Return to the Hidden Leaf Village!

Whoosh! In the dead of night, a vortex suddenly appeared above the dim streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. Arriving along with it was Riu, dressed in black and blending into the darkness. Beneath his hood was a brand-new orange mask marked with black patterns.

His Sharingan gleamed through the mask's two eyeholes in the night.

"Finally, I've come back here..."

Looking at the four words Ichiraku Ramen before him, Riu felt deeply moved.

He lifted the noren curtain and walked inside.

"Welcome!"

Behind the counter, which also served as a dining table, the Ichiraku owner, Teuchi, dressed in chef's attire, greeted him warmly.

At this time, Uncle Ichiraku was still in the prime of his life, his face yet untouched by the wrinkles of age. Beside him, his daughter Ayame slept soundly in a baby carriage.

"A large bowl of rich pork bone ramen..."

Riu sat in the rightmost of the three seats at the counter, closest to the wall.

This time, he had come alone without Tobi. He was afraid that Tobi would chatter endlessly about poop while they ate and ruin his appetite.

Ichiraku ladled pork bone broth into a bowl, then scooped up the ramen with a strainer and placed it in the broth. He topped it with chopped scallions, red ginger, and more, melding color, aroma, and flavor into one bowl before setting it before Riu.

"Sir, your rich pork bone ramen."

"Mm."

The fragrant aroma assaulted his nose and stirred his taste buds. Riu could no longer wait. He snapped apart his chopsticks, removed his mask and set it aside, then lowered his head and began to eat.

Slurp!

The noodles were springy, smooth, and chewy. The broth was richly flavored, thick, and fragrant.

It was delicious—ten times better than the best ramen Riu had ever eaten in the past. Once he started, he simply could not stop!

As Riu savored his meal, two ninja lifted the noren curtain and entered the ramen shop side by side. By coincidence, they were Might Guy and... Kakashi!

Guy wore his signature green jumpsuit. Kakashi's left eye was covered by a black eyepatch, but beneath it was no longer a Sharingan—only an empty eye socket...

"Boss, two large bowls of miso chashu." Might Guy blinked his big eyes beneath his thick brows, his teeth gleaming as he held up two fingers to Ichiraku before dropping into the leftmost seat.

Kakashi, meanwhile, unhurriedly sat in the middle seat. When he casually turned his head and saw Riu's profile obscured by long hair, he briefly lost focus...

"Here you are, your miso chashu." Only when Uncle Ichiraku set the two bowls down did Kakashi withdraw his gaze.

"Say, Kakashi, our record so far is twenty wins and twenty losses. How about our next contest is seeing who can finish their ramen first?" Guy said energetically as always.

"Sorry, I really don't feel like it right now..." Kakashi said listlessly. He snapped apart his chopsticks, pulled down his face mask, and began eating without much interest.

Guy looked at Kakashi with a complicated expression.

Half a year ago, Kakashi had lost Rin and his Sharingan. After being rescued and brought back to Konoha, he had suffered tremendous physical and emotional trauma. He had remained in Konoha's rehabilitation hospital for treatment until officially leaving a month ago, but he had stayed in this dispirited state ever since.

Guy withdrew his gaze, snapped apart his chopsticks, and wolfed down his ramen. In less than a minute, he had finished the noodles, then gulped down every drop of broth. Setting down the bowl, he wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth and looked solemnly at Kakashi.

"Kakashi, as both your rival and your closest friend, I can understand how you feel. I've gone through such a time myself, because of what happened to my father, Might Duy. Losing yourself in grief is an insult to the dead. I believe what Obito entrusted to you was not only his eye, but also his will. If he were alive, he definitely wouldn't want to see you like this."

Kakashi's chopsticks paused. He said wistfully, "I understand everything you're saying. Even though I understand, I can't let it go. I failed to protect Rin, so I have no right to possess that eye. I think this must be Obito's punishment from beyond the grave—that's why he took his eye back. He must... hate me to the bone."

Guy frowned. "Kakashi, aren't you overthinking this a little...?"

"Maybe. But I've already decided to join Root," Kakashi said, dropping a bombshell.

Clang! Guy shot to his feet and said in disbelief, "Root!? Kakashi, are you serious!?"

Noticing the look Ichiraku gave him, Guy realized he had lost his composure. After apologizing, he sat back down and quietly asked Kakashi, "Was this the Fourth's decision?"

"No, it was my own," Kakashi said. "Half a month ago, Root headquarters was attacked by a mysterious ninja, and several members died. Danzo exaggerated the incident in his report to the Land of Fire's daimyo, claiming that the Fourth had deliberately let the enemy in to undermine Konoha's foundations."

Guy frowned. "Would the daimyo believe that kind of nonsense?"

"Before this, probably not. But a month ago, Hokai of the Fourth's direct ANBU unit attempted to assassinate the daimyo, which planted doubts in his mind. Combined with this incident, the situation is extremely unfavorable for the Fourth."

"Hokai... He may be strong, but he doesn't seem like someone with the nerve to do something like that. Could Root be behind it?"

"ANBU had the same suspicion, so they sent people after Hokai to uncover the truth. But just last night, the dispatched ANBU were killed—and it was their leader, Yūhi Uzuki, who did it! This dealt another blow to the credibility of the Fourth's ANBU. It was only because the Third stepped in and staked his own reputation on the Fourth that the situation was barely calmed. But Root's condition was that Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, be placed under Root's supervision. The daimyo agreed..."

Guy immediately saw through it. "The Jinchūriki... Could Danzo be trying to..."

"That's right," Kakashi said grimly. "Danzo has coveted the position of Hokage for a long time. He must want to seize control of the Nine-Tails and shake the Fourth's position. Things have reached the point where even ANBU can no longer intervene. The only thing I can do is join Root and protect Kushina as best I can, so the Fourth has no worries and can get through this crisis..."

Guy said worriedly, "But Kakashi, you know what kind of person Danzo is. You could lose your life!"

"It doesn't matter," Kakashi said resolutely. "I failed to protect Obito, and I failed to protect Rin. Someone like me doesn't deserve to live. At the very least, I should help shoulder some of my teacher's burden..."

Beside them, Riu finished his ramen, paid, put on the mask he had set aside, and rose to leave.

On the sparsely populated street, Riu looked up at the moon obscured by dark clouds, his gaze deep. Though I have no plans to capture the Nine-Tails for now, letting it fall into Danzo's hands will create many problems in the future. In the script I intend to bring about, Naruto is no longer the protagonist. At the very least, I must give him a carefree childhood. I cannot repeat the same mistakes. Kushina will be the last Nine-Tails Jinchūriki in ninja history...

Whoosh. An ominous wind swept through the streets. Riu turned to look into the village's darkness.

"Danzo, it's time to pay him a visit..."