At a famous ramen stand known even across different worlds—rumored to be run by a direct descendant of the so-called Chakra no Sō—Niyu Haseo was sitting on a high stool, eating a large bowl of ramen all by herself.
Her feet swung playfully, revealing just how happy she was.
Soon after, a tall figure sat down beside her.
"Little Niyu, why are you eating ramen alone here?"
Jiraiya's gaze first rested on an empty bowl in front of him that had been completely cleaned out—not a drop of broth remained. His eyes lingered on it for a moment before he pushed the bowl aside and turned to Niyu as he spoke.
"Because I suddenly felt like having some... Oh, it's Uncle Jiraiya?"
Niyu turned her head and naturally saw Jiraiya's familiar face...
At first glance, this uncle's face looked kind of funny; upon closer inspection…well, it really was just plain funny.
That's exactly why Niyu quite liked Jiraiya—because she always enjoyed amusing things.
In fact, it was because of Jiraiya's voice that she had suddenly snapped out of a certain state, regaining her intelligence and wit, returning to her usual self. She couldn't even remember why she started eating ramen—it was simply something she suddenly wanted.
As for what happened earlier that afternoon, her memories had become hazy… It seemed like she had happily wandered around Konoha by herself, looking at this and that, and time just flew away like that.
She hadn't actually done anything, yet somehow felt fulfilled. Strange indeed.
Joy still lingered in her heart, though she couldn't quite recall what had made her so happy.
"So you came here just because you suddenly felt like eating ramen?"
Haseo hasn't been in the village these past two days. Do you really think Tsunade would let you run wild like this? Little Niyu, weren't there strict rules regarding your diet?"
Jiraiya sounded like he was merely making small talk with Niyu, but his words also seemed subtly meaningful.
"..."
Niyu glanced outside, finally realizing something was wrong. "Oops, is it already this late? I promised Older Sister Tsunade I'd come home on time."
Since Tsunade was a doctor, Niyu Haseo had to follow many strange rules and restrictions. Now that Haseo was away, her greatest source of support—the father—was gone, leaving her completely under Tsunade's iron grip.
"Worse still, I'm already full."
Rubbing her little belly, Niyu thought that even if she went home right now and pretended to have dinner with Tsunade, it would be too late… She wouldn't be able to eat another bite anyway.
Looks like today's shaping up to be another miserable day.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya expressed sympathy, "Back then, Tsunade listened to Haseo quite closely—being the elder and authoritative figure that he was. But afterward… Well, what a tragedy. Right before our eyes, his status within the family just plummeted to rock bottom."
"Tsunade is too strict. Only Father would spoil her like that... When we leave this village, I'm going to discuss with Father whether we should leave Tsunade behind."
Niyu Haseo wholeheartedly agreed with Jiraiya's words and proposed a solution—transforming their three-person family into a two-person arrangement, thus also preventing it from expanding into four or five members.
Of course, this was just a joke.
Jiraiya mused that this family would inevitably leave Konoha again. What Niyu Haseo casually said wasn't particularly significant; what truly mattered was the distance Haseo and Tsunade showed upon their return to Konoha.
"Niyu Haseo, let me ask you—where did you go from afternoon till evening? Why did Black Cat suddenly wander off in the middle?"
"The cat? It seemed to have spotted seven or eight Ninken strolling proudly through the village. Probably feeling indignant about that, it chased after them wanting to teach them a lesson...
Now that I think about it, why hasn't the cat returned yet? Could it possibly have been captured by those ninja hounds?"
Niyu Haseo began worrying about her pet.
"Don't worry about that—it's fine. In fact, it's already become the leader of those puppies."
Jiraiya didn't have the heart to say what followed—that those dogs had nearly been beaten to death.
But then again, for a Haseo family cat to bully a Hatake family dog didn't seem unreasonable at all. This could be seen as continuing the long-standing rivalry between the families, making it perfectly normal behavior.
"As for myself, I didn't do anything special this afternoon either—I was just idly wandering around Konoha as usual... Did something happen, Uncle Jiraiya?"
"You weren't up to anything, but your cat might've gotten itself into serious trouble.
This time we'll let it slide, but if it strays away from you again, then its long life will come to an end... Niyu Haseo, you'd better warn it when you return home."
Curiosity might just kill a cat.
Everyone knows what happens to a ninja who abandons his mission—and Black Cat's case is no different. As a Ninja Cat—a feline trained for covert missions—it has been assigned the task of protecting Niyu Haseo.
If it chooses not to take its duties seriously, then what purpose does it serve existing?
"Oh my, Uncle Jiraiya, I guess I'll head back now!"
After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Niyu Haseo immediately jumped from her seat and ran toward her home... The cat's situation indeed seemed quite serious, and she needed to plead on its behalf.
Fortunately, Haseo wouldn't be home right now; otherwise, the cat might've been deep-fried on the spot.
Jiraiya stood up as well, walked out from the stall, and fixed his gaze on the direction Niyu had taken. As she was about to disappear from sight, he finally spoke:
"Kakashi, complete your mission properly and keep close watch on this child... You understand what consequences will follow if anything happens to her.
Today, though briefly, she indeed disappeared completely for some moments.
Konoha can't afford another incident like this. Do you understand?"
Niyu Haseo had suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving the upper echelons of Konoha in a cold sweat. Fortunately, nothing unexpected had happened to her.
"I understand, Jiraiya-sama."
Kakashi felt a headache coming on. Originally, after being discovered once by Niyu Haseo, his covert guarding mission should have already ended, yet now it was being assigned to him again.
Acting in secret wasn't difficult, nor was guarding Niyu Haseo particularly tough, but combining "covert" with "guarding," Kakashi found the situation incredibly trying.
Being caught once had left him with psychological trauma—mainly concerning that book of his.
The big shots talk, and we do all the legwork. Do you really think Lord Haseo's daughter would just sit there and let someone sneak around guarding her?
Difficult, Kakashi. Difficult.
...
This happened the day before Haseo went up against the Five-Tails.
Now back to the Land of Grass.
After the battle—a complete one-sided thrashing—ended, the Uzumaki shinobi noticed someone rapidly approaching their location. A moment later, the figures became visible to the naked eye.
It was a trio.
As the Uzumaki shinobi heightened their alertness, preparing to engage at any moment, Haseo raised his hand to stop them:
"Calm down—it should be someone familiar...
I've got it. I think I know how to handle the jinchuriki from Iwagakure now."
Indeed, the Land of Grass was a small country bordering directly with the Land of Rain.
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