Satoshi opened the door to find Inaho standing outside, holding several items.
He felt a bit surprised and asked, "Inaho-senpai? Why have you come?"
Inaho pointed to the gift box in his hand and explained, "The elders of the clan sent me to bring you some things."
"Oh."
Satoshi gestured for him to enter. "Please come in."
If it were before, Satoshi might not have been so enthusiastic. After all, the two of them weren't really close, and they had even argued a couple of times over some matters.
But then again, today Inaho was visiting with gifts. That was enough to show his sincerity. It would be too impolite not to let him in.
Of course, next time, the person could just not come. Send a message via a ninja cat, and he could pick it up from logistics himself.
Leading Inaho to sit on the sofa, Satoshi exchanged some meaningless pleasantries while searching for tea leaves in the cabinet.
"Just coming is enough, why did you have to bring things?"
"My home is a bit messy, Inaho-senpai, please don't mind it."
"Sit. I remember Yashiro-senpai gave me a box of tea leaves the year before last, which I've never brought myself to drink. It's perfect that you're here, we can try it together."
Inaho kept saying there was no need for such trouble, while subtly observing Satoshi's home.
A bed, an old sofa, a table with peeling paint.
The refrigerator in the corner, which had been in service for who knows how many years, occasionally emitted an annoying hum.
Inaho's gaze suddenly stopped on a sword. Its body was pure white and its blade was exceptionally sharp.
Just looking at it, one could almost feel the killing intent emanating from the sword.
"A fine sword."
Inaho stood up and walked to the sword, narrowing his eyes to examine it carefully.
"Satoshi, that sword must have cost a lot, didn't it?"
"That? This is a memento my father left me."
Actually, Satoshi's words weren't wrong. You could say a foster father is still a father.
Hearing this, Inaho nodded.
That made sense. Satoshi, a Genin, had previously done jobs like unclogging sewers and helping old ladies clean, only earning a few ryo after exhausting himself.
While Inaho waited, Satoshi was struggling with the tea leaves. The tea leaves, unopened for three years, were a bit damp and had solidified into dark green bricks.
Satoshi pulled out a kunai and secretly poked the "bricks" into powder.
Inaho was stunned by Satoshi's actions. Maybe it was better not to bother with all this. Actually, plain boiled water would be fine too.
Watching Satoshi clumsily making tea, Inaho couldn't connect him with the guy who had furiously attacked Itachi with a sword.
In the quiet room, there was only the sound of tea utensils clinking.
Soon, the water boiled.
The hot tea water brewed the tea, and a not-so-pleasant tea aroma spread.
Satoshi carefully picked up the teacup and presented it to the complex-looking Inaho.
"Please, have some."
Inaho picked up the teacup, hesitated for a moment, and then drank the tea in one gulp.
"Hiss..."
Inaho's features twisted together.
Seeing Satoshi about to pour more tea, even the tough Inaho panicked. He changed the subject to today's Chunin Exams, naturally setting down his teacup.
"I heard from clan members that your performance today was excellent."
Inaho paused, a hint of surprise in his tone. "I didn't expect you could injure Itachi so badly."
Satoshi asked, "Is Itachi... alright? Should I buy some fruit and milk to go see him?"
Inaho clearly didn't catch the sarcastic undertone in Satoshi's words. He just waved his hand and said, "It's normal to get injured during a sparring match, and you didn't do it on purpose, did you?"
Satoshi didn't reply.
Oh, but it was very much on purpose.
If there hadn't been so many people, I would have given him two more slashes.
The two chatted for a bit, and when Inaho felt it was time, he pointed to the square boxes at the door.
"After becoming a Chunin, you'll be taking on more difficult missions. The elders of the clan have prepared some scrolls and ninja tools for you, hoping they can help."
Hearing this, Satoshi was incredibly moved.
Three years!
The elders finally knew who needed help!
In the past, when he applied for subsidies, the clan members responsible for it always said that the clan's funds were tight lately and told him to wait a couple of days. Then, they would just register Satoshi and tell him to go back and wait for notification.
But Satoshi wasn't an idiot. It was possible these bastards had secretly embezzled it.
Of course, Satoshi didn't say much. He just swiped a pack of explosive tags from Itachi when he was out.
Anyway, he had a clan head father, so he definitely wouldn't lack that much.
Thinking about how he almost used Itachi's explosive tags to bomb Itachi's father today, Satoshi's lips couldn't help but curve upwards.
Inaho was puzzled, thinking Satoshi was just overly excited. At the same time, he also felt that Satoshi was miserable.
How poor was this child, getting so happy over a few small things?
So Inaho took out another envelope and placed it in front of Satoshi.
Satoshi feigned confusion and asked, "Inaho-senpai, what is this?"
Inaho explained, "I specifically applied to the clan and got you a special allowance for living expenses. Buy whatever you need."
Hearing this, Satoshi really wanted to kowtow to him.
Inaho is truly a good person!
A good person like him will definitely marry a beautiful wife, maybe even a rich woman.
Inaho said, "Satoshi, if you need anything in the future, you can contact me anytime."
Satoshi understood, they wanted to win him over. This was also good. At the very least, he could thoroughly fleece the clan.
Satoshi said, "Thank you, Inaho-senpai. Please tell the elders that I am absolutely and eternally loyal to the Uchiha."
Hearing this, Inaho displayed a heartfelt smile.
It was as if he was saying, "Young man, you're quite clever."
After Satoshi thanked Inaho and the elders for a long time, Inaho excused himself and left. He really didn't want to drink Satoshi's tea anymore.
After seeing Inaho off, Satoshi returned home and dropped the smile from his face.
His high-profile defeat of Itachi today had probably not attracted the attention of just the Uchiha clan.
More importantly, Konoha's higher-ups must have noticed him as well. But this was unavoidable.
Since Nine-Tails's rampage, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha had become increasingly tense.
Not only were they driven to the outskirts of the village, but large, tall buildings were also erected around the Uchiha compound to monitor the Uchiha clan's movements.
And there was that old man Danzo, constantly plotting to wipe out the Uchiha.
I, Satoshi, will stab you to death with two slashes sooner or later.
But for now...
I have money now, so I need to go eat something good to celebrate.
Ichiraku Ramen.
"Uncle Teuchi, one bowl of ramen, top-tier."
"Please wait a moment."
That's right, Satoshi's idea of eating something good was a bowl of ramen with extra toppings.
While Satoshi waited, under the eaves not far away, a small blonde boy was rubbing his rumbling stomach, occasionally glancing at Ichiraku Ramen. He pulled out a few coins from his pocket and carefully counted them over and over.
"This little money doesn't seem to be enough for even one bowl of ramen."
At the same time, a digital voice rang in Satoshi's mind again.
[As important weapons protecting the village, Jinchuriki must receive the protection they deserve.]
[New Mission: Help the Jinchuriki Uzumaki Naruto master Nine-Tails's power and guide him onto the right path.]