Early the next morning.
Uchiha Kei and the three members of Team 7 watched Momochi Zabuza and Haku leave.
Watching the seemingly endless convoy, Naruto wore a miserable expression.
Gone...
It was all gone...
Instant noodles, Three-Color Dango...
They had all been hauled away!
"Can you show a little backbone?"
Seeing Naruto's mournful face, Uchiha Kei did not know whether to laugh or cry.
This guy had worn that expression ever since yesterday, as if someone owed him money and refused to pay it back.
"What do you know?! They didn't just haul away money—they hauled away my impossible dream too!"
The more Naruto spoke, the worse he felt.
"Backbone..."
Uchiha Kei ignored him and turned to Sasuke and Sakura.
"The mission is complete. You can return to the village."
Sasuke immediately caught the implication in Uchiha Kei's words.
"Us? Aren't you coming back?"
The moment he heard that, Naruto stopped sulking and stared at Uchiha Kei as well.
"I won't be going back just yet."
Uchiha Kei looked toward the convoy, now no more than a tiny black dot.
"Is it because of the Yang Organization? Do you want to investigate it yourself?"
Naruto stared at Uchiha Kei's face.
Uchiha Kei froze for a moment and rubbed his nose.
"Of course not. I just want to wander around a bit. You know..."
"You're lying!"
Naruto did not listen to his explanation at all and bluntly exposed him.
"Whenever you lie, you rub your nose. You've done it for years! You can't fool me!"
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
Three pairs of angry eyes glared at Uchiha Kei.
"Hehe... well... um..."
Uchiha Kei gave an awkward laugh. He instinctively raised a hand to rub his nose again, only to force himself to stop.
"Fine. I do want to