The commercial district of Konoha was still lively despite the cold winter evening.
Outside a small shop, Hayashi stood motionless while staring at the large signboard above the entrance. His expression looked exactly like someone who had just seen something completely unreasonable.
For a moment, he genuinely struggled to find words that could describe how he felt.
"So, as my..."
"Welcome back dinner!" Obito whispered quickly from beside him.
Hayashi slowly turned his head.
"Right. A welcome back dinner."
He looked at the shop sign again before continuing.
"You are five days late, and the best idea you came up with is treating me to ice cream?"
He crossed his arms and glanced at the group behind him.
"In the middle of winter, when the air is freezing, you want me to eat ice cream. Are you trying to be funny?"
"Big brother Hayashi, it is not about the gift itself. It is the thought that counts."
Standing behind him, Asuma Sarutobi spoke with the tone of someone sharing an important life lesson.
Hayashi looked at him from the corner of his eye.
Without saying anything, he calmly reached into his pouch and pulled out a kunai. He held it out toward Asuma.
"Here."
"A graduation gift that I prepared early for you. A Genin level weapon."
He rotated the blade slightly. The metal looked chipped and worn, and faint stains of dried blood were still visible.
"Remember, it is the thought that counts."
"..."
Asuma forced out an awkward laugh while quietly stepping back.
Could he really accept a gift like this?
Absolutely not.
Back when they were still at the Ninja Academy, this same man had once casually given someone an extremely rare weapon material rumored to be from the Hidden Mist Village's famous blade techniques.
Compared to that, this battered kunai looked like trash.
Even if the dried blood on it belonged to someone powerful, it was still junk.
"And you, Guy?"
Hayashi turned his attention to the boy currently doing push ups on the ground nearby.
How should one even describe this kid?
A bowl haircut.
A bright green training suit that had been popular in Konoha decades ago.
And a pair of extremely thick eyebrows above wide, energetic eyes.
Guy pushed himself off the ground, jumped to his feet, and gave a brilliant smile that almost sparkled.
"Only by eating ice cream during winter can we truly demonstrate the burning passion of youth!"
Hayashi stared at his extremely sincere face for a moment before rubbing his forehead.
Right.
A beast was always going to behave like a beast.
"And what about you, Kakashi?"
Kakashi, who had recently started wearing a mask over the lower half of his face, tilted his head slightly.
"I think salty ice cream tastes good."
Hayashi froze.
Salty ice cream?
The real question now was whether a devoted sweet lover like him should permanently remove such a heretic from his social circle.
Slowly, Hayashi turned to look at the final person responsible.
Obito.
The goggle wearing boy honestly raised his wallet and pointed to a red coupon inside.
"It expires this month if I do not use it."
"..."
The light slowly disappeared from Hayashi's eyes.
He felt completely defeated.
"Forget it."
"I will treat all of you to ramen instead."
He sighed and casually reached over, removing every single coupon from Obito's wallet before placing them into his own pocket.
"..."
Obito's face instantly turned the color of an eggplant.
Those coupons had taken serious effort to collect.
He had helped countless grandmothers cross the street to earn them.
Without those coupons, his pocket money would barely be enough to buy snacks.
And without snacks, how was he supposed to get closer to Rin?
This was not just a financial disaster.
It was sabotage against his love life.
"Is something wrong, Obito?"
Hayashi looked at him with complete innocence.
"If you are feeling sick, you can go home early. No need to force yourself."
"I can take the others with me."
He added casually.
"You would not want Kyoko waiting too long."
"No... I feel great."
Obito forced a stiff smile.
If he followed along, maybe he could still salvage something.
If he left now, everything would be lost.
Asking for the coupons back was impossible.
Obito still had a reputation to maintain at the academy. Losing face in front of everyone was not an option.
Under the cold winter sky, the group finally began walking toward their destination.
Ichiraku Ramen.
The most famous ramen shop in Konoha.
Its reputation was legendary throughout the village.
It was said that the shop sold nearly three hundred thousand bowls of ramen every year.
If all those bowls were placed in a single line, they could circle the entire village.
"The ramen here is great, but it feels too cheap."
Obito muttered while standing in line.
He had sacrificed an entire stack of coupons earlier. He wanted something that would at least hurt Hayashi's wallet a little.
Behind him, Asuma actually nodded in agreement.
Guy looked extremely excited, as if he had not eaten anything for several days.
Kakashi looked slightly conflicted.
Part of him wanted to show respect to his sensei, while the other part wanted to maintain his usual cool and distant image.
Hayashi simply watched them quietly.
The truth was that they had not gathered to welcome him back.
He was leaving for the battlefield soon.
This so called welcome dinner was actually a farewell gathering.
Each of them had their own reasons for being here.
Obito had recently heard new stories about Konoha's famous Lightning Flash and wanted to stay close to such a powerful figure.
Asuma had come because of instructions from his father. He hoped that getting closer to Hayashi might lead to another valuable gift someday.
Kakashi was Hayashi's disciple, so seeing his teacher off was part of his responsibility.
As for Guy, his father Dai had known Hayashi for years. Because of that connection, Guy had also spent a lot of time around him while growing up.
In a way, he was half a disciple as well.
"Hey, Hayashi, what are you doing here?"
After they finally stepped inside the shop, a familiar voice suddenly called out from a nearby table.
In the corner of the ramen shop, Kushina and Mikoto were sitting together.
They waved toward him.
The four boys standing behind Hayashi immediately froze.
Their expressions changed instantly.
Obito's eyes widened.
Why is Kushina sensei here?
He silently looked toward the others.
Asuma swallowed nervously while already thinking about possible escape routes.
Kakashi quickly adjusted his mask, trying to hide more of his face.
Guy rubbed his arms instinctively, remembering the extremely intense training sessions he had experienced before.
"Do not just stand there."
Kushina's voice suddenly rose several levels.
"Come over here!"
The famous "Red Hot Habanero" of Konoha had spoken.
With just one loud command, the four boys obediently walked forward like prisoners heading toward their punishment.
"I thought they were treating you."
Mikoto looked at Hayashi curiously.
"Why are you here instead?"
"Well..."
"We originally planned to eat yakiniku, but the restaurant was completely full."
Obito quickly interrupted with a bright smile.
"Really?"
Kushina narrowed her eyes while scanning the four boys suspiciously.
Hayashi lightly patted Obito's shoulder.
"Leave them alone, Kushina."
Kushina was now working as a teacher at the Ninja Academy, and these kids were part of her class.
They were completely terrified of this beautiful but extremely strict woman.
Kushina smiled slightly.
Her expression looked strangely similar to a fox that had just caught its prey.
"Your intimidation is even worse than mine, Hayashi sensei."
Hayashi laughed as he sat down.
Kushina raised her chin proudly.
"Of course."
___
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