Chapter 137: People Can Be Selfish
Haruko rubbed his chin, the scene of him kicking Shiranami like a stray dog by the roadside flashing through his mind.
"He actually got counter-killed? Is that old man, the En no Gyoja, going senile?"
"Watch your words."
Anko glanced around, and seeing the diners chatting amongst themselves, she lowered her voice to explain:
"I only just heard the details. After Shiranami was taken back, his attitude was incredibly good—he was all apologies and repentance."
"The En no Gyoja went soft. He felt the guy really had talent and thought about correcting his ways, thinking he might even take over his mantle."
"And then it turned into a 'The Farmer and the Viper' situation?" Haruko sneered.
"Pretty much." Anko gritted her teeth. "That bastard's nature is hard to change. Taking advantage of the En no Gyoja letting his guard down, he took the En no Gyoja's granddaughter hostage and used the Word Binding Jutsu to control them both."
"The Word Binding Jutsu again..." Haruko shook his head as he listened.
Haruko actually knew that move too, but he hadn't really developed it much.
It wasn't useful for fighting and wasn't needed for daily life; currently, it was in a rather useless state.
'Well, playing tattoo puppet games with Kaede would be quite interesting..."
"In short, all three of them are missing now. A follower named Tonbei ran to Konoha to ask for help, and the Village has already sent people out to look for them."
Anko reached out and poked Haruko's forehead. "You have a grudge against Shiranami, and I heard you even tortured him? He might come looking for trouble with you, so be careful during this time."
"Seek revenge on me?" Haruko acted as if he had heard a funny joke. "Let him come; I'll kick his head right off."
Just a clown who didn't know the heights of the heavens; Haruko wasn't too worried.
What he was truly worried about was "Heavenly Fury Eruption" itself, which was like a nuclear bomb.
If this power fell into the hands of certain people...
"Tsk... that old guy really knows how to cause trouble. He should have been executed immediately back then."
Outsiders didn't know, but as a transmigrator, Haruko knew perfectly well.
Things reaching this point was likely due to the En no Gyoja's selfish motives.
The lineage of Katsurayama Mountain was sparsely populated; besides Shiranami, only Hotaru could take over the core of Heavenly Fury Eruption.
But that Heavenly Fury Eruption thing—whoever was implanted with the core was equivalent to a Jinchuriki.
And as everyone knows, the treatment of a Jinchuriki in the Ninja World...
All that talk about cherishing talent or correction was just because he couldn't bear to let his own granddaughter do it and wanted someone else to carry the burden.
"I think so too, but since it's come to this, just be careful yourself." Anko put away the photo. "By the way, why hasn't the stuff I ordered come out yet?"
"Ayame, two cups of mung bean paste and a plate of dango!" Haruko shouted toward the dessert room.
"Coming right up~"
"So you haven't even started making it yet!"
...
After seeing Anko off, Haruko first went to the basement—though he didn't think that clown was capable of breaking into Konoha, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Returning to the front desk, two figures he didn't really want to see appeared in the shop.
"Oh! He really is working in this shop!"
Just from the voice, Haruko knew who it was—the representative of the muscle-brains from the Hidden Cloud Village and his opponent in the Chunin Exams finals, Atsui.
Following behind Atsui was a stern-looking young man with blonde hair.
C, an elite Jonin of Hidden Cloud Village and the Fourth Raikage's right-hand man, was an all-around support proficient in sensing, Medical Ninjutsu, and genjutsu.
The moment he entered the shop, his sharp eyes scanned every corner like a radar before landing on Haruko.
"Welcome, what would you like to eat?" Haruko handed the menu to the two who sat at the counter.
"I want a jumbo bowl of miso char siu! The one with the most meat!"
"...I'll have the same as him."
C was completely absent-minded; Haruko could sense him using a Sensory Ninjutsu.
'Seriously, he's not even trying to hide it..."
"Speaking of which, you're my opponent for the third round. What, here to gather intel?" Haruko teased, though his eyes drifted toward C.
"Haha, exactly! I just came to check out my expected opponent for the third round!" Atsui laughed mindlessly.
"You're strong. That guy with the glasses from before was messily strong after taking those drugs, but he still lost to you. I'm looking forward to fighting you."
Seeing Atsui's posture, as if he couldn't wait to fight him for three hundred rounds right now, Haruko just wanted to facepalm.
"You're not bad either. I remember three teams came from your Hidden Cloud Village, right? In the end, only you made it to the finals."
Haruko first exchanged some polite flattery, then changed the subject.
"So what about the others? Staying in Konoha for a month to watch the finals? Or going straight back to the Hidden Cloud Village? I remember your team leader was a dark-skinned guy—did he take them back?"
"Oh, they didn't go back; they'll stay until the Chunin Exams are over. Darui-sensei is... mgh-mgh!"
"Shut up, Atsui!"
Just as he reached the key point, C, who had snapped back to his senses, covered Atsui's mouth, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Does this shop casually pry into guests' privacy? Is this Konoha's way of hospitality?"
Leaning on the counter, Haruko remained unfazed by the elite Jonin's hostility, even showing a playful smile.
"Oh, so me making some small talk is prying into privacy... then what do you call using Sensory Ninjutsu ever since you sat down?"
"I..."
"What, did you think I wouldn't notice just because I'm a Genin? Have you people from the Hidden Cloud Village gotten used to doing whatever you want on other people's turf?"
Atsui scratched his head, seemingly not yet realizing what the two were talking about.
C's face darkened further: "You seem to have quite a problem with our Hidden Cloud Village."
"Forgotten what you've done yourself? Then let me remind you: that eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan you kidnapped is now a regular here. Whose kid are you eyeing this time?"
"You fellow..."
Labeled a human trafficker in just a few words, C was starting to lose his cool.
"What's going on!"
Konoha's Police Force pushed the door open and entered, cooling down the escalating tension.
Haruko looked up and saw the leader was from the Uchiha. An unremarkable middle-aged man was also standing in the corner.
"It's nothing big; these two friends from the Hidden Cloud aren't quite used to Konoha's environment."
The Police Force looked at C, then at Haruko.
"Since you said so, Haruko, I'll give you face. But foreign Ninja, please follow Konoha's rules."
"I understand." C's eyes flickered as he pulled Atsui up to leave.
"Eh? C-sensei, we haven't eaten our noodles yet!"
"...Shut up!"
...
"Oh, I forgot to ask them for the noodle money."
After closing the door, Haruko suddenly slapped his forehead, his face full of regret.
"Haruko, isn't this a bit too... doing business should always be about harmony and making money." Teuchi walked out from the kitchen with a complex expression.
"Old man, you don't understand. Those Hidden Cloud guys only fear power and don't respect virtue; yielding at a time like this would only make them push for more."
Haruko explained, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Although he wasn't afraid of Hidden Cloud Village, Haruko didn't intend to let things escalate—a few sharp words were one thing, but if they came to blows, especially with C, the Fourth Raikage's right-hand man, it might turn into a diplomatic issue.
And if it really became a diplomatic issue... with the Third Hokage's personality, he would likely be the one to suffer in the end.
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