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The moment he uttered those words, everyone present froze, staring at him in a daze.
The commercial street outside was bustling with noise, and Teuchi, busy at his pot, didn't notice the commotion, still flipping noodles back and forth.
The distant sounds seemed so clear at this moment.
But the next moment.
Tsunade and Megumi, almost simultaneously, reached out and covered Sawara Kiri's mouth, stifling his next words.
"Shhh!"
"You shut up first!"
Their synchronized reaction stunned those around them. Namikaze Minato only reacted then, his eyes widening in surprise.
Sawara Kiri nearly choked, the words caught in his throat.
At the same time, Megumi immediately widened her scarlet Sharingan, the three tomoe rapidly spinning as she scanned the surrounding passersby to see if anyone had heard their conversation, finally settling on Tsunade, the biggest threat among those present.
Her fierce gaze seemed to want to draw a blade and kill her on the spot, then take Sawara Kiri and wander the world alone.
However, Tsunade didn't have time to notice the dangerous gaze from beside her. While covering Sawara Kiri's mouth with one hand, her other hand tightly gripped his sleeve, as if fearing he would suddenly run away after dropping that bombshell.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed!"
"What if someone hears you!"
Her anxious and cautious rapid whispers made her seem like Sawara Kiri's accomplice, her whole body almost pressing against him.
Upon hearing her words, Uchiha Megumi's fierce gaze softened slightly but still lingered on her with some uncertainty, then swept towards her, pressing against Sawara Kiri, her distorted, fierce-looking chest, and she whispered, "Let go!"
Tsunade was startled, realizing her posture wasn't very graceful. But remembering Sawara Kiri's words, which sounded like a farewell, she slowly straightened up, her hand still clutching his clothes. Only the fabric in front of her and her suddenly loosened haori slightly parted, exposing a large expanse of snow in the summer shade.
Megumi's gaze grew even more ferocious.
However, at this moment, Tsunade completely ignored this minor detail, her face pale as she stared at Sawara Kiri:
"What do you mean?"
The implication in her words was clear.
Are you going to run away?
Sawara Kiri gave her a helpless look, then patted Megumi's hand covering his face, signaling her to release him.
In truth, Uchiha Megumi also harbored some similar worries as Tsunade, but she would never defy Kiri's will. Seeing his expression, she hesitated slightly before withdrawing her hand, only pulling the chair, which had been a few feet away, closer until her shoulder almost touched his.
Just then, Teuchi's steaming ramen was ready, and he brought both bowls to the table:
"Large seafood ramen and large char siu ramen!"
"Thank you, Teuchi-kun."
Sawara Kiri calmly picked up one bowl and placed it in front of himself and Megumi, then took two pairs of chopsticks from the holder and handed them to Megumi.
However, after he had just said those words, no one present had any appetite to eat; they all looked at him.
Seeing their expressions, Sawara Kiri sighed softly, broke apart his disposable chopsticks, stirred the noodles in his bowl, and then continued:
"When I was five, I was sent to Konoha by Hidden Mist from outside to carry out an assassination mission. The target was a former retainer of the Daimyo's mansion, Sawara, who had fled from the Land of Water to Konoha with intelligence. At first, I was treated as a disposable pawn—why are you all looking at me? Eat first."
Tsunade looked at his calm demeanor and realized he didn't seem to intend to leave immediately after being exposed—or rather, even if he did, no one in the Ninja World could stop him now—after realizing this, the sudden panic she herself couldn't explain earlier immediately subsided. However, she didn't speak further, merely took the freshly made tonkotsu ramen from the counter and placed it in front of her, then broke apart her chopsticks, but didn't eat.
Sawara Kiri's gaze seemed somewhat nostalgic. While slurping his ramen, he recounted his past:
"...From the age of three, because my father was seriously ill, and I didn't display any bloodline talent or have any background, I was chosen by my clan to be trained as a tool. The general content was no different from Root in Konoha Village, except the potential development was faster. After a few years of training, I pretty much had the strength of a Genin."
