In the afternoon, business at Ichiraku Ramen was a bit slow.
Just as Ruichi was debating whether to spend the entire afternoon rocking in his reclining chair or go fishing, Hinata appeared at the entrance.
"Brother Ruichi…"
She was accompanied by two other clan members, one older and one younger.
The younger one was a little girl who looked only three or four years old, curiously sizing up everything in the shop.
The older was a woman in her early twenties, wearing a white maid's apron over her kimono.
"Oh, Hinata, welcome." Ruichi stood up to greet them. "Brought company today?"
The woman bowed slightly.
"Hello. My name is Natsu Hinata. I am responsible for Young Lady Hanabi's daily affairs. This is Young Lady Hinata's younger sister, Young Lady Hanabi."
Hyuga Hanabi blinked her large Byakugan eyes and greeted him in a childish voice,
"Hello, Brother Ruichi."
Ruichi squatted down.
"Hello, little Hanabi. What would you like to eat?"
While they were talking, Kin came out from the kitchen carrying tea.
When she noticed the way Hinata was looking at Ruichi, a faint sense of crisis welled up in her heart, and she instinctively moved closer to his side.
It was a girl's intuition—she vaguely felt that this girl in front of her had unusual feelings toward Brother Ruichi.
Hinata, in turn, noticed another girl around her own age standing so close to Ruichi, and an inexplicable emotion quietly sprouted in her heart as well.
Ruichi didn't notice the subtle tension between the two girls; his attention was completely drawn to Natsu's outfit.
A maid… nice.
He subconsciously glanced at Kin.
A small girl with long black hair—if she wore that outfit and called him "Goshujin-sama"… tsk, tsk, tsk.
Forget it. That'd just attract a swarm of flies.
During the meal, Ruichi noticed that Hinata ate unusually little today, and her posture was almost overly proper.
Looks like she can't relax in front of her family.
The meal soon came to an end.
Natsu glanced at the clock on the wall and said to Hanabi, who was still playing with her mung bean soup using a small spoon,
"Young Lady Hanabi, it's getting late. We should head back for your afternoon lessons."
"Eh…"
Hanabi pouted, clearly reluctant.
"Young Lady," Natsu said firmly.
Seeing the atmosphere grow stiff, Ruichi turned and went into the kitchen. He quickly returned with an exquisitely wrapped paper parcel.
"Hanabi, you have to study hard when you go back. After your lessons, have Sister Natsu give you this snack, okay?"
Hanabi blinked her big eyes at the parcel in Ruichi's hand.
"Is it sweet?"
"It's lightly sweet—you'll definitely like it."
Ruichi smiled and handed the parcel to Natsu.
"This is a new mung bean cake we're testing in the shop. It's not too sweet, so kids can eat it."
Natsu froze for a moment, then hurriedly waved her hands.
"That would be too much…"
"It's fine, just a test batch."
Ruichi gently placed it into her hands.
"Please try it and tell us what you think so we can improve it."
With things put that way, Natsu could no longer refuse.
"…Alright. Thank you very much."
"Hinata, you should take some too."
Ruichi leaned down and handed Hinata another package, whispering softly,
"If you're hungry later, just eat these first."
"A-ah… thank you…"
Hinata's face instantly turned bright red, steam practically rising from her head as she stiffly accepted it with both hands.
After seeing the Hyuga group off, Ruichi stretched and turned around—only to find Kin staring straight at him.
"You get some too. I saved a portion for you."
He rubbed her head, and only then did a smile return to the little girl's face.
---
The moon was bright, the breeze cool, and the diners gradually thinned out.
The shop curtain lifted, and the person who entered was none other than Itachi.
He wore casual clothes, his face visibly tired, eyes bloodshot.
This guy's been coming more and more often lately.
Ruichi sighed inwardly. He knew this double agent had come again to seek some emotional relief.
"Oh, Itachi. The usual?"
"Yes. And add fried dumplings and five meat skewers."
Itachi's voice sounded hoarse in the quiet shop.
"Wow, you must be really hungry."
Ruichi joked as he set down a bowl of ramen, then turned to prepare the fried dumplings and skewers.
Itachi shook his head, saying nothing, and silently ate.
"Busy with missions lately?" Ruichi asked casually while serving the food.
"Mm," Itachi replied briefly.
After a long while, he finally set down his chopsticks and looked up.
"Ruichi… how do you view 'duty'?"
Ah, so now we're at the psychological counseling stage.
Ruichi shrugged lazily.
"Just hearing that word gives me a headache. I just want to lie down comfortably, eat well, and drink well. As for troublesome things, I avoid them if I can—and dump them if I can't."
"But…" Itachi hesitated, "some responsibilities can't be avoided."
"Then find someone to share them."
Ruichi tapped the table lightly.
"Take this shop, for example. It belongs to the old man—serving customers is his responsibility. But he can find me to help share the load."
"…I understand," Itachi said softly, a trace of relief in his voice.
He knew Ruichi was hinting that he shouldn't carry everything alone.
Seeing the light return to Itachi's eyes, Ruichi quickly added,
"But be careful who you share it with. Don't choose someone irresponsible or unreliable."
"Mm. I will. Thank you."
Ruichi watched Itachi leave the ramen shop; his steps seemed noticeably lighter.
Hope he figures things out. Otherwise, him running here every day is going to be a problem. I don't want to get dragged into this eventually.
---
Over the next few days, Ruichi felt increasingly uneasy.
So I'm still being watched…
He lay back in his reclining chair, eyes half-open.
The one across the street is ANBU, and the one behind the shop… Root, right? Looks like the old fogies really have their eyes on me.
Finally, a transfer order arrived in Ruichi's hands:
Report immediately to the Eastern Border Outpost.
"No way?!"
He wailed, his face full of resentment.
Border duty was pure misery—long hours, harsh conditions, endless trouble, and terrible pay.
"So annoying! My life was finally getting good, and those scheming bastards just had to mess with me!"
Border patrol, where you could run into enemy ninja, should logically be a B-rank assignment. Yet it was classified as C-rank—something even genin could do.
The reason was simple: too many people were needed, and Konoha lacked both enough chunin and enough funds.
Recently, the eastern Land of Water had clearly been restless. Sending a rookie like him made no sense—this was obviously deliberate.
Ruichi's instincts screamed that this was a test from Konoha's higher-ups.
He had been getting too close to Itachi, and the Third Hokage and Danzō were starting to notice him.
"But of all places… why the east?"
For Ruichi, this mission carried a hidden danger.
Since arriving in Konoha, he had never used the power of Shikotsumyaku, so his background hadn't been exposed.
But the eastern border was different.
He had lived in the Hidden Mist Village until he was six. He had even been labeled a genius back then, leaving an impression on many people.
Though his appearance had changed greatly over the years, his signature white hair was still far too eye-catching.
If he ran into Hidden Mist ninja, he might be recognized.
Already under suspicion, if his Hidden Mist origins were exposed now, he'd be in serious trouble.
But whether he liked it or not, he had no choice.
Unless he planned to leave Konoha entirely, he had to accept this transfer.
"What a pain…"
Ruichi sighed.
"Fine. Let's prepare first."