It was the lull just before the dinner rush, so Yakiniku Q didn't have many customers—only a few scattered tables.
In the back kitchen, Kiyonari stood by the prep counter, watching the staff process the boar meat he'd brought in.
He'd kept the fattiest cut for himself and sold the rest to Yakiniku Q. They not only processed it for him for free, they even paid him a decent sum for it. Typical Akimichi—when it comes to food, they really don't hold back.
What he hadn't expected was that Hinata would actually find him here.
She waved from outside the kitchen. "Kiyonari-kun—sorry to bother you."
Kiyonari stepped out of the back. "Hinata, what's up?"
"There's something I want to talk to you about."
"Have you eaten yet?" Kiyonari asked suddenly, then added, "I brought back a boar from the Forest of Death and asked them to prep it for me. If you haven't eaten, you can join me."
Boar meat?
Hinata swallowed slightly and nodded.
They found a quiet corner to sit in. While the boar meat still hadn't arrived, Hinata took the initiative to open the topic.
"Do you know Tsunade-sama?"
Kiyonari nodded. "A little. I even saw her at the village gate when I came out of the Forest of Death this afternoon."
"I asked Father about Tsunade-sama."
"What did Hiashi-sama say?"
Hinata carefully repeated everything Hiashi had told her—from Tsunade's younger brother dying in the Second Great Ninja War, to how Tsunade's proposal had still never been implemented even to this day.
After hearing it, Kiyonari fell silent for a moment. With Hiashi's reaction as proof, it meant his understanding of Tsunade from his previous life had been correct.
My script is right.
"Since Hiashi-sama already gave you the hint, doesn't that make the next step pretty easy?"
Hinata clenched her fist, glanced around, and spoke quickly. "I've basically guessed it already. I just didn't dare believe it. If nothing's changed after all these years, it can only mean the village didn't want to do it—not that they couldn't. I think… that's why Tsunade-sama left."
"Maybe that's still not enough," Kiyonari said, offering a different view.
"As far as I know, Tsunade-sama left the village even before the Third Great Ninja War began. Maybe she'd already foreseen that her proposal would never get approved. My guess is: that's the real reason she left. Or, to put it more directly—how could she foresee it? What gave her the confidence to foresee it?"
Just then, an older staff member carried over a plate of processed boar meat. The two of them naturally paused their discussion.
Suddenly, Shizune pushed open the restaurant door and walked in.
Kiyonari's eyes flickered. He quickly pointed her out to Hinata. "I saw her at the village gate this afternoon—she came back with Tsunade-sama."
While setting down the meat, the Akimichi staff member added, "Her name is Kato Shizune. She's the niece of Dan Kato—Tsunade-sama's former lover."
He was an old hand from the Akimichi clan—he knew a lot of people, and he knew a lot of stories.
"Tsunade-sama's lover?" Hinata blurted in surprise, nearly unable to keep her voice down.
"Yes," the staff member said with a note of regret. "Dan Kato also died in the war. Tsunade-sama left Konoha after that. Back then, I remember Shizune was just a little girl—only a bit older than you. In the blink of an eye, she's come back as a graceful young woman."
"Welcome! What can I get you?" a waiter called, hurrying over.
"Hi. I'd like to take some raw meat to go—I'm planning to grill it myself at home," Shizune said in a bright, youthful voice. (In the original story, she was already in her thirties when she returned to the village—her best years spent drifting.)
The waiter's eyes lit up and he immediately recommended, "Perfect timing! We just got a fresh batch of boar today—great texture, really springy and flavorful. It's been years since I've seen stock this good."
"You came back with Tsunade-sama, right? We haven't seen her in so many years—why not eat here? Our chef can grill it personally. I guarantee Tsunade-sama will be satisfied!"
A troubled look flashed across Shizune's face. "No, thank you. Tsunade-sama just had an argument with the Hokage and she's in a terrible mood. Maybe next time."
"So Tsunade-sama and the Hokage are still the same as ever."
The waiter didn't sound surprised—only regretful as he nodded and started preparing Shizune's order.
Her voice wasn't loud, but in the relatively quiet restaurant, the words still carried clearly to Hinata and Kiyonari. They exchanged a look, both seeing the same flicker of surprise in each other's eyes.
Shizune waited at the counter, looking tired, worry faintly lining the corners of her eyes—clearly the argument between Tsunade and the Hokage had left her troubled too.
That's how it was: when Tsunade was in a bad mood, all she needed to do was drink herself into a stupor. The one who had to clean up the mess—Shizune—had to worry about everything else.
A few minutes later, the waiter handed Shizune the wrapped meat.
"Along with some wagyu as well—after rounding down, the total comes to six thousand ryo."
Shizune paid and prepared to leave.
At that moment, Hinata spoke up. "Kiyonari-kun… I want to follow her and meet Tsunade-sama."
"I'll go with you. We can leave this meat here for now."
Kiyonari went to the staff and made up an excuse about an urgent matter, asking them to pack it up. He said he'd come back later to pick it up.
Out on Konoha's streets, Shizune carried the bag of meat and headed along the main road toward the village's northwest.
The good news was that the Hyuga compound was also in that direction. Kiyonari and Hinata followed about twenty meters behind, drawing no suspicion at all.
After about ten minutes, Shizune stopped in front of an old