Chapter 9

In the dimly lit room, Danzo was busy scribbling on paper, his movements barely visible in the darkness. The scratching sounds were quiet but purposeful, suggesting a secret plan in the making. Despite the occasional flicker of light, revealing his gloomy face, he remained mostly concealed in the shadows. Notably, he wore a bandage over his right eye and a full bandage on his right hand, adding an air of mystery to his figure.

Suddenly, a Root ninja, emotionless and seemingly blended into the darkness, arrived to deliver a scroll to Danzo. The old man took the scroll without much reaction, opened it, and read it with a stoic expression. Without saying a word, he put the scroll away and resumed his scribbling.

As he continued his work, he murmured, "Is it the Hyuga? Or the kid?" 

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, when Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, who self-proclaimed as the strongest Hokage, working silently on documents, an Anbu ninja emerged before him, placing a scroll on the table without a word and swiftly 'shunshin' away. Hiruzen took a puff of smoke, exhaled, and then carefully took a look at the scroll.

His eyebrows raised as he murmured, "An invitation from the Daimyo's place? To Hyuga Hiroshi?" His initial thought pondered if the Hyuga clan was trying to expand its influence. However, dismissing the idea as foolish, he shook his head and took another puff of smoke.

"Cat."

"As you order, Hokage-sama." A black figure promptly appeared upon the command.

"Give this scroll to my secretary, he will know what to do."

"Hai!" With a swift 'whoosh,' the figure disappeared.

Hiruzen then resumed his work, reflecting on his fleeting suspicion, mulling, 'What am I thinking? Just a talented kid.' Slightly shaking his head, the village leader continued with his duties, perhaps underestimating the potential significance of the unfolding events.

.......

In the past month since the establishment of Kanbi. The Kanbi fast-food store enjoyed immense success because it offered a variety of appealing features: delicious food, quick service, and a comfortable dining environment. Whether people were seeking something new and satisfying, a speedy bite before work, or an enjoyable dining experience with a fun atmosphere, the Kanbi store catered to their needs. This versatility and quality made it a popular choice among customers. 

Over time, the name "Kanbi" began to solidify in the minds of many Konoha villagers, marking a successful first step in establishing its brand. As a result, when a new Kanbi shop opened, even if villagers didn't have high expectations, they were willing to give it a try. However, those who visited the Kanbi coffee shop on that day would be in for a pleasant surprise.

Initially, people had low expectations for the Kanbi coffeeshop. While they were somewhat familiar with the meaning of fast food and could anticipate what to expect, the same couldn't be said for Kanbi's coffeeshop. Many villagers were aware of coffee but didn't necessarily have a liking for it. In their understanding, coffee mainly originated from the Land of Earth and was treated as a specialty of that region. The lack of a dedicated effort to develop and refine the taste of coffee resulted in a subpar final product. Moreover, the high cost of sugar also made it less popular and became an exclusive drink enjoyed by only a specific group of people. In short, the coffee culture in the Naruto world was not well-established. 

The menu wasn't limited to just coffee, it featured an extensive array of beverages. Not only did it offer a variety of coffee options with fancy names like black coffee, cappuccino, espresso, latte, and macchiato,... but also various types of juice with different fancy names, and also various types of tea with, again, different fancy names.

But, especially noteworthy among them was something called milk tea, which also had numerous variations with, also, different fancy names. As the people who visited the store firsthand perused the menu, they were met with nearly 100 different drinks, experiencing a mix of 90% surprise, 5% confusion, and 5% existential contemplation, like "What? Why? How?".

While the price for each drink was not expensive, most people couldn't afford to try all of them. Instead, they opted to sample drinks that caught their fancy. Consequently, the delightful taste of these beverages left them utterly enchanted. Word-of-mouth spread like wildfire, drawing more customers to the new store eager to experience the flavorful delights for themselves.

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"Do you really like that book?" Sarutobi Asuma asked with a wry smile, though inside, he was feeling a tad irritated. 'I thought this was supposed to be a date. But she hasn't even looked at me for like 10 minutes.'

"What do you mean? This is Hiroshi-sensei's new book, of course, I have to read it. Besides, my friends also said that this new novel is very good. I heard they praised it for its unconventional take on wars and its beautiful storytelling. And even for some reason, the Inuzuka clansmen have been living in the Forest of Death after reading this book, about returning to nature or something as I heard," Kurenai answered without even lifting her head off the pages.

"But you've been reading for like 10 minutes already," Asuma tried to argue. He had finally managed to get a day off from all the D-level tasks and had finally had the courage to ask his crush out for a date. He didn't want it to end like this.

"And? It's just 10 minutes. Usually, you need hours to finish a book, so what's your problem?" she glanced at him with an annoyed look gradually appearing on her face.

"No, nothing, you do you," Asuma answered with a serious face, as his intelligence kicked back in.

She took a look at him and then took a sip of the newly brought milk tea to their table by the waitress. "Mmm, yummy," she remarked before glancing at Asuma's newly bought black coffee. "I don't know why you would like something that bitter. I've only ever seen Dad drink that stuff before."

"Oh, yeah, this coffee is totally my thing. It's got that... sophisticated bitterness, you know? Like, only real grown-ups can appreciate it. It's an acquired taste, but I'm totally into it," he said, taking a small sip and trying hard to hide a grimace. "Yep, definitely an exquisite drink."

Kurenai looked at him with a deadpanned face. "You forgot to add sugar to it."

"Ah, so that's why... Um, maybe you don't know, but I usually enjoy it without sugar. B-By the way, don't you think today is a little too crowded?" Asuma changed the subject, hoping to steer the conversation away from his mistake.

Keeping her dead-fish eye on him, Kurenai replied, "Well, every day it gets much more overcrowded since more and more people are hearing about this store. I heard that the owner is building a new shop in front of Hokage Rock, and another one at the village gate. By that time, it will probably get better."

She glanced around at the fully occupied tables in the store and the line of customers waiting to purchase take-out at the counter. "I still feel strange whenever I see that Hyuga onee-chan smiling brightly like that," she suddenly said, observing the Hyuga receptionist who greeted customers with the classic "Irasshaimase, Nani ka osagashi desu ka?"

"Everyone does," Asuma exhaled after feeling successfully diverted from the topic. "Before this, all the Hyuga people I knew were just like machines, with serious faces all day long. But it's a positive change, right?"

"Yeah, I heard some people talking about that. They mentioned that the Hyuga are not at all like what they thought. Despite hailing from a noble kekkei genkai clan, they are viewed more favorably than the arrogant Uchiha ..."

"Sheesh, look over there," suddenly, Asuma gestured discreetly in one direction. There was a group of Uchiha clansmen standing in line, evidently awaiting their turn. All of them held their heads high, with prideful faces.

"Don't let them overhear you, or you'll be in trouble," Upon hearing this, Kurenai promptly nodded, then changed the subject. "Speaking of which, I've been asked to purchase two cups of white chocolate mocha for Anko-chan. But with this queue, I'll probably need to wait for a long time."

"Don't worry, it's just waiting, isn't it? I'll wait with you."

"Eh, um, thanks, I suppose?" she replied, her expression slightly puzzled, the look in her red eyes seeming to say, 'Wait with me, for what? Like, wait faster?'