After dinner, Hyūga Shiori sat on the sofa in the living room, bathed in the warm glow of yellow light.
Her gaze drifted toward the kitchen, where the Nine-Tails brat was busy washing dishes.
Only now did she truly take the time to look around his home.
It wasn't big—maybe eighty or ninety square meters at most—but for a ten-year-old living alone, it was more than enough.
And strangely enough, Kyūsei treated this place called "home" with real care.
Even though he lived here by himself, the room was filled with signs of everyday life.
The potted plant by the window was thriving.
The furniture was neatly arranged.
Nothing felt temporary or careless.
For a kid who was only ten, he paid an unexpected amount of attention to living properly.
Nothing like other kids his age.
And his cooking… was surprisingly good too.
Thinking back to the food earlier, Nightingale unconsciously licked her lips.
Chicken, potatoes, green peppers, shiitake mushrooms—thrown together into what looked like a chaotic stew, yet it tasted unexpectedly rich and comforting.
Even someone as picky as Hyūga Shiori had ended up eating more than usual.
Honestly… if this kid didn't cause trouble all the time, he'd actually be kind of cute.
Watching Kyūsei wash dishes alone in the kitchen, she felt a twinge of boredom.
But that was her assignment now.
To stay by the Nine-Tails jinchūriki's side.
Stay, not monitor.
That wording had come directly from Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And that was precisely why she'd accepted Uzumaki Kyūsei's invitation to eat together.
"Hey," she called lazily,
"why did the Hokage's son come looking for trouble with you?"
She'd only been around Kyūsei for less than two days. Before this, she'd been nothing more than a temporary fill-in—ready to leave the moment a more suitable candidate appeared. Naturally, she didn't really understand his relationship with Shinnosuke.
"My name is Uzumaki Kyūsei," his voice drifted out from the kitchen.
"Not 'brat.'"
Inside his seal, the Nine-Tails curled its lips.
So others calling you 'brat' isn't allowed, but you calling me 'Little Nine' is fine, huh?
"…Fine," Hyūga Shiori said.
"Then tell me, Kyūsei—why did Sarutobi Shinnosuke come after you?"
"Probably jealousy."
The red-haired boy finished washing the dishes, dried his hands, and walked over to her.
Strictly speaking, this girl was—by fate's cruel sense of humor—someone who might one day become his mother-in-law.
Unfortunately, following the original timeline, Naruto and Hinata together couldn't even scrape together one living parent.
"Jealousy?"
"Jealous of what?"
Nao looked genuinely confused.
Kyūsei chuckled softly, an odd smile on his face.
"Who knows?"
She stared at him, speechless.
This kid was full of bad ideas.
"That's the Hokage's precious son," she warned.
"Aren't you worried he'll keep causing you trouble?"
"It's precisely because he's the precious son that it's fun," Kyūsei said lightly.
"I like watching people hate me but still not be able to do anything about it."
Nao couldn't help thinking of what that Hyūga Hinata had said—about Uzumaki Kushina.
It was hard to imagine what kind of disaster this kid would've been if he were born a girl.
A pure lotus?
A little green-tea schemer?
"Being stuck in just a few places all day long," Kyūsei went on casually,
"you've gotta find some entertainment for yourself."
"Otherwise, I'd suffocate."
He opened the fridge, took out an orange, and handed it to Hinata's future mother.
Inside Kyūsei was the complete Nine-Tails, not the split, half-sealed version that the future Naruto would carry.
Naruto's Nine-Tails wasn't just weaker—it was bound by a far more stable Eight Trigrams Seal.
Kyūsei, on the other hand, carried the full Yin–Yang Nine-Tails under a simple Four Symbols Seal.
Which meant he was far more prone to losing control.
Because of that, Uzumaki Mito had personally designed a barrier formation tailored to work alongside the Four Symbols Seal.
And Kyūsei's home sat right at the outer limit of that barrier.
That was why his movement range was locked to this small area.
The moment he stepped outside the barrier, even a little emotional stimulation could give the Nine-Tails an opening.
And the reason Hiruzen tolerated him so much—beyond his status as a jinchūriki—was probably guilt.
One of the few bits of guilt he still had left.
Hyūga Shiori stared at Kyūsei's calm expression, momentarily stunned.
Only now did she remember that her mission briefing had specifically emphasized never letting this kid stray too far from the area.
So it really was connected to the Nine-Tails…
For someone as lively as him, being confined to a small zone had to be unbearable.
For the first time, Hyūga Shiori—who had been cherished and protected since childhood—felt a hint of pity for this boy who pretended not to care.
She reached out and gently ruffled his hair.
Looking at him with her pale Byakugan eyes, she asked softly:
"If you were given the chance to choose again…
would you still come to Konoha?"
Kyūsei looked at her like she'd asked the strangest question in the world.
"Of course I would. Why wouldn't I?"
"If I hadn't run here, I'd probably be dead by now."
"I'm really afraid of dying."
"As long as you're alive, anything is possible.
Once you're dead, there's nothing left."
"And honestly, if I had died, I bet a lot of people in the village would've clapped and cheered."
"So, just to spite them, I had no choice but to keep living."
He grinned.
"Besides—Little Nine is pretty interesting."
Little Nine?
Hyūga Shiori's brain stalled for a moment.
Little Nine… as in the Nine-Tails?
That terrifying monster, given a nickname like that?
Unbelievable…
But then again—this was Uzumaki Kyūsei.
Tch…
I am not some 'Little Nine,' damn it…
—
"Hey! Someone help! I'm starving to death!"
"I'm filing a complaint!"
"I'm reporting you for abuse!"
The prison guards stared at the white-eyed girl making a scene and felt their heads throb.
Orders from above were clear: don't mistreat her.
They'd given her decent food, clean water, and a proper cell.
And yet this Hyūga girl complained about everything.
Too salty.
Too bland.
The bed was too hard.
The room was uncomfortable.
Was she here to serve time—or to go on vacation?
"Shut up!" one guard snapped.
"You're the one who refused to eat, and now you're saying you're hungry?"
"Have you even tasted this garbage?" Hinata shot back angrily.
"It's salty enough to kill someone!"
"When I get out, you're dead!"
"Eat it or don't—your choice!"
"And shut your mouth!"
Guard duty was usually easy work.
But running into a stubborn, high-maintenance troublemaker like this—one they couldn't rough up—
Yeah.
He was seriously unlucky.
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