The problem? Could it be because of the Rasengan? Good thing I prepared for this in advance, Zeyu thought.
Sure enough, Kakashi soon asked Zeyu where he had learned the Rasengan.
"Ah, the Rasengan? I bought a scroll from a peddler a while ago. It had the Rasengan recorded on it, so I learned by following the instructions. The scroll's still at my house," Zeyu said after a moment's thought.
Whew, good thing I drew it down before I learned it. I originally just made the sketch for fun, Zeyu thought as he watched Kakashi pondering.
"Uh... That's it?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow. He found it a little hard to believe it was that simple.
"Kakashi-sensei, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now," Zeyu said, walking to the side to go around Kakashi.
Kakashi stayed where he was, rubbing his chin as he pondered.
I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. It's not time for you to know yet, Zeyu thought as he walked past Kakashi, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
Was it really that simple? Something's off, Kakashi thought. He turned toward Zeyu, who was leaving, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Zeyu, can I stop by your place for a bit?" Kakashi asked with a smile from behind him.
"Sure, you're welcome," Zeyu replied with a smile.
Can Kakashi read minds? I haven't even gone home to tidy up. What if he notices something?
If I refuse, he'll definitely get even more suspicious. Damn it.
Zeyu thought, feeling a knot tighten in his chest.
"Then I'll impose on you," Kakashi said, following behind Zeyu. The two of them headed to Zeyu's house together.
Once they got home, they briefly introduced themselves to each other and exchanged greetings.
"Sato, can I go out dressed like this? Can you tell who I am?" Mikoto asked. She had put on a mask, hat, scarf, and coat, bundling herself up from head to toe.
"Ah, yeah. I can't tell..." Sato replied, the corner of his mouth twitching.
The two of them then went out to buy ingredients for dinner.
Kakashi followed Zeyu into his room.
Zeyu set Hinata, who he had been carrying in his arms, on the bed, then sat down beside it.
Kakashi strolled around, his hands in his pockets, looking over the room.
Zeyu kept sneaking glances around his room, afraid Kakashi might find some trace of anything suspicious.
Just then, a sudden, hurried knocking sounded at the door.
"Coming!" Zeyu said, hurrying toward the front door.
Did Auntie forget something? Zeyu thought as he opened the door.
As soon as it opened, a small hand shot straight toward Zeyu's stomach. Startled, Zeyu jumped back and slammed into the wall.
Hanabi stood in the doorway, her Byakugan activated, looking smug.
"Heh heh, you stinky redhead. Now you know how strong I am!"
"I saw my sister inside. Hand her over right now!"
What the heck? What kind of day is this? Nothing but trouble, Zeyu thought as he straightened up.
Looking at the little girl before him, he couldn't help feeling irritated.
So he smiled slightly and deliberately teased her.
"Oh my, it's Hanabi-chan. Your sister got tired from playing with your brother-in-law and fell asleep inside. Don't wake her, or your brother-in-law will get angry, all right?"
"What?! You dead redhead! You stinky redhead! Say that again, I dare you! What did you do to my sister?!" Hanabi yelled, her face full of fury as she lunged at Zeyu with her palm outstretched.
Zeyu hopped lightly over Hanabi's head, then turned and dashed toward the courtyard.
"Don't think you can run! I'm going to beat you to death today!" Hanabi yelled, seething with rage as she hurried after him.
"Tell me! What did you do to my sister?" Hanabi shouted.
"Well, kids shouldn't go asking about that kind of thing, heh heh," Zeyu said with a laugh as he dodged Hanabi's attacks.
Hearing that only made Hanabi angrier. Gritting her teeth, she kept attacking Zeyu.
The two of them chased each other around the courtyard.
Hearing the commotion outside the room, Kakashi was at a loss for words. He gave Zeyu a dead-fish stare.
Looks like Zeyu's going to have a hard time from now on, Kakashi thought.
The argument between the two outside grew increasingly heated. Zeyu's room was right beside the courtyard, and the walls were trembling slightly.
"Stupid redhead! Take this!" Hanabi yelled furiously. When her Gentle Fist failed to work, she started attacking wildly.
She launched a flying kick straight at Zeyu.
"Wow, you're amazing, but you still need to work harder, Hanabi-chan," Zeyu said with a chuckle, dodging it with ease.
Hanabi's foot slammed into the wall, making it shake violently.
"Stop running!" Hanabi shouted, continuing her pursuit.
Just then, a loud clatter caught Kakashi's attention from inside the room.
Kakashi looked toward the sound. A target had fallen to the floor, with a Kunai still stuck firmly in it.
Kakashi sighed, went over, picked up the target, and casually hung it back up.
"What a pain. Hmm? What's this..." Kakashi said, noticing the Kunai embedded in the target.
He pulled it out and examined it closely in his hand.
It was an ordinary Kunai, but on the bandage-wrapped handle were the four characters for "Sword of Shinobi Love," written as a technique formula.
Seeing the characters reminded Kakashi of his teacher, Namikaze Minato, who had once given him a Flying Thunder God Kunai. He vaguely remembered the characters on it being the same.
"Hey, hey. No way," Kakashi said, breaking into a cold sweat as he stared at the Kunai in shock.
"No, that can't be. I need to make sure," Kakashi said after a moment of thought, then pocketed Zeyu's Kunai.
He took out an ordinary Kunai and stuck it back in the target.
Kakashi looked at the target, covered in knife marks, and thought:
This kid's hiding a lot. He's not honest at all.
If I ask him directly, he definitely won't tell me the truth. I'll find someone to ask later.
If it's true... this kid's unbelievably talented.
Outside, Hanabi was still chasing and hitting Zeyu, and she was gradually getting tired.
