As one dish after another of strangely "manly tear-inducing" food was carried into the private room, the other diners in the yakiniku shop—whether men or women—exchanged knowing glances. Quiet whispers spread:
Tonight, those people in that room are definitely in for a hard battle.
Inside the room, the two burly black men devoured food with such wild abandon that the group of little ones, gnawing awkwardly on their stick-shaped dishes, were left dumbfounded.
After swallowing a sizzling, oil-dripping suspicious piece of meat, the curly-haired brute tilted back his head and gulped down the deer-whip liquor Uchiha Gin had shared with him. His throat burned fiercely, but he still shouted with admiration:
"This liquor with grilled meat—perfect!"
He hadn't expected Konoha to have such fine wine, on par with the best from the Land of Lightning.
Beside him, the bearded brute's mouth was too stuffed with grilled meat to speak, but he nodded vigorously in agreement.
Watching the two as if they'd fled a famine in Africa, Gin sipped his tea thoughtfully. His mind worried over the Gold Horn and Silver Horn brothers—he could only hope his two little jail bros weren't stunted from malnutrition over in Lightning.
"Thank you for the drink. I am Ai, from the Land of Lightning. May I ask for your honorable name?"
Wine and meat warming his belly, the First Raikage felt heat rising through his whole body, even a faint fire in his lower abdomen. Looking at Gin, who drank only tea and hadn't touched food, he laughed heartily.
"I am Uchiha Gin, just a prison guard currently… waiting at home for work."
Putting down his cup, Gin smiled warmly.
"A prison guard? I didn't expect Gin-dono to be a civil officer."
The First Raikage had thought, after the street incident earlier, that Gin must be a high-ranking figure in Konoha. He never imagined he was just an ordinary guard.
"And this brother with the big appetite?"
Nodding proudly to show he was fine being grassroots, Gin turned to the bearded brute still gnawing on beef treasure and raised an eyebrow.
"Crunch… I am…"
Caught off guard, the bearded brute froze. His cow-like eyes went blank. Ever since becoming the only candidate for Second Raikage, by tradition he had abandoned his original name and taken the codename Ai, the same as the First Raikage.
"Gin-dono, he's also Ai."
The First Raikage noticed his subordinate's embarrassment and explained.
"You guys are really casual with naming…"
Rubbing his chin, Gin chuckled, then spoke seriously:
"Then, Little Ai-kun?"
"Here!"
The bearded brute answered reflexively, "What is it?"
Although being called "Little Ai" was awkward, he accepted it proudly—it was an honor to carry on the Raikage name.
"Nothing, nothing. If the food isn't enough, I'll order more. This meal is on me."
"Thanks, an~"
"This… Gin-dono, how can we accept?"
The First Raikage hurriedly waved his hands, refusing.
"No problem. A meeting is fate. Speaking of Lightning… I have two little jail bros who fled to your land. I don't know if they're eating well."
A small expense was nothing for Gin. Looking at these honest big fellows, he sighed.
"I didn't know Gin-dono also has brothers in Lightning. I have some say there. If they face difficulties, just let them come to me."
Generous as always, the First Raikage thumped his chest in promise.
"Really, thank you!"
Gin thought for a moment. Since the Raikage was a person of influence, he might as well thank him now on behalf of his two jail bros. He wondered if they had already made their way into the upper circles of Kumogakure.
"Gin-dono, what are their names? When I return, I'll arrange them cushy jobs—good pay, light work."
The Second Raikage candidate, Little Ai, wiped his greasy mouth and made a firm promise.
"Then I'll trouble you, Little Ai-kun. My two jail bros are ninja who once fled to Lightning."
"Refugees? Do they have names?"
"Of course. They once belonged to a noble clan, but chose the wrong side, offended the wrong man, and lost everything. They had no choice but to flee."
Remembering the tragic fate of the Gold and Silver brothers, Gin sighed. Recently, he found that white-haired guy more and more distasteful.
He wondered—had his two jail bros trained their military strategy well enough to fulfill their glorious feats in the original story, and give Tobirama a proper beating?
After his brief reverie, Gin smiled and gave their names:
"My two jail bros—one is Kinkaku, who suffers from premature aging, the other is Ginkaku, born with the sacred emo constitution. When I sent them to Lightning, they were only ten or so—forced to leave home so young. I hope they haven't been bullied there."
"PFFFFT!!!"
The two burly men, who had been listening intently, spat their drinks out at the same time. Fortunately, Gin was quick to grab a tray as a shield, or else he would have taken a water-style face wash.
"Cough, cough… Gin-dono, are you sure you remember correctly?"
The First Raikage's face turned purple from choking, staring at Gin in disbelief. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't connect his two fiercest subordinates with the pitiful orphans Gin described.
