Rin Nohara's Feelings

Some people's arrogance is innate, regardless of whether they are born into wealth. But these high-ranking officials who rose to power later in life, if it weren't for Tsunade's self-destruction causing a major reshuffle in Konohagakure...

With the Konoha F4 keeping them in check, they never had the chance to climb up there in their entire lives.

He wasn't born rich; it was just luck. Circumstances create heroes, not the other way around. At that time, Konoha High Command was weak and desperately needed a few people to fill the void.

Kakashi was reluctantly promoted at that time. Even though Kakashi was already Hokage, he didn't get cocky. Those Konohagakure changed their attitude as soon as they gained a little status.

He was arrogant and haughty towards everyone. He even thought that Jinchuriki should willingly drain every drop of blood from their bodies to serve them, even though Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's only son.

In their eyes, the entire Konohagakure is their farmland; what does it matter if someone is an only child? They think they're the best in the world, and everyone should bow down to them.

They completely forgot that just a year ago, they were nothing more than mid-level managers in Konohagakure, spending their days miserably dealing with documents in the office. They were overwhelmed with work all day long and even had to avoid Naruto when they saw him.

Nowadays, those who have been lucky enough to achieve a leap in social status look down on ordinary people. What are they anyway?

"Ah!!! What are you doing!"

"Uzumaki Naruto! We'll be filing a complaint against you at the High-level Meeting!"

"Go ahead, pshaw! I'll beat you every time I see you from now on, and I'll break your legs!" Naruto gritted his teeth. "You want to cause me trouble? You'd better die!"

"Ah!! Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!"

"Don't hit my face!"

Fuck you!

It was truly the lingering warmth of the setting sun and the rising dawn of the east.

Naruto brutally beat the group, kicking them repeatedly in the face until their noses snapped and they screamed in agony. He ignored their pleas and spat before leaving.

This village has always been disrespectful to heroes and ungrateful; I've long wanted to leave. Now that I have a pretext, I can leave legitimately, and the girl is naturally mine.

Damn, this Konohagakure is completely rotten.

Although he looked down on Konohagakure, he naturally wouldn't say it openly, since Hinata and Ino were also from Konohagakure. He waited half a year for this opportunity; it wasn't that he wanted to leave, but that he was forced to.

After venting his frustrations, Naruto went to a roadside convenience store and bought a bottle of soda. The icy taste hit his throat, and he suddenly realized he was feeling a bit cold, only then realizing that it was already late autumn.

"Time flies," he muttered to himself.

In the conference room, Kakashi sat expressionless; the discussion had reached a conclusion. All that was needed was to go through the procedures briefly with Rin Nohara; the proposal for imprisonment was scrapped.

Even so, Kakashi was still somewhat disheartened. He wanted to resign right now and let whoever wanted the Hokage position take it.

However, doing so would first and foremost harm the interests of the Hokage faction. Even if they didn't want to continue, they had to gradually relinquish their responsibilities, giving their own people ample time to react.

Thinking this, Kakashi closed his eyes again. He was completely too lazy to listen to what the group of people in the meeting were saying; it was too noisy.

He'd been in a daze these past few days, trying to figure things out for days without success. In other people's eyes, Rin Nohara was already inextricably linked to him.

Meanwhile, he was struggling to distance himself from Rin Nohara. Whether it was because he hadn't thought it through or was afraid of misunderstandings and unnecessary trouble in the future, it was really a bit foolish.

Things happened too fast; he had to sort things out one by one. Rin Nohara was resurrected, and then he went through all sorts of procedures on his own, only to be met with open and covert attacks from the other side.

In those people's eyes, what their relationship with Rin Nohara was didn't matter. As long as they knew that Rin Nohara was important to them, they were happy to openly throw knives at her.

Ultimately, it's because he's in the Hokage position. Unless he quits, those troublesome things won't concern him anymore.

But it's impossible to just give up now, Rin Nohara.

At this moment, he felt incredibly stupid. Why had he inexplicably gone to talk to Rin Nohara about those things? Now he was in trouble. All the sincerity and clarification were gone; his biggest worry now was Rin Nohara's safety.

The two are already bound together, so saying they have a clear conscience or that they didn't have those thoughts is a bit naive. Even if they didn't have those thoughts, things still have priorities.

