
Naruto: Sasuke, someone wants to put the Caged Bird on my wife and child.
Sasuke: So what are you going to do?
Naruto: Remember the blood the Uchiha Clan shed on that dark and stormy night?
The Hyuga Clan might end up just like the Uchiha Clan!
Fuyou patted her head and said with a smile, "Don't worry. You're mine. Nothing will happen to you."
They dared compete with Uchiha Fuyou for someone?
Hadn't they seen Danzo's current state?
Lately, he was hardly ever seen. Ever since he established Root, that guy had always been paranoid and suspicious.
After the bounty was issued, he probably thought everyone around him was after his body.
He might even suspect his best buddy wanted to exchange his head for money.
So recently, he had kept a much lower profile.
Since returning, Fuyou had not heard any strange rumors in Konoha.
"Mm~" Hearing Fuyou's words, especially that familiar feeling, made Rinne blush slightly. She remembered that time... when she had sat alone to the side, silently and enviously watching the others before a little boy had walked over and happily asked her, "Want to play together?"
She felt much lighter inside. Nodding, she said softly, "I'm fine."
"Then are you full? If you are..."
Before Fuyou could finish—
"I-I'm still a little short." Rinne lowered her head, seeming somewhat embarrassed as she murmured sweetly, "Did I eat a little too much?"
"..." Fuyou silently looked at the towering stack of plates beside her, then laughed awkwardly. "No, no. How is that too much? I'm not full either. Come on, let's keep eating!"
"Mm~"
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
The people who had come to show support gradually left. Even Jiraiya, drunk and swaying, staggered out. Before leaving, he had even grinned and invited Fuyou to continue on to the next round for some fun, drawing Rinne's fierce gaze as she kept staring at him.
That old pervert!
Was Uchiha Fuyou that kind of person?
After asking for the location so he could properly criticize it another time, he kicked the old lecher out.
That man had actually wanted to invite Lord Fuyou?
He was seriously underestimating Uchiha Fuyou!
The Great Elder and the old woman from the Hyuga Clan also left. They had come quietly and departed quietly, without causing the slightest commotion.
Uchiha Fuyou had thought the Great Elder would talk to him about sponsoring the Uchiha Clan, but unexpectedly... he really had only accompanied the old lady here to eat barbecue.
He had underestimated him!
He had truly underestimated him!
After they finished eating.
Night had fallen.
For many people, this might have been when the fun truly began. One group left, another arrived, and the restaurant remained incredibly lively.
Fuyou once again marveled inwardly at Rinne's appetite. Since he was far too full, he took the opportunity on their way back to walk with her for a while and digest their food.
At the same time.
Two simply dressed old men appeared outside Fuyou Grill.
One held a smoking pipe and smiled as he looked around. Beside him, the man wrapped tightly in bandages also scanned the surroundings.
But his eyes were filled with vigilance!
As though one of the diners around them might steal his money?!
"Hello, this way please, gentlemen!"
Under the server's guidance, the two chose a relatively secluded table in the corner and sat down.
"The decor here is quite good!" Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had undergone a simple disguise, nodded. Picking up the menu, he said with a smile, "There are quite a few dishes too. That kid really does have a talent for business!"
After saying that.
He looked at Danzo, who was still warily staring around, and sighed helplessly. "Relax. No one will attack you in Konoha!"
"Hmph! A ninja must remain vigilant at all times!" The old schemer Danzo paid no attention to Hiruzen's words. He snorted, took a sip of the hot tea the server had brought over, and said sternly, "Hiruzen, you really are getting old!"
"..."
Still talking tough!
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled helplessly and opened the menu again. "What are you planning to eat?"
"Anything is fine. Hurry up and finish. I should be heading back soon. This is simply a waste of time." Though he was currently in Konoha, for some reason, no one looked like a good person to him.
He had been like that before as well, but never this severely.
Sure enough.
Under Hiruzen's management, Konoha had grown worse and worse. Even Shimura Danzō had begun to feel uneasy.
Suddenly.
Danzo seemed to notice someone occasionally glancing over here for the past three minutes, and his heart immediately tightened!
Was that a hunter targeting him?
They had been staring in this direction for so long without daring to meet his eyes, acting furtively... they definitely had other motives!
Were they after his head?
Root! Root! Root! Where was Root? Why had no one come yet?
However.
His strange behavior also caught Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention while he was ordering. "What is it?"
"Someone is targeting me. We must immediately send Root Shinobi to arrest them. Perhaps they have some other scheme?"
"..."
Where?
A spy?
Hiruzen became serious as well. But after seeing the direction Danzo pointed toward, he was immediately speechless. "They're just ordinary civilians. That family runs the bathhouse at the village entrance."
Danzo truly had been too tense lately. Would he, the Hokage who kept his crystal ball active all day and concerned himself with every matter large and small in Konoha, not know whether they were spies?
As for why they were staring at Danzo... it was probably because that tightly wrapped trench coat looked too strange. Quite a few people around them occasionally glanced over too.
Helplessly shaking his head, he closed the menu. After placing the order, he called over a server. Once the server had walked a little farther away, he said, "Don't be nervous. We came out today to relax. A mere 360 million taels isn't enough to make someone risk coming to Konoha..."
Before he could finish.
A noisy commotion suddenly rose from nearby.
It was a group of Konoha ninja.
"Did you hear? Apparently, a record-high bounty has appeared on the black market recently. Even the First Hokage wasn't worth that much."
"I heard it's been rising lately. It's already reached 370 million taels."
"That's insanely high. Who is it? Should we team up and take the job?"
"Someone with a bounty that high definitely isn't ordinary. It's higher than the First Hokage's. We Genin shouldn't joke around."
"What if we succeed? Don't forget Lord Fuyou's famous saying: you have to have dreams. What if they come true?"
"That makes sense! Then our dream is to take him down and claim the highest bounty!"
As soon as the words fell.
Cheers erupted. They indulged in wild fantasies as cups clinked!
"..."
Hadn't he said there would be no danger?
Danzo turned with a dark expression to look at Hiruzen, who was silently watching him. His eyelid twitched, and he felt uncomfortable all over. "Hiruzen, you..."
"It's nothing. Relax, it's only 370 million." Hiruzen smiled and shook his head, gazing affectionately at Danzo. "You know that! How could I ever lay a hand on my former close friend?" As he spoke, some of the meat was delivered. He quickly invited Danzo with a cheerful grin, "Come, come! Let's eat! Let's eat! Want some beer? Spend over three thousand and drinks are free. It's rare for us to take a break. How about... we drink until we drop?"
A mere 370 million taels... they were underestimating the friendship between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō!
Believe it or not, even if Danzo got drunk and collapsed beside the Third Hokage, he would not harm a single hair on his dear friend's head!
It was only 370 million taels!
However.
"No!" Shimura Danzō refused without hesitation.
Ninja.
Drinking easily led to mistakes. Starting today, he was quitting.
Still.
Who exactly dared place a bounty on him? If he found out...
A cold glint flashed through his eyes.
"Achoo!"
As late autumn arrived.
Konoha's nights had become somewhat chilly.
At that moment.
After seeing Hyuga Rinne home, Uchiha Fuyou watched her enter with a smile and shook his head with a sigh before turning to head toward his own house.
Then.
He froze.
He narrowed his eyes at the solitary figure whose back looked especially lonely beneath the night light. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up as he murmured, "You're back already?"
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