Hui watched Naruto wolfing down his food as usual. He ate his Ichiraku Ramen just like always, and after draining the last drop of broth, he held up his bowl and shouted, "Another bowl!"
The owner was more than happy to bring him another. Hui propped her head on her hand and watched Naruto. When he asked for yet another bowl, she shook her head helplessly and chuckled. It was a good thing she'd gotten plenty of money from Orochimaru, or she wouldn't have been able to afford his extravagance.
Suddenly, a bowl of ramen was placed in front of her, piled high and looking delicious. Hui stared at the owner in surprise. She hadn't ordered any ramen!
"Hey, this one's on the house. Haven't seen you in ages. Welcome back!" the Ichiraku owner said heartily.
Naruto grinned too. "Welcome back, Hui!"
Hui stared at them both, then sighed softly. The smile on her lips wouldn't go away. "I'm happy to be back, too."
Everyone laughed at her words. Reunions after a long absence were always a joy.
Hui cheerfully picked up her chopsticks and dug into the Ichiraku Ramen. The warmth spread from her stomach to her heart.
She wasn't living with Orochimaru anymore. Now she could relax and enjoy herself without fear or guilt.
By the time the two of them finished eating and stepped outside, night had begun to fall. Hui gazed at the familiar streets and felt a strange sense of comfort. Konoha was where she belonged. Though its people still hadn't treated Naruto or her kindly, she couldn't help missing this peaceful life, free of killing.
"Naruto, let's check out the food stalls. My treat." Hui raised an eyebrow at him and smiled.
"Oh!" Naruto accepted without hesitation and ran after her.
But when he caught up with Hui, he found something covering his face. He could only see through a narrow opening near the bottom. Instinctively, he reached to remove the thing blocking his vision, but Hui told him, "Keep it on. Let's go."
Naruto looked at her in confusion, unsure why she'd suddenly given him a mask. Then he noticed she was wearing one too, a childish-looking mask that was more ridiculous than cute. He couldn't help laughing. Pointing at Hui's mask, he teased, "Haha, Hui, your mask is so childish!"
"Is it?" Hui glanced at Naruto's even stupider mask and chuckled to herself.
"Let's go!" Hui didn't bother answering him and turned toward the night market.
"Hey, wait for me!" Naruto hurried after her, but tripped over a rock. The trouble of having his vision blocked hit him at once. Annoyed, he adjusted the mask. He wanted to take it off, but didn't dare.
Hui turned around and saw Naruto glaring at the rock. She smiled helplessly. "Here, I'll lead you." As she spoke, she held out her hand. Naruto looked up at her in delight.
Wow, he'd never seen Hui be so considerate! He didn't hesitate and reached out to take her hand.
Hui tilted her head with a faint smile and led Naruto toward the night market. In the past, she'd often worn this mask when moving through the darkness, keeping to herself and staying out of sight as she carried out Orochimaru's missions. She'd never imagined she could share the moment with someone else. Coming back had been the right choice, hadn't it?
Not long after Hui and Naruto left, a figure wearing a fox mask vanished into the darkness. When he appeared again, he was in the Third Hokage's office.
"Third Hokage, Hui Youling is just as she was before. I haven't noticed anything unusual," Dusu said respectfully.
The Third Hokage looked up at him. "I'll have to trouble you to keep watching her for a while longer."
"Yes, Third Hokage. I'll keep an eye on who she meets."
"Good. You can go now."
The moment the Third Hokage finished speaking, Dusu vanished. Frowning, the Hokage glanced at the scroll in his hand. Orochimaru's recent activities had become increasingly suspicious.
But they still had no definite information. Hui's return at a time like this naturally aroused suspicion, though he truly had hoped she would come back.
"No! I want the grilled dumplings here!" a young child's voice rang out, clearly sulking. It sounded strangely familiar.
"We'll come back and buy some next time, all right? If we don't go home soon, your mother will get angry," a gentle man coaxed him softly.