How long can he hold the Hokage position? What will he do after he retires? If it were just him alone, it wouldn't matter; he could stay in the village and continue doing missions.

But there's also Rin Nohara, who will inevitably be a burden before he steps down. Rushing to sever ties is hardly a wise move.

The more he thought about it, the heavier his head became, and his mind was in turmoil. Everything had changed since Rin Nohara was resurrected, and he was under immense pressure.

But he had no idea about the pressure Rin Nohara was under.

The meeting ended sometime later, and Kakashi, no longer in the mood to mince words with those people, left the Hokage Building in a daze. The sun was no longer scorching, and his stomach was empty.

Kakashi didn't remember how time passed; he hadn't eaten lunch, and by the time he came to his senses it was already evening. He was alone in the office, and had no recollection of how he got back to it.

A faint light shone through the window, outside which lay a deep, dark night.

He instinctively reached for his water glass, only to find it empty. He sighed softly and glanced around the dimly lit office.

Just as Kakashi was about to get up, there was a knock on the door.

The sound was steady and unhurried, like a gentle knock.

Who would be looking for me at this hour? It's already past work hours. Could it be Shikamaru coming back, or Naruto? Impossible! Absolutely impossible.

Naruto hates coming to see me the most; every time he does, it's never anything good.

Kakashi muttered to himself, then walked up and opened the office door. The hallway was lit, Rin Nohara stood in the doorway, looking somewhat nervous.

He was carrying a large bag, and the bag wobbled as the door opened. Kakashi froze, standing in the doorway, somewhat at a loss.

After saying those words, he never saw Rin Nohara again. Even knowing she might be angry, Kakashi didn't have the courage to go looking for her again, but unexpectedly, Rin Nohara came to him on her own.

"Why are you here?" Kakashi opened the door and let her in, turning on the office lights as he did so.

"I came to see you. I heard from Shikamaru that you didn't eat lunch." Rin Nohara still had that smiling look on her face, as if all the unhappy things that had happened before had never happened.

That's just her personality—gentle to the core. Like the ever-present sunshine, she gently dispels all visible gloom.

Even if there was unhappiness, it was all hidden deep in my heart.

"Ah, I don't think I ate anything." Kakashi scratched his head sheepishly and mumbled.

"I brought you some. I wonder if your tastes have changed over the years." Rin Nohara smiled and took the lunchbox out of the bag.

"Still the same, you still eat." Kakashi didn't know what to say, so he passively took the lunchbox, opened it, and started eating.

He was indeed hungry, but he was also afraid of feeling awkward.

Rin Nohara didn't feel embarrassed at all, and sat there smiling as she watched Kakashi eat.

Even when you're grown up, remember to eat on time.

"Okay, sure." Kakashi was a little embarrassed. Why did he speak to him like a child? He could only shovel rice into his mouth in embarrassment.

"I'll wash it."

"No need, you sit down, I'll do it." Rin Nohara lightly snatched the lunchbox away and went into the break room to rinse it clean with boiling water.

"How about we go for a walk later?" she said casually.

"Oh, okay." Kakashi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly agreed.

"Hey, Ino, those two look kind of familiar," Naruto asked, poking Ino was sitting next to him with his finger as he sat on the roof.

"Ouch! Where did you poke me!" Ino slapped him back and complained.

"Sorry, sorry, I got carried away." Naruto chuckled awkwardly, then exclaimed, "Look, look, isn't that Kakashi and Rin Nohara?"

"You should call him Kakashi-sensei, that's rude." Ino rolled her eyes at him before looking up into the distance.

"Great, great, it seems Kakashi-sensei is having an affair," he said excitedly.

Ino: "."

"Keep your voice down, don't let them hear you." Ino reached out and grabbed his ear, and together with Naruto, they bent down and continued to sneakily spy on the roof.

"Ears! Ears!"

"Stop arguing! I haven't even mentioned my legs going weak last night. I already said I didn't want it anymore, are you going to bring it up again?" Ino threatened, but still let go of him despite saying that.

"No, no need, Grandma." Naruto somewhat guiltily.

Few people in the village could control him, Ino was one of them. Her youth was vibrant and beautiful; from a very young age, Naruto had openly shown her favoritism.