"How could I forget? I personally escorted them to Lightning back then."
Gin's earnest expression was unwavering.
The Second Raikage leaned toward the First, whispering:
"Raikage-sama, I recall the Gold and Silver brothers, along with the Hagoromo clan, were indeed escorted to us by the Uchiha."
The First Raikage hardly needed reminding. As their direct superior, he knew their origins well. He nodded slightly, then forced a calm tone toward Gin's eager look.
"Gin-dono, if I'm not mistaken, your jail bros are living very well in Lightning—in fact, their futures are limitless."
He wasn't exaggerating. His bearded subordinate was already set to succeed him as Second Raikage, and the fiery young Kinkaku was being groomed as a future Third candidate. Unless something unforeseen happened, Kinkaku would surely become the Third Raikage.
"Oh, you know them! That's good, that's good. Then I entrust them to you, please take care not to let them suffer."
Satisfied with the Raikage's reasonableness, Gin raised his cup and clinked glasses with the two brutes before downing it all.
My two jail bros, don't blame your big brother for not paving the way. I've set up the connections for you. Now it's up to you—don't embarrass me.
"Definitely, definitely!"
The two black brutes exchanged looks, then nodded quickly.
After wine and meat, Gin and the little ones bid farewell to the two Raikage.
"Gin-dono, thank you for the hospitality. Until next time!"
"Of course~"
——
After a good meal, a hundred steps for health—Gin believed in living long, so he took the full little group on a street stroll.
"Gin-san, we're so hot!"
But they hadn't gone far before the little ones began to complain, their flushed faces looking miserable. Gin smirked, then straightened up and lectured:
"Hot? Good! This is part of training. If you can't even endure a little heat, how can you become proper ninja?"
"But we're not hot from the weather—it's from inside our bodies!"
Panting, Sarutobi Hiruzen tugged at his collar.
"Yeah, yeah!"
The others chimed in.
"I can't take it—I need ice!"
Danzō, with the biggest butt of them all, felt sweat pooling in his crack—soaked enough that even a fart might splash.
"Ice? That's not impossible~"
Gin thought for a moment, then grinned mischievously. Looking at the still-bright sky, he told them:
"Fifty laps around Konoha. I'll wait for you at the ice shop by the village gate."
He held up five fingers, smiling wide.
"Nooooo!"
"I don't want it anymore!"
The little ones collapsed in despair, rolling on the ground.
"You can skip it, sure. But whoever doesn't run, don't expect me to ever teach you again."
"Go go go!"
At that, they scrambled to their feet and dashed off. No way they'd let themselves miss ice cream.
"Tsk, tsk… this is youth!"
Watching their sprinting backs, Gin sighed in admiration.
——
Elsewhere, on the street, a bald, scarred man walked with a small, adorable purple-haired girl trailing behind. The little loli's eyes sparkled at every treat and toy, her voice chirping non-stop:
"Sensei, what's that?"
"Sensei, these red bean pastries look so yummy!"
Her chatter drew smiles from passersby, who melted at her cuteness—only to freeze upon seeing the frightening man shadowing her. Concerned whispers rose, and some even began reporting to security.
"Officer, there's a kidnapper here!"
"Chiyo, as a ninja, don't overreact to everything."
Her teacher, Samon, sighed at yet another interrogation, glancing helplessly at his disciple.
"Ah? I'm sorry, Sensei…"
The little girl, with a fancy purple cane hanging at her waist, pouted guiltily.
"It's fine."
Seeing she was about to cry, and aware of the stares around them, Samon handed her some Fire Country bills.
"Here, some pocket money. Buy whatever snacks you want. I'll be going somewhere you can't follow to gather intel."
"Okay, Sensei!"
The bundle of money instantly wiped her sadness away—Chiyo's face bloomed with joy.
"Remember where the reception inn is? If danger comes, send a signal."
"Got it, got it, you go already!"
Counting her bills happily, she waved him off.
"And don't cause trouble."
"Yeees~"
"Hehe, with this, I can finally taste ice cream!"
Tucking the cash into her clothes, Chiyo smiled sweetly. In the Wind Country, ice cream was unheard of, just a rumor from wandering merchants. Tagging along to the Fire Country had one main goal: to finally taste the legendary ice cream—and maybe bring some back for her little brother.
"But… where do they sell it?"
Money wasn't the problem now—finding it was. Just as she fretted, shouting came from behind.
"Outta the way! Outta the way!"
Turning, she saw a group of five boys and one girl, faces red and drenched in sweat, running desperately.
"Um, do you know where they sell ice cream?"
Seeing they were her age, she asked shyly.
"We're training—move aside!"
