"You… you're going to treat me to a meal?"
Hearing Akashō's words, Naruto immediately snapped out of his thoughts, his big eyes sparkling as he tugged at Akashō's sleeve.
"Not me—they're the ones treating."
"But if you don't say anything, they wouldn't take me along either."
"How are you this clueless? Saying something like that now—what if they change their minds and stop inviting us?"
"Oh… then I won't say anything."
"You've already said it—what's the point of shutting up now?!"
"Then what should I do?"
"Just keep quiet and follow along."
"But didn't you just say it's useless if I keep quiet?"
"You little—"
Over there, Hyūga Neji and Hyūga Hinata watched as Akashō grew increasingly irritated while talking to Naruto, cold sweat unconsciously forming on their foreheads.
With a single punch from Akashō landing on Naruto's head, Naruto finally clutched his head and quieted down.
Seriously, how did Namikaze Minato and Kushina end up having a son like this… then again, Kushina herself is a bit scatterbrained—must be hereditary.
"Alright, let's go."
Akashō called over Hyūga Neji and Hinata, about to head off for lunch when a burst of noisy shouting came from behind.
"It's them!"
The group turned around to see the three boys who had run away earlier, now returning with an older boy, looking aggressive.
"Hmph! Our friend is a sixth-year student at the ninja academy! Just a White Eye freak—get ready to kneel and beg for mercy!"
Looking at the four boys standing there with arms crossed and smug expressions, Hyūga Neji frowned slightly. After hesitating, he glanced at Akashō.
"Um… I might not be able to beat him. I'll have to trouble Akashō-sama to step in."
"Sigh, fine, fine. What a hassle."
Even though he had made quite a splash in the Hidden Leaf Village two days ago in front of almost all the ninjas and civilians, he hadn't really shown overwhelming strength. Those with decent ability didn't take him too seriously, and most children hadn't been brought along to witness him killing—so it was perfectly normal for a few kids who weren't even ninja academy students to act cocky in front of him.
A little scare would be enough.
Invisible strands of malice began to seep out from Akashō. Hyūga Neji and the others nearby immediately shivered, unease rising in their hearts as they instinctively shrank back.
"Why did it suddenly get so cold…"
Even those not directly touched by the malice were affected—let alone the four boys completely enveloped by it.
"Ahhh!!"
All four screamed at the same time, collapsing onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably. The arrogance on their faces vanished, replaced by sheer terror. As they looked at Akashō in the distance, it was as if they were staring at some ancient beast. Their lips quivered, unable to form words. The youngest among them, who hadn't even entered the academy, wet themselves in fear.
"W-what happened to them?"
Naruto and the others stared blankly at the terrified boys, unable to understand how they had suddenly become like this.
"Alright, problem solved. Let's go."
Akashō turned back and smiled at the three kids. Coming back to his senses, Hyūga Neji hesitated before guessing, "Genjutsu?"
"Something like that."
Akashō waved them along.
"Alright, forget about them. Let's go eat. I'm leaving after that anyway."
"Leaving? Akashō-sama, where are you going?"
The three kids looked at him in confusion.
"Leaving the Hidden Leaf Village for a while."
"Why? Because of the trouble earlier—are they kicking you out of the village?"
"None of your business. Shut it."
...
That night, Akashō quietly arrived at the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. Looking at the two guards who seemed stunned that he was leaving, he smiled.
"I'm not a ninja, so I don't need some kind of exit permit to leave the village, right?"
"Uh…"
The two guards exchanged glances before nodding hesitantly.
"Seems… like that's true."
"Mm-hmm. Then I'll be on my way. You two, do your jobs properly—don't fall asleep."
With a grin, Akashō waved and stepped onto the road, leaving behind the two embarrassed guards who had dozed off earlier when he arrived.
"Hm… I said I'd leave, but where should I go…"
Akashō pulled out a map. His main objectives in coming to the Hidden Leaf Village were basically complete—the things he wanted, Namikaze Minato's life, and an intelligence source.
As for the Third Great Ninja War, according to intelligence sent back by Danzō's spy in the Hidden Cloud Village, there hadn't been much reaction there to the deaths of the three members of the envoy team. It was likely they would soon send another delegation for peace talks, meaning the situation was about ninety-nine percent resolved.
With that, there wasn't much point in him staying in the Hidden Leaf Village any longer. The only thing that still interested him was Namikaze Minato's son, Uzumaki Naruto.
But unfortunately, the kid was too young. There was nothing to mold yet, and he wasn't the kind of child Akashō could freely shape at such an early stage—no fun in that.
"This trip… I'll treat it as a journey to find some amusement. Maybe I'll also see whether this vast yet narrow ninja world hides anything beneath the surface."