At some point, the eye on the guard of the blade at Ryuji Hyuga's waist opened. These words were like warm spring water flowing into a lake, easing the resentment in several hearts and loosening their furrowed brows. A few even showed traces of guilt, and Sasuke Uchiha, watching from afar, stared at Ryuji Hyuga with curiosity.
Naruto Uzumaki also lifted his head now, his blue eyes wide with disbelief. He stared blankly at Ryuji Hyuga, the golden light casting a hazy glow over that tall figure. It felt as if a thin layer of gold covered him, making it impossible to look away.
While Naruto Uzumaki's mind was still blank and filled with unfamiliar emotions, Ryuji Hyuga looked at him again. This time, he did not wait for Naruto Uzumaki to take the hand himself. That strong hand firmly grasped Naruto Uzumaki's small, dusty hand that was frozen in midair.
Warmth like sunlight spread clearly and quickly from their joined palms. It traveled up Naruto Uzumaki's arm and drove away the chill from before. Startled by the sudden warmth, his whole body trembled, and he was lifted up lightly by Ryuji Hyuga's arm as if his bones had been taken away.
He stood steady, still keeping his head down, but his small body was no longer stiff. Ryuji Hyuga did not let go right away, and the warmth made him feel a sense of safety and comfort he had never known.
"I should be the one apologizing."
Ryuji Hyuga spoke easily, as if the earlier exchange had never happened, and smiled. "I made you fall. It must have hurt, right?"
"You look like you were heading to get breakfast. To make it up to you, how about I treat you to ramen?"
The sudden kindness left Naruto Uzumaki at a loss. He shook his head again and again and stammered, "N no, it is fine. N no, I mean it was my fault. I cannot…"
The kindness made him unsure how to react, and he instinctively tried to pull his hand away and escape. But in the next moment, a very clear sound rang out.
Grrrr.
It came from Naruto Uzumaki's stomach, like a protest, and froze all his movements at once. Ryuji Hyuga clearly heard it too and let out a soft laugh he could not hold back, teasing but without any malice.
"Come on." He lowered his voice in a joking tone. "You do not want me to let you go back and lie in bed alone, crying from hunger, do you?"
At those words, Naruto Uzumaki's heart shook, and a sharp soreness rose up for no clear reason. His nose tingled and wrinkled slightly.
Ryuji Hyuga did not give him time to struggle. With a grip that felt natural and unquestioned, he pulled the still dazed Naruto Uzumaki forward and started walking down the street.
The villagers who had not yet dispersed watched with complicated expressions. No one stepped forward or said anything more, and there was no resentment either. Instead, they felt genuine respect, thinking that Ryuji Hyuga was far too kind, even gentle to a child suspected of being a monster.
"Sasuke, I have been looking for you. What are you doing here?"
As Sasuke Uchiha watched the tall and small figures leave, a voice with curiosity and a smile came from behind him. Sasuke turned and saw a boy with long lashes carrying a short sword on his back.
"Brother Shisui." He greeted him, then looked at the two figures in the distance. "That is the Ryuji Hyuga everyone has been talking about lately, right?"
Hearing this, Shisui Uchiha followed his gaze and looked toward the distant figures. He had not seen what happened here, and his impression of Ryuji Hyuga came only from what others said. War hero, hardworking genius, a rebellious member of the Hyuga Clan.
For Shisui, who valued both his clan and the village, his first impression of the name was very good before meeting him. Yet now, watching that back being observed by the crowd, Shisui slowly frowned.
"What is this feeling…"
He had already awakened Mangekyo Sharingan and possessed Kotoamatsukami, the strongest Genjutsu. It could be said that he was the best at Genjutsu in all of Konoha. As a master of Genjutsu, he was extremely sensitive to changes in himself and his surroundings.
Because he had not seen what happened, he sensed an invisible presence and felt his emotions shift for no clear reason. That lingering presence was extremely faint, so faint that he wondered if it was just an illusion.
"Brother Shisui?"
