Though it was barely past eight o'clock—not particularly late—and Hayate knew Yugao wasn't the type to be unfaithful, seeing her dressed like this while alone with Richard triggered his jealousy instinctively.
Pushing aside the unpleasant thoughts threatening to turn his headband "green," Hayate said to Yugao, "Richard taught you swordsmanship—I should thank him." He then approached Richard directly and extended his hand. "I'm Hayate Gekko. Pleased to meet you."
Though Hayate's tone was polite, his eyes told a different story. Richard didn't take offense, however. He shook Hayate's hand and replied calmly, "Likewise."
"You've finished dinner, so I won't intrude any longer," Richard added, withdrawing his hand and preparing to leave.
At the same moment, Hayate turned to Yugao. "You must be tired as well. I'll head home and see you tomorrow."
"Alright," Yugao nodded.
Outside the apartment building, Hayate suddenly stopped Richard as he was about to depart. "I don't know why Yugao suddenly trusts you so much," he said coldly, "but I can't bring myself to do the same. My instincts tell me you're not what you seem."
Intuition again?
Richard smiled at Hayate's words. "During dinner, Yugao told me her intuition suggests I'm not a bad person, which is why she believes in me. Interesting that a couple would have such conflicting instincts."
Richard wasn't at all surprised by Hayate's hostility. In fact, if Hayate had shown no reaction to finding him dining alone with Yugao, that would have been far more concerning.
"Yugao is simply too trusting—she's been deceived by your act," Hayate retorted. "Consider this a warning: don't harbor any inappropriate intentions toward her. Otherwise, I won't let it slide."
Despite Hayate's serious expression, Richard remained completely unfazed by the threat.
"You should worry more about yourself," Richard replied calmly. "The Chunin Exams started today—you must be quite busy. If you really want to confront me, I suggest waiting until after the exams conclude."
Hayate didn't yet know that he would soon serve as the examiner for the third round of the Chunin Exams. Though appointed by the Third Hokage, he wouldn't live to see the official third exam. However, he would still oversee the preliminary matches due to the unexpectedly high number of candidates passing the Forest of Death trial—at least fulfilling part of his duties as examiner.
"You don't need to tell me what to do. I'll be watching you," Hayate warned.
"Whatever you want," Richard replied dismissively before using the Body Flicker Technique to vanish from Hayate's sight, returning directly to his own residence.
Upon arriving home, Richard found Sasuke leaning against the wall by his door.
"Did you pass the first exam?" Richard asked, though he already knew that all of the "Konoha Twelve," along with Gaara and the others, would successfully advance.
"Yes, I passed," Sasuke replied promptly. "The second phase begins tomorrow."
"Then why aren't you resting?" Richard inquired.
"I identified several strong competitors in the exam room," Sasuke said, his expression serious. "I'm not completely confident I can defeat them. If you're free tonight, I'd appreciate more training."
"You only have one night—even with additional coaching, it won't make much difference," Richard pointed out. "However, I can offer you some advice."
Having spent the entire afternoon training Yugao, Richard wasn't eager to continue with Sasuke tonight.
"What advice?" Sasuke asked eagerly.
"Retreat is shameful but useful," Richard said deliberately. "If you encounter an enemy beyond your capabilities in the second exam, consider running away."
He wasn't joking—this was sincere counsel. Despite Sasuke's training, he still lagged significantly behind competitors like Gaara and Lee. As for Orochimaru, the gap was insurmountable.
Richard had warned Orochimaru previously, so the Sannin might not target Sasuke again. Yet this created another problem: without Orochimaru's Curse Mark of Heaven, Sasuke might not be able to defeat Gaara when they eventually faced off. With this in mind, Richard offered his "shameful but useful retreat" advice, though he wasn't sure if Sasuke would heed it.
Retreat?
Sasuke hadn't expected Richard to suggest running away. Though surprised, after several moments of silent consideration, he nodded in agreement.
"If there's nothing else, go rest," Richard advised.
"Right. I'll return after passing the second exam," Sasuke replied before heading toward his solitary home in the abandoned Uchiha district.
After watching Sasuke leave, Richard went inside and straight to the bathroom, ready for a hot bath. While he enjoyed the soothing warmth, across town, Yugao was meticulously recording everything Richard had said that evening, along with all the intelligence she'd gathered over recent days.
After completing her report, she stepped onto her apartment balcony and handed the scroll to an ANBU operative wearing a tiger mask.
"Richard now knows I'm from ANBU and that I approached him for a mission," she explained. "This scroll contains his statements after I revealed my identity, plus all intelligence I've collected recently. Additionally, if the mission continues, I request to be withdrawn and replaced."
"This isn't your first day in ANBU," the tiger-masked ninja replied curtly. "You know perfectly well we never voluntarily withdraw from assignments."
"I know," Yugao acknowledged, "but I still want to try. Even if I continue this mission, my conclusion will be that he has no hostile intentions toward Konoha. As for his origins and abilities—unless he chooses to reveal them himself, I won't discover them."
