Honesty is the Key to the Heart

Although Uchiha Yuji's actions this time caused Sarutobi Hiruzen to lose quite a bit of face, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of turning hostile.

Arrogance, pride, aloofness, and a tendency to act independently—the bad habits of the Uchiha were already on full display.

The higher one stands, the harder one falls; this was the wisdom passed down by those who came before.

It was merely a slight loss of face, and Sarutobi Hiruzen did not care much about it.

The Uchiha clan thinks they are strong? Then let them believe they are strong. In the future, when war breaks out once again, he would have plenty of ways to send the Uchiha clan to the battlefield.

To send them to a meat-grinder of a battlefield.

As the Hokage of Konoha, he possessed such authority, and the members of other ninja clans would naturally not want their own kin to head to the most dangerous front lines. To him, the Uchiha clan was now just meat on the chopping block.

The biggest problem remained the person before him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep look at Uchiha Yuji, who was leaving with Uzumaki Kushina.

This blade was too sharp; it had already wounded him, and it was becoming difficult for him alone to deal with Uchiha Yuji.

There was a gap in combat power, and a complete falling out would only leave Konoha utterly hollow. The war that had just ceased would absolutely stir up waves again, and in the end, he wasn't even certain he could protect this village.

It was time to call Orochimaru back; that group of scattered Root members also needed a leader.

As for Jiraiya?

He was a good ninja.

Inside Otsutsuki Ichiraku's ramen shop, looking at the steaming bowl of ramen before her, Uzumaki Kushina asked with worried concern, "Yuji, is it really okay to have that kind of attitude toward the Hokage?"

"It's fine. The relationship between our Uchiha clan and the Hokage's faction has always been tense."

Uchiha Yuji waved his hand dismissively, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "It's not the first time the Uchiha clan has planned to take out the Hokage."

Uzumaki Kushina froze; she wondered if she had misheard something.

"Take out... the Hokage?"

The flavor of this astonishment was exceptionally delicious.

"Our predecessors wanted to sit on the Hokage's throne, but various circumstances caused their plans to fail."

"All in all, you could call it malicious competition."

Having come from the Land of Whirlpools, Uzumaki Kushina didn't quite understand the situation of the Uchiha clan. However, if she had to choose between Konoha and the Uchiha clan, she was currently wavering.

This was the Konoha that Grandma Uzumaki Mito, who taught her about [love], cared about, while on the other side was the Uchiha clan where Uchiha Yuji existed.

"Don't worry, Kushina," Uchiha Yuji comforted her. "Our generation doesn't intend to take out the Third, at least not in the short term. Taking him out now wouldn't benefit our Uchiha clan in any way."

Short term.

Although Uzumaki Kushina was still young, she could still hear the subtext in Uchiha Yuji's words.

When the time is right, he will take out Sarutobi Hiruzen!

"Is it really okay to tell me these things?" Uzumaki Kushina gripped the corner of her shirt tightly. "These should be the Uchiha's strategic plans. Is it really okay to just tell me like this?"

"It's fine."

"Although we've only spent a few days together, I have felt your sincerity, Kushina, your true heart."

"I am not very good at flowery words; I only respond to sincerity with sincerity. To your feelings, I will only respond with the same."

"I trust you, Kushina, just as you trust me."

Zetton truly conveyed Uzumaki Kushina's feelings, and faced with that emotion, all Uchiha Yuji could do was respond.

Compared to her, who knew nothing, he undoubtedly knew more, and he understood her better than she understood herself. He was a cunning man.

Listening to Uchiha Yuji's words, Uzumaki Kushina couldn't help but look at him. His pitch-black eyes reflected her figure, filled with nothing but sincerity.

And this sincerity made her face flush red.

"You're too cunning, Yuji."

In her heart, the weight of the Uchiha gradually increased, and at this moment, it became heavier than Konoha. After all, Konoha was not her village, and there were all sorts of annoying people existing within it.

"I say, are you two not planning on eating your ramen? If you keep chatting, the noodles won't be at their peak flavor anymore." The young Teuchi looked at the young couple before him with some dissatisfaction.

"Sorry, sorry." Uchiha Yuji apologized quickly and began to slurp down the ramen.

In this world, only delicious food must not be let down, and only grain must not be wasted.

The slurping sounds were exceptionally loud. Before long, the two finished their meal, but despite having tasted a delicacy, Uzumaki Kushina kept her head down, lost in thought.

"What's wrong, Kushina?"

Uchiha Yuji never quite understood the minds of girls, nor did he want to guess their thoughts.

Sometimes, a girl's thoughts were truly impossible to understand.

Perhaps having made up her mind, Uzumaki Kushina suddenly raised her head, grabbed Uchiha Yuji's hand, and ran out of the shop.

They passed through the dense crowd, ran across the main street, and ducked into a deserted little forest nearby.

Perhaps because her thoughts were too heavy, or perhaps for some other reason, Uzumaki Kushina's heartbeat was startlingly fast, sounding exceptionally loud in the quiet environment.

Biting her lower lip with her white teeth, she hesitated for a moment before lifting her head, then lowering it again to avoid Uchiha Yuji's gaze. "Yuji, actually, I am a jinchuriki. I am the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails."

"So what? I already knew that."

"Eh?"

Uzumaki Kushina jerked her head up, locking eyes with Uchiha Yuji, her mouth stammering as she spoke, "That's a Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails."

"It's a Tailed Beast that acts like a natural disaster," she repeated, emphasizing her tone.

Uchiha Yuji replied calmly, "And so what? Kushina is Kushina. Your emotions have reached me clearly; you are you, not the Nine-Tails."

"Tailed Beasts are natural disasters! I don't even know when I might suddenly lose control."

Her unfinished words were silenced by Uchiha Yuji's palm.

"You won't hurt me, Kushina."

"I won't let the Nine-Tails hurt you."

For some reason, despite his black hair and black eyes, Uchiha Yuji appeared exceptionally radiant and dazzling in Uzumaki Kushina's sight—so dazzling that she couldn't help but draw closer.

"Since you have such concerns, Kushina, I actually have one of my own."

"If one day I were to fail in a battle against the Hokage, would you protect me, Kushina?" Uchiha Yuji asked, feigning a troubled expression.

"I will protect you!"

"I'll defeat that old geezer! I'll beat him until he's paralyzed! I will stand by your side forever."

Her scarlet hair fluttered along with her unwavering words, her clenched fists and eyes burning with flames speaking of her resolve as she fully revealed her true self.

She revealed the side that belonged to the Bloody Habanero.

The deliciousness of this emotion surpassed everything else in this world.