Hinata in Action

It was the lull before the dinner rush, and Yakiniku Q was sparsely populated, with only a few scattered tables of diners.

In the back kitchen, Kiyonari stood before the prep station, watching the staff process the wild boar meat he had brought in.

He had kept the choicest, fattiest cuts for himself, selling the rest to Yakiniku Q. Not only did they process his share for free, but they also paid him a handsome sum. The Akimichi Clan certainly lived up to their reputation; they were truly generous when it came to food.

To his surprise, Hinata Hyuga had actually tracked him down here.

She stood outside the kitchen, waving a hand. "Kiyonari-kun, sorry to bother you."

Hyuga Kiyonari stepped out of the kitchen. "Hinata, is something the matter?"

"There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Have you eaten yet?" Kiyonari asked suddenly, then added, "I caught a wild boar in the Forest of Death and had the staff process it. If you haven't eaten, you might as well join me."

Wild boar meat?

Hinata Hyuga swallowed slightly, then nodded in agreement.

The two found a quiet corner to sit. Before the meat was even served, she took the initiative to open the conversation: "Do you know Lady Tsunade?"

Kiyonari nodded. "I know a little. I saw her at the village gates when I came out of the Forest of Death this afternoon."

"I asked Father about Lady Tsunade."

"And what did Lord Hiashi say?"

Hinata then carefully recounted everything Hiashi had told her, starting from the death of Tsunade's younger brother during the Second Shinobi World War, all the way to the proposal that had yet to be implemented to this day.

Kiyonari remained silent for a moment after listening. With Hiashi's reaction as confirmation, it proved his understanding of Tsunade as a character from his past life was spot on—his script was correct.

"Since Lord Hiashi has already provided the hint, isn't the next step quite clear?"

Hinata clenched her fists, glanced around, and said quickly, "Actually, I had already guessed as much, but I didn't dare believe it. The fact that there has been no progress after all these years can only mean the village doesn't want to do it, not that they lack the ability. I think... that is the reason Lady Tsunade left the village."

"That might not be enough," Kiyonari offered a different perspective.

"As far as I know, Lady Tsunade left the village long before the Third Shinobi World War began. Perhaps she had already foreseen that her proposal would never have a chance to pass. I suspect that is the true reason she left the village. To put it more bluntly, how could she have foreseen it? And on what grounds?"

Just then, an elderly staff member walked over with a plate of prepared wild boar meat, and the two stopped their discussion.

Suddenly, Shizune pushed open the shop door and walked in.

Kiyonari's eyes flickered, and he quickly pointed her out to Hinata. "I saw her at the village gates this afternoon; she came back with Lady Tsunade."

The Yakiniku Q staff member, who was setting down the plate, added, "Her name is Shizune Kato. She is the niece of Lady Tsunade's former lover, Dan Kato."

He was an old hand of the Akimichi Clan; he knew many people and many things.

"Lady Tsunade's lover?" Hinata was startled, barely able to keep her voice down.

"Indeed," the staff member said with a hint of regret. "Dan Kato also sacrificed his life in the war, and it was only after that that Lady Tsunade left Konoha. I remember back then, Shizune was just a little girl, not much older than you two. In the blink of an eye, she's returned as a graceful young woman."

"Welcome! What can I get for you?" a staff member greeted her.

"Hello, I'd like to pack some raw meat to take back and grill myself." Shizune's voice was full of youthful energy, yet in the original story, she was already over thirty when she returned to the village—her best years spent in exile.

The staff member's eyes lit up, and he immediately recommended, "You've come at the right time! We have a fresh batch of wild boar today; the meat is incredibly firm and delicious. It's been years since we've seen a haul this good."

"You came back with Lady Tsunade, didn't you? It's been many years since we've seen her. Why not eat here? Our chef can grill it for you personally; we'll make sure Lady Tsunade is satisfied!"

A look of hesitation crossed Shizune's face. "No, thank you for the kind offer. Lady Tsunade just had an argument with the Hokage and is in a terrible mood. We'll come again another time."

"Lady Tsunade and the Hokage are still the same as ever, I see."

The staff member wasn't surprised, just nodded with a sigh and began preparing the meat for Shizune.

Her voice wasn't loud, but in the relatively quiet shop, the words reached Hinata and Kiyonari clearly. The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a flicker of surprise in the other's eyes.

Shizune stood at the counter waiting, looking weary with faint worry in the corners of her eyes. Clearly, the argument between Tsunade and the Hokage had left her troubled as well.

That was just how it was; when Tsunade was in a bad mood, she only needed to get dead drunk, but Shizune, who had to clean up the mess, had much more to worry about.

A few minutes later, the staff member handed the packaged meat to Shizune.

"Besides the wild boar, there's some Wagyu beef. With the discount, it comes to six thousand ryo."

Shizune paid and prepared to leave.

At that moment, Hinata suddenly spoke up: "Kiyonari-kun... I want to follow her and see Lady Tsunade."

"I'll go with you. Let's leave the meat here for now."

Kiyonari found the staff member and made an excuse about an urgent matter, asking him to hold the order until he returned.

On the streets of Konoha, Shizune carried the bag of meat, walking along the main road toward the northwest side of the village.

The good news was that the Hyuga Clan Grounds were in that direction, so the two kept a distance of about twenty meters behind her, drawing no suspicion at all.

About ten minutes later, Shizune stopped in front of an old-fashioned residence and knocked. Not long after, the door opened, revealing the figure of Tsunade.

"Shizune, you didn't even notice you were being followed. How did you lose your guard the moment you returned to the village?"

Shizune froze, turning her head to look behind her. "I remembered the Hyuga Clan was in this direction, so I thought these two children were just heading home."

Tsunade sighed, her gaze locking onto the two figures behind the tree trunk as she raised her voice. "Come out, you two brats."

Discovered in an instant...

"Let's go. There's no helping it now that we've been spotted," Kiyonari whispered to Hinata, stepping out from behind the tree trunk first.

Tsunade's amber eyes swept over the two children, her gaze landing first on Hinata's smooth, clean forehead before shifting to Kiyonari, who had a white cloth bound around his own.

"What are your names?"

Hinata was so nervous that her old habit kicked in; she twirled her index fingers together incessantly and replied in a small voice, "I... I am Hinata Hyuga."

Kiyonari, by contrast, spoke with relative calm: "I am Hyuga Kiyonari."

So, this is the brat.

Tsunade felt a flicker of interest, her gaze lingering on Kiyonari for a few seconds longer.