Chapter 6 — Kaguya: What Is an Important Person?
Hearing Kakashi's words, everyone nodded. However, Sasuke frowned and suddenly spoke up, "There's something I don't understand. That person… why does she have the Byakugan?"
As soon as he said this, the atmosphere fell silent.
"Yeah, that Kaguya has the Byakugan. I was wondering about that before too—I even thought she might be from the Hyūga Clan!" Naruto Uzumaki said.
"Could she really be from the Hyūga Clan?" Sakura asked doubtfully.
"Probably not. Aside from the Byakugan, nothing about her matches. Her complexion, her aura—none of it resembles the Hyūga Clan at all," Kakashi shook his head.
He had interacted with the Hyūga Clan before and understood them far better than the three of them.
Kaguya was absolutely not a member of that clan. Without a doubt.
But then… why did she possess the Byakugan?
Moreover, from their very first encounter, she seemed… wary of them. No—that wasn't quite right. It would be more accurate to say she was wary of the chakra within their bodies.
But why?
There were simply too many mysteries surrounding her.
Kakashi cast a glance toward the backyard, at the figure standing there gazing up at the sky. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Why… could he no longer sense her chakra either?
And with that, the meeting came to an end.
...
Noon
Inside the vast residence, Kakashi and the others sat together, staring at the plate in front of them… something that could hardly even be identified as food.
Naruto's expression was extremely strained. In his imagination, no matter how poor this country might be, the food shouldn't be this bad.
But he was wrong—terribly wrong.
"Sakura, can this even be eaten?" Naruto asked bitterly, though he tried to keep his face steady.
"It… should be fine?" Sakura forced herself to say.
Seated at the head of the table, the Emperor noticed their troubled expressions and immediately asked, "Why aren't you eating? Does it not suit your tastes?"
"No, no, not at all!" the four of them shook their heads at once.
"There's no need to be so polite. Please, go ahead and eat," the Emperor said gently.
Naruto gritted his teeth and began stuffing the food into his mouth. Bad as it tasted, he could still force it down.
Aside from vegetables, he wasn't particularly picky.
After all, when he was younger, even though the Third Hokage had looked after him, he spent money recklessly and would run out within days.
Most of the time, he survived in the forest, making do with whatever he could find—edible or not, poisonous or otherwise…
Anything was better than starving.
Seeing Naruto start eating, the others followed suit. There was barely any flavor to speak of—it was practically tasteless, like boiled water.
Kaguya took a single bite before stopping, her delicate brows knitting together. She was somewhat hungry as well, but this kind of food simply couldn't sustain her consumption.
What she needed was… something else.
Her gaze drifted toward Naruto.
Unconsciously, she licked her lips.
......
Evening
Before nightfall, Naruto had already slipped into the forest. He had no interest whatsoever in the Ancestor Nation's dinner.
So he came out to find food for himself.
As flames crackled, Naruto lifted a large pot and began cooking his dinner.
"As expected, when it comes to food, you've gotta make it yourself!" Naruto blinked his wide eyes as he watched the pot.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Naruto turned his head sharply toward the forest and shouted vigilantly, "Who's there? Come out!"
The forest fell silent for a moment.
Then, a figure slowly emerged.
Naruto paused slightly.
"Oh—it's you, Kaguya."
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"I came out for a walk. I saw the fire and came over to take a look. I didn't expect it to be you," Kaguya said calmly.
A lie.
From the moment Naruto left, she had been following him closely. She had a purpose.
"Hahaha, is that so? I thought you came out because you couldn't get used to the food either," Naruto laughed.
"The grilled fish is almost done. Want to try some?" Naruto asked.
"No. That kind of food can't replenish the energy I need," Kaguya shook her head. But in the next moment—
Gurgle~
Her stomach let out a soft sound, and a faint blush crept onto her face. She had only taken a single bite at noon—she really was hungry now.
Naruto blinked in surprise before grinning. "Your stomach doesn't lie. There's plenty anyway—I can't finish it all myself. Let's eat together."
"Here!"
As he spoke, Naruto held out a freshly grilled fish to her.
Kaguya froze for a moment, then accepted it. "Thank you."
"No problem," Naruto replied casually, already tearing into another grilled fish with big bites.
"…It's good." Kaguya took a small bite, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"Right? It's delicious, isn't it? Even the Third Hokage said the same thing before!" Naruto grinned, looking just like a fox.
The mushroom soup in the pot was also ready, though its color was… questionable, a mixture of all sorts. Despite its rich aroma, it looked rather suspicious.
Kaguya frowned slightly. "This… isn't poisonous, right?"
"I don't know. You'll find out once you eat it!" Naruto said, shaking his head.
That was how he had always lived. If it was poisonous, he'd just sleep it off. If it wasn't, then no problem.
This was the amazing ability he had awakened as a child!
No matter what kind of poisonous food it was—just sleep, and he'd be fine!
"That makes sense," Kaguya said, her round eyes widening slightly.
She felt Naruto's reasoning was sound—after all, you'd only know after eating.
And so, one naïve girl and one reckless fool quickly finished off the entire pot of unknown mushroom soup.
"Ahh… that feels great. Way better than the food here. As expected of me!" Naruto lay back on the grass, gazing up at the starry sky.
Kaguya followed his example, lying down as well and looking up.
"How strange. There are so many stars, but why isn't there a moon?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"The moon?" Kaguya tilted her head, puzzled.
"It's like a really, really big rock. Iruka-sensei told us about it before. The moon is probably made of stone or something. It appears every night—such a huge moon. So why isn't it here?" Naruto said.
"So that's the moon…" Kaguya murmured. Then she asked, "Who is Iruka-sensei? Is he important to you?"
"He's super important! Iruka-sensei is the best teacher in the world—he's my most, most important person!" Naruto said earnestly.
Thinking back to that night, he knew he would never forget it.
"The most important person…?"
"Hey, Kaguya, do you have someone important to you?" Naruto asked casually out of boredom.
"Someone important?" Kaguya was startled, completely unable to understand.
What was an important person?
"What is an important person?" Kaguya tilted her head, utterly confused.
Those pale white eyes of hers were filled with bewilderment—a confusion so deep it stirred something within Naruto.
That look… so lost… so lonely… just like…
"An important person is someone who always thinks about you and wants to protect you. That's probably… what it means," Naruto said.
Even he didn't fully understand it.
But to him, Iruka-sensei and his companions were the driving force that kept him moving forward.
Hearing this, Kaguya fell silent, recalling her past—deception, being treated as a sacrifice, a clan steeped in darkness…
"I don't really understand… but I guess I don't have one," Kaguya said slowly.
She had never experienced any of the things Naruto described.
Someone who would think about her, protect her, stand by her…
Such a person had never appeared in her life.
"That's kind of sad… but you'll definitely find one someday!" Naruto said confidently.
"Why?" Kaguya tilted her head again, not understanding.
"Because I already found mine!" Naruto replied with a bright smile.
Even someone as lonely as him had found a light to guide his life.
What a strange person.
Kaguya looked at the boy, feeling puzzled.
Just because he had found one… did that really mean she could too?