The barbecue restaurant's owner was somewhat surprised to see Tetsuya looking out for the kid so fiercely.
Still, he offered a worried reminder.
"Young Master Gō, I really shouldn't interfere with how you handle things, but I feel I ought to remind you of something. This is Konoha."
Although the owner hadn't spelled it out, his meaning wasn't hard to grasp.
He was reminding Tetsuya that, although he was the young heir to the Chiba Commerce Association, even a powerful outsider couldn't easily challenge the local authorities. This was Konoha, the Hokage's territory-not the Chiba Commerce Association's headquarters, much less the Land of Grass.
Naruto didn't understand what the owner meant or why being in Konoha was a problem.
But Kushina understood. All these years, she had watched everything outside from within Naruto, and she had seen the Third's attitude toward him change little by little.
She had seen the children ostracize Naruto and the adults discriminate against him.
Seeing her son treated this way truly distressed her, but what could she do? She was only a soul now. She couldn't even communicate with Naruto.
"Tch, so what? I know this is Konoha."
Tetsuya curled his lip dismissively, playing the spoiled young heir to perfection.
"My dad, Chiba Ryo, runs the Chiba Commerce Association. My grandfather is the Daimyo of the Land of Grass, and I'm the Chiba Clan's only son. One day, I'll take over the Chiba Commerce Association and become the Daimyo of the Land of Grass. If anyone has a problem, they can take it up with my dad or my grandfather.
"Even the Third can keep his damn complaints to himself."
As he spoke, he reached out and ruffled Naruto's blond hair.
"Kid, have you decided yet? If you have, tell them to bring the food."