Kakashi walked out of the room and into the courtyard. Looking at Hanabi, who was standing in place and panting, and Zeyu, who stood opposite her with his hands behind his head and a carefree expression, he said:
"Hey, Zeyu. I just remembered I have something to take care of, so I'll be going. I'll come by again next time."
"Oh, sure, Kakashi-sensei," Zeyu said, turning to look at Kakashi.
There's an opening! Hanabi thought, charging straight at him with both hands reaching for Zeyu.
"Heh heh, I got you!" Hanabi laughed.
Just as she was about to grab him, Zeyu suddenly vanished from in front of her.
The next second, Zeyu appeared behind Hanabi, slipped both arms under her armpits, and lifted her up.
"That's not nice, Hanabi-chan. Your brother-in-law's talking to someone," Zeyu said with a smile.
"Stupid stinky redhead! Who said you were my brother-in-law? Put me down!" Hanabi shouted, kicking wildly in the air.
So fast! He's nothing like a newly graduated Genin. This kid... Kakashi thought, then vanished from the spot.
Zeyu looked toward the place where Kakashi had disappeared and pondered.
He probably didn't find anything...
Hanabi realized that no matter how much she struggled in midair, it was no use. She was hungry, and her arms and legs were tired from all that moving. Her sister was still with Zeyu, too. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.
Then she burst into tears and stopped struggling.
"Hey, don't cry. I'll put you down right now," Zeyu said, starting to panic. He quickly set Hanabi on the ground.
Hanabi stood with both hands in front of her eyes as tears streamed down her face.
"Don't cry, don't cry. I was just teasing you. Your sister's asleep in the room. Let's go see her, okay?" Zeyu said, crouching beside her to comfort her.
Suddenly, while she was still crying, Hanabi slapped Zeyu on the head, knocking him flat on the ground.
"Heh heh, now you know how strong I am," Hanabi said with a smile, tears still hanging from her lashes and her face flushed red.
Hanabi quickly took advantage of the moment to climb onto Zeyu's back. She was just about to punch him when her stomach suddenly growled.
Hanabi lowered her fist, pouted, and then started crying again, facing up at the sky.
Zeyu, pinned beneath Hanabi, was at a loss for words. He sighed.
Zeyu stood straight up, making Hanabi topple backward. Her crying stopped in surprise. Zeyu casually caught her with one hand, holding her at his waist, then carried her inside.
"Let go of me! Stinky redhead! What are you doing?" Hanabi shouted, struggling the whole time as Zeyu carried her at his waist.
"You're so noisy. Aren't you hungry? I'll make you something to eat," Zeyu said, flicking Hanabi lightly on the forehead with one finger.
Hanabi's stomach growled again. She stopped struggling and quieted down.
She's like Hinata in that way. How come she has such a bad temper? Zeyu thought as he headed for the kitchen.
On his way past the dining table, he set Hanabi on a chair and told her which room Hinata was in. Then he went into the kitchen to get busy.
He deftly tied on an apron and started cooking.
Hanabi went to Zeyu's room, saw Hinata asleep on the bed, and hurried over.
"Waaah, Sister, I finally found you."
When Hinata didn't respond, Hanabi shook her arm.
A little while later, Hinata woke up.
"Hanabi? What are you doing here? What happened?" Hinata asked, completely bewildered as she looked at Hanabi's eyes, swollen from crying.
"Hanabi-chan, dinner's almost ready," Zeyu called from the kitchen, his voice carrying into the room.
Hanabi quickly hugged Hinata and said pitifully, "Waaah, Sister, that stinky redhead bullied me. Get revenge for me!"
"Okay, Hanabi. Let's go out and see," Hinata said, taking Hanabi by the hand as they left the room.
Just then, Zeyu finished up and brought out a plate of egg fried rice, setting it on the table.
The aroma drifted to the two of them.
"Wow, that smells good," Hanabi murmured, letting go of Hinata's hand and hurrying to a chair. She stared at the steaming egg fried rice in front of her, drooling.
"What are you waiting for? Eat up. Careful, it's hot," Zeyu said, pulling out a chair and sitting nearby.
Hanabi quickly took a bite with her spoon. It was a little hot, so she opened her mouth and blew on it repeatedly. Then she chewed, looking completely satisfied as her little feet swung back and forth.
"Slow down. Honestly," Zeyu said with a laugh, then noticed Hinata still standing in the doorway.
"You're awake, Hinata? Come sit over here," Zeyu said, going over to help Hinata sit down beside him.
"Zeyu-kun... um..." Hinata said, a little embarrassed, glancing at the fried rice Hanabi was eating.
Zeyu understood at once and hurried back into the kitchen to serve up another plate.
"How could I forget about you, Hinata? Go ahead and eat," he said softly, setting a plate of egg fried rice in front of Hinata.
Then he took a jar of drink from the fridge. It had a tap on it, and he poured two glasses and handed them to the two girls.
"What's this?" Hanabi asked, her cheeks puffed out as she looked at her glass.
"Red Iced Tea. You can't buy it anywhere else. Try some," Zeyu said from beside her, resting his head on one hand with a smile.
Hinata and Hanabi each took a sip, their faces lighting up with satisfaction.
"Ah! It's that delicious drink! Sister used to bring it home all the time!" Hanabi said, her eyes sparkling.
"Thank you, Zeyu-kun," Hinata said, blushing as she held the glass in both hands and lightly bit its rim.
"Don't mention it. We're all family," Zeyu said with a smile.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Xia stood by the door, pressing the bell, while Hiashi waited outside with his arms crossed.
Honestly, none of them ever let me rest easy, Hiashi thought.