At Ramen Ichiraku, Diarmuid had just finished a bowl of ramen obtained through the fine art of freeloading, and he couldn't be more satisfied.
True to his word, he didn't pay a single ryo. After offering a few more choice words of praise, Teuchi's father was so overjoyed that he practically viewed Diarmuid as a kindred spirit. He declared on the spot that whenever Diarmuid wanted ramen in the future, he would receive a lifetime half-off discount.
Diarmuid accepted the offer without the slightest hint of modesty.
Wiping his mouth, he stood up and looked at the group of kids next to him, saying with a grin, "The world belongs to the youth. Keep it up, brats."
"We aren't brats!" Anko snapped back.
"Hahaha..." Diarmuid ignored them, gave a casual wave, and stepped out of the ramen shop, continuing his trek toward the Hokage Rock.
Watching Diarmuid's back as he vanished into the crowd, Anko let out a sigh, a look of genuine regret on her face. "What a waste..."
Genma, who was gnawing on a toothpick, asked, "What's a waste?"
"It's a waste that a guy that handsome is a friend of Orochimaru-sensei. Doesn't that mean I don't have a chance to chase him?" Anko clicked her tongue.
It had to be said, these shinobi kids were all precociously mature. Speaking of which, Anko turned to look at Rin. "Don't you agree, Rin?"
Rin blinked, then smiled. "When you put it that way, I suppose it is a bit of a shame."
In truth, she wasn't interested. Her heart was set on Kakashi. However, in Kakashi's own words, he was "scum" who had once tried to abandon her. Because of that, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to accept those feelings. Thus, Rin never found the chance to say the words out loud.
Much like Obito's final regret as he lay buried under the rubble: he had never managed to confess to Rin.
The two girls continued their chatter, but the moment Diarmuid was completely out of sight, Kakashi suddenly stood up. "Don't be fooled by his appearance. That man is extremely dangerous. We were just walking along the edge of the grave."
His sudden shift to a dead-serious tone confused his companions.
Might Guy asked directly, "Why would you say that, Kakashi? I thought that uncle was a pretty good guy?"
"Diarmuid! He is Rodriguez Diarmuid!" Kakashi said in a low, heavy voice. After a brief pause, he added, "The S-rank international criminal who killed the Third Raikage and the Earth Daimyo, the 'Outlaw,' Rodriguez Diarmuid!"
As Kakashi's words landed, the others finally realized the truth. They hadn't paid much attention at the time, but now that they thought about it, the man had indeed casually said, "I, Diarmuid, am willing to call you the strongest!"
"No way? I didn't feel any 'outlaw' aura from him at all!"
"I can't believe it was actually him!?"
Anko, however, blinked and said, "Wait, so him being friends with Orochimaru-sensei was a lie? They aren't actually friends? Does that mean I have a chance again?"
Kakashi: "???"
Might Guy: "???"
What is wrong with your thought process?Are we even talking about the same thing?
Kakashi couldn't be bothered with the boy-crazy Anko. He cut straight to the chase. "Regardless, the Outlaw appearing in our village is a critical situation. I'm going to report this to Lord Third immediately. Rin, go find Minato-sensei and tell him everything!"
Rin stood up and nodded firmly. "Understood. I'm going now."
The group disbanded instantly. Kakashi sprinted toward the Hokage's office, while Rin set off to find Minato.
…
At Minato's home.
Minato was sitting at a table, engrossed in a book. He wasn't wearing his forehead protector or flak jacket, appearing perfectly relaxed in his civilian attire. The book in his hand was none other than his mentor Jiraiya's work, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.
Minato had nearly read it three times through, yet he never grew tired of it. He had always viewed the protagonist, "Naruto," as a model for how a shinobi should live.
"Have some fruit." A beautiful woman with long, burgundy hair placed a fruit platter on the table. "Where is Jiraiya-sensei?"
She was Uzumaki Kushina, Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" had ultimately ended up with the village's "Gentle Sun." The two were a model couple, deeply in love.
One could only wonder how the Nine-Tails inside Kushina felt about Minato's constant presence...
Minato's face broke into a warm, sun-like smile. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that when he smiled, the room felt a few degrees warmer.
"Jiraiya-sensei said he went to 'collect data,'" Minato replied.
Kushina rolled her eyes. "Even if you're his disciple, you should stop him from doing that sort of thing!"
Minato blinked. "Why?"
"You don't know?" Kushina asked, surprised.
"Know what?" Minato looked back with a look of pure, innocent confusion.
Know that his 'data collection' is just peeping at the women's bath...
Seeing Minato's genuinely puzzled expression, Kushina ultimately couldn't bring herself to say it. She shook her head. "Nothing."
Minato scratched his head, feeling a bit lost. Just then, there was a rapid, urgent knocking at the door. Before Minato could speak, Kushina walked over and opened it.
"Rin? Has something happened?"
