With Rie in high spirits, they enjoyed a hearty barbecue meal. Reiji, holding the little girl whose belly was now round from eating, walked out of the restaurant under the astonished stares of the other customers.
Flicking away a toothpick, Reiji rolled his eyes at the diners and muttered, "So what if we ate a hundred plates? It's not like we didn't pay."
Beside him, Rie giggled and raised her fist.
"What's the big deal, huh? What's the big deal?"
Reiji nodded in agreement, glanced at the lively street, and asked, "So, where do you want to go now, Rie?"
"Hmm..." Rie pouted, scratched her head, then suddenly lit up. "Konoha Orphanage! I want to visit Meiko!"
Heh~ Looks like the little girl still hasn't forgotten her underling!
"Alright, let's go!"
"Carry me!"
"Okay, okay…"
A lazy voice drifted down the road as the siblings' figures slowly disappeared into the distance...
The Konoha Orphanage, founded by Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, was originally a refuge for the village's homeless children. Over time, it evolved into a shelter for war orphans from the outskirts of Konohagakure.
Unlike the Konoha Ninja Academy, the orphanage was located far from the village center, right along the outer edge.
Konoha itself was broadly divided into four zones. Above the Hokage Rock were various research facilities.
Below the Hokage Rock lay the inner residential area centered around the Hokage Building. Next to it were the homes of successive Hokage. Beyond that were the estates of the prominent clans. On the outskirts of this area were general residential zones, where the Konoha Ninja Academy was also located.
Beyond the residential zone was the middle commercial district. Ippongi Katō's ninja tool shop could be found there, along with many apartment buildings.
The village's outermost area was a chaotic sprawl of various buildings.
To the south flowed a long river called Naka River. The Uchiha Clan once had their territory right along this river.
Reiji and Rie were headed to this outermost area—the Konoha Orphanage.
Following the path he remembered, Reiji led Rie to the somewhat shabby orphanage.
There was no fence. An old, worn building stood in the middle of an open field covered in green grass.
In the field, a group of children around Rie's age were busily pulling weeds.
At the center, older children were pounding mochi, working up a sweat.
Wooden mallets thudded into stone mortars with a steady "thump, thump."
At the building's entrance, an elderly woman with snow-white hair hunched over, continuously stirring a waist-deep pot with a long spoon.
Watching the children sweat under the sun, Reiji scratched his temple with a blank expression.
Judging by their appearance, they were getting by—but only just.
Nearby on the grass, a child around Rie's age happened to look up and spotted the two.
"Big Sister!"
The clear cry startled many of the surrounding children.
From the crowd, several kids who looked familiar to Reiji tossed aside their weeds and dashed over.
"Big Sister!"
"Rie Big Sister!"
"Sakuhō Boss Lady!"
The kids raced across the grass, shouting enthusiastically as they ran to Reiji and Rie, drawing curious stares from the others.
"Big Sister, you finally came to see us!" a teary-eyed boy said to Rie.
But none of them got closer than three meters to her.
The reason was simple—they were all scared of Reiji.
As Rie's little followers called out one strange nickname after another, she nervously glanced at her brother's increasingly dark expression, then quickly waved her hands and whispered to the kids:
"Stop! Don't call me Big Sister, and definitely don't call me Boss Lady! I'm not the leader of the Sakuhō Syndicate!"
Welp, the little girl just outed herself.
Reiji's face darkened.
What kind of madness was this? A chubby four- or five-year-old leading a gang of orphans under his surname? And calling herself the group leader?!
Oh my god, what kind of world is this?
The noise soon reached the older kids. They reacted just as strongly—dropping what they were doing and hurrying over.
"Big Sister! You're here! Hey, big guy, go get those mochi balls I hid—we've gotta treat Big Sister!"
"Wait, big guy! His mochi's moldy! Use mine—I picked tea leaves from the park last week to brew for the boss lady!"
"Bring the meatball shop voucher from under my pillow too! I wanna give it to the group leader!"
The noisy chatter exploded again, making Reiji's head throb.
Rie shrank her head and nervously glanced at Reiji, feeling a tingling numbness in her rear.
Oh no, the little brothers are way too enthusiastic! What do I do now?!
"Ahem!" A soft cough broke the air.
The big guy, who had been about to offer his tribute to Big Sister, froze on the spot.
That cough... it was all too familiar.
Reiji cleared his throat and casually waved at the kids around him.
The children immediately deflated like wilted eggplants, shrinking their heads and inching closer, bracing for a scolding.
After all, during their trip to Konoha, anytime they'd dragged Rie around causing trouble, Reiji would give them an earful.
"Ahem…" Reiji looked at the group of nervous kids and swallowed his words.
"Uh, where's the bathroom?"
The children exchanged glances, then broke into relieved grins and all pointed in unison toward the old building's entrance.
"President! Over there!"
"Don't call me president." Reiji tossed the line behind him as he beat a hasty retreat.
Behind him, a wave of laughter bubbled up again—Rie's exaggerated old-fashioned yelling cutting through the noise.
That girl... just wait till we get home!
Passing the old woman, Reiji stepped into the dilapidated building.
While pretending to search for the restroom, he quickly took note of the building's layout. When he came out, his expression had turned more serious.
He found a random patch of open ground, sat down, and silently surveyed the scene.
Not far away, the white-haired old woman was instructing the kids to put the freshly pounded mochi into the large pot in front of her. At the same time, she organized them to sit down and rest.
