After leaving the Hokage Building, Baiyu had no intention of heading straight home.
He had finally made it to the village, so of course he was going to have a good look around.
In the lobby, Shisui had given him 1.2 million ryō, saying it was the reward for their mission.
They hadn't completed it, but stopping Orochimaru and cutting off his right arm was far more honorable than the Anbu's disgraceful failure.
According to Shisui, the Hokage was probably planning to use their achievements to cover up the Anbu's incompetence.
Baiyu had partly achieved his goal in meeting the Hokage this time.
The Third Hokage hadn't agreed to his request outright.
He didn't trust the Uchiha.
Baiyu's request to become a teacher at the Ninja Academy wasn't because he genuinely wanted to teach. It was a way of testing the Hokage Faction.
How much would Konoha allow the Uchiha to accomplish?
The Ninja Academy was the foundation of Konoha Village, and it had been carrying out the Second Hokage's basic plan from the very beginning.
That plan was to divide the major ninja clans' strength.
It was the foundation of Konoha Village.
By Baiyu's reckoning, the Third Hokage wouldn't agree to his request. But Baiyu could follow Uchiha Shisui's example and get close to Konoha's High Command.
If the opportunity came... he could strike in one blow and turn the tables when all seemed lost.
Shisui was getting close to them for the sake of peace for his clan. Baiyu was getting close to them for his own sake.
A Konoha without anyone at Kage Level belonged to the Uchiha.
Danzo had to die in this struggle between Konoha and the clan!
Between the village and the clan, Baiyu chose himself.
He would reap benefits from both sides.
Those benefits could be jutsu or status. Baiyu wouldn't turn anything down.
He wasn't stupid enough to become the Third Hokage's attack dog like Shisui and Itachi.
If it meant becoming stronger, killing the Hokage and going rogue was an option too.
Everything he did was to gain status and strength!
The Hokage's concerns weren't part of his calculations. No matter what happened, he could accept the outcome.
As Baiyu wandered the streets, lost in thought, he suddenly caught a familiar, sweet, glutinous aroma.
Baiyu's eyes lit up. He cast his thoughts aside, followed the scent, and stopped in front of a shop.
It was a Three-Color Dango shop, with several customers inside.
"That sweet, glutinous smell is just like the dango from my hometown in my previous life! What a nostalgic flavor."
Baiyu followed the aroma into the shop, then suddenly stopped in his tracks. There were customers inside.
He glanced around at the people in the shop without drawing attention to himself.
They were all familiar faces.
Might Guy, who specialized in Taijutsu, wore a green jumpsuit beneath his jonin vest.
A beautiful, mature woman with slightly wavy hair, the genjutsu specialist and kunoichi Kurenai Yuhi.
The Hokage's son, Asuma Sarutobi, who had a full beard despite his young age.
Gekko Hayate of the Hayate Clan, a clan of samurai lineage that ranked just behind the Hatake Clan in the village—and a sickly fellow.
"Is that him?"
Guy noticed Baiyu too. His eyes lit up, and he greeted him with delight.
"Hello! I've finally seen you here in the village."
Baiyu looked around. When he saw no one else, he pointed at himself.
"You're talking to me?"
"Yeah! I haven't seen you training outside the village lately, and I was wondering what you'd been up to. Turns out you're already a Chunin!"
Guy said, acting as if they were old friends.
"Hello, I'm Might Guy! I used to see you practicing swordsmanship outside the village every day when I was training. I'm sorry I never wanted to disturb you."
"Uchiha Baiyu."
Baiyu returned his greeting. After all, he wasn't going to slap away a smiling face.
After years of training, Baiyu had gotten to know Guy a little, since they often crossed paths.
They were both hard workers, so Baiyu had a good impression of him.
At the name, Asuma Sarutobi, the bearded man nearby, tensed and scrutinized Baiyu.
Kurenai Yuhi also slowed her movements, her ears twitching.
Of the four people there, only Might Guy greeted him. Gekko Hayate showed no reaction, carrying on with his own boasting.
Baiyu noticed all of their reactions.
