"Two bowls of ramen."
"The Third Hokage is treating."
Akihara Kagura pointed at the old man behind him, sounding a bit impolite.
"I want two bowls of ramen too!"
"Also on the Hokage Grandpa's tab!"
Naruto Uzumaki pretended to strike a cool pose, imitating Akihara Kagura, pointing at Sarutobi Hiruzen behind them, being even more impolite than Akihara Kagura.
Naruto Uzumaki, this little guy, doesn't understand what being polite means at all. At this age, a six-year-old loves to imitate the people he meets.
Even...
Naruto Uzumaki managed to surpass the master.
"Uncle Teuchi, Sister Ayame!"
Naruto Uzumaki smiled cheerfully, saying with laughter in his voice, "If you have any wishes, you can tell the Hokage Grandpa! Just say your wish, and he'll help you make it come true!"
"Ah?"
Boss Teuchi tried to open his eyes in confusion.
"Really?"
Ayame looked at the old man with some surprise.
"Ahem..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed a few times, speaking somewhat helplessly, "Naruto, the existence of the Hokage isn't for granting everyone's wishes!"
"Oh."
Naruto Uzumaki's face immediately fell in disappointment.
However, Naruto Uzumaki's spirits quickly brightened up again, "Never mind, getting to eat ramen tonight is already great!"
"Forget it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply, sitting down next to them, "Teuchi, get me a bowl of ramen too. I might need to start a tab tonight."
"Oh, sure."
Boss Teuchi nodded honestly, not minding the Third Hokage's behavior of starting a tab.
At this time, the Hokage's creditability in Konoha was quite good; no one would think that the esteemed leader of the strongest Ninja Village would default on his debts.
"Hey, it suddenly occurred to me."
While waiting for the noodles to cook, Naruto Uzumaki curiously turned his head to Akihara Kagura, "I don't seem to have asked your name yet?"
"Jia."
Akihara Kagura said his codename in the Root and added, "But only Lord Danzo can call me by that name. You can call me Kagura, Akihara Kagura."
"Why?"
Naruto Uzumaki asked directly.
"Because Lord Danzo gave me a new life."
Akihara Kagura's expression was calm, as if he was just stating a fact, "I used to be a child in the village orphanage. Someone sent me to a dark place, where a long-haired man would take a knife to my body every day. Even hoping to die was impossible. It was Lord Danzo who rescued me."
"Oh? Danzo saved you?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's previously furrowed brow suddenly relaxed.
Originally, Sarutobi Hiruzen was pondering the relationship between Akihara Kagura and Shimura Danzo, but upon hearing Akihara Kagura's words, he immediately got a hint of understanding.
"Yes, Lord Danzo saved me."
Akihara Kagura took out a pair of chopsticks, slowly adjusting his emotions, "When I thought I was abandoned by everyone, when I was despairing about the world, Lord Danzo saved me, made me a ninja, and taught me ninjutsu..."
"He sounds like a good guy..."
Naruto Uzumaki's impression of Shimura Danzo improved considerably.
"Ahem..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt like he was choking on smoke.
Shimura Danzo is a good person?
This seemed to be a bit insulting to his elderly ears.
"The Third Hokage thinks so too, right?"
Akihara Kagura also smiled, seemingly happy about Naruto Uzumaki's praise, patting the little blond boy on the head, "When you become a ninja, I'll have Lord Danzo transfer you to the Root. Then we can go kill all the others in the Root together."
"Huh?"
Naruto Uzumaki's smile froze instantly.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen began to cough violently.
This Hokage suddenly realized that transferring Akihara Kagura from the Root to the Dark Department was, in fact, saving his old friend Danzo from having the Root become an empty shell in the future.
The lesson seemed to be a failure, but it also brought much insight, as Sarutobi Hiruzen began to understand a bit more about why Akihara Kagura was so loyal to Shimura Danzo.
If he guessed correctly, the long-haired man conducting human experiments on Akihara Kagura might be his renegade student Orochimaru...
As for the story that Danzo saved people, only gullible kids would believe such a thing. Those who initially threw Akihara Kagura into the lab might have even been Danzo himself.
Honestly, Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat aware of the truth: Shimura Danzo had always supported Orochimaru's illegal human experiments in the past.
Find an appropriate opportunity to let this child know the truth...
And then...
Would this child still be so loyal to Shimura Danzo?
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly picked up his pipe again, his only worry was finding a way for this child to not harbor resentment against Konoha's mistakes after learning the truth.
This sort of thing...
Wasn't an issue for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
As long as Akihara Kagura formed bonds with others, learning to protect the friends he has bonds with in the future...
"Kagura."
"Don't always think about hurting others."
"A ninja's purpose is not to harm others."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, puffing on his pipe, gazed seriously at Akihara Kagura, intending to restart his lesson, "Kagura, the purpose of a ninja is to guard, to protect those you want to protect. Have you ever had someone you wanted to protect?"
"I guess I have."
Akihara Kagura nodded and continued nonchalantly, "I used to want to protect Director Yakushi Nonou, but she abandoned me, so now I want to kill her..."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed slightly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had heard of Yakushi Nonou, who was supposedly a member of the village's Intelligence Department and consistently provided valuable information for the village...
But...
Isn't this kid a bit extreme!
"Now, I only want to protect Lord Danzo."
Akihara Kagura rested his chin on his elbow, pondering what to say next, "But Lord Danzo only needs me to kill his enemies for him, I suppose."
"That Danzo..."
Naruto Uzumaki shivered, sitting at the table.
"Do not speak lightly about killing."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe, becoming very sincere, "It takes over sixty years for a life to reach my age; however, a life can be ended often in just a few seconds..."
"So what you're saying..."
Akihara Kagura seemed to grasp it intuitively, brightening his eyes, "If you want to protect someone, you need to protect him for decades; but if you want to kill his enemies for him, it only takes a few seconds, that sounds much easier..."
"..."
Naruto Uzumaki felt something was amiss.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "While that might be true, an excellent ninja often accomplishes what others cannot..."
"..."
Akihara Kagura fell silent.
However, after just a moment, Akihara Kagura suddenly said, "Lord Danzo says I can use Wood Release Ninjutsu, which others can't do, so that means I've been doing well enough."
"That's not what I meant..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Shimura Danzo, that bastard, has clearly led this child astray!
"Hey, what about you?"
Akihara Kagura looked towards Naruto Uzumaki, "Are you an excellent ninja? Is there something you can do that others can't?"
"I do have something!"
Naruto Uzumaki proudly replied, raising his face and sniffling, "All the other kids can cry in their parents' arms, but I don't have parents; no one is around me, and I don't cry!"
"You're an excellent ninja too."
Akihara Kagura genuinely praised him.
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression slowly became more solemn.
The elderly man forcefully emptied his pipe, put it away, and upon seeing the ramen brought by Boss Teuchi and Ayame, he finally decided to give up on this lesson.
"Eat your ramen..."
"Once finished, go back and rest."
"Children should go to bed early and not stay up late."