Hinata can control Naruto when she's angry, but unfortunately, she's too naive and easily fooled by that rascal. She gets completely lost after being tricked left and right.

Ino is much Hinata; she can easily see through Naruto's simplistic lies. She also knows that Naruto's infrequent visits to the village are unavoidable, given the situation with the villagers.

Even if Naruto didn't say anything, Ino could vaguely sense that Naruto was hiding something from her. Otherwise, how did he get that snow lotus last time? Something from the Land of Snow, he just took it without a second thought.

As luck would have it, she happened to see Choji carrying a bunch of snow lotuses to give to his father-in-law, Ino happened to be there too, so she easily noticed that something was wrong.

These people were always in cahoots, so Ino didn't bother questioning Choji. Taking it too seriously would only make her seem petty.

Later, she tried various methods to verify this, including checking the ammunition depot, but found nothing amiss. Over time, her doubts gradually dissipated.

Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief; Ino had suddenly become quite free lately. Indeed, one shouldn't be too idle, or one's mind will race.

If it weren't for his many tricks, he would have been dead long ago.

Meanwhile, Naruto diverted Ino's attention by talking about Kakashi's situation. He knew that although Ino spoke seriously, she was also a gossip lover.

"What do you mean by 'affair'? I think Kakashi-sensei and the other guy are perfectly normal." Ino snorted, released his ear, and then pinched his waist again.

"Is this normal?" Naruto winced in pain. "Normal friends don't stand this close. Choji and the others aren't this close to me."

"Really? What about Hinata?" Ino narrowed her eyes.

"I'm innocent! Lately, I've only spent time with you when I'm on missions. I haven't gone to see Hinata at all!" he protested, without blushing at all.

"Hmph, that's more like it." Ino released her grip.

She herself didn't have a clear stance; she simply forbade Naruto from going to see Hinata, but what if he went to see her secretly? She didn't know, and didn't want to know.

Her attitude oscillated between opposition and acquiescence; when she was in a bad mood, she would seize the opportunity to interrogate her. She was also resentful; why should she share with Hinata?

Naruto dared not voice any objections, and simply dragged things out. In this three-person movie, he was the one who didn't deserve a name, and wished he could disappear into the shadows.

Since the Shinobi World hasn't descended into chaos yet, he can only resort to stalling tactics.

Konohagakure Street.

Kakashi and his companion arrived at a bustling area, where the entire street was brightly lit and filled with all sorts of food stalls. The streetlights were much better than the dilapidated old ones elsewhere, and even the roadside was illuminated with colorful lights.

"What did you eat for dinner?" Kakashi asked, turning around.

"Just like you." Rin Nohara suddenly turned her head, her words slightly stammering.

"Huh? You didn't eat anything, did you?"

"How could that be! I brought them all for you, of course I made two identical ones! You idiot!" Rin Nohara retorted, a rare occurrence for her.

"Oh oh."

"Do the higher-ups suspect me? Why didn't you tell me?" Rin Nohara asked abruptly, without any preamble, perhaps because she didn't know how to.

After spending the whole night, this is probably what Rin Nohara really wanted to say.

Kakashi's expression froze for a moment, his hand hovering in mid-air before falling back to the edge of his pants. He didn't put it in his pocket, but simply rubbed it against the edge of his pants.

"Naruto told you that?" he tried to change the subject.

After waiting a moment, Rin Nohara remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. Her eyes didn't wander, but remained fixed on Kakashi, making Kakashi feel somewhat uneasy.

"Those are all minor matters, really."

"You're so upset about such a small thing, and you haven't even eaten today. Even if it's your body, you can't just ruin it like this!" Rin Nohara seemed a little angry.

"I... I just think what I said before was a bit stupid." Kakashi scratched his head, his eyes looking a little unnatural. "We don't need to be so clear about things. You're the only person I have left."

(Might Guy:??? I got it for free?)

It was as if the air froze at that moment, or as if someone had driven the air that had just finished setting off firecrackers over, and a fiery emotion surged through Rin Nohara's body.

It enters through the eyes, circulates extensively in the lungs, and then wreaks havoc on the internal organs.

Kakashi saw that Rin Nohara was not speaking and was standing there with her head down, and thought that he had said something wrong again.