Hui turned to look at the father and son behind her. They were both chubby, with round baby faces and red swirls on their cheeks. They looked like they'd been made from the same mold.
Hui smiled helplessly and turned back to Naruto. His mask sat crookedly on his face. He held two skewers of dumplings, happily eating one, his expression brimming with delight.
Hui shrugged and snatched the other skewer from Naruto's hand. He'd been about to take another bite when he realized the dumplings were gone. He watched Hui walk away with them, torn, and swallowed hard.
Hui held out the dumplings to Choji. "Here, you can have these."
In the next instant, the dumplings were snatched away, leaving only a bamboo skewer in Choji's hand. Hui stared in surprise, then laughed helplessly.
Choza felt embarrassed by his son's behavior and hurried to say, "Thank you. I'll buy you another one..."
"It's fine, sir. I was giving them to him anyway. I just wanted to make friends with him," Hui said gently. Then she turned and called Naruto over.
Choza looked at the children before him. Hui seemed unusually sensible and kind. He glanced at his own son, who was gazing at Hui with a silly grin. Then Choji said, "Um, I'm Akimichi Choji. Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Hui Youling, and this idiot is Uzumaki Naruto." Hui pointed at Naruto, who looked bewildered, and watched him bristle again.
"I'm not an idiot! I'm going to become—Mmph! Mmph!"
Hui pulled Naruto into a one-armed hug and covered his mouth.
Naruto glared at Hui, whose smile looked kindly enough but somehow sent a chill down his spine. He didn't dare speak again, though he struggled a little to free himself from the arm around his shoulders.
"All right, since you have somewhere to be, I won't keep you. See you next time!"
Once Naruto had stopped talking, Hui was satisfied and let go of his mouth. People nearby were starting to look over. She didn't want Naruto's shouting to draw too much attention. Their eyes weren't friendly at all.
Hui realized they shouldn't linger, so she said goodbye to Choji and led Naruto away.
Choji waved at them as they left with their arms around each other's shoulders. Then he turned to his father and reached for Choza's large hand. "Dad, let's go home too."
Choza froze in surprise for a moment, then took Choji's hand and smiled faintly. "Let's go."
Naruto, being dragged away by Hui, complained, "What's going on? Why are we leaving?"
Hui shrugged and let him go. "It's time to head back."
Naruto looked at Hui and furrowed his brow slightly. He felt like she'd changed somehow, though she was still just as kind to him as ever. In the end, he simply said, "Okay."
Hui didn't practice ninjutsu anymore, as if she'd never learned it. Instead, she picked up the thick book Qingsi had given her, the one that recorded his "life's work."
Hui looked at the book she'd disguised as a children's storybook and chuckled to herself. She wondered if Qingsi would beat her up if he ever saw it.
But Dusu was surely watching from the shadows, as he always did. If she acted too strangely, he'd realize she'd changed. She'd just have to study quietly like an ordinary child. She couldn't use Orochimaru's ninjutsu anymore.
For several days, Hui Youling didn't leave the house. She spent all her time studying Qingsi's book on Medical Ninjutsu. She'd sent Naruto out to train. The idiot should work on his stamina first.
She'd heard that after she left, Rock Lee had trained even harder, doubling his practice. Maybe the Ninja Academy had influenced him. Naruto had started falling behind, though, and in the end he'd gotten even lazier. No matter what Rock Lee said, he wouldn't train seriously. He spent his days tending the flowers in her old house.
Knowing all this made Hui feel both angry and touched. Naruto really was lonely, wasn't he? Even if they met earlier, without the things that happened in the future, would they ever truly become friends? After all, Naruto seemed to think of these people as her friends, not his.
It seemed Naruto would be going to the Ninja Academy soon. If she were there with him, he wouldn't be so lonely, right? But how much could she really do for him when she still had so many problems of her own to deal with?
Before you continue