An Unexpected Guest

The early summer sun seemed fiercer than usual. Though it was only morning, its blazing rays had already shown their strength.

A sheen of sweat had formed on the foreheads of Tenten and Yun Xi as they walked along Konoha's main street...

"Brother Yun Xi, why won't you let me tell anyone what happened this morning?"

Yun Xi had taken Tenten to a ramen shop at random. As they waited for their food, she finally asked what had been puzzling her.

Half an hour earlier, after Yun Xi had suggested a truce, Hyuga Hiashi hadn't stopped him. He had only let a trace of resentment show in his eyes...

After a brief struggle with himself, he had left first, taking Hyuga Neji back to the Hyuga Clan compound.

Yun Xi hadn't said anything. He had only watched Hyuga Hiashi walk away, then taken Tenten back to Konoha's main street.

He had also told Tenten not to tell anyone what had happened.

But...

What Yun Xi hadn't expected was...

That Tenten would start asking why he didn't want her to talk about it the moment they left the Hyuga Clan compound...

Faced with Tenten, who was as curious as a child...

Yun Xi felt a headache coming on...

"Because..."

"Because this is..."

"Umm..."

After turning it over in his mind for a long time, Yun Xi still couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse. Just as he was fretting over it, Tenten spoke up.

"Brother Yun Xi, is it because this is a secret and nobody else can know?"

After asking him, Tenten didn't press further. She simply murmured, "Then I promise I won't tell anyone!"

As she spoke, a sweet smile appeared on her young face, as if to tell Yun Xi...

She promised she wouldn't tell anyone.

"Exactly!"

Yun Xi's frustration vanished at once. Then, putting on a serious tone, he said, "Tenten's the best! Next time, your big brother Yun Xi will take you somewhere else to have fun!"

"Okay!"

Tenten's eyes lit up with delight. Yun Xi, meanwhile, thought back to what had happened earlier, growing thoughtful...

Clearly, Yun Xi had never expected things to turn out this way after he proposed an alliance with the Hyuga Clan...

He had thought the Hyuga Clan would surely agree once he played his trump card.

He hadn't expected the honest man from the original Naruto story to strike first...

Instead of accepting his offer of an alliance...

Still, Yun Xi had learned a lot from what had happened.

At the very least...

He now understood that the characters in the original Naruto story were only one-dimensional.

In reality...

Anything could happen.

"Looks like there's one more person in Konoha I need to watch out for..."

As he ate his ramen, Yun Xi brooded silently.

After what had happened that morning, he knew Hyuga Hiashi wouldn't let the matter drop. He might even use the Hyuga Clan's influence in Konoha to get back at him.

"But I'm no pushover. If he really dares to come after me, then I..."

"I'll make him pay the price!"

For an instant, a murderous glint flashed in Yun Xi's stern eyes!

"Brother Yun Xi?"

"Huh?!"

Tenten's voice jolted Yun Xi back to the present. He set aside the morning's events for now and asked with a smile, "What is it, Tenten?"

"Nothing..."

"It's just that your eyes looked really scary a moment ago..."

After hesitating for a while, Tenten said timidly, then lowered her head and snuck a glance at Yun Xi...

"Is that so?"

Yun Xi smiled wryly, then said, "Sometimes, if you want to get ahead in this world, it can be a good thing to make people afraid of you..."

"Why, Brother Yun Xi?"

"Because being scary makes people afraid to attack you..."

"I don't understand..."

"Good. You're not supposed to!"

Yun Xi patted Tenten's head, then gazed at the pale blue sky in the distance and murmured, "Maybe it's better not to understand..."

"You're back?"

After what had happened that morning, Yun Xi hadn't had time to take Tenten on the outing they'd planned. Tenten had been very understanding and hadn't asked any questions, though she was a little disappointed.

But what Yun Xi hadn't expected was to run into Mitaraishi Anko on his way home after dropping Tenten off...

The young woman was sitting on the eaves of his house, eating dango. Yun Xi immediately grew wary.

"This doesn't make sense. Aside from Tenten and Neji, nobody could know about what happened this morning..."

"Hyuga Hiashi would never be stupid enough to tell the Third Hokage about it..."

"So how could she...?"

It wasn't as if Yun Xi was overthinking things. His clash with Hyuga Hiashi had happened that morning, and now Mitaraishi Anko was already waiting outside his home...

How could he not wonder?

"What brings you here? Want me to treat you to some dango?"

Although he had no idea why Mitaraishi Anko had come, Yun Xi kept his composure and spoke first.

Before she could answer, he added, "I can treat you to dango, but I think I saw a little extra around your stomach. Dango may taste good, but you should still eat less!"

"Where?!"

As soon as Yun Xi said that, Mitaraishi Anko stuffed the last dango into her mouth and flicked the bamboo skewer at a nearby tree.

Then she leaped through the air and landed in front of Yun Xi, grumbling, "There's no extra! And I hardly ever eat dango!"

"Well, I saw it."

Yun Xi hadn't expected her to take a casual remark so seriously.

Truth be told, Mitaraishi Anko had no excess fat around her stomach. In fact, Yun Xi could see her clearly defined abs.

And though she was only about fifteen, she already had an excellent figure.

Not only was she curvy...

But beneath the fishnet crop top across her chest, there was also...

Ahem.

You know—the peaks?

"You didn't come here just to talk nonsense, did you? Come inside."

Mitaraishi Anko was still patting her stomach. A faint smile appeared on Yun Xi's face, but he said nothing more and headed inside.

"Coming!"

Seeing Yun Xi disappear into the house, Mitaraishi Anko hurried after him. After all, she had come to see him about something serious.

Still...

As she caught up with him, Mitaraishi Anko couldn't help murmuring, "Do I really have extra around my stomach...?"

"I guess I really do need to eat less dango!"