If Richard didn't already have the Three-Tails as his summoning beast, he might have considered extracting the One-Tail from Gaara's body. He could then use his physical form to persuade Shukaku to sign a summoning contract with him. But since he already commanded the Three-Tails, he wasn't in any rush to acquire a second tailed beast.
Yugao, unaware of Richard's contemplations, continued practicing Tiger Hunt with intense focus.
Time slipped away, and night descended on the forest.
Despite practicing for several hours, Yugao showed no signs of giving up, continuing her relentless attempts to master the technique. After glancing at the darkening sky, Richard approached her.
"Let's call it a day," he suggested. "The more desperately you practice, the less effective it becomes."
Hearing Richard's advice, Yugao finally halted her training.
"I'll master Tiger Hunt as quickly as possible," she promised earnestly. "I won't disappoint you."
"Don't pressure yourself too much," Richard replied. "Take your time."
After spending considerable time with her, he'd discovered that Yugao, despite her seemingly delicate exterior, possessed remarkable inner strength. Though she rarely displayed this trait openly, it became evident to anyone who spent enough time with her.
"Right!" Yugao nodded.
"Go home and rest," Richard said, preparing to use Body Flicker Technique to depart.
At that moment, Yugao spoke up: "Wait... you've taught me so much lately, and I haven't properly thanked you. If you don't mind, I'd like to treat you to dinner tonight."
Dinner?
Richard halted his chakra flow and looked at Yugao with surprise. After considering for a moment, he replied, "I don't eat convenience store fast food."
The last time Yugao had offered to treat him, she'd bought him a cheap canned drink from a vending machine. While he didn't mind dining with her, he had little interest in convenience store meals.
Upon hearing his response, Yugao's face briefly showed embarrassment before shifting to determination.
"It would be too impersonal to offer you convenience store food," she admitted. "I've decided to cook myself and show you my culinary skills."
Cook herself?
Richard wasn't familiar with Yugao's cooking abilities, but judging from her expression, they couldn't be too bad. Someone with poor kitchen skills wouldn't confidently offer to prepare a meal themselves.
"Won't that be too much trouble?" he asked.
"Not at all—you have to trust me!" Yugao insisted.
"In that case, let's see how good your cooking really is," Richard said seriously. "I should warn you, my standards for food are quite high. If it's not good, I'll be honest."
He wasn't exaggerating. To avoid forcing himself to eat unpleasant food, he'd hired top-tier chefs at considerable expense for both his New York Silver Manor and his palace in Silver City.
"You—a person who eats three meals a day at Ichiraku Ramen—hardly seem like someone with high culinary standards," Yugao remarked, unconsciously rolling her eyes with the familiar tone of a longtime companion.
Ichiraku's food was certainly good, but it was just ramen. No matter how delicious, ramen remained a relatively simple dish. In fact, it was rather difficult to make truly bad ramen—only an absolute disaster in the kitchen could render it inedible.
Richard wasn't surprised by Yugao's skepticism about his culinary standards. After all, Ichiraku Ramen was the establishment he visited most frequently in Konoha. What caught him off guard was her unconscious eye-roll and the intimate tone she'd adopted—like a couple engaged in casual banter.
At another time, he might have assumed she was acting deliberately. Now, however, he was certain her behavior was completely instinctive.
Yugao had initially approached him to complete her mission, seeking to gain his trust. But as their interactions increased—especially after he began teaching her swordsmanship—she'd started to trust him in return.
Normally, as an ANBU operative, Yugao wouldn't make such a basic "mistake." But she was still human—and a woman. Whether in appearance or temperament, Richard far outshone other men. Though Yugao had a boyfriend, Hayate simply couldn't compare to Richard.
Setting aside looks and personality, Hayate's abilities paled in comparison to Richard's. In swordsmanship alone, Richard had demonstrated skill rivaling elite ninja. When accounting for ninjutsu, taijutsu, and chakra control, the gap between Hayate and Richard was insurmountable.
Yugao was certainly loyal, but it would be strange if she remained completely unchanged after spending time with Richard daily. In truth, had she not already been in a relationship, she might have pursued Richard as eagerly as other Konoha kunoichi he'd encountered.
Realizing that Yugao had unconsciously adopted this affectionate tone with him, Richard mentally observed a moment of silence for Hayate Gekko. In the original timeline, after Hayate's death, Yugao never found another partner, living in perpetual grief. Based on current developments, however, it seemed she might recover from her sorrow relatively quickly once Hayate was gone.
Inside Yugao's apartment, Richard sat in the living room, patiently awaiting dinner.
After bringing him home, Yugao had confidently directed him to wait while she disappeared into the kitchen, ready to demonstrate her skills. Though he didn't know what dishes she would prepare, her self-assured demeanor suggested the meal would be satisfactory.
Time passed gradually.
