Keep them close... to monitor them?
Hearing the white-haired young man's words, the woman pondered for a moment and fell silent.
"Monitor us?"
At this moment, the younger brother was a little unable to stay calm.
Just now, he had thought this white-haired young man was an ally. But it seemed he was not.
On the contrary, he might even be an enemy.
Although this white-haired young man had indeed helped them out of their predicament, it now seemed that their benefactor named Kento had not died. That changed things.
Their current situation had become one where they could not leave even if they wanted to.
They could not go back.
Even though he had weathered quite a few storms following his sister, he had never encountered a situation like this.
Everything the white-haired young man had said—immediately issuing them a temporary business license, giving them a shop without making them search for one themselves, and apparently even intending to personally arrange their residence—
It was obvious. They had been determined to be placed under house arrest in Konoha.
"It's fine."
Just as the young man was about to argue that he had no right, that this did not conform to international practice, and so on, the woman interrupted her brother and spoke.
Her words already tacitly accepted the white-haired young man's decision.
"Big Sister!"
Hearing that, the young man could not help crying out.
Being placed under house arrest by Konoha was an entirely different concept from voluntarily settling in Konoha as a long-term traveling merchant.
The latter meant being free civilians.
And the latter basically meant being prisoners.
There was a fundamental difference.
No matter how much they longed for Konoha, they longed to become Konoha residents—legal residents. They did not want to become prisoners.
"How long will