A few more days passed.
Zou Hyuga, who had not contacted Oto all this time, took the initiative to invite her on a mission. Their objective was to eliminate the rogue ninja in the nearby towns, making it a C-Rank Mission.
Oto Uchiha accepted his invitation, a barely perceptible hint of joy on her face.
The mission to eliminate bandits reminded her of their days as genin. Back then, all they had cared about was staying cautious and surviving, rather than being weighed down by so many worries as they were now.
As they passed along the main street, Zou Hyuga's eyes suddenly lit up. He had spotted Naruto Uzumaki standing alone by the roadside.
Naruto gazed longingly at the food stalls along the street.
Naruto did not seem to recognize them, even though they had spent quite a lot of time around him in secret.
Just then, several children approached Naruto, laughing and chatting, and took him into the nearby Ichiraku Ramen.
Zou Hyuga recognized those children. They were the heirs of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, and their fathers had once been the Fourth Hokage's teammates. Only children like them would approach Naruto Uzumaki of their own accord.
Seeing a smile gradually spread across Naruto's face made Zou Hyuga happy, too. Yet he let a covetous look slip into his eyes, subtly putting on a show for Oto Uchiha.
With his sensory abilities, it was not difficult to tell that Oto was merely forcing a smile.
Once this is over, I'll give her a proper apology. Hopefully, she'll forgive me. I really have gone too far this time.
As they passed through the village gates, Zou Hyuga was surprised to discover that the chunin guarding them had changed. The new guards seemed to be his age, and he had encountered