In Konoha Village, the evening lights were just beginning to glow.
The lanterns on both sides of the street lit up one by one, reflecting the bustling crowd. The air was filled with the aroma of various snacks and the noisy sound of laughter and conversation, sketching a picture of peace and prosperity.
Hyuga Hinata walked alone on the road leading to the commercial street. She was dressed in a simple and elegant light blue casual outfit, the fabric soft and the cut fitting perfectly.
Her Cultivate had just come to a temporary halt. She hadn't actually dispersed her Clones; she was wondering from whom those Clones had learned such bad habits.
Regardless, she resolutely refused to believe this was her own nature. Impossible, absolutely impossible.
The mental fatigue after Cultivate far exceeded the physical, so she thought about putting aside her Cultivate for a while and coming out for a walk to let her tense nerves relax.
Her destination was clear—Ichiraku Ramen.
Lifting the Noren printed with the word "Ichiraku," a familiar warm atmosphere mixed with the rich aroma of bone broth and chashu wafted over her, dispelling the slight chill of the night.
"Welcome!"
Uncle Teuchi's loud voice, full of Origin Qi, immediately rang out. Seeing it was Hinata, a more cordial smile appeared on his face.
"It's Hinata! I haven't seen you in a while. Cultivate must be hard, right? The usual?"
"Yes, please, Uncle."
Hinata sat at her usual spot at the counter. Ayame smiled as she poured her a cup of warm Barley tea and said with concern,
"You're still growing, you should eat more."
"Thank you, Sister."
Hinata took the teacup, feeling the warmth from the porcelain through her fingertips, and her mood improved slightly.
In the interval while waiting for the ramen to be prepared, Hinata picked up the teacup and took small sips.
Her Divine Sense spread out with her as the center. This had almost become an instinct during her recent Cultivate breaks; it served both to train her fine control over her Divine Sense and to keep track of movements within the Village, making it another form of Cultivate.
However, this time, when her Divine Sense swept toward the Konoha Village gates, her movements paused slightly.
Two extremely familiar Chakra fluctuations appeared; it was Jiraiya and Naruto.
She focused her attention there and found that the Master and disciple seemed a bit disheveled.
Jiraiya was currently showing obvious dejection and a heart-wrenching sense of financial pain, as if he had lost something extremely precious to him.
Meanwhile, Naruto's Chakra was as it always was, like the most blazing little sun at high noon, filled with a vitality and life force that almost overflowed. But at this moment, within that vigorous vitality, there was clearly a thick mix of defiance, frustration, and the excitement brought about by a heated argument with the person beside him.
"What's going on? Did the Rasengan explode during Cultivate?" Hinata was somewhat puzzled and decided to continue observing.
Jiraiya's face bore an obvious look of gloom.
Naruto was dirty, and there even seemed to be slight wear on his knees. He was waving his arms and saying something to Jiraiya with great agitation, his face full of unwillingness.
"Hinata, your ramen is ready, be careful, it's hot."
Just then, Uncle Teuchi's loud voice interrupted her thoughts.
A massive bowl was carefully pushed in front of her. The rich miso broth base emitted an inviting salty fragrance. Several thick slices of chashu pork with beautiful char marks on the edges were laid over the white noodles, garnished with a soft-boiled egg, bamboo shoots, green onions, and seaweed. The colors were rich, making one's mouth water.
"Thank you, Uncle Teuchi."
Hinata composed her mind, thanked him softly, and turned her attention back to the delicacy before her. She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat in small bites.
While she meticulously tasted every bit of the ramen's flavor and enjoyed this rare moment of relaxation, she still set aside a thread of her mind to "pay attention" to Jiraiya, as if listening to background noise.
"It's all because you're so useless, Pervy Sage! Your tactical arrangements were a mess! If you could have been a bit more helpful and created a better opportunity for me back then, maybe my Rasengan would have brushed Granny Tsunade's clothes!"
This was Naruto's voice, full of Origin Qi yet carrying a strong complaint. Even from a distance, one could imagine him jumping in frustration.
"Brat! Shut up! That's Tsunade! One of the Sannin, Tsunade! You've seen her monstrous strength and speed for yourself! Do you think you're playing a Ninja game? You think you can handle it just with brute force and talk?"
This was Jiraiya's grumpy retort, his voice tinged with undeniable heartache and annoyance. When mentioning a certain keyword, his tone was especially resentful.
"My royalties! The royalties I earned from working so hard to write my books... Do you know how much money that was? Now it's all gone! Now I don't even have the funds for a hot spring trip!"
"Can you blame me entirely? Who knew she looks like an old lady but moves faster than lightning! And your intel was totally inaccurate, Pervy Sage! Didn't you say she loses every bet?"
"Brat, can strength and luck be confused? You summoned so many Clones and couldn't even get close. If you're bad, Cultivate more!"
"What did you say?! I was just careless! If you've got the guts, let me try again right now!"
"Try my foot! I'm out of money now! I barely have enough to buy you ramen! The mission wasn't even completed!"
"Stingy Pervy Sage!"
"You bastard brat, how dare you talk to your Master like that!"
...Listening to this old and young pair with no regard for their image, acting like cross-talk performers as they couldn't wait to start shifting blame and shouting at each other on the way back to the Village, drawing the gazes of passing villagers.
It looks like they went to find Tsunade, but it seems they hit a wall.
But it's normal. Now that things have deviated from the original work, Orochimaru has no reason to look for Tsunade. Tsunade is missing the part about seeing blood, and Naruto didn't touch the deepest part of Tsunade's heart, so naturally, she couldn't be brought back.
Hinata quietly finished the last bite of noodles, even using a small spoon to carefully drink the rich broth until the bowl was clean, fully demonstrating her respect for the food and Uncle Teuchi's craft. The taste was as excellent as ever, and both her body and mind were comforted.
She put down the chopsticks and spoon, placed the appropriate amount of coins on the counter, and politely thanked Uncle Teuchi and Sister Ayame again.
"Thank you very much, it tasted wonderful."
"Oh? No appetite today?" He was a bit surprised; Hinata hadn't eaten many bowls today. He had originally been prepared to have Ayame cook a bit more.
"Yes, I'll come back to support your business next time."
With that, she stood up and left the bustling Ichiraku Ramen shop.
On the street, Jiraiya and Naruto were still arguing heatedly while moving toward the Hokage Office, seemingly preparing to report this failed mission to the Third Hokage.
Naruto walked ahead crossly, occasionally looking back to glare at Jiraiya, while Jiraiya was lost in thought, seemingly considering writing a new book.
Hinata had no intention of going up to say hello; she just stood by the ramen shop and glanced at them.
The light from the lanterns on both sides of the street outlined Naruto's silhouette. He seemed to have grown taller than before he left, his shoulders were a bit broader, and his skin had tanned to a healthy wheat color from his long periods of traveling and Cultivating.
And Jiraiya, walking behind, although constantly complaining and appearing unreliable, Hinata keenly captured that deep in his eyes, as they occasionally fell on Naruto's back, there was hidden concern, helplessness, and... perhaps a faint guilt for failing to complete the task entrusted to him by his teacher.
She withdrew her gaze, lingered no longer, turned to merge into the crowd, and walked leisurely toward the Hyuga Clan Compound.
When the Konoha higher-ups learned that the candidate for the Fifth Hokage was still undecided, Danzo, who had been eyeing the Hokage position for a long time, probably wouldn't stay quiet for long and would surely take the opportunity to make a move.
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