Seeing Kizaru nod, Matatabi immediately lunged at him.
She wanted to see just how far Kizaru planned to take this little act.
"Ah!"
Konan, who had been trying to push the boulder away, shut her eyes in fear when she saw Matatabi charging toward them and cried out.
Yahiko's face changed.
Without thinking about the danger, he threw his arms around Konan and pulled her tightly into his chest, using his own small, thin body to shield her from the blue-flamed tiger.
Kizaru watched them and gave a helpless smile.
Then he put strength into his right foot.
Bang!
The boulder pinning his leg was kicked straight into the air.
In the next instant, his figure blurred.
Before Yahiko or Konan could even understand what had happened, Kizaru had already picked both of them up and flashed to a flat patch of ground far from the cave entrance.
The two children, who still had their eyes shut tight, slowly opened them again.
Boom!
The boulder fell from the sky and smashed into several pieces beside Matatabi, who had been rushing forward.
Yahiko stared at the tiger near the cave entrance, then slowly turned to look at Kizaru standing behind him.
"Uncle…"
At that moment, in Yahiko's eyes, Kizaru looked impossibly tall.
Almost like a real hero.
"Oh-ho-ho…"
With one hand in his pocket, Kizaru lifted his sunglasses with the other and lowered his head slightly.
"You two stay right here, okay? I'll go hunt that tiger for you."
After saying that, Kizaru walked forward with both hands in his pockets, passing between Yahiko and Konan as his white coat fluttered in the wind.
So cool!
So amazing!
Yahiko's eyes shone as he stared at Kizaru's back.
Konan clasped her small hands tightly in front of her chest and looked at him with worry in her eyes.
Please don't get hurt…
"Roar!"
Seeing Kizaru step forward, Matatabi let out a roar from deep in her throat.
You bastard…
Are you done playing around yet?
"What a scary monster."
Kizaru looked at the roaring Matatabi and said it with that same slow, teasing smile.
Monster?
You're calling me a monster?
Matatabi's anger flared, and she raised one massive paw before swiping it down at Kizaru.
Kizaru took one step forward.
Before the giant claw could land, his body vanished from the spot and appeared above Matatabi's head.
Matatabi's attack missed.
She raised her head and looked at Kizaru floating above her.
For some reason, a bad feeling flashed through her heart.
This guy…
He isn't seriously going to hit me, is he?
Matatabi did not have to wonder for long.
In midair, Kizaru turned halfway, placed one foot against the air as if stepping on solid ground, then dropped straight down and swung his right fist.
Bang!
The punch landed directly on Matatabi's head, knocking her to the ground.
"Ow!"
Matatabi let out a cry of pain.
Of course, it did not actually hurt that much.
She lay on the ground and glared hard at Kizaru as he landed beside her, her eyes full of resentment.
Kizaru gave her an apologetic smile and took another step forward, raising his fist again.
Before he could throw the second punch, Matatabi immediately turned her head to the side, shut her eyes, and stopped moving.
She was pretending to be dead.
Kizaru's fist froze awkwardly in midair.
Looking at Matatabi's painfully obvious acting, he could only lower his hand and return to his usual posture with both hands in his pockets.
What a terrible actress…
Kizaru sighed inwardly, then turned around and looked toward Yahiko and Konan near the cave entrance.
"Uncle!"
Yahiko shouted and ran over while holding Konan's hand.
"You're amazing!"
Stopping in front of Kizaru, Yahiko raised his head and looked at him with open admiration.
"Just a little."
Kizaru smiled modestly and raised his fingers, making a tiny gap between them.
Konan, still being pulled along by Yahiko, had a faint blush on her small face from embarrassment.
She glanced at Matatabi, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, then looked back at Kizaru in surprise.
This unreliable, weird uncle…
He was actually that strong?
"Uncle, what are you going to do with this monster?"
Standing beside Kizaru, Yahiko felt completely safe now. He looked curiously at Matatabi, who was still lying motionless on the ground.
"Let's go look for the treasure first."
Kizaru changed the subject with a smile.
He was a little worried these two children might say something unfriendly and make Matatabi angry for real.
"Yeah!"
The moment Yahiko heard the word treasure, his attention was instantly pulled away, and he nodded excitedly.
"Then let's go."
Kizaru said lazily and walked into the cave with the two children.
This treasure cave had been temporarily made by Kizaru using a shadow clone.
The inside was very simple.
There were no traps, no mechanisms, and no decorations. Aside from being fairly deep, there was nothing special about it.
After walking for less than ten minutes, the three of them reached the end of the cave.
Holding the glow stick Kizaru had bought before they set out, Yahiko looked around at the bare stone walls. A trace of disappointment appeared in his eyes.
"Uncle… there doesn't seem to be any treasure here."
Kizaru, who naturally knew there was no treasure in the cave, looked around and smiled freely.
"Oh-ho-ho… looks like I was tricked."
"Uncle…"
Yahiko's face fell.
"If there's no treasure, then you won't have money to ask Princess Tsunade to treat you."
As soon as he said that, he remembered that Kizaru would die if he did not have money for treatment.
Yahiko's chest tightened painfully.
He walked in front of Kizaru, raised his small head, and tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes.
Even though they had only known Kizaru for half a day, Yahiko and Konan had already grown attached to him.
Compared to Yahiko, who showed his emotions directly, Konan was quieter and more restrained.
She felt just as sad, but she forced herself not to cry.
Instead, she walked to the wall at the end of the cave and began carefully touching around it.
"There might be a hidden mechanism here."
Konan's voice was soft but serious.
"The treasure might be behind it."
Yahiko immediately wiped his tears.
Hope returned to his face.
"You're right, Konan! The treasure must be hidden behind some kind of mechanism!"
After saying that, Yahiko turned around, ready to search the wall with her.
But before he could move, Kizaru placed a hand on his shoulder.
Yahiko stopped and looked back in confusion.
"Uncle?"
Kizaru lowered his head and smiled.
Then he gently shook his head.
"No need. I already know where the treasure is."
"What?"
Yahiko's eyes widened in surprise.
Konan, who had been searching the wall, also stopped and looked back curiously.
Kizaru raised his hand and motioned for Konan to come over.
After she returned to his side, Kizaru placed one hand on Yahiko's shoulder and the other on Konan's.
Then he bent down slightly.
With a smile that was both sincere and faintly unserious, Kizaru looked into their eyes and said slowly,
"Isn't the treasure right here?"
"Where?"
Yahiko immediately looked around, not understanding.
Beside him, Konan froze.
She seemed to realize something.
Her hands slowly clasped together, and her lips parted slightly as she stared at Kizaru.
Kizaru smiled at the two children in front of him.
"Meeting you two today… that's my greatest treasure."
For a moment, the cave fell completely silent.
Yahiko and Konan stood there blankly, unable to say anything.
Almost a year had passed since they became orphans.
Since then, they had depended only on each other.
But today, for the first time in a long while, they had felt warmth from someone else again.
"Uncle…"
Yahiko murmured.
Tears welled up in his eyes again.
This time, they were not tears of fear or sadness.
They were tears of happiness.
Yahiko raised his hand and tried to wipe them away, but no matter how much he rubbed his face, more kept falling.
Konan was the same.
Tears gathered in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.
She bit her lip gently and stared at Kizaru, as if she wanted to remember his face forever.
Seeing the two children crying, Kizaru finally stopped pretending.
He straightened up and formed a hand seal in front of them.
"Release."
The moment his voice fell, white smoke burst around his body.
Under Yahiko and Konan's shocked gazes, Kizaru's appearance changed back to his original form.
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