They found an izakaya, and the two entered the establishment openly, seated by a staff member in a private room with tatami mats.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Juice, beer, both cold. Yakitori..."
Naruto picked up the menu and ordered some seemingly safe food and drinks.
Because Naruto, an 'adult,' was with her, Kazehana Koyuki didn't attract anyone's attention.
Soon, the staff brought the drinks, placing the beer next to Naruto and the juice in front of Kazehana Koyuki.
Once all the food was served, the two exchanged glances and silently swapped their beer and juice.
The girl opened a can of beer, took a sip, and stuck out her tongue.
"It doesn't taste good..."
"It would be strange if it did."
Kazehana Koyuki's reaction was no surprise to Naruto.
"You say that as if you've tasted it..."
Kazehana Koyuki pouted, feeling underestimated.
I have, actually, but that was in my previous life...
Naruto didn't argue with her, picking up a skewer of yakitori and eating it by himself.
How was the taste?
It felt pretty good, savory with a hint of sweetness. It might be better with some chili.
The other food was the same; the fried tempura was bland, not as good as Ino's mother's cooking.
As for eating a meal paid for by one girl while thinking of another, Naruto didn't consider if that was too much.
Kazehana Koyuki didn't eat much; after a few bites and sips, she stopped using her chopsticks, propping her chin up and watching Naruto eat.
"Speaking of which, why don't you like Konoha? With your looks, you should be very popular, right?"
Kazehana Koyuki suddenly spoke, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Actually, it's quite the opposite..."
Naruto's mouth was full of food, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's: "My reputation is so bad it's enough to stop crying children."
"Did you do something?"
"Probably because I'm too handsome? After all, such rare handsomeness is bound to attract jealousy."
Kazehana Koyuki rolled her Byakugan; this guy really wasted his mouth.
Although displeased with Naruto's glib attitude, her curiosity grew stronger.
The profession of a Ninja was mysterious to most civilians, but Kazehana Koyuki was a princess, and she needed to understand some basic knowledge about Ninja for her acting, so she had some basic understanding.
She wasn't sure how strong Naruto was, but for someone his age to be able to use Ninjutsu, his talent couldn't be bad.
Good-looking and talented, why would he be unpopular?
As she was thinking, there was a commotion outside, and three Konoha Ninja walked into the shop, laughing and chatting.
All three were uniformly dressed: dark blue inner shirts, green Chunin vests worn over them, and headbands with the Konoha symbol.
"It's Konoha Ninja..."
Kazehana Koyuki quickly reminded Naruto, who had his back to them.
Naruto simply grunted, not turning his head.
Kazehana Koyuki was a little nervous: "Aren't you worried?"
Naruto looked calm: "If anyone should be worried, it's them. You might need to worry a little too, but in any case, I definitely don't need to worry."
"Why?"
"Because even if they find me, they can't do anything to me. And if I get angry, they'll all die, and then you'll be an accomplice."
Kazehana Koyuki rolled her Byakugan; she had figured out that this guy never spoke a word of truth.
After all, in a normal person's perception, a five-year-old child, no matter how talented, couldn't be a match for three adult Ninja.
The three Konoha Ninja sat next to the two, skillfully ordering their food, seemingly frequent visitors to this shop.
As soon as the sake was placed on the table, the three raised their cups and began to chat.
"It's been a long time since I came to Fire Capital. It's as lively as ever..."
"The last time was half a year ago, I remember it was the Land of Grass mission, wasn't it?"
"Well... those nobles in the country usually don't have anything important to do, mostly just escort missions, or walking dogs and finding cats..."
"That's true! Thinking about it, our country is really peaceful, haha..."
"That might change soon..."
"What do you mean?"
"Idiot, have you forgotten this mission? Finding clues about that child..."
"Ah, that demon... Naruto, you mean..."
At the mention of that name, the three unconsciously lowered their voices, but Kazehana Koyuki still keenly noticed Naruto's name.
She looked at Naruto and found him indifferent.
Seeing this, Kazehana Koyuki stealthily moved closer to Naruto, hoping to hear the three's conversation more clearly.
Naruto glanced at her, and the girl pretended to be calm, turning her head away.
"I never thought that the brat everyone called a demon fox for three years would actually be..."
"Hey!"
"Uh, sorry, sorry..."
The Ninja patted his head, smiling awkwardly.
Beside him, Kazehana Koyuki was so anxious she almost jumped up and hit him!
What would he actually be?
You damn well finish your sentence!!!
"But it's just searching for clues, and he's just a child. Isn't it too big of a fuss? So many people have been sent out, and they're strictly forbidden from engaging in conflict..."
"Don't forget what's on him..."
"Well... ultimately, it's just the higher-ups' misdeeds, but we're the ones who suffer."
"Exactly, and it's impossible to find him. I heard that child has already learned Flying Thunder God, that's the Fourth's signature technique."
Kazehana Koyuki fell silent. From the faint conversations, she could deduce a few useful pieces of information.
Naruto had indeed run away, and Konoha was indeed searching for clues about him in a carpet-like search.
Naruto's identity was also very special, related to something, and that thing was on him. Besides, he should have another identity...
His identity was truly a mystery. She never expected that the brat she accidentally met on the street would have such a mysterious background.
Kazehana Koyuki returned to her seat, staring at Naruto, deep in thought.
Sure enough, you also ran away...
Then you must understand me, right?
Recalling the night she fled from her homeland in disarray, Kazehana Koyuki's eyes dimmed.
Kazehana Dotou's shadow over her was too deep, leaving her with no will to fight, only one thought: escape!
Escape far away, to a place where no one knew her.
Snow Country, none of it mattered anymore!
I... just want to live.
"You seem to have gained some inexplicable resonance from somewhere?"
Naruto, who had been eating voraciously, suddenly lifted his eyelids: "Hatred, sorrow, fear, your emotional scent is affecting the food."
Kazehana Koyuki lowered her head gloomily, caught in internal conflict: "It's none of your business..."
Naruto, seeing this, shook his head slightly and said no more.
Internal wounds cannot be healed with just a few words, as can be seen from Kazehana Koyuki's fearful attitude towards Kazehana Dotou in the original work.
She firmly believed that Kazehana Dotou was the strongest, unconquerable, and not something that could be resolved by simply demonstrating strength.
Heart disease needs heart medicine...
If she couldn't overcome her cowardice internally, Naruto helping her a million times would be like not helping at all.