"When I carried out that mission, killing wasn't difficult, but after I finished, I found that the contact who was supposed to meet me at the designated location was gone. That's when I realized I had become a disposable pawn."
"However, although my background was ordinary, my luck was pretty good. When I was killing, a Rock Ninja happened to be on a mission and caused quite a stir, collapsing a few small buildings."
"After I returned to the Village, I found a suitable place and an alternative identity there—which is the current Sawara family."
Sawara Kiri's voice wasn't fast, and to avoid Teuchi's ears, his volume wasn't high. But as he slowly narrated, there was a calm demeanor about him, as if he didn't take the dangers in his words or the hardships he had experienced to heart at all.
The three people beside him all listened quietly, but their gazes towards Sawara Kiri became increasingly complex.
All four present were Jonin capable of handling their own, even holding a place in the Hokage Election Conference. They naturally understood the elimination system enforced within Root.
Just by listening to Sawara Kiri's calm tone, Uchiha Megumi beside him could feel the coldness and cruelty of killing and eliminating comrades from a young age. Her heart felt as if something was being distorted, and her eyes, unconsciously returning to black, rested quietly on Sawara Kiri.
Even Tsunade, in his narration, gradually calmed down. After confirming that Sawara Kiri had no intention of leaving, she finally gained some confidence and listened to his past story.
Namikaze Minato held his chopsticks, his head slightly bowed, seemingly feeling a strange sense of disillusionment with Sawara Kiri's original image, yet it also seemed unchanged.
Sawara Kiri continued to speak quietly.
His story wasn't actually complicated. Aside from the relatively dangerous process of integrating into Konoha at age five, most of his life was no different from that of most Konoha children, basically living an ordinary life step by step.
The only thing worth emphasizing was how, after gradually gaining some strength, he designed and eliminated the two contacts before Yagura Karatachi.
"...It wasn't until last year, when Yagura Karatachi appeared before me, that I suddenly understood that this peaceful life probably couldn't continue."
Sawara Kiri slurped his noodles, a faint smile on his face as he said this.
Namikaze Minato seemed to recall something, frowning slightly as he whispered, "Was that during the time Rock Ninja attacked the Hokage Building?"
"Yes."
Sawara Kiri nodded.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Megumi also seemed to remember something, turning her head towards Kiri: "So, you had been holding back your strength until that day."
And then, suddenly, he gave everyone a big surprise.
"Cough, cough."
Sawara Kiri immediately coughed twice, a bit embarrassed.
At that time, he wasn't trying to hold back his strength; he simply had no strength, at most equivalent to an ordinary Jonin. It was only after the system arrived that he gained a significant boost in confidence.
However, the matter of the system was something he would take to his grave; he couldn't tell them.
So, he could only nod:
"That's right, that's how it was."
Upon hearing this, Megumi finally seemed to understand.
No wonder even she, a stalker hidden in the shadows, couldn't figure out why Kiri-kun suddenly became stronger. It turned out that he, a Hidden Mist spy, had been guarding against everyone around him from the very beginning.
During that time, Tsunade was still in the Land of Lightning on a mission to assassinate the Third Raikage, so she had no impression of this matter. Her confusion deepened:
"After exposing your strength, why did you risk staying?"
Sawara Kiri paused, then revealed the well-prepared explanation, turning his head towards Megumi:
"Actually, after that act in front of Lord Third that day, I knew that explanation probably wouldn't hold up for long. The day Lord Third felt his strength couldn't suppress me as a threat, he would very likely eliminate me."
"But that night, on the way back, Megumi walked with me through the Village for a long time."
Uchiha Megumi was startled at his words.
She naturally remembered that day.
Because she usually couldn't openly stay by Kiri's side, she used the small excuse of the aftermath of the great war to follow him on a long detour through the Village, taking a long time to return to the Sawara residence. Before leaving, she was even glared at by Yuki.
