Hinata's Resolve

By the time everyone had finished eating, the owner walked over with a beaming smile, holding the bill.

Guy reached for the bill with full confidence, but the moment he saw the number, his smile froze instantly on his face.

He widened his eyes in disbelief and checked the total several times. "Manager, is there a mistake with this bill?"

Guy knew he and Kakashi had eaten quite a lot while competing over the barbecue, but this bill was enough to cover a standard A-rank mission.

Kakashi leaned in to take a look, and the corner of his mouth twitched beneath his mask before he silently reached for his wallet.

Do these two kids really eat that much?

"Teacher Guy, Senior Kakashi, why don't I pay for this meal?" Uchiha Ao had also leaned in to see the bill.

Good grief, Hinata truly lived up to her reputation as a big eater; she had consumed one hundred thousand ryo in a single sitting.

Although the price of barbecue in Konoha was indeed on the expensive side, the average bill for four people usually hovered around a few thousand ryo.

Guy's face flushed red as he raised his clenched fists toward the sky. "No! A man never goes back on his word! Kakashi, come with me to pay!"

Hearing this, Kakashi sighed helplessly, stood up slowly, and tucked Icha Icha Paradise into his robes. "I really can't do anything with you."

The two walked toward the register one after the other, their backs radiating a sense of tragic heroism.

The owner rubbed his hands together with a grin. "That will be one hundred thousand three hundred ryo for the two of you, but let's just call it an even hundred thousand!"

Guy's Adam's apple bobbed as he tremblingly pulled out his wallet, which contained only a few scattered bills totaling less than ten thousand ryo.

Kakashi silently produced his own wallet and counted the contents, his expression darkening further—he had only managed to scrape together fifty thousand ryo.

"Um... Boss, is it possible to put this on a tab?" Guy asked with a dry laugh, scratching his head, his beady eyes looking somewhat guilty under the warm yellow light.

Before the owner could answer, Uchiha Ao walked over with Hinata.

"Teacher Guy, Senior Kakashi, let me cover this meal." Uchiha Ao shielded Hinata behind him and pulled a heavy money pouch from his robes. The crisp sound of banknotes echoed as he unfolded them in his palm. "I haven't touched my usual stipends, so I've saved up quite a bit over the years."

Guy was so anxious that the veins on his forehead bulged, and his green spandex wrinkled with his agitated movements. "Ao-kun!"

He spread his arms to block the register, looking for all the world like a ruffled peacock. "Even if you have to put me up as collateral, I won't let you pay!"

Kakashi rested his forehead in one hand, a flash of helplessness crossing his Sharingan.

He subtly tugged Guy to the side and whispered, "Guy, don't make a scene in front of the juniors."

He glanced at Uchiha Ao once more.

This Uchiha kid is actually quite like Obito. He lacks that arrogance and pride found in the rest of the Uchiha clan. Kakashi mused to himself, observing Uchiha Ao without being obvious.

He sighed softly and turned to the owner. "Just do as Ao-kun says."

Guy tried to protest, but a single hand-chop to the back of his head from Kakashi made him wilt instantly, though he still muttered, "I'll definitely find a way to pay this back..."

The owner happily accepted the banknotes and sent them off with a beaming smile. "Come back again soon!"

Once they were out of the barbecue restaurant, the night had deepened, and the streets of Konoha were dotted with lights.

Guy and Kakashi had already departed.

Hinata kept her head down, twisting the hem of her clothes as she followed beside Uchiha Ao. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum. "Ao-kun... once I become a ninja, I will definitely work hard on missions to pay you back."

She knew she had eaten far too much.

Uchiha Ao looked at Hinata's lowered brows and lashes, which cast delicate shadows under the streetlamp. He suddenly remembered their first meeting, where she had worn that same cautious expression.

He gently took her slightly cool hand and broke into a smile in the night air. "Silly, isn't that why I save money? If you really feel bad about it..." He paused intentionally, watching as Hinata jerked her head up, her pure Byakugan clouded with panic. "...then you can just support me once you become a ninja."

Uchiha Ao looked at the small Hinata before him, half-joking.

Hinata looked up abruptly, her pure Byakugan clouded with panic, and her cheeks burned bright red, the color spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

She opened her mouth, but the words turned into a stammering, breathless sound. "I... I..."

Before she could finish, she saw Uchiha Ao's eyes curve into crescents as he gently squeezed her palm. "I'm just teasing. But..."

He leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing against her burning earlobe. "If you're willing, Hinata, I'd really like to taste a bento made by you."

Hinata felt as though her entire being was being ignited by that scorching temperature; her ears were buzzing, and even the stone path beneath her feet seemed to sway.

Ao-kun is so mean.

Uchiha Ao smiled faintly and began walking toward the distance.

"See you tomorrow, Hinata. Good night."

"Good night, see you tomorrow, Ao-kun." Hinata wasn't sure if Ao-kun had heard her, but she said the words as loudly as she could.

Even at night, Konoha was still bustling.

In front of a street food stall, a drunken man hugged his companion while singing an off-key song; ninjas walked in groups, arms slung over each other's shoulders, arguing about whose performance in today's mission had been more impressive; a woman carrying a vegetable basket hurried past, startling the sparrows sleeping under the eaves.

Hinata stood in place, watching Uchiha Ao's retreating figure gradually blend into the colorful lights of Konoha, a faint smile blooming on her lips involuntarily.

The night breeze brushed softly against her flushed cheeks, carrying the aroma of the street stalls mixed with the lingering scent of smoke from the barbecue restaurant, magnifying her sense of happiness in that moment.

She turned slowly and began to walk toward the Hyuga compound.

Ao-kun, I will work hard!

[Name: Uchiha Ao]

[Age: 9]

[Total Chakra: Twelve Kakashi-units]

[Chakra Nature: All Natures]

[Skills: Shadow Clone Technique]

[Items: None]

[Main Quest: The Caged Bird Also Wishes to Soar Freely (50/100)]

[Bloodline: Otsutsuki Bloodline (5/100)]

"Halfway through the quest progress already, then."

Uchiha Ao stepped through the moonlight as he headed toward the Uchiha compound. The stone paths of Konoha wound beneath his feet, and the lanterns along the street stretched his shadow, making it flicker and shift in length.

"Where has my little brother been off to?" Before he had walked very far, a smiling female voice drifted from behind him.

Uchiha Ao's entire body stiffened. He turned slowly to see Uchiha Izumi leaning against a wall, his shadow clone standing right beside her.

"Sister Izumi." Uchiha Ao gazed at her, then glanced at the shadow clone bound in ropes at her side, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

"My little brother has even learned how to use shadow clones to deceive his sister now. You've truly grown up." Uchiha Izumi twirled a lock of hair around her fingertip, her eyes fixed on the shadow clone—which was tied up like a rice dumpling—with a look that was half-smile, half-scowl. "You claimed you were going to stay home to study ninjutsu, yet you ran off to go on a date with a little girl from the Hyuga clan, and even waved your hand to pay a hundred thousand ryo."

Oh, boy. I've really done it now.

Uchiha Ao's throat tightened. He let out a dry laugh and took a half-step back, only to collide with the cold wall behind him.

Uchiha Izumi paced forward, her long hair swaying gently with each step. In the blink of an eye, she had closed the distance, looming right in front of Uchiha Ao. She braced one hand against the wall, trapping him in the narrow space. "Tell me, little brother, how should I punish you this time?"