"What do you want to eat? It's your first time here, so it's on me! Let's be friends. We can spar in Taijutsu sometime. Aside from Obito, you're the second Uchiha I've met."
Guy said with a smile, pulling Baiyu into the shop to order.
Baiyu didn't know how to respond. "You really don't have to..."
As he spoke, he ordered nearly twenty skewers of dango in different flavors.
Only someone who'd been poor knew how hard it was to treat someone.
With Guy's introduction, Baiyu joined the other three.
Guy introduced each of them in turn, then introduced Baiyu to them.
"This is a training partner I met, Uchiha Baiyu."
The three of them put on friendly smiles and welcomed Baiyu.
As they talked, the owner brought over a plate of dango and set it in the middle of the table.
Baiyu had been craving them ever since he smelled the aroma.
After returning to the village, he'd gone with Shisui to meet the Hokage.
He hadn't eaten a thing since.
The dango were right in front of him, so he sat down without hesitation, conveniently wedging himself between Asuma and Kurenai.
"Let's eat!"
Out of habit, Baiyu said the usual mealtime phrase, then swept the plate clean in a flash.
One skewer per bite. Basic stuff.
The four people beside him were dumbfounded.
"Guy, this is the first time I've seen anyone eat Three-Color Dango just like you do! You really are friends."
Kurenai said with disdain. The Uchiha's recent behavior in the village was nearly enough to make everyone furious.
Kurenai's neighbor had been locked up in the Police Force for two days over a trivial matter.
That was why she had a problem with the Uchiha.
Guy still looked cheerful, apparently oblivious to the sarcasm in Kurenai's words.
Baiyu narrowed his eyes. He didn't care what Kurenai said and kept his attention on the dango.
Guy was paying, and these people were his friends. Baiyu couldn't help grabbing a couple of skewers.
He hadn't paid, and he planned to claim all the dango for himself.
So he needed to move aggressively enough to dominate the table. That way, the entire plate of dango would end up in his stomach.
Three or four minutes later, the whole plate—more than a dozen skewers—was in Baiyu's stomach.
Only then did he pick up the last two skewers and leisurely savor them.
"Soft, fragrant, sweet, and chewy. A truly exquisite delicacy in Konoha Village! One bite is enough to make you feel happy."
Baiyu took a bite. In that moment, it was as if he'd become some refined young master from a wealthy family. He sampled a small bite of dango with elegance, closed his eyes to savor it, then slowly shared his impressions.
I, Baiyu, am a gourmet.
The glutton from a moment ago had been Uchiha Inshui.
"..."
Kurenai stared at the empty plate and the row of wooden skewers, her little face flushed with anger.
Her ruby-red eyes glared at Baiyu's handsome face in disbelief.
That guy... hadn't left even one for her!
He was holding two skewers and still spouting nonsense.
Every word of praise felt like a knife, stabbing her right in the heart.
The Uchiha were all so obnoxious!!!
"Boss! Ten more skewers of dango!"
Kurenai shouted, glaring furiously at Baiyu.
Baiyu gave her a friendly smile and continued eating his two skewers.
The atmosphere turned awkward in an instant.
Even Gekko Hayate, who was usually good at keeping a conversation going, had nothing to say.
This Uchiha was unusual...
"Sorry, Miss Kurenai. I'm closing up for lunch, and there are only a few dango left. I don't have enough for an order. Come back this afternoon!"
The shop owner came out and said apologetically.
It was already around noon. Baiyu had arrived just as the last batch was being served.
Kurenai and the others had been there for a while too.
Kurenai hadn't expected that, and now she felt even more embarrassed.
She shot Baiyu another fierce glare, then sat down, puffing with anger.
Seeing Kurenai being picked on, Asuma couldn't help preparing to speak up, but Guy stopped him at once.
"Kakashi!"
Suddenly, Guy shouted, breaking the awkward silence.
Baiyu followed Guy's gaze. A white-haired, masked ninja in white Anbu armor was passing in front of the shop.
Kakashi glanced at the people inside, then walked away as if he hadn't heard anything.
Guy immediately chased after him. Seeing this, Baiyu set down the skewer with two dango still on it and followed them out.
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