Sometimes, Torifu simply couldn't understand it. After all these years, hadn't the villagers' enthusiasm waned at all?
Torifu was quite familiar with the Uchiha clan, being the First Hokage's disciple alongside the Uchiha clan's young mistress. The Uchiha guards, upon seeing Torifu, greeted him and then turned to inform their superiors. Soon after, Naori emerged from the clan compound.
By now, Naori was a grown woman, her wavy purple hair cascading down her back. She wore the traditional Uchiha clan robe. Her face had matured significantly compared to three years ago, yet she still retained a girlish charm. She had grown quite a bit taller, standing at about 1.6 meters, still a bit shorter than Torifu.
"Torifu, what brings you here?" Naori was clearly surprised that Torifu had sought her out today. After all, they had only just gone out together yesterday, and by rights, Torifu should have been resting at home.
Torifu chuckled. "Well, Amado blew up the house again, but his research yielded some results, so I planned to take him out for a meal, and he insisted I call you along." Naori showed no surprise upon hearing Amado had blown up the house; she was clearly accustomed to it by now. Knowing Torifu's strength, she also knew he couldn't have been hurt, so she didn't offer any words of concern.
"That Amado, he's a bit too mischievous, isn't he?"
Torifu waved his hand. "You can't blame him. He has a talent for it, and I didn't want to let it go to waste, so I let him research." Seeing Torifu defend Amado, Naori dropped the topic and instead said, "But that kid is quite thoughtful, knowing to call his Nee-san when there's good food to be had!" Then she gave a mischievous grin. "Wait a moment; I'll go change. Wearing this would be too casual."
Before Torifu could even finish speaking, Naori had already dashed back into the compound. A clan member nearby offered an awkward smile. "Little Brother Torifu, you know the young mistress's temperament. Besides, she doesn't like wearing that outfit." Torifu nodded. Having spent so many years with Naori, he naturally knew her character; once she decided on something, no one could dissuade her.
Speaking of speed, Naori was quite swift. In just about ten minutes, she had changed her clothes and came out.
"How do I look? Is it pretty?" Naori spun around in front of Torifu, striking a pose.
Torifu nodded. "Very good, very good."
Naori was delighted at his words. "Hehe, this is the latest style from the embroidery shop. I heard many clan young ladies were scrambling to buy it. My brother bought this one for me." Torifu scrutinized it again. It had to be said, the outfit was indeed very nice, and Naori looked even better wearing it.
Afterward, the two set off for the barbecue restaurant. Torifu released a cloud crane to send a message to Amado, telling him to meet them directly at the restaurant. Seeing this, Naori asked, "Speaking of which, why didn't you just use a cloud crane to tell me, instead of making a special trip?"
Torifu chuckled. "Doesn't this show how much more I value you?"
Naori felt a little thrill in her heart upon hearing this, bouncing happily as she walked. Indeed, it was right to conceal the true reason. If Naori had known Torifu was forced to go out to find the craftsmen, she would probably have been furious.
The two chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at their usual spot, the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant. Over the past three years, the barbecue restaurant had continuously expanded and renovated, becoming one of Konoha Village's top restaurants. Almost every day, it was packed with customers. However, each time the owner expanded or renovated, he would set aside a private room specifically for Torifu and Naori. Their relationship now could easily be described as close friends.
Sure enough, as soon as they entered the restaurant, a waiter greeted them. The owner heard the commotion and came downstairs. "Torifu and Naori are here! Go straight upstairs! Hey, quickly tell the kitchen to start slicing meat, let's start with forty plates!"
Torifu and Naori greeted the owner, then expertly made their way to their private room.
"Boss, Amado will be joining us later, so please add a few more plates of meat."
"Amado's coming too? Then add another five plates of meat; they're on me."
Torifu didn't refuse. After all, they had known each other for years; there was no need to quibble over five plates of meat.
"Then you two enjoy yourselves. I'll go back and check the reports."
"Alright, Boss! You go on. See what last month's revenue was!" Naori said with a giggle. The owner laughed heartily and then departed.
Plates of meat arrived one after another, but Torifu and Naori didn't rush, waiting for Amado to arrive. After about ten minutes, Amado finally showed up. He didn't even need a waiter to guide him, walking directly into the private room, clearly a regular.
"Hehe, I'm a bit late."
Naori smiled. "It's fine. We were waiting for you; we haven't even put any meat on the grill yet."
Amado saw the several stacks of meat on the table and couldn't help but swallow. "So much! Can we even finish it all?"
Torifu then let out a disdainful sound. "Kid, you're underestimating us. You should be worrying if there's enough to eat." Amado's face was instantly lined with black. What was with that air of superiority? Was being able to eat so much something to be proud of?!
Without further bickering, Torifu and Naori began putting meat onto the grill. The sizzling pork on the hot iron plate released a fragrant aroma that quickly filled the private room. Soon, the meat in the pan turned golden, with a slightly charred edge—the most delicious point. The three began to eat.
"By the way, Torifu, are there any suitable missions lately? I feel restless just staying at home." Naori asked while eating. Over these three years, she had also trained diligently, her strength far surpassing what it was three years prior. She planned to challenge this year's jonin exam to see if she could become a jonin in one go. Meanwhile, Torifu's rank hadn't changed; he was already the highest in the village, with only the Hokage above him.
"It seems there aren't many suitable missions for us."
Just as he finished speaking, Torifu remembered something and said, "Didn't Hiruzen recently propose some kind of jonin instructor system to Hokage-sama? What do you think of it?"
Naori thought for a moment. There was indeed such a thing, but it hadn't been fully implemented yet, though it should be soon. "It's pretty good. Newly graduated shinobi are just greenhorns. Without senior guidance, they'll waste a lot of time." Naori was referring to a clear flaw in Konoha Village: newly graduated shinobi had no practical experience, only textbook theory. The missions they could take were mostly things like catching cats or finding dogs. If someone could directly lead them on missions, their progress would be much faster.