Chapter 14 — Dirty-Minded People
Looking at Danzō standing inside the office, Hiruzen felt a wave of helplessness rise in his chest. His gaze flicked briefly toward the slightly damaged door, and irritation immediately surfaced. "After all these years, that temper of yours still hasn't changed, Danzō."
"It's always been this way. You already know why I'm here," Danzō replied coldly, his single visible eye fixed on Hiruzen. "Hand the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki over to me."
Hiruzen remained composed, his expression calm yet firm. "You can stop thinking about Naruto. A place like Root is not suitable for him."
"Hiruzen, you understand better than anyone how important the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki is to Konoha. Your soft-hearted approach will never work. Only Root can shape him into a weapon worthy of the village—"
Before Danzō could finish, Hiruzen cut him off with a sharp, angry shout.
"That's enough, Danzō! I am still the Hokage!"
Danzō's face darkened instantly. His jaw tightened as he ground his teeth, but for a brief moment, no words came out.
"Naruto is someone the Fourth Hokage entrusted to us with his dying breath. He's a child who will inherit the Will of Fire…" Hiruzen said in a low voice, his thoughts drifting back to Minato's final moments, and to the lonely boy who now carried that burden.
"And don't think I'm unaware of what you've been doing behind the scenes all these years. Once the Chūnin Exams are over, I'll settle accounts with you properly," Hiruzen added coldly.
Shimura Danzō's expression grew even uglier. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "You will regret this, Hiruzen."
Bang!!
With a violent slam of the door, he turned and left without another word.
...
Ichiraku Ramen.
As Naruto Uzumaki's favorite ramen shop, it was the first place he headed to after every mission, eager to devour bowl after bowl.
"Old man Teuchi, this time I want an extra-large chāshū ramen!" Naruto shouted the moment he stepped inside.
"Well, if it isn't Naruto. Haven't seen you around in a while," Teuchi said with a squint, his eyes sweeping over the group.
Aside from Team 7, there was also one… unfamiliar… girl.
A girl with the Byakugan?
"Who's this big sister? She's so pretty!" Ayame exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Kaguya.
She was truly stunning—far beyond what Ayame had expected. Even among the Hyūga Clan, she had never heard of anyone this beautiful.
"She's Kaguya. We met her during a mission. She's really nice!" Naruto said proudly as he introduced her.
Sasuke clicked his tongue inwardly, though his expression remained as indifferent as ever.
Sakura, already feeling hungry, ordered a large bowl of moderately flavored ramen. Ever since their time in the Ancestor Nation, she had never quite adjusted to the local food there.
"Miss Kaguya, what would you like to order?" Ayame asked politely.
Kaguya hesitated for a moment, then turned her gaze toward Naruto. Seeing this, Ayame immediately understood and smiled.
"Would you like the same as Naruto?"
"Mm." Kaguya nodded softly.
Even her voice was gentle and pleasant. Ayame couldn't help but wonder—was she some kind of noble? But then… why did she possess the Byakugan?
"Eat as much as you want. Kakashi-sensei's paying anyway. I'm definitely going to make him bleed this time!" Naruto declared excitedly.
"Haha, go easy on me," Kakashi replied lazily, though a faint smile tugged at his lips.
After the meal began, Naruto truly lived up to his words. Bowl after bowl disappeared in front of him—more than ten in total.
But even so, he wasn't the biggest eater present.
The moment Kaguya took her first bite, her eyes lit up with unmistakable delight. The flavor captivated her instantly. Without hesitation, she continued eating… and eating… and eating.
In the end, she finished over twenty large bowls on her own.
Team 7 was completely dumbfounded.
Even Naruto stared in disbelief. Someone could actually out-eat him? Among his peers, aside from Chōji, he had always been one of the biggest eaters.
Who would have thought there was always someone greater?
"I want more."
After finishing another bowl, Kaguya calmly ordered again.
Naruto and the others stared blankly at her, then at the towering stack of empty bowls, then back at her completely flat stomach. One by one, they swallowed nervously.
"Uh… Naruto, isn't this big sister a little…" Ayame muttered, her expression turning strange.
Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Had he finally met his match?
"Old man Teuchi, I want more too!"
He immediately rejoined the battle, while Kakashi silently suffered on the side. This time, the damage was real. Not that he lacked money—but still.
By the time Naruto finished his twenty-first bowl, he was completely stuffed. His stomach bulged so much that he felt like he might burst at any moment.
As for Kaguya, she finally stopped after passing thirty bowls.
It wasn't because she was full. Rather, she had begun to notice the increasingly strange looks from the people around her. Sensing a hint of embarrassment, she decided to stop.
Even so, she still looked faintly unsatisfied, as though she hadn't eaten enough, leaving everyone utterly speechless.
Sakura glanced at Kaguya's flat stomach and swallowed.
Just how had all that food fit inside her?
Was she even human?
After settling the bill, Kakashi forced a bitter smile and said, "Next is the question of where you'll stay. This should be your first time here, Miss Kaguya."
"Yes, it is," Kaguya replied obediently, looking every bit like a well-mannered young lady.
Kakashi raised a brow slightly. "In that case, the Hokage has already arranged a place for you. Come with me."
"There's no need to go to that much trouble. I can stay with him." Kaguya shook her head and pointed directly at Naruto.
The moment those words fell, silence descended.
A heavy, suffocating silence.
Naruto, still clutching his bloated stomach, scratched his head in confusion. What was going on? Why was everyone staring at him like that?
"That… probably won't work. Men and women shouldn't live together like that," Kakashi said awkwardly. If she stayed with Naruto, then if she ever decided to… that would be a serious problem.
"There's no need to make it so complicated. I don't mind," Kaguya said calmly.
You might not mind, but someone definitely does. And Naruto—are you seriously not going to react at all?
Seeing Kakashi glance at him, Naruto scratched his head again and asked the question that had been bothering him the most.
"What does 'men and women shouldn't live together' mean?"
This genuinely wasn't his fault. He truly didn't know.
Iruka-sensei had never taught him that.
Everyone broke out in cold sweat, black lines practically appearing on their faces as they stared at him.
Was he really this dense, or was he pretending?
He didn't even understand something this basic?
"Naruto's situation is special. And if the two of you live together… if you happen to want to… then that wouldn't be good for him," Kakashi explained awkwardly, clearly caught between both sides.
"I will restrain myself," Kaguya said seriously.
That was definitely a lie.
Naruto, however, finally understood. So that was what they meant. Instantly, his face lit up with excitement.
"You mean you want to live with me? Of course! You're totally welcome! I've wanted someone to stay with me for a long time!" Naruto said eagerly.
"That's not allowed, Naruto. You're not a little kid anymore," Kakashi said sternly.
"Why not? My place is big enough, and Kaguya doesn't mind either, so why can't she stay?" Naruto protested unhappily.
…Alright. He really was that dense. No doubt about it.
Kakashi felt a headache coming on.