"Here's sukiyaki. Beat the egg, then dip the beef into the egg mixture..."
Inside a restaurant in the Land of Fire, Takeshi sat in the corner of the hall with the newly dressed and completely refreshed Nanashi, patiently guiding her on how to savor the dish before her.
Following Takeshi's instructions, she dipped the beef into the beaten egg and placed it into her mouth. The unique texture of beef combined with egg lit up her eyes. Immediately, she began to move her chopsticks with lightning speed.
Takeshi was already used to her ravenous eating style. He simply smiled and watched her eat with gusto.
After spending a few days together, Takeshi discovered that the girl before him wasn't nearly as terrifying as when they had first met. At her core, she was still just an inexperienced young girl, not someone belonging to the same evil category as the Uchiha.
Senju Tobirama: You're full of crap!
At the beginning of their journey, Takeshi had remained wary, afraid that she might stab him in the back with something sinister when he wasn't paying attention.
But now, he had completely relaxed. He treated her as if she were a child, leading her around the Land of Fire to taste various delicacies.
After all, her mental age was only about twelve—slightly younger than himself.
Propping his cheek with one hand, Takeshi's eyes roamed around the room.
The restaurant was bustling with customers, most of them merchants with travel bags. It seemed this town was located at a key point along a trade route.
If Konoha could take this place under its wing, its finances would surely become much more secure.
Takeshi memorized the town's name, planning to have the Internal Affairs Department investigate which noble's territory it belonged to. Then he'd arrange for the department to bring gifts and pay a courtesy visit.
"Why aren't you eating?"
After they had eaten half the pot's contents, Nanashi finally noticed that Takeshi was too busy scanning the room to even move his chopsticks.
"Hmm? Do you think I even need to eat anymore?"
Hearing her voice, Takeshi turned and deliberately teased her by glancing at the two remaining pieces of beef left in the pot.
"Wh-what do you mean, no need?"
Blushing at his teasing, Nanashi peeked at the other guests' eating habits. Her face grew hot, her toes curled tightly, and she timidly picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks and placed it into Takeshi's bowl.
"See? I left you two pieces."
"Yes, yes, thank you for your generous gift, my lady."
Worried that continuing to provoke her might earn him a blast of Amaterasu, Takeshi quickly dropped the joke. He called the waiter to order another serving of beef, then pushed the piece of meat from his bowl back to her.
"Alright, if it's not enough, we'll just order more. I'm the acting Hokage of Konoha, after all—it's not like I'm strapped for cash."
"Hmph, then don't eat if you don't want to." Remembering how he had once wiped the mouth of a bottle before drinking from it, Nanashi assumed he was rejecting her offering. Pouting, she stuffed the beef into her own mouth angrily.
After finishing their meal, Takeshi asked Nanashi if there was anywhere else she wanted to go, but her gaze lingered instead on a nearby alleyway.
"Don't mind them, just a bunch of clowns."
Takeshi had already noticed the commotion there but had no intention of starting anything inside town.
"That gaze... I hate it."
Nanashi voiced her simple opinion but obediently followed Takeshi's instructions to ignore them.
"Have we been spotted?"
The man hiding in the shadows of the alley was about to peek again but suppressed the thought under a wave of fear.
"Probably not. Just a girl—she likely glanced over by coincidence."
Another man dismissed her sharp gaze as coincidence and prepared to continue his mission.
Both of them were guards of the town's most powerful noble family, the Nankumo. They had recognized Takeshi's identity the moment he entered the city with Nanashi.
In this prosperous commercial hub, Nankumo Reizan had been quicker than even the daimyo's court to notice the shifting political landscape.
The mysterious new caravans that appeared—whether their style or their trading methods—were very different from the merchants of old.
He had written multiple letters to the daimyo expressing his concerns, but the daimyo's officials brushed him off each time, citing "lack of evidence."
"Since when did nobles need evidence to deal with shinobi?"
Nankumo Reizan couldn't understand why the daimyo's office allowed shinobi to stir up trouble, trampling on the nobility.
If the daimyo wouldn't act, then he would handle it himself!
Through his own channels, Nankumo Reizan contacted the Prajñā Group from the Land of Woods and hired them at a high price to assassinate Shimura Takeshi.
But before the Prajñā Group could even finalize their plans, Takeshi appeared in this town with Nanashi, and Nankumo's men spotted him.
"Looks like they'll be leaving town soon. We need to report to the master immediately."
Once Takeshi and Nanashi had walked far enough away, one of the guards dared to peek again and, judging by their direction, inferred their destination.
"If we can truly eliminate Konoha's acting Hokage here, our Prajñā Group will be famous across the ninja world. No longer will we have to bow to the great villages to survive."
The leader of the Prajñā Group took the report very seriously.
As a small country near Konoha, the Land of Woods had long suffered under the arrogance of the great nations. Like many other small countries, they yearned to break free from their control and develop on their own terms.
"But the target is still the Hokage. Young as he may be, he made his name as a hero during the Third Shinobi World War."
One subordinate voiced his worry.
"Don't fret. The intel says he's traveling with a young girl. For him to bring her along, she must be very important. We'll target her first. If we can capture her as a hostage, all the better."
The leader quickly devised his plan: strike at Nanashi first, force Takeshi's attention away, then deliver the killing blow himself.
...
"Quite a lot of people coming our way."
Walking along a forest path, Nanashi quietly reminded Takeshi, who looked completely unbothered.
"It doesn't matter. I'll handle it."
Takeshi shook his head slightly, signaling her not to worry.
"Relax. I'll make sure you're safe too. After all, protecting underage girls is the responsibility of adults."
"Adults?"
Nanashi was surprised. Looking up at Takeshi—only a head taller than her, with his delicate features—she struggled to connect the person before her with the word "adult."
After her surprise faded, she began to think more deeply about what he had said: protection.
All her life, she had only been used as a weapon by her clan. The word "protection" had never applied to her.
This feeling...
"What? Don't I look like an adult to you?"
Annoyed, Takeshi silently resolved to prove his maturity in the battle to come.