The fire crackling in the small stove was doing a decent job of keeping the room warm.
Hayashi Ren looked at the two girls in front of him—the one in blue, and the one with golden twin tails—and gave a faint smile.
But that smile carried a bitter edge.
It was because of these two girls that that old dog Danzo had set his sights on him.
They weren't just any girls—they were the children of fate in this world. Or rather, daughters of fate.
The daughters of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the Uchiha Clan's last surviving heir—
Uzumaki Naruko and Uchiha Sasuko.
In the original story, they were Naruto and Sasuke—the chosen ones, the protagonists bound by destiny.
But in this world, they'd both been born as girls.
When Hayashi Ren first realized he had absolutely no talent for training—no chakra, no secret system to boost him—he had made up his mind to latch onto the story's main characters and ride their coattails.
But when he saw that the protagonists were girls?
Well, that strategy had evolved.
No longer just clinging to their sides—he was now openly mooching off them.
Using every trick he remembered from his previous life—his silver tongue, his way with words—he'd fooled these two innocent girls, still in their "soft and sweet" stage, into becoming "good friends" with him.
Of course, when he said "good friends," what he meant was: the kind of friends where you could drop the "friend" part anytime you liked.
Whatever the case, the fact remained:
He had successfully charmed two clueless heroines.
On top of that, the place he lived in?
It just so happened to be within the old Uchiha clan compound—which meant, like it or not, he carried another unofficial title:
Freeloader.
Hayashi Ren often mocked himself for it.
Thought of himself as scum.
Shameless. A no-good nobody.
But what else could he do?
This ninja world was full of danger.
The weak had no say in anything. Their lives could be snuffed out in an alley on any given day.
And besides… these two girls were just too beautiful.
So honestly, he had forgiven himself pretty easily.
But now… because of Danzo…
His head just felt like it was going to explode.
Mooching off women?
Not as easy as it sounds!
"Why do you look like that?"
Naruko tilted her head in confusion and poked at his cheek. "Don't tell me you ate something bad?"
"Nah, I'm fine." Hayashi Ren shook his head calmly.
He figured it was best not to tell the girls about Danzo.
That man may have been the lowest-ranking among Kage-level powerhouses, but he was still a Kage-tier ninja.
And more importantly, he controlled Root, the dark shadow of the Hidden Leaf.
Taking down three kids like them?
That'd be child's play.
Telling Naruko and Sasuko would only add to their worry.
"Oh, okay."
Naruko nodded cluelessly. "So what are we eating today?"
Both Hayashi Ren and Sasuko went quiet.
"This girl…"
Sasuko sighed inwardly, a little helpless.
Any normal person could tell Hayashi Ren was clearly hiding something.
But Naruko? She didn't pick up on it at all.
Hayashi Ren let out a short, amused sigh, then gently reached out to ruffle Naruko's hair.
"How about tomato and egg stir-fry today?"
"Tomato and egg stir-fry? Is that one of your new recipes?"
Sasuko perked up, her eyes lighting up with interest.
"Yay! A new dish! I can't wait!"
Naruko squealed, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Hayashi Ren smiled softly.
It wasn't just his sweet-talking that kept them around.
His cooking skills also brought them a lot of comfort.
"The way to someone's heart is through their stomach."
That rule works for women, too.
He chuckled and stood up, heading toward the kitchen.
But the moment he took his first step—he froze.
Not just him.
Naruko.
Sasuko.
Everyone in the house…
Everyone in the entire ninja world—froze.