Yugao clearly remembered that Naruto had instructed her beforehand… if any unusual movements occurred in the village, she was to immediately protect Ino and Hinata.
And then... nothing happened. And yet, Rin was resurrected.
Though she was aware of this connection, she didn't bring it up.
'He had once mentioned waiting for the right opportunity, saying, 'Wait for the wind to rise.' Did he mean this? Was the resurrection of the dead and the reversal of day and night the signs of the wind rising?'
As she pondered, she thought of Maki from Sunagakure, and her eyelids twitched involuntarily.
At the gathering table, Rin responded to the goodwill of her companions, raising her cup frequently.
Guy remained his usual self, exchanging banter with Kakashi to liven up the atmosphere. The friendship between the two was truly enviable… untainted by any impurities, purely a bond of good friends.
Downstairs.
By the time the bill was settled, Neji was the only honest one left, while the others had long since found excuses to slip away. Choji had excused himself to sober up when Naruto went to the restroom, and an hour later, he still hadn't returned.
Neji was remarkably easygoing, simply smiling as he stood up to pay the bill and helping the thoroughly drunk Kiba back home.
Choji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, these four members of the Konoha's new F4 had more tricks up their sleeves than half the village combined.
None of them were short on money, but Naruto had single-handedly dragged down the moral standards of the entire group.
As a result, whenever a meal was involved, the F4 would pull out all the stops, each showcasing their unique skills.
Upstairs.
Kakashi had settled the bill early and glanced around. At this time, most of his companions had already left.
Asuma and Kurenai were the first to go, as they had a daughter to take care of and couldn't return too late.
Next was Guy, who never skipped his daily training, no matter what.
The others also dispersed one after another, leaving the space to the two of them.
Rin's face was flushed red, clearly drunk, her mind muddled and unclear. Kakashi sighed and tried shaking her awake, only to confirm that she was genuinely wasted. Her neck was red, yet she kept insisting she wasn't drunk.
Though the sudden resurrection of the dead was undeniably bizarre, having her back safe and sound was ultimately a joyous occasion. Especially since everyone knew just how lonely Kakashi had been all these years and how deeply his past experiences had affected him.
It wasn't so much that he had no interest in real women, but rather that he had lost all expectations for the future. Having lost too much, he no longer wanted to possess anything, choosing instead to live aimlessly alone, unattached to anyone.
Under such circumstances, Rin's sudden return meant Kakashi was no longer alone.
Outside, the night had deepened, and a light rain had begun to fall at some point.
Under the streetlights, the raindrops intertwined with the glow, a hazy drizzle casting the streets of Konoha into a dark, endless stretch.
The sparse yellow lamps dotted the road, and among them… a red foxhound sprinted madly through the rain.
'Huh? Wait, was that something strange mixed in?'
Before Kakashi could get a closer look, the street fell silent again. If he were alone, Kakashi would have leisurely strolled into the rain, letting it soak him as he headed home for a shower before lying in bed to read a book and slowly drift off to sleep.
But now, with a drunken Rin in tow, he had to figure out how to get her back to her place. But with the rain falling, where could he even find an umbrella?
Just as he hesitated, he suddenly saw a figure darting past. This time, he saw it clearly. Without a moment's hesitation, he decisively called out to the blond sprinting through the rain.
"Naruto!"
"Huh?" Naruto skidded to a stop and turned to look toward the dimly lit corner of the street.
On the steps where the light barely reached, he spotted Kakashi supporting a limp figure and immediately understood… he probably didn't have an umbrella.
Earlier, Naruto had been busy chasing after that little bastard Kurama, who'd drunk all the fruit vinegar from his fridge.
Now that Kakashi had interrupted him, he could only sheepishly walk over.
"Kakashi-sensei, you don't have an umbrella? I have one, take it." With that, he pulled an umbrella out of his seal space. In fact, he had a whole stash of umbrellas stored away, and he just hadn't brought them out earlier as part of his life philosophy.
"Uh… yeah." Kakashi was momentarily stunned. Before he could even say anything, Naruto had already spoken for him.
'And where had that umbrella even come from?'
He didn't dwell on it too much, though, since there's a drunken Rin slumped against him.
Taking the umbrella, Kakashi muttered a quick thanks before hastily opening it and stepping into the thick night, supporting Rin as he went.
Naruto stood there, watching their retreating figures with a sly, knowing grin.
The wind was rising.
From the moment Obito decided to resurrect Rin, the gears of fate had already begun to turn. The dead returning to life, old grudges resurfacing… Kakashi could no longer remain uninvolved, and the position of Hokage was beginning to waver.
The Daimyō of the Land of Fire had overextended his reach, and the nobles were eager to make their move. So, let them come.
Back when Kakashi had mentioned those people to him, Naruto had known that a clash with the nobles of the Land of Fire, even the Daimyo himself, was inevitable.
Last time, he'd seized an opportunity to forcefully suppress a newly risen noble of the Land of Fire with sheer power.
It might have seemed satisfying, but in reality, it was just a case of the weak being trampled once the walls had crumbled.
The other noble families of the Land of Fire hadn't just stood by idly, and they'd secretly communicated with the Daimyo's faction.
Naruto had vented his anger, while the Four Great Noble Families had feasted on the remains of the fallen noble.
There was no righteous execution here, just everyone walking away happy.
Though the nobles had fawned over Naruto in fear back then, it was merely their survival instinct at work. It wasn't as if they were truly afraid.
The Daimyo came and went, but the nobles remained forever. They had no desire to make enemies with a madman. Even if they offended Naruto, they could kneel without hesitation, offering sincere apologies and compensation.
It wasn't because they had any sense of propriety. To them, dignity wasn't about refusing to kneel or protecting their wives and daughters. Dignity was wealth, connections, and supreme authority.
Behind the Daimyo… which official in the capital of the Land of Fire didn't have some shadow of the Four Great Noble Families looming over them?
The world wasn't about brute force… it was about human relations.
In their eyes, Naruto was someone to be humored. They wouldn't provoke him, and they'd agree to his demands whenever possible.
But that didn't stop them from expressing dissatisfaction with Kakashi and attempting to meddle in Konoha's internal affairs.
To put it bluntly, nobles cared about face. But when the benefits were great enough, face stopped mattering.
Naruto understood their nature all too well. Precisely because he knew how troublesome they were, he had left the matter untouched for so long.
They were waiting for Kakashi to make a mistake, while Naruto was waiting for them to make a move. His methods against the upstart noble last time had been too crude. This time, he'd have to be more meticulous.