"Whew~" The two little ones exhaled heavily, wiped the fine sweat off their foreheads with the back of their hands, and their eyes clearly sparkled with joy as they turned to look at Roy...
The young man smiled gently at the right moment: "Well done,"
Shisui and Itachi exchanged a glance and then smiled one after the other...
"Nissan, I want ramen!"
"Me too."
"Okay." Roy held Shisui and Itachi by one hand each: "Today, you can eat as much ramen as you want, we'll charge it to your brother Obito."
Shisui: "...."
Itachi: "...."
They looked at each other,
as they were dragged towards the central business district of Konoha,
"Tap...tap..." The sun set in the west, the sky gradually darkening, and the moon to the east was shrouded by clouds, appearing hazy...
On the way to Ichiraku Ramen,
With the southern forest edge close by, the massive Hokage Rock was already in sight... Shisui looked up at Roy and tentatively asked: "Nissan, is it true that our clan really has no sense of humanity?"
No sense of humanity? Itachi, holding Roy's hand, peeked at Shisui, then looked up at Roy,
Roy smiled and said, "Was it that ninja with the cat-face mask who told you that?"
Shisui was startled, did his brother know?
Roy chuckled without explaining, just glanced casually in the direction of an unremarkable burrow, and said lightly, "Where there are people, there is conflict. Just remember this, and it's enough."
"Then he said I should join them, should I?"
"Why not?" Roy let go of Shisui, gently patted his forehead and said, "Do what you want. If it becomes difficult, just don't do it. It's as simple as that."
Shisui seemed thoughtful... Itachi looked at him then Roy, sensing some sort of deep meaning without fully understanding... Remaining unhurried, Roy continued walking forward, completely unconcerned.
After a moment, Shisui seemed to have made a decision, carefully choosing his words for one last time, he asked: "Aren't you afraid they might be bad guys, Nissan?"
Roy leisurely paused, raised his hand to point at the Hokage Rock, at the face that belonged to Hashirama, and asked Shisui: "Do you know who that is?"
Shisui nodded: "I know, Lord First Hokage."
Then, like recounting a cherished story, he spoke of the illustrious achievements of Hashirama...
Roy listened quietly without interrupting, waiting until Shisui's mouth was dry, and his words of admiration for Hashirama flowed like a torrent... Then he asked, "Do you know why everyone respects him?"
"Father said it's because of Lord First Hokage that Konoha exists today." Itachi recalled what Fugaku had told him about Hashirama's heroic deeds and blurted out.
With that, he received Shisui's agreement.
Of course, heroes are worthy of praise, and the creator of Konoha, Hashirama, deserves the title of "God of Ninjas".
But, my foolish little brothers... Roy squatted down, embracing Shisui and Itachi with one arm each and said, "The only reason that the Lord First Hokage truly commands respect is just one thing... and that is–"
"He's strong enough!"
Roy looked at the two little ones word by word: "He's strong, so whatever he says or does, is right..."
Shisui and Itachi were visibly taken aback,
When they regained their senses, they exclaimed in surprise, their bodies transforming into spots of light, carried by Roy through the moonlight, flickering... flickering... blinking, they appeared in a narrow, dark, deserted alley next to Ichiraku Ramen...
"Meow~" A calico cat foraging at the alley entrance suddenly saw the three people appear out of nowhere, got startled, its fur bristled, and it scrambled up the wall in panic...
Shisui's and Itachi's black hair were disheveled, seemingly not yet shaken off the shock of the light escape technique, the back of their heads heated up as Roy gave each a pat, then they dazedly walked out of the alley and dived headfirst into Ichiraku Ramen shop.
They didn't quite know how they ate the ramen,
their eyes seemed filled only with light, they muddled through the meal with Roy, and then muddled their way back to their respective homes, seemingly needing some time to digest....
Roy didn't mind them and directly took Itachi home.
"Creak~" The door opened,
"I'm back." Roy lightly patted Itachi on the back, reminding him to change shoes, glanced towards the kitchen from the entrance, faintly seeing his mother Uchiha Mikoto busy behind the kitchen curtain.
"Wait a few minutes, the fried pork cutlet will be ready soon."
Mikoto called out as she heard the noise.
Roy took off his shoes and entered the house, immediately meeting the complex gaze from Fugaku.