Yugao understood that ANBU operatives rarely had the privilege of refusing missions.
But when she chose to reveal her identity to Richard, Yugao had mentally prepared herself for the scolding she'd receive from both the Third Hokage and her captain.
Seeing the determination in her expression, the tiger-masked ANBU operative replied slowly, "I'll convey your message to Lord Hokage. Regardless of what you tell me, only the Hokage can decide whether this mission continues or terminates."
With that, the ANBU ninja vanished from the balcony using Body Flicker Technique, as if he'd never been there at all. After his departure, Yugao returned to her living room, hugged a pillow to her chest, and lay down on the sofa in contemplation.
The following day at noon, Richard had his usual lunch at Ichiraku Ramen before heading to his Ninja Tool Shop to begin the day's business.
Shortly after opening, a child with peculiar features entered the shop.
Richard glanced at the visitor and said casually, "Aren't you aware my shop is under ANBU surveillance?"
Though he'd never seen this child before, Richard immediately recognized him as Orochimaru using the Transformation Technique.
"Of course I know your store is an ANBU surveillance target," the disguised Orochimaru replied. "Don't worry—I checked thoroughly before entering. There are no ANBU operatives nearby."
"Why have you come?" Richard asked bluntly. "If you're still trying to recruit me for your plan to destroy Konoha, you can leave now. I have no interest in it."
"I'm not here to persuade you to join the Konoha destruction plan," Orochimaru said, approaching the display case. "I specifically came to see what's so special about these ninja tools that justifies their exorbitant prices."
Reaching the case, he removed a vibranium kunai and examined it carefully. His expression grew increasingly serious as he tested its properties.
"What metal is this?" Orochimaru asked, turning to Richard.
"Vibranium," Richard answered simply.
Vibranium? What kind of metal is that? Orochimaru's skeptical look prompted Richard to elaborate.
"Think of it as a special metal I developed," he explained.
"How much vibranium do you still possess? Sell me some," Orochimaru demanded directly.
Richard wasn't about to reveal that he had hundreds of tons stored in his system space. "Not much left," he said calmly. "If you really want it, just buy the kunai and Tantō in the display case."
"These have already been forged," Orochimaru countered. "I want the raw material."
Though Orochimaru knew little about vibranium's properties, he clearly preferred the unworked metal to weapons already crafted from it.
"We don't sell unforged materials," Richard stated firmly. Though he could easily provide Orochimaru with some vibranium, the Sannin had nothing Richard particularly wanted in exchange.
"When did you become so stingy?" Orochimaru complained.
"This isn't about stinginess," Richard explained. "You simply don't possess anything that interests me. If you had something valuable to offer, I might consider selling you vibranium. Unfortunately, you don't."
Orochimaru was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant scientists among the Hokage-level ninja, but his areas of expertise—Impure World Reincarnation, biological modification techniques—held little appeal for Richard currently.
These techniques might prove useless once Richard left the Naruto universe and returned to the Marvel universe. Despite harvesting the extraordinary abilities of Ninja Cells and Ninja Physique, Richard couldn't be certain these powers would function properly upon returning to his home reality. Trading vibranium for abilities that might become defunct seemed like poor business, even with his vast reserves.
"If you won't deal, so be it," Orochimaru returned the vibranium kunai to the display case, his expression indifferent.
Just as he prepared to say something more, he suddenly frowned, his face instantly reverting to the innocent expression befitting a child. Without another word, he departed hastily.
The moment Orochimaru left, Yugao arrived at the shop, looking confused at the child who had just exited. Though she hadn't recognized Orochimaru's disguise, it was unusual to see a child visiting Richard's establishment.
"Wasn't that kid here to buy ninja tools?" she asked.
"Of course not—just a curious child," Richard replied dismissively. "Let's not dwell on it. Judging by your appearance, you're here to continue practicing Tiger Hunt, aren't you?"
"Yes, I was hoping you could coach me this afternoon, if that's convenient," Yugao responded eagerly.
"Nothing inconvenient about it."
Richard stepped away from the counter, retrieved the vibranium kunai and Tantō from the display case back into his system space, then closed the shop—ending business for the day after being open barely ten minutes.
Time passed swiftly. Five days went by in a flash.
After nearly ten days of intensive practice, Yugao finally mastered Tiger Hunt. Though her progress couldn't compare to Richard's effortless learning, it represented a significant achievement for her. To perfect the technique, she'd even declined several invitations from Hayate, focusing entirely on her training.
"Congratulations," Richard said genuinely.
"It's all thanks to your guidance," Yugao replied seriously. "Without your instruction, I could never have mastered Tiger Hunt on my own."
"So how do you plan to thank me?" Richard asked with a smile.
"How about I treat you to dinner again?" Yugao suggested quickly.
"That works," Richard nodded. Though Yugao wasn't a master chef, her cooking was quite good. She might not create elaborate dishes, but her home cooking was more than satisfactory.
"It's barely two o'clock—a bit early for dinner," Richard noted. "I'll come to your apartment this evening instead."