Chapter 25. Believe in Our Friendship
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"Finally, they're gone." Uchiha Yuto watched the two departing groups, shook his head with a sigh then looked at Suzune, who seemed a bit down. "What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled.
"Nothing~" Suzune replied with a smile, shaking her head.
"..."
But she didn't look okay; otherwise, why would she leave several plates of meat untouched?
That's not like Suzune's appetite at all~
Of course, Yuto could probably guess the reason.
It was likely because of what Fugaku had mentioned earlier... the Hyuga family's nonsense.
The branch family exists solely to protect the main family, with their lives controlled by the main family. In a way, there's no freedom to speak of, let alone anything else.
And the solution to this is simple...
Just be strong!
When Hinata married outside the clan—did the Hyuga family dare to place the Caged Bird Seal on her or her children?
The moment they even think of it...
Naruto: "Sasuke, someone's trying to place the Caged Bird Seal on my wife and child."
Sasuke: "What are you going to do?"
Naruto: "Remember when the Uchiha clan's blood was spilled on that dark night?"
The Hyuga family might just meet the same fate as the Uchiha clan!
Yuto patted Suzune's head and smiled. "Don't worry, you're with me; nothing will happen."
Who would dare to challenge Uchiha Yuto?
Have they seen what happened to Danzo recently?
Lately, he's barely been seen; ever since he established the Root, he's been paranoid.
With a bounty on his head, he probably feels like everyone around him is after him.
He might even think his best friends want to cash in on him!
So, he's been keeping a low profile recently.
Since Yuto returned, he hasn't heard any strange rumors about Konoha.
"Mmm~" Suzune felt comforted by Yuto's words. That familiar warmth made her cheeks flush slightly as she recalled the time... she had been sitting alone, watching others enviously. Then, a little boy approached her happily and asked, "Do you want to play together?"
She felt her heart lighten and nodded slightly. "I'm fine," she whispered.
"Are you full? If so..."
Before Yuto could finish his sentence...
"Still... a bit more to go," Suzune mumbled, her head slightly bowed in embarrassment. "Did I eat too much?" she asked shyly.
"..." Yuto looked silently at the tall stack of plates beside her, then laughed it off. "Not at all! I'm not full either. Let's keep eating!"
"Mmm~"
...
Time flew by.
The guests gradually left, and even Jiraiya, quite tipsy, staggered out. Before leaving, he laughingly invited Yuto to join him for more fun, but Suzune shot him a sharp glare.
This old pervert!
As if Uchiha Yuto would join him in something like that!
After asking where he planned to go, Yuto decided he'd lecture him about it next time, then gave the pervert a firm kick out the door.
He actually thought he could invite this rich man?
He was underestimating Uchiha Yuto!
The Chief Elder and the Hyuga Elder woman also left quietly, coming and going without causing any commotion.
Yuto had thought the Chief Elder would approach him about funding the Uchiha clan, but it seemed... he'd truly just come along to have BBQ with the old lady.
I underestimated him!
Truly underestimated him!
After finishing, night had fallen.
For many, this was just when the fun began, so as one group left, another arrived. The shop remained as lively as ever.
Yuto marveled again at Suzune's appetite, and since he'd eaten so much, he walked her home to digest the meal.
Meanwhile...
Two simply dressed old men appeared at the entrance of Yuto BBQ.
One of them held a tobacco pipe, smiling as he looked around, while next to him... a man wrapped in bandages scanned his surroundings warily.
His eyes were filled with suspicion!
As if any diner nearby might rob him.
"Welcome! This way, please!"
Following the server, the two chose a discreet corner to sit.
"This place is nicely decorated," Sarutobi Hiruzen, in a simple disguise, nodded approvingly, picking up the menu and smiling. "They have quite a variety. That kid truly has a knack for business!"
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Danzo, who was still watching his surroundings with suspicion and sighed. "Relax; no one in Konoha is going to make a move on you."
"Hmph! A ninja must remain vigilant at all times!" The ever-suspicious Danzo scoffed at Hiruzen's reassurance, took a sip of the tea the server brought, and said seriously, "Hiruzen, you really are getting old!"
"..."
Still as stubborn as ever!
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled helplessly and opened the menu. "What do you feel like eating?"
"I don't care; let's just eat quickly. I should get going—this is a complete waste of time." Though Danzo was in Konoha now, he couldn't shake the feeling that everyone around him was untrustworthy. It was always like this, but recently, it had grown worse.
As he thought…
Konoha had really gone downhill under Hiruzen's management, to the point where even Danzo himself felt uneasy.
Suddenly, Danzo noticed someone sneaking glances his way for about three minutes, and he tensed up immediately.
Are they a hunter sent after me?
Fixating their gaze on one spot, avoiding eye contact, acting all suspicious… There's definitely something behind this!
Could they be after his head?
Root! Root! Where's my backup? Get someone over here, quick!
However, this strange behavior caught Hiruzen's attention as he was ordering. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Someone's got their eye on me. We need to send a Root ninja to arrest them. Someone might be planning something in the shadows."
"…"
Where?
A spy?
Hiruzen grew serious, but after seeing who Danzo was pointing at, he sighed. "That's just a regular family; they run the bathhouse by the village gate."
As expected, Danzo had indeed become too paranoid lately. Was it a spy? If he was, how could he—the Hokage, who constantly monitored and cared about all of Konoha with his crystal ball—not know?
And why were they staring at Danzo? Likely because his trench coat was wrapped up too tightly, causing others around them to glance over.
Shaking his head with a sigh, he closed the menu, finished ordering, and called the waiter. Once the waiter had walked away, he spoke, "Don't worry; we're here to relax tonight. A mere 360 million ryo isn't enough to make someone take a risk here in Konoha…"
Before he could finish, a loud commotion erupted nearby.
It was a group of Konoha ninjas.
"Did you hear? I heard there's a record-breaking bounty on the black market, even higher than the First Hokage's!"
"I heard! It's been rising recently—it's up to 370 million now."
"That's insane! Who is it? Should we team up for it?"
"With a bounty that high, this person is no ordinary target, higher than the First Hokage himself. We Genin should stop kidding ourselves."
"You never know! Remember Lord Yuto's words: 'It's good to dream; it might just come true.'"
"True! Then our dream is to take down that target and claim the biggest bounty!"
Cheers erupted, voices boisterous as they toasted their impossible dreams.
"…"
Wasn't it supposed to be safe?
Danzo shot Hiruzen a dark look, his eyebrow twitching as he felt uncomfortable all over. "Hiruzen, you…"
"Nothing, nothing. Don't worry; it's just 300… 70 million." Hiruzen smiled, gazing at Danzo. "You know, how could I harm my best friend?" With that, their food arrived, and Hiruzen quickly invited Danzo to eat. "Come, come! Let's eat! Would you like a beer? Orders over 3,000 ryo come with free drinks. It's rare to have time off—why don't we… stay until we can't walk?"
As if a mere 370 million ryo could shake the friendship between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo!
Believe it or not, even if Danzo passed out right next to him, he wouldn't touch a single hair on his friend's head!
A measly 370 million ryo!
However…
"No!" Danzo refused without hesitation.
A ninja.
Drinking could lead to mistakes. From now on, he resolved to quit drinking, starting today.
But still…
Who dared to put a bounty on me? Once I find out…
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
…
"Ah-choo!"
As autumn arrived, Konoha's nights turned chilly.
At that moment, after walking Suzune home, Uchiha Yuto watched her disappear inside, shook his head with a sigh, and turned to walk home himself.
Then he stopped.
Squinting slightly at the lone figure silhouetted in the night, he smirked and murmured, "Is he finally back?"