Let's Go Together

In the afternoon, after school, Kirito, Chizuru, and Nawaki stood at Hokage Rock with cleaning tools, washing the stone faces of the three Hokage.

All three had already mastered the technique of walking on water with Chakra, allowing them to stand on the rock wall and clean it with ease.

But compared to Hokage Rock, the three of them were simply tiny. Completely washing it clean was no small task.

Especially working under the blazing sun—it was downright brutal.

"It's all your fault. If you hadn't run off on your own, I wouldn't have been punished and sent here to clean Hokage Rock with you."

Nawaki hung upside down beneath his granduncle's nose, holding a cleaning mop as he complained.

It was not that he particularly minded doing this. The main issue was that Kirito had slipped away without taking his good buddy along, instead taking that annoying Uchiha girl with him. That was seriously unbrotherly.

What was so great about that violent girl? Was it because she was kind of cute? His good buddy was not that shallow.

"Don't say that, Nawaki. Chizuru was hurt, so I took her to the infirmary. As classmates, that was only natural, right? Don't you agree? Besides, Wasabi-sensei was way too heartless. She actually punished us by making us come here afterward. She really isn't a good teacher."

Kirito, who was cleaning the Second Hokage's stone face, heard Nawaki's complaints and decisively shoved all responsibility onto Wasabi Mitarai, whom he disliked. He did not think he had done anything wrong at all.

Of course he did not.

He was just a victim. He had clearly done nothing, yet he had been punished along with them. It made no sense.

Then, he had even taken the injured Chizuru to the infirmary for treatment. He should have received praise for that, yet instead, he was punished with cleaning Hokage Rock after school.

Kirito felt terribly wronged. At a time like this, he should have been in the library, enjoying Three-Color Dango while reading.

Standing on the Third Hokage's stone nose, Chizuru ignored Nawaki and silently continued poking at the nose with her cleaning mop. But when she heard Kirito's words, she instinctively looked at the bandages around her elbows and knees, then nodded.

"That's right. Wasabi-sensei isn't a good teacher. I had already finished one hundred laps of frog jumps, yet she still punished me by making me come clean Hokage Rock. She has no sense of right and wrong."

Nawaki nodded in strong agreement.

At the same time, nearby, Wasabi Mitarai—disguised as an ordinary staff member with the Transformation Jutsu—heard Kirito and Nawaki's conversation. Her fists clenched again, and she nearly failed to hold herself back from jumping out to give them a beating before assigning them even more work.

"If there's a next time, I'll make them clean every public toilet in the village."

Wasabi Mitarai made up her mind, revealing a dark, wicked smile.

Kirito and Nawaki suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. Their bodies shuddered, and they had a very bad feeling. They quickly gave up slacking off and went back to working hard.

Near sunset, the three finally finished cleaning Hokage Rock. They were all somewhat exhausted by then, and their stomachs had begun to growl.

"Nawaki, let's go eat some pan-fried dumplings."

Kirito rubbed his flat stomach and suggested it.

Yakushi Nonō had opened a small snack shop on the village's Food Street. The food she introduced was novel, cheap, and delicious, and with Kirito using his network of little friends to promote it around the village, business was currently quite good. It had already become a stable source of income for the Orphanage.

"Pan-fried dumplings? That new food that appeared in the village? I've had it a few times. It's really good. No time to waste—we should go now."

Nawaki was hungry already. At the suggestion, he immediately licked his lips and agreed without hesitation.

Seeing that Nawaki had no objections, Kirito looked at Chizuru, who was gathering her things to leave, and smiled. "Chizuru, do you want to come too?"

Chizuru's entire body stiffened, and an unexpected expression appeared on her face.

She had never eaten with other children before. Ever since her parents died, she had always eaten alone.

A feeling of longing began to well up in her heart.

But she had not finished today's training yet. She did not have time to waste.

"Come on, the pan-fried dumplings are delicious. You'll definitely like them."

Just as she was about to refuse, Kirito continued speaking. Then he grabbed her hand and led her along.

"Wait."

Chizuru only came to her senses after being pulled forward several steps, and hurriedly spoke up.

Nawaki happened to cut in, saying disdainfully, "Hah~, why invite her along?"

"Nawaki, that's where you're wrong. We were punished together, so we've already become companions who shared hardship together. Isn't it only natural for us to go eat together? Or does the future Hokage not want to eat with his companions from the village?"

Kirito immediately said.

He did not have any deep grudge against Chizuru Uchiha, nor against the Uchiha Clan. On the contrary, because the Uchiha Clan had not taken advantage of him for free, he had a fairly good impression of them.

So he had no intention of letting his relationship with Chizuru develop into one of enemies. It would be even better if they could become friends.

The Uchiha were unlike the Third Hokage and Danzo. They were a clan with a strong sense of honor. Though arrogant, they were loyal.

If one could truly become friends with them, they would be people worthy of entrusting one's back to. There would be no need to worry about being stabbed in the back.

Unless it was an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and become mentally unstable, betrayal was impossible.

At the mention of Hokage, Nawaki immediately perked up. He promptly changed his tune and said grandly, "Of course not. Let's go eat pan-fried dumplings together. This time, I'm treating."

With that, the future Hokage eagerly rushed ahead.

"What were you saying just now?"

Seeing Nawaki take the bait, Kirito smiled, then turned to ask Chizuru.

"Nothing. Let go of my hand. I can walk by myself."

Chizuru opened her mouth and spoke somewhat awkwardly.

Kirito quickly let go, then hurried after Nawaki ahead of them. He turned back and waved Chizuru over, signaling for her to catch up.

Seeing this, the corners of Chizuru's lips curved slightly. She quickly caught up like a ninja, coming to Kirito's left side, and the three of them headed together toward Food Street, the village's bustling dining district.

Meanwhile, Kari Uchiha, concealed atop a nearby large tree with the Camouflage Technique, watched the three gradually depart. He looked at Chizuru with gentle eyes, then coldly glared at Kirito before vanishing from the spot with the Body Flicker Technique.

Not long afterward, Kari Uchiha reported to Homura Uchiha that Chizuru had gone to eat with Kirito and Nawaki.

"Lord Homura, should we stop this?"

Kari Uchiha knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and spoke.

"No. There's no need to interfere. Let things take their natural course. However, her training must be completed. After Chizuru returns, you will supervise her. She is not permitted to rest until she finishes her training."

After hearing the report, a trace of surprise appeared on Homura Uchiha's face, but he quickly concealed it and replied coldly.

"Yes."

Kari Uchiha answered respectfully, then vanished from the spot with the Body Flicker Technique.

It's hard for a newcomer to make a name for themselves. I hope all you readers will drop by often and help boost the follow-up reading rate. After reading, please vote for and invest in this book. If you could send some monthly tickets and rewards too, Haruko would be endlessly grateful. Being a new author with a new book is really tough.