The man removed his Jonin vest, wearing a black home outfit, sitting upright on the tatami... A cup of tea was placed on the low table, with no more steam visible, clearly indicating he had waited a long time after returning from work.
"Father,"
"Come over, sit down."
Fugaku gestured,
Roy nodded, sat down on the tatami with Itachi, and listened at the right moment to Fugaku talking about the experiences at the Hokage's office.
"Lord Hokage informed me that your mission to support Lord Jiraiya at the frontline has been canceled, Roy,"
Uchiha Fugaku looked deeply at Roy and said, "Do you know the reason behind this?"
Orders from the Hokage, especially those related to war missions, once issued, don't change easily without reason. That Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly changed his mind in a day and specially called him from the Police Division to the office for encouragement... Fugaku doesn't believe there isn't a reason related to his son.
The man's gaze was intense... Itachi, sitting next to Roy, after hearing his father's words, looked at Fugaku and then at Roy,
The young man said nothing, just stretched out his hand and beckoned. A pot of tea kept warm on the stove flew to him, then... he separated a trace of "Nen" and transformed it into [Water] and [Earth], manipulating them to merge into a wooden cup... Lifted the handle of the pot, tilted and poured... A fresh cup full of steaming tea reappeared in front of Fugaku and Itachi....
The "light" in Itachi's eyes hadn't faded and gained a tint of "wooden color," instinctively he said, "Wood Release?"
Once the words fell, the cozy living room arranged by Mikoto instantly plunged into an eerie silence....
'Itachi is right... it is [Wood Release]!' Fugaku slightly opened his mouth, stunned!
The wooden cup seemed ordinary, something seen everywhere in the market... But a wooden cup nurtured by Wood Release, from the entire Konoha to the Five Great Nations, since the passing of the First Hokage, was unparalleled!
"Father, have some tea." Roy smiled and pushed the wooden cup in front of Fugaku.
The tea in the cup rippled and sent out ripples... Fugaku looked down, and could even see his own shocked, stiff face reflected in the tea!
'So that's how it is....' The man suddenly understood... If he were Sarutobi Hiruzen, sitting in the Hokage's position... he absolutely wouldn't send a Ninja with [Wood Release] to the battlefield!
The reason is nothing else; this is a bloodline inherited from the First Hokage, essential for suppressing the Tailed Beasts, even controlling them... an insurance!
If he went to the battlefield and something happened... it would be a tremendous loss for the village and the Land of Fire!
"Sip..." Fugaku came back to his senses, took a sip of tea, and looked at Roy with a complex expression: "Is there anything else... you've been hiding from me?"
Space-time Ninjutsu... Wood Release... Could it be true as the Third said, this kid learns in his dreams?"
"I don't know either," Roy helplessly spread his hands: "Father, you know, when you know too many things, it becomes hard to choose what to say, and I can't finish in a short time."
Fugaku: "...."
Itachi: "...."
He took a deep breath,
For a moment, it seemed as if he had sucked all the cold air out of the living room!
'Nissan... this is Nissan....' This is Itachi.
'I don't know.' This is Fugaku.
Silence prevails in the living room at this moment...
Before long, as if sensing the coldness in the living room... the kitchen curtain was lifted, and Uchiha Mikoto came out with a few plates of deep-fried pork cutlet rice bowls...
"Don't just stand there, eat."
"Oh," Finally, the coldness dispersed, and the living room became lively again.
Roy silently finished his meal, went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, and that night, he said good night to Fugaku and Mikoto,
Uchiha Fugaku wanted to say something but stopped, deeply looked at him, waved, and said, "Go ahead."
Roy slightly nodded in acknowledgment, took a simple bath with Itachi, and went to sleep... That night, perhaps he was tired, or perhaps he hadn't snapped back from the Light Release and Wood Release, Itachi obediently snuggled up next to Roy and fell asleep, sparing the usual bedtime chatter.
Thus,
Roy rarely enjoyed a relaxed night,
Closed his eyes,
Crossed his hands over his stomach, before long, he fell into a deep slumber, his consciousness leaving the Hokage world, returning to his own Sea of Cognition, passing through the multicolored dream tunnel... eyes closed in a daze, back to the Hunter World.
Only,
This time, Roy wasn't naturally awakened but was pushed awake, the person who pushed him spoke with urgency and said:
"Young master, madam's water broke, she's probably... about to give birth."