Chapter 59 – Encounter
Fugaku exhaled a plume of smoke, his gaze cold and distant. To him, the matter he had just settled was no different than ordering a subordinate to slaughter a chicken.
The Anbu before him bowed deeply. "Yes, sir."
Then, without hesitation, the masked figure vanished into the night.
From the shadows, the obscure presences that had been watching also dispersed. Fugaku stayed crouched at the mouth of the alley, lips curling faintly.
Mikoto emerged and saw her husband's expression—equal parts weary and amused. Curiosity sparked in her dark eyes.
"Husband, what's so funny?"
Fugaku didn't hide anything. He relayed what had just occurred.
Mikoto's face stiffened. A complaint rose in her throat, but she swallowed it.
So it was Asuma Sarutobi. He'd abandoned the village years ago, drifted around as a wanderer, then made a name for himself as one of the Guardian Twelve in the Fire Capital. Mikoto had worried when Fugaku declared that Asuma would need to be eliminated sooner or later—that Elder Setsuna might object, or that there would be fallout.
But now? Asuma had practically walked into their hands.
After all those years wandering, has he really not grown at all…?
Fugaku caught her stiff expression and chuckled. "Haha, Mikoto, do you think Asuma Sarutobi's an idiot? He actually asked for a one-on-one match!"
He went on to explain how Asuma had challenged one of their own, Uchiha Inaho.
Mikoto could already guess the outcome from her husband's relaxed demeanor, but she knew how to play her role. She widened her eyes slightly and asked, "So? Who won?"
Fugaku laughed. "Of course, Inaho."
Mikoto's lips curved. "Inaho's strength is well-respected within the clan." She left it at that, not probing what became of Asuma. Instead, she smoothly shifted the subject. "The children are full now. Since we're already out, why don't we take a walk before going home?"
Fugaku nodded. He had no further duties tonight.
Naruto, revived by ramen, was practically bouncing. He babbled about Ichiraku-san, the mountain of toppings, and how next time he was definitely going back for more.
Mikoto and Fugaku exchanged knowing glances and smiled silently. Ramen, of all things, had pulled him out of his gloom.
Sasuke, however, frowned. "Are you a glutton?"
He himself had only eaten one normal-sized bowl and felt stuffed. Naruto, meanwhile, had put away one at the restaurant, then a massive extra-large, and then two more on top of that.
This idiot eats like a black hole…
Thinking back, Sasuke realized Naruto had always eaten heartily at home too. He'd just never paid much attention—usually glued to the TV after meals. Now, piecing it together, the clues were obvious.
Fine. Glutton.
Naruto only grinned. "Choji says being able to eat is a blessing! Sasuke, you're stupid if you don't get that."
Arms crossed, he tilted his head smugly.
Sasuke: …
Before Sasuke could retort, Naruto's eyes lit up. "Sakura!" He dashed forward with a blur of blond.
On the street ahead, Sakura Haruno was walking with her mother. The girl froze, her face twitching in dismay. Just my luck… of all people, why him?
Her mother, Haruno Mebuki, a striking woman in a fitted white qipao, blinked curiously at the boy. "Sakura, is he your friend?"
"He's just a classmate." Sakura's tone was flat.
Sasuke watched Naruto fawn over her and felt his eyelid twitch. Half-dead one moment, bouncing around the next. Seriously, what is with this guy?
Mikoto had noticed too. She leaned toward Sasuke, whispering with a sparkle in her eyes. "Who's that little girl Naruto is so worked up over?"
"It's the one he likes," Sasuke muttered.
Mikoto's eyes gleamed. Oh?
"What's her name?"
"Sakura."
The moment she heard it, Mikoto began walking straight over. Sasuke sighed and trailed reluctantly.
Haruno Mebuki, meanwhile, had pieced together who the whiskered boy was. Naruto. The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. No—the hero's child, as the Hokage now insisted.
Old grudges lingered in the villagers' hearts, but her own family had lost no one that night. She had no particular prejudice.
Then Mikoto approached, graceful in her kimono, bowing lightly. "Hello. My Naruto has been in your care."
Mebuki blinked. My… Naruto? Out loud, she smiled politely. "Not at all. And you are…?"
Mikoto's lips curved in a serene smile. "Ah, forgive me. I am Naruto's aunt—Uchiha Mikoto."
The word Uchiha landed like a weight. Mebuki stiffened slightly. One of Hokage-sama's clan. She quickly dipped her head. "An honor. I'm Haruno Mebuki, Sakura's mother."
At that moment, Sakura spotted Sasuke behind Mikoto. Her indifference melted instantly, her eyes lighting up. She dashed forward eagerly.
"Sasuke! What a coincidence! Are you out walking with your mom too?"
Her voice brimmed with excitement.
Sasuke glanced at her coolly, arms folded, and offered a faint, "Mm." He said nothing more, his aloofness like a wall.
The irony wasn't lost on anyone. Just moments ago, Naruto had been babbling at Sakura while she ignored him. Now it was Sakura bubbling over in front of Sasuke, only to be met with silence.
The tables had turned.
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