Demon Hour

Konoha was no longer in a state of panic like it had been yesterday. Every corner was filled with cheer, though some Anbu shinobi were clearly not caught up in the joyous mood.

The Uchiha's sudden resignation had come out of nowhere, and Konoha couldn't go without anyone managing the lower levels. Under the circumstances, the Anbu had been forced to take over the Uchiha's responsibilities.

All day, the Anbu did nothing but kill enemies and gather intelligence. Now, they were being swamped by all kinds of tedious situations, and their heads were spinning.

If they were dealing with enemies, they could simply draw their blades and cut them down. But now they were facing unreasonable villagers.

They couldn't hit them, couldn't really yell at them, and couldn't reason with villagers as stubborn as mules. With almost no practical experience, the Anbu were already on the verge of collapse.

Uchiha Yuji paid no heed to the Anbu, several of whom looked ready to leave their bodies behind. After using the Body Flicker Technique to reach the area, he simply walked down the middle of the road. The iconic Uchiwa Crest on his cloak made his identity clear.

He said nothing. Yet the sound of his footsteps and the "chill" he naturally gave off instantly quieted the noisy surroundings.

The two villagers who were still arguing snapped awake in that sudden quiet, their instincts stirring deep within their cells. Just a moment ago, they'd been spitting and cursing at each other. In the blink of an eye, they became close friends, their hands clasped tightly together.

Only after Uchiha Yuji had walked away did they both let out a long breath. All their enthusiasm for arguing was gone. They exchanged a few half-hearted insults, then hurried off.

The Anbu were left utterly baffled.

The Uchiha were a proud clan. They had no time for excuses or lies, and they were fair in how they handled things. Since everyone was causing trouble, they punished everyone equally. This one-size-fits-all approach had been effective, and the environment had improved quite a bit.

But no matter which side of an argument they were on, once they got out of detention, all they did was curse the Uchiha Police Force. And somehow, without anyone noticing, the people who'd been arguing grew closer, making the atmosphere much more harmonious.

It was all thanks to the Uchiha!

But not a single person in this foolish Konoha could see that! We Uchiha had sacrificed so much.

As he felt a small amount of fear being absorbed by Zetton, Uchiha Yuji kept walking. But when he spotted a red-haired girl lingering outside the Uchiha Clan Compound, his long strides suddenly slowed, then came to a gradual stop.

Why was Uzumaki Kushina outside the Uchiha Clan Compound?

That monkey, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had actually let Uzumaki Kushina come looking for the Uchiha? He was still in his prime, but had his brain already gone bad?

Or did he have some other scheme in mind?

Whether it was the Uzumaki Clan's natural perceptiveness or Uzumaki Kushina's intuition, before Uchiha Yuji could figure out what was going on, she turned to the side and happened to see him standing there.

The trace of frustration on her face vanished at once. A bright smile appeared, and in the blink of an eye, she rushed up to him, bending forward at the waist in a perfect ninety-degree bow.

"My name is Uzumaki Kushina. Thank you for helping me last night."

Overwhelming affection, a little admiration, and joy.

So this is what the Bloody Habanero is like.

No one would look annoyed when a pretty girl who liked them smiled at them. Uchiha Yuji was no exception. He was a simple boy in that way.

Uchiha Yuji gave a slight nod. A remarkably gentle smile softened his stern face, and his voice carried a hint of warmth. "I think anyone who came across a situation like that would have helped you."

"We're companions from the same village, aren't we?"

Just companions from the same village?

Uzumaki Kushina kept smiling. She tried her hardest to maintain her warm expression. "I still don't know your name, senior."

"Uchiha Yuji, current head of the Uchiha Clan."

"The Uchiha... clan head?" Uzumaki Kushina couldn't keep her smile in place. The corners of her mouth twitched.

She took a careful look at Uchiha Yuji. He was handsome and dashing, but his features were still rather youthful. He couldn't be more than a few years older than her, yet he was already the head of the Uchiha Clan?

A cry of despair rose in her heart.

"Whether I'm the clan head or not, I'm still a resident of Konoha. I've never wanted to use this position to bully the weak or abuse the authority that comes with it. In that respect, you and I aren't all that different."

"If you don't mind, think of me as a friend and just call me Yuji." Humility was a virtue, one that could change the way people saw you.

The Uchiha had a terrible reputation, and Uzumaki Kushina had heard about it. Before coming here, she'd worried that the person who saved her might have some nasty habits too.

After their brief conversation, all she felt was comfort and reassurance. Her forced smile became completely genuine. Her rosy cheeks matched the sunset, making it impossible to tell whether the red came from the sky or her blush.

"Then please call me Kushina too."

"All right, Kushina."

As he spoke, Uchiha Yuji glanced at the sky.

The sun had dipped below halfway down the mountainside. Its dazzling white light had turned a vivid rosy red, and the leisurely white clouds had been dyed crimson as well. It was the demon hour.

"It's getting late. It's almost time for dinner. If you don't mind, why don't you come to my humble home for a simple meal?"

"Huh?"

It was a little too much for Uzumaki Kushina's mental processor to handle, and she stalled for a moment.

"We're friends now, aren't we? You're already at my doorstep. If I sent you home, people would say I didn't know how to treat a guest."

"T-then I'll take you up on that!" Uzumaki Kushina stammered a little. Her body stiff, she followed Uchiha Yuji into the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Meeting his family on the very first day... Isn't that a little too soon?

The blush on her face, framed by the sunset and her red hair, made her look even more charming. Then the Uchiha gates swung shut, hiding her beauty from view.

At the demon hour, just as Uzumaki Kushina had encountered Uchiha Yuji—

The Nine-Tails had also run into its own demon.

What the hell is that?! What is that thing?! Why does something like this exist in the world?!

The Nine-Tails, the strongest of them all, the very embodiment of accumulated hatred, stared in disbelief through the iron bars at the Zetton Egg, which throbbed in time with its own excited heartbeat. Its expression suggested it had aged ten thousand years in an instant.

The Nine-Tails had been around since the time of the Sage of Six Paths. What kind of monster hadn't it seen?

Asura, Indra, the Sage of Six Paths—there wasn't a legendary figure it didn't know. But what in the world was this thing before it?

"It has Yin and Yang Chakra, an abundance of the five elements, a massive body, and Chakra that's no inferior to my own. If it weren't still an egg, I'd almost think it was the husk of the Ten-Tails."

"Hey, hey, hey! Since when did something this dangerous show up in the Shinobi World?!"

The Nine-Tails looked utterly horrified.