When there was no response for a long time, Sasuke tugged at his clothes and looked up at him in confusion. Shisui Uchiha snapped out of it, and given his personality, he did not overthink it. He shook his head to cast the doubt aside and smiled down at Sasuke.
"It is nothing. Come on, your brother has an ANBU mission today, so I will keep you company."
Sasuke's face immediately fell, and he muttered, "Again. He said last time was the last time."
"All right, all right. You know your brother."
Shisui laughed and rested a hand on his shoulder, turning him and guiding him away. Before leaving, he still turned back and took one last deep look at the figure holding that small child's hand as they disappeared around the corner.
Lately, the clan's dissatisfaction with the village had grown stronger, and the words spoken in meetings had become bolder. Being caught in the middle made him feel more and more pained. He hoped he could ease the conflict between the village and the clan, but he had no solution yet and was already mentally exhausted.
So he hoped that feeling just now was only his imagination.
At this moment, Ryuji Hyuga was holding Naruto Uzumaki's hand as they walked down the street together. He did not notice Shisui Uchiha's gaze, or rather, he could feel many surprised looks directed at him right now. Mixed among them were two faint, restrained looks of scrutiny, clearly from ANBU assigned to "watch over" the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Ryuji Hyuga not only knew they were ANBU Ninja, he even knew exactly who those two were. They were Tenzo and Kakashi Hatake. With the goodwill he had built up with Third Hokage, as long as he showed no obvious abnormal behavior, there would be no problem even if they reported this.
After all, he had spent so many years in Konoha investing time and effort to raise that level of trust, precisely for moments like this. Even on Danzo Shimura's side, if he learned that Ryuji Hyuga had contacted the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he likely would not rush to whisper suggestions to Third Hokage the way he used to. Danzo Shimura's attention was focused on the Uchiha Clan, otherwise, given Danzo Shimura's interest in him, he would have already come to preach his so called Root theories.
Based on Ryuji Hyuga's understanding of Danzo Shimura, that man would probably try to groom him the same way he once treated Orochimaru. He would push him toward becoming the Fifth Hokage, and then rule from behind the scenes himself. That was exactly what Ryuji Hyuga wanted, because once the Uchiha Clan issue was settled, it would be time to make use of Danzo Shimura.
Meanwhile, the Naruto Uzumaki being led along by Ryuji Hyuga was almost like a puppet, passively following each step. He did not know what Ryuji Hyuga was thinking, only staring at the broad back in front of him and then down at the hand still holding his. The warmth and strength from that hand felt real, slowly driving away the cold and loneliness he had known for so long.
For some reason, he felt like this big brother was glowing. Lost in that thought, he let himself be guided by the warmth through streets that were familiar, yet somehow felt different. In the end, they stopped in front of a small shop filled with an inviting smell of food.
"We're here," Ryuji Hyuga said, breaking Naruto Uzumaki's thoughts.
Naruto Uzumaki looked up and saw the shop curtain, along with the name written on it. It was Ichiraku Ramen. Ryuji Hyuga lifted the curtain and led Naruto Uzumaki inside.
"Hey, Ryuji is here. The usual?" Teuchi looked up from his work, smiled broadly when he saw Ryuji Hyuga, and greeted him warmly.
"Yes, please trouble you as usual. Tonkotsu Ramen," Ryuji Hyuga replied with a nod, then added, "And give this kid a super big bowl of Char Siu Rib Ramen."
"Huh?" Teuchi paused with his hands mid motion and only then noticed the uneasy boy hiding behind Ryuji Hyuga. At the same time, another customer nearby recognized Naruto Uzumaki, his expression changed, and he stood up and left without another word.
"Dad, is Ryuji here?" The girl helping in the shop leaned out, smiled when she saw Ryuji, then hesitated slightly when her eyes fell on Naruto Uzumaki.
Noticing their looks, Naruto Uzumaki stiffened a little. He knew the customer had left because of him, and he worried the shop owners might be angry. To his surprise, they exchanged a glance and kept smiling as usual.
"One Tonkotsu Ramen and one super big bowl of Char Siu Rib Ramen. Coming right up. Please wait a moment," they said together.