After more than thirty minutes of kitchen work, Yugao emerged wearing an apron, carrying several traditional home-cooked dishes: miso soup, teriyaki chicken, egg custard with tofu, tonkatsu, sukiyaki hot pot, and spinach salad.
Though not elaborate restaurant fare, these were well-executed home dishes. Judging by their appearance and aroma, Yugao's cooking skills were indeed impressive.
After setting down all the dishes, she removed her apron, revealing a form-fitting sleeveless black top underneath. She had taken off her green jonin vest upon entering the kitchen, replacing it with the cooking apron—a perfectly normal practice.
But Yugao overlooked one detail—Richard wasn't Hayate Gekko.
Without her standard green vest, the tight sleeveless black top perfectly accentuated Yugao's figure. Richard initially considered suggesting she put her vest back on, but quickly abandoned the idea. If Yugao wasn't concerned, why should he be? Besides, she looked far better—more alluring, even—in just the form-fitting top than with the bulky green vest.
"Try my cooking," she invited confidently. "You won't be disappointed!"
"I don't even need to taste it," Richard replied. "Just from the appearance and aroma, I can tell it's excellent. You must cook quite often."
"It's nothing special," Yugao shrugged. "I prepare my own meals when I have time. But you know how it is—when there are no missions, I can manage my schedule. Once assigned a mission, finding time to eat at all becomes the challenge..."
She paused mid-sentence, then looked up with a slight frown. "You guessed early on that I approached you because of a mission, didn't you?"
"I figured it out the first day you came to the shop," Richard admitted directly.
"Then you must know I'm actually ANBU," Yugao said, pointing to the red spiral tattoo on her right shoulder.
Most civilians wouldn't recognize this mark as the exclusive symbol of ANBU, but anyone who had served in the black ops division or knew its inner workings would immediately identify it. The mark indicated either current or former ANBU service—Kakashi bore the same tattoo, though he'd left the organization years earlier.
"I knew that even earlier," Richard replied calmly. "When I first saw you outside Ichiraku Ramen, I recognized you were ANBU, or had been at some point."
Though surprised by Yugao's sudden revelation of her identity, he could guess her motives. Simply put, she no longer wanted to deceive him. More complexly, she was testing him—revealing herself to gauge whether he harbored any ill intentions toward Konoha.
"If you knew all along, why didn't you expose me?" Yugao asked, frowning. "Why teach me swordsmanship?"
"Before I answer that question, let me ask you something first," Richard countered. "Since you deliberately approached me for an investigation, why invite me to your home for dinner?"
Without hesitation, Yugao replied, "Because my intuition tells me you're not a bad person. If you wanted to harm me or Konoha, few people here could stop you. Even if the Hokage himself intervened, he might not succeed."
Intuition? Women truly are emotional creatures, Richard thought with an internal sigh.
"Since you're being so forthright, I'll be equally direct," he said. "I can't tell you where I really come from. But for now, my impression of Konoha is positive—I have no intention of harming the village and plan to stay here indefinitely. I know it's difficult to believe based solely on my word, but whether you accept it or not, this is the truth."
He continued, "The information I provided when entering the village is technically accurate. I did come from the Land of Water and lived in Kirigakure for a while. But I'm not from Kirigakure, and they have no power to use me as their spy or pawn."
Richard looked at Yugao with absolute seriousness. "That's all I can tell you. If you—no, if Konoha's leadership, including the Hokage—still consider me dangerous or unpredictable, there's nothing more I can do."
After hearing his answer, Yugao fell silent for several moments.
Finally, she said, "Let's eat before the food gets cold." Then she added, "I... I don't know if the Hokage and others will trust you. But I believe you're not a bad person."
Seeing the earnest expression on her face, Richard smiled and nodded.
For the remainder of the meal, they avoided serious topics, enjoying their dinner and chatting like old friends. Time passed pleasantly until, as Yugao was clearing the table, there came a knock at the door.
"That should be Hayate," she said quickly, rising to answer it.
As she walked to the entrance, Richard used his enhanced vision to peek ahead. Yugao was right—Hayate Gekko stood outside, clutching a bouquet of flowers. From his appearance, he must have just returned from a mission. Despite the late hour, he'd gone out of his way to buy flowers, hoping to surprise Yugao.
As the door opened, Hayate came into view. Without hesitation, he presented the flowers to Yugao.
"I'm back," he said simply.
"Welcome home," Yugao nodded, accepting the bouquet.
She led Hayate, fresh from his mission, into the living room. The moment he entered, his expression darkened as he spotted Richard.
Why is HE here?
Hayate's gaze flickered to Yugao, and he suddenly registered her attire—not her standard green vest, but a tight-fitting black top that accentuated her figure perfectly.
Could they be...?
Unpleasant scenarios flashed through Hayate's mind. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Yugao quickly explained:
"Richard taught me a sword technique called Tiger Hunt today. I invited him to dinner as a thank you."
Though Yugao told the complete truth, Hayate still felt as if his dark blue forehead protector might as well have turned green with jealousy.