At the front, Hiruzen's eyes were bloodshot; he couldn't even see straight, only that someone was blocking the way.
"It's at the gate—there's a famous ice shop."
Uchiha Kagami, stomach lighter than the others, still had clarity enough to answer kindly.
"Thank you~"
Chiyo blushed as she gazed at Kagami's handsome face. In Sunagakure, she'd never seen such a pretty boy.
Behind him, Danzō's heart pounded like never before when his red eyes landed on Chiyo's cute face. The heat inside him spiked—it was the feeling of falling in love.
"You—you're not from Konoha, are you?"
"Mind your own business!"
She turned with a frown, disgusted by the scary, big-butted boy who dared address her. This kind of guy dares speak to me?
"Kagami, let's hurry, don't waste time."
Jealous Koharu, seeing Kagami talking with another girl, snapped irritably.
"Alright."
Kagami smiled gently at Chiyo, then followed the group. Forty-five laps left until ice.
"What a shame he's not from Suna…"
Chiyo pouted regretfully, then headed the way he'd pointed.
——
At the ice shop—
As a regular, Gin lifted the curtain and walked in. Spotting a familiar figure, he chuckled:
"Hey, little Osamu, what brings you here helping out today?"
The girl stiffened at first, then lifted her head with her usual cool expression. Seeing Gin sit, Uchiha Osamu nodded.
"No missions lately, so I'm here to help my mother."
Her tone was calm, but her eyes flickered oddly, a teasing undertone in her words:
"But Gin-sensei, why aren't you at home with Hikari-sama, sneaking out here to indulge?"
Gin thought she meant him sneaking sweets. Scratching his head with a grin, he said:
"Hehe, you're the best, Osamu. Not like Hikari—she'd never let me eat stuff this sweet."
At that, the girl's lips curved faintly. She fiddled with her ice blade and asked:
"The usual honey-syrup strawberry shaved ice?"
"Extra sugar, extra honey, no ice shavings!"
A short while later, she set down a bowl drenched in honey syrup.
"Ahhh~ it's great to be alive!"
Scooping a huge bite, Gin squinted happily at the rich sweetness.
Across from him, Osamu sat quietly, watching his blissful face. Heat rose in her, legs pressing together. She still vividly remembered that "special experience" with the Great Myojin. A faint blush colored her cheeks.
Noticing her flushed face, Gin thought she was hot. With a pained sigh, he slid his shaved ice over.
"Osamu~ just one bite, okay? Cool yourself down."
"No need, I just finished exercising."
She eyed the spoon covered with his suspicious saliva. Though tempted, reason won—she shook her head firmly.
"Um, excuse me, do you have ice cream here?"
A timid voice came from the doorway. Both turned to see a little girl hovering outside, too shy to enter.
Chiyo had finally found the shop Kagami mentioned. But gazing at the cute, fancy decor, she looked down at her plain clothes and hesitated. Can I really walk into a place like this?
After a struggle, she peeked in, then gathered courage to ask.
Hearing her, Osamu rose, beckoning kindly with a rare smile.
"Come in, little one. We have lots of flavors."
Gin eyed her curiously. Seeing the ornate cane at her waist, he suddenly understood.
"Thank you, onee-chan. I'd like some ice cream—are these enough?"
Encouraged by Osamu's smile, Chiyo shuffled in, awkward in the cute shop. She nervously handed over all her money, eyes hopeful. Something this fancy must be expensive… will it be enough?
"This is more than enough. Just one bill is fine."
Osamu picked the smallest note, handing the rest back.
"What flavor would you like?"
"Um…"
Chiyo froze. The shop had no menu, only a few pictures.
"I recommend strawberry. Addictive, you'll love it~"
Gin suddenly loomed behind her, making her jump.
"Ah!"
Her hand shot to her cane, but his warm palm ruffled her head before she could react.
"But strawberry is the flavor of a grown-up. For a little one like you, it's too soon. Try vanilla instead."
He rubbed her head with a grin.
"W-who are you?"
Feeling teased, she slapped his hand away, pouting. At least the tension was gone.
"Heh~ since you sincerely asked! I am but a passing…"
Clutching his face, Gin struck a ridiculous chunibyo pose.
"Gin-sensei, stop bullying my customer."
Rolling her eyes, Osamu cut him off, then crouched to Chiyo's level with a gentle smile.
"Little guest, what flavor do you like?"
"Red bean! I want red bean flavor!"
Remembering the pastry she'd just eaten, Chiyo drooled a little.
"Alright, wait a bit. Red bean ice cream coming right up."
"Thank you, onee-chan!"
"Osamu, another bowl for me~"
Gin shamelessly held out his empty dish.
"Sorry, Gin-sensei. Hikari-sama said—you're only allowed one a month."
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]