Chapter 86: Infiltration Discovered
Konohagakure.
Two ordinary-looking men were strolling down the street. One of them had long hair and moved in a calm, methodical manner, carrying himself with aristocratic grace. The man walking ahead was tall, well-muscled, and radiated a powerful aura.
As they walked, the two chatted quietly.
"The number of people in the Hyuga clan is too large, and I don't really know what they're thinking. How about I bring your son out first?"
The tall man said this to the long-haired man beside him. These two were none other than Ayaan and Hyuga Hizashi.
In fact, Ayaan had another reason he didn't share with Hizashi — he actually looked down on the Hyuga clan.
After all, the Hyuga clan's direct combat strength was average. As for their remote observation ability using the Byakugan, it paled in comparison to Observation Haki. And for some reason, the blood of the Otsutsuki clan had significantly weakened by the time it reached them. Look at the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki — each had far more potential than the Hyuga.
Hyuga Hizashi didn't argue. In truth, the internal relations within the Hyuga clan were cold and distant — unlike the Uchiha, who constantly emphasized their identity as a clan.
To be specific, the Hyuga weren't cold, just indifferent — almost Buddhist, one could say. Or perhaps, just lazy and resigned.
No matter how powerful the branch family members were, they still bore the Caged Bird Seal on their foreheads. With such a mark, they had no motivation to strive for greatness.
Even with outstanding talent — so what? If you grow too strong, you'll only be seen as a threat by the main family and could be eliminated.
And the main family? Their numbers were few, and they rarely stepped onto the battlefield in order to "protect" their Byakugan. How could they possibly produce any real talent?
The entire clan reeked of decay. Every Hyuga seemed... depressing.
In such an environment, most members were just nodding acquaintances. As long as Hizashi could save his son, he didn't care about the lives of ordinary Hyuga clan members.
After they reached an agreement, Ayaan asked Hizashi to give him a tour of the village.
"Is that Ichiraku Ramen over there?"
Ayaan looked at the ramen shop, nostalgia flashing in his eyes.
Back in the day, he used to visit that shop often. The ramen wasn't exactly gourmet, but it was plentiful, filling, affordable — and honestly, much tastier than average ramen.
Besides, the owner Teuchi was cheerful, enthusiastic, and funny. So Ichiraku's popularity in the village had always been high.
"Come on, let's eat some noodles."
Ayaan took the lead, and Hizashi silently followed him into the shop.
"Boss! Two bowls of tonkotsu ramen, large size!"
As Ayaan glanced at Teuchi, he was surprised to sense a decent amount of chakra in him — at least Chunin level.
"Is there really such a thing as a cooking ninja?"
Ayaan muttered to himself, thinking of a certain ridiculous movie. But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Who exactly Teuchi was — that was Konoha's concern, not his.
Still, it explained why the ramen shop had survived through so many disasters. Teuchi's combat ability may not be amazing, but it was just enough to dodge the collateral damage of most battles.
Thank goodness he wasn't Ichiraku Otsutsuki, as some internet conspiracies joked — or Ayaan would've passed out from shock.
"Alright, two bowls of tonkotsu ramen!"
Teuchi clapped his hands and soon returned with two steaming bowls of noodles.
Slurp, slurp.
Ayaan and Hizashi devoured the ramen quickly. Ayaan didn't see the Naruto from the original story here, which made him feel a little disappointed.
But then again — Naruto was only three years old now. No matter how pitiful his situation was, he wouldn't be out eating ramen alone at this age.
In fact, in the original story, Naruto never suffered direct physical abuse. What he faced was social isolation and coldness.
Villagers believed he was a demon fox, and the ninjas feared he might lose control. So they avoided him. But those fanfictions where villagers curse him daily, throw stones, or put sand in his rice? That's just nonsense.
What, do you think a Jinchūriki wouldn't go berserk if provoked? Or that every Kage is as dumb as Rasa?
If you dared to treat a Jinchūriki like that, you'd be in Anbu custody in no time. The official charge? Trying to provoke the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki into rampaging and destroying the village.
In truth, Naruto's living conditions weren't bad. He had his own small apartment, complete with appliances. As for the "expired milk and cup noodles" thing — it just meant he lived alone, and didn't take care of himself. Expired milk? That's just milk he forgot to drink on time.
And cooking is cheaper than eating instant noodles and milk every day. So clearly, he had some spending money.
All in all, Naruto's childhood was lonely — but he had enough food and shelter.
Thinking about this, and knowing he wouldn't run into the protagonist, Ayaan lost interest. He paid the bill and prepared to leave the restaurant.
As he reached the door, he passed a white-haired, one-eyed ninja who deliberately bumped into him, nearly falling over.
Ayaan glanced at the young ninja with a faint smile.
"Be careful. Are you this weak at your age?"
He didn't offer a hand to help, and simply walked away.
The young ninja was none other than Hatake Kakashi. He watched Ayaan leave, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"What's wrong, Kakashi?"
Beside him stood two young ninjas — Kurenai Yuhi and Might Guy. The three of them had planned to celebrate today, since Kurenai and Guy had just been promoted to Special Jonin.
While walking down the street, Kakashi had noticed two unfamiliar figures inside the ramen shop. Although both Ayaan and Hizashi had transformed their appearances using the Baku Baku no Mi, a devil fruit, Kakashi couldn't shake off a sense of familiarity.
The ninja who had taken his friend's eye — Kakashi could never forget that feeling. No matter how much the man's appearance had changed, something in his demeanor gave him away.
So Kakashi decided to test it.
And the moment he collided with the man, it felt like he had walked straight into a mountain.
That was all the confirmation he needed — the enemy was here, inside the village.
And now... Kakashi was on full alert.
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