Hyūga Neji froze for a moment, then his face changed drastically as he hurriedly yanked his pants back up. His already flushed cheeks instantly turned even redder, like he'd been thrown into a steamer. Stammering, he said,
"A-A-A-Ae… Akashō-sama, what are you doing…?"
"Haha, nothing much. You said you're Hyūga Hizashi's son, but you look way too much like a little girl, so I got a bit curious."
Akashō stood up with a smile and patted Hyūga Neji's head.
"Didn't expect you'd really be a little boy after all."
A drop of cold sweat slid down Hyūga Neji's forehead as he forced a straight face.
"Please don't make jokes like that, Akashō-sama."
"Alright, alright. So, what did you come to see me for?"
Hyūga Neji grew more serious and bowed deeply again.
"I came to thank you. Thank you for helping the Hyūga clan and saving my father's life."
"Oh, that."
Akashō nodded. Kids were different from adults—when Hyūga Neji came to thank him, it was genuine gratitude, not like the Hyūga brothers, who were just stating their stance while probing his.
"Oh right, Hinata-sama is here too, but she's too shy to come over, so she's waiting for us over there."
Hyūga Neji pointed in a direction.
"As thanks for helping the Hyūga clan, we'd like to treat you to lunch."
Akashō raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Sure, let's go."
Sigh, kids really are more straightforward. Not like their fathers—calling it thanks, but in the end it was just empty words.
Akashō shut the door and followed Hyūga Neji out. But as they turned a corner, they spotted a few figures on the path ahead.
"Hahaha! A demon fox is still a demon fox, hanging around those creepy Byakugan freaks! What's wrong, demon fox? Weren't you acting all tough just now? Get up!"
Not far ahead, three boys around seven or eight years old were pinning down a short blond figure, punching and kicking him. Nearby, Hyūga Hinata sat collapsed on the ground, covered in dust, her eyes brimming with tears, her face full of fear and confusion.
"Hinata-sama!?"
Hyūga Neji's expression changed as he immediately rushed forward. Activating his Byakugan mid-run, he knocked the three older boys down with a few swift blows.
"Oh? As expected of a big clan's child. He's only about three, right? Already at the level of a ninja academy student."
Akashō watched with interest as Hyūga Neji helped Hyūga Hinata up. The three boys he had knocked down scrambled to their feet and fled while shouting threats,
"Just you wait! We'll be back for revenge!"
Hyūga Neji glared darkly at their retreating figures, then quickly turned back to Hyūga Hinata.
"Hinata-sama, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Neji-niichan."
Hinata wiped her tears, then looked worriedly at the blond boy who had been beaten badly.
The blond boy struggled to his feet. The moment he glanced at Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Neji stepped in front of her.
"Hinata-sama, that boy is dangerous. You should stay away from him."
"But…"
Hesitation appeared on Hyūga Hinata's face. The village did say the blond boy was a demon fox, something terrifying… but he had just tried to help her, even if all he got for it was a beating.
Hearing Hyūga Neji call him dangerous and tell others to stay away, Naruto's eyes dimmed instantly. He turned around and started to run off.
But after just a couple of steps, he slammed into something that felt like a wall and fell flat on his backside.
Before Naruto could even look up to see what he had hit, the "wall" crouched down.
"You're Uzumaki Naruto?"
At some point, Akashō had opened an oil-paper umbrella and was looking at Naruto with a strange smile.
Naruto froze for a moment, then nodded. Unable to hold back, he spoke with a mix of fear and anticipation,
"You're… that biy from the other day… the one who killed someone in public."
"Mhm, that's me."
So the kid had watched that incident too. Seeing it with his own eyes, fear was only natural. As for that anticipation…
"Y-you're called Uzumaki Ho… Re-Red… what was it again…"
"You mean Uzumaki Akashō, right?"
Akashō's eye twitched. This kid couldn't even remember his name.
"Yeah, yeah, that's right! Uzumaki Akashō!"
Naruto nodded rapidly. And with just those few lines of conversation, the anticipation in his eyes had already overtaken the fear.
"Um, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I want to ask… are we related somehow? Do you maybe know my parents?"
"Hmm…"
Akashō tilted his head and thought for a moment.
"Take a guess."
"I guess??"
Naruto's eager expression froze, unsure what to say.
"Alright, forget that."
Akashō stood up and looked toward the Hyūga siblings.
"Since you're treating me to a meal anyway, might as well bring him along too."
"But—"
Before Hyūga Neji could finish, Akashō gave him a reassuring look.
"Relax. With me around, nothing will happen."
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