"Kushina-neesan!" Rin greeted her quickly before turning to Minato. "Minato-sensei, are you here? Something big happened! The Outlaw... he's in the village right now!"
The book in Minato's hand slammed onto the table as his gaze sharpened instantly. He walked to the entryway. "Rin, are you sure?"
"Yes. Kakashi and the rest of us saw him with our own eyes. He's wearing silver-white haori and hakama with a tiger embroidered on the back. He has a sword at his waist and looks..." At this point, Rin's cheeks flushed slightly.
"..."
Kushina asked urgently, "What? Does he look terrifying?"
"No... no... he looks even more handsome than Minato-sensei," Rin whispered softly.
Kushina: "???" No way. Is there really someone more handsome than my Minato?
Minato, meanwhile, wore a look that said, 'That hurts, Rin.'
Despite Rin's simple description, Minato was almost certain that Rodriguez Diarmuid had indeed arrived.
"Wait for me," Minato said.
The moment the words left his lips, he vanished. A few seconds later, he reappeared at the entrance, now wearing his Jonin flak jacket and tying his Konoha forehead protector. "Has Kakashi gone to inform Lord Third?"
"Yes," Rin nodded.
"Let's go. We need to find this 'Outlaw.' We can't let him do anything dangerous in the village," Minato said seriously.
"I'm coming too!" Kushina interjected. Being her usual bold self and already in her standard attire, she didn't need to change. She stepped into her shoes at the door.
Kushina wasn't pregnant yet, and as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she was only restricted from leaving the village; she was free to move within it. In terms of raw power, Kushina was formidable, especially as a survivor of the Uzumaki Clan, possessing mastery over many powerful Fūinjutsu (Sealing Jutsu).
In fact, Diarmuid truly was wary of the mysterious Fūinjutsu. After all, even someone as god-like as Otsutsuki Kaguya had been sealed away in the moon for thousands of years by such techniques. When used correctly, Fūinjutsu could ignore raw power gaps, allowing the weak to suppress the strong. The Nine-Tails, in all its Yin and Yang glory, was far stronger than Kushina, yet it was held in an iron grip by her seals.
Minato knew his wife's stubborn nature well and didn't try to stop her. He nodded, and the three of them set out together.
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Residence, Hiruzen was listening to Kakashi's report with a look of surprise.
"Oh, and another thing... the man claimed to be on very good terms with Orochimaru-sama. I don't know if it's true," Kakashi added.
"Orochimaru?" Hiruzen's brow furrowed.
Thinking back, Orochimaru had disappeared for over six months recently. Hiruzen hadn't known where he went. But after his return, Danzo had begun submitting a massive amount of classified intel regarding Kumogakure, earning a significant amount of merit.
Now, Hiruzen began to connect the dots. The timing of Orochimaru's disappearance coincided perfectly with the incident involving the Third Raikage. And once he returned, Danzo suddenly had access to the Cloud's secrets?
Previously, he hadn't given it much thought. But with Diarmuid's "self-introduction," if Hiruzen still couldn't figure out the situation, he wouldn't be fit to be Hokage. In all likelihood, Orochimaru really was in contact with the Outlaw. They might have even collaborated!
But now wasn't the time for such reflections. Hiruzen stood up, his voice grave. "Is anyone tracking him?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No. Based on Jiraiya-sama's assessment, I am no match for him. I didn't follow him to avoid making him suspicious."
"Understood." Hiruzen nodded and picked up a crystal ball from his desk.
Crystal Ball Jutsu!
This was a supplementary ninjutsu developed by the "Professor" himself, allowing him to observe the entire village through the crystal ball. If the user knows the target's chakra signature, they can observe them regardless of distance. Publicly, Hiruzen claimed this jutsu was for maintaining village security. Whether the old lecher used it for other, less noble purposes... well, that was anyone's guess.
Hiruzen didn't have Diarmuid's chakra signature, so he couldn't find him instantly. However, based on Kakashi's intel that Diarmuid was heading toward the Hokage Rock, Hiruzen focused his search on that area.
Soon, on the scaffolding and stairs leading up the face of the monument, Hiruzen spotted the handsome figure Jiraiya had described. He was leisurely climbing the stairs, one step at a time.
The Hokage Rock was a famous landmark in Konoha and was open to the public. To reach the top and overlook the village, one had to climb the long flight of stairs on the cliffside. It sounded dangerous, but it was actually quite safe, it was just exhausting due to the sheer height. In earlier years, it was a popular spot, but nowadays, few people bothered to climb it. As for shinobi, they usually didn't bother with stairs.
Thus, Diarmuid was currently the only person on the stairs, taking his time to admire the view.
"Found him. He's at the Hokage Rock. Let's go," Hiruzen commanded.
He dispelled the Crystal Ball Jutsu, donned his Third Hokage robes, and left the office with Kakashi.