Then she took up the long spoon again and resumed stirring.
Before long, the sweet scent of red beans mixed with the rich aroma of glutinous rice began to drift in the air.
The children pulled out their own bowls and lined up in orderly fashion.
Rie had somehow gotten hold of a small bowl and blended into the line, craning her neck to peek into the pot.
Soon it was her turn. The old woman gave her a warm smile and ladled out a bowl of red bean mochi soup.
Cradling the bowl carefully, Rie tiptoed over to Reiji.
"Here! Try it, big bro, it smells amazing!"
Staring into Rie's wide, blinking eyes, Reiji couldn't decide whether to laugh or sigh. He took a sip of the soup and handed it back to the eager girl.
"Alright, spit it out. What do you want?"
After living together so long, if Reiji still couldn't see through this girl, he might as well quit life.
Hearing his question, Rie puckered her lips and grinned sheepishly.
"Nothing, brother. I just wanted to treat you."
Yeah, right!
Reiji rolled his eyes without hesitation.
"You said it. If you ask me for anything else, I'm saying no."
"Nooo, brother!" Rie wailed, forgetting all about her delicious red bean soup.
"Well... can I teach Meiko and the others how to extract chakra?"
At that, Reiji raised an eyebrow, his thoughts churning.
Since arriving in Konoha, he had purposely avoided any contact with the group of orphans he'd brought with him—deliberately keeping his distance to avoid suspicion.
After all, he was an outsider. If he started pulling other outsiders together, the higher-ups in Konoha would get nervous.
Especially after he'd shown just how well he could strategize, that nervousness would quickly turn into outright distrust.
Everything he'd done in Konoha so far was meant to ease that tension.
With that in mind, Reiji lifted his head, ready to say no.
But then he caught sight of the children nearby—clutching their bowls, eyes filled with hope.
Right. After everything they'd been through—war, loss, separation—what child wouldn't long for strength?
His brow furrowed deeply.
"No, you can't!" His voice rang out loud and clear, and the kids in the distance heard every word. Their hopeful expressions dimmed instantly.
If even Rie and Reiji weren't a way forward... what road was left for them?
The Konoha Ninja Academy?
That was meant for Konoha's own residents—not for outsiders like them.
Maybe in ten or twenty years, after they'd taken root in this village, their children might have a shot at attending.
After saying that, Reiji's gaze shifted. Then, as if speaking casually, he added...
"But your brother's probably going to be busy for a while. Why don't you let Aunt Kyōko keep you company?
Remember—don't cause her any trouble, and stay away from money-burning places like Asakusa Temple unless you absolutely have to.
Honestly, this place is really nice. It's peaceful and quiet, too."
At those words, Rie, who'd been looking a little down, suddenly lit up.
If she still couldn't catch Reiji's meaning now, she really didn't deserve to be his little sister!
It was simple—Reiji was cutting himself out of the equation.
And Rie, the sharp little thing, got it instantly.
"Heh~ You're so sneaky, big brother!"
"Huh? What did you say?" Reiji narrowed his eyes at her.
Rie, used to his prickly attitude by now, stuck out her tongue, clutched her red bean soup, and ran off to rejoin her friends.
Before long, laughter bubbled up again.
On the grass, the children sat in neat rows, chatting leisurely after finishing their soup.
"Hey, Big Guy, why are you all so scared of that guy?" A child born in the orphanage pointed at Reiji curiously.
To him, Reiji just looked like another kid. Compared to Big Guy, who was as tall as a grown man, Reiji seemed like he'd be a pushover.
Big Guy scratched his head with a sheepish smile.
"I'm just tall. I'm no match for Reiji-kun."
"Really?" The kid next to him was stunned.
Big Guy might eat a lot, but he was ridiculously strong—when pounding mochi, he could do the work of ten people. He was only ten, but his strength rivaled that of grown men.
And still, he couldn't beat Reiji?
A scar-faced boy nearby leaned over and whispered.
"Nobuhiro, don't give Big Guy a hard time. He already got his ass kicked."
He grinned, gave Big Guy a friendly slap on the leg, and asked, "Hey, can I explain?"
Big Guy gave a shy nod.
"Nobuhiro, you know Big Guy and I are both war orphans from the Land of Hot Water.
No home, no parents—either starve to death or die in the war.
But Reiji-kun saved us. He let us join his caravan and said he'd take us to Konoha.
We were barely alive at that point—no strength to keep up. Later, Reiji got Big Sister to share her soldier pills with us.
If it weren't for him and Big Sister, we'd have starved on the road, or just been killed."
"Okay, but what about Big Guy? What does that have to do with you guys being scared of him?" Nobuhiro pressed.
Big Guy scratched his head again and mumbled,
"Well… I joined the group halfway through. At first, I tried to steal Big Sister's food, and Reiji-kun beat me up.
But he didn't kick me out. He even let me stay with the team."
He stumbled through the explanation, clearly embarrassed.
"Then how does that explain you all being afraid of him?!" Nobuhiro repeated loudly.
"It's not fear! It's… it's respect! Yeah, respect! Reverence! Reiji-kun is so generous, how could we be scared of him?!"
"Alright, enough, Big Guy," the scar-faced boy cut in.
"I'll explain. We all respect Rie Big Sister, but she gets scolded by Reiji-kun all the time for skipping her studies. Over time, we just started fearing him too."