Sawara Kiri picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone calm: "Actually, I knew from the beginning that someone like me could no longer return to Hidden Mist."
"Even if I could, the Village wouldn't trust a Ninja who had been betrayed by the Village many times, grew up in another Village, and carried countless doubts."
"My parents died young. In Hidden Mist, besides my bloodline, there was nothing I cared about."
"However, Konoha is different."
He turned his head, looked at Megumi beside him, then at Tsunade and Minato, and smiled:
"There are many people here who care about me."
Uchiha Megumi looked up at his words, her eyes, usually as dark as ink, now seemed to hold a shimmering spring, all focused on him.
"Whether it's Megumi, who always follows me around like a shadow, secretly taking my pictures;"
Megumi's eyes, which were watery a second ago, instantly stiffened, even her curled lips froze, as if a handle had been grasped.
"Or Minato, who lost many times but always held a grudge, wanting to compete with me;"
Namikaze Minato, who had just picked up a mouthful of noodles, instantly froze, as if an extraordinary secret had been discovered, his neck stiffly twisting over.
"Or Lady Tsunade, who is disrespectful of her elders, never wears underwear at home, and wobbles around in just a jacket."
"Bang."
Tsunade's somewhat comforted heart instantly exploded. A flush suddenly rose on her previously pale face, and she glared at him with wide, furious eyes, slamming the table so hard it shook.
Is this something to say out loud?!
Sawara Kiri straightened his noodle bowl, completely unmoved, his smile still present:
"I like all of it."
"This is why I must protect this Village, no matter what."
"..."
The small table immediately fell silent, leaving only the sound of Sawara Kiri slurping his noodles alone.
Although Tsunade had been angry just a second ago, her gaze towards the young man in front of her softened involuntarily.
In reality, she couldn't say for sure what her reaction would have been if it weren't Sawara Kiri who had said these words to her.
But, reality was already like this.
Sawara Kiri was not only her subordinate but also the pinnacle of the entire Ninja World, the strongest representative, a Ninja who had brought victory to Konoha many times.
He had, in fact, shown his stance through his actions long ago.
So, even if he was once a Hidden Mist spy, what then?
At this moment, Tsunade even felt a bit fortunate.
If Sawara Kiri hadn't been sent to Konoha, but had always enjoyed good training and ample resources in Hidden Mist, then what kind of desperate situation would Konoha Village be facing now?
Everything that Sunagakure experienced would probably appear on Konoha, wouldn't it?
Thinking this way, Tsunade truly felt some gratitude towards those Hidden Mist higher-ups, and an uncontrollable smile even appeared on her face.
However, the demeanor of a teacher must still be maintained.
Tsunade slowly composed her expression, looked at Sawara Kiri beside her, and whispered, "What we discussed today, don't tell anyone yet—and you two as well!"
"After Jiraiya and Orochimaru and I discuss a countermeasure, I'll help you erase all remaining traces."
"By then, you will be a native Konoha Ninja, Sawara Kiri."
"Understood?"
Hearing Tsunade's statement, Sawara Kiri turned to look at her, a gentle smile appearing on his face:
"Okay."
"..."
It wasn't until she received his answer that Tsunade finally seemed to let out a sigh of relief, breaking apart her chopsticks and muttering softly:
"He's really a troublesome guy."
"Yes, yes."
Just as they were talking, Uchiha Megumi seemed to suddenly recover from her earlier embarrassment. She turned to look at Tsunade, leaning close to Sawara Kiri and whispering:
"Is it true that Tsunade, that fat woman, doesn't wear underwear at home?"
"Of course, it's huge."
"Yuki has told her many times, but she doesn't listen."
"Then Kiri should stay at my house first, it's not safe—"
Tsunade, who had just picked up her noodle bowl, instantly stiffened again. Her cheeks flushed as she glared at Sawara Kiri in furious embarrassment, fiercely shoving a chopstick full of char siu into his mouth, and snarled in a low voice:
"Even eating noodles can't shut you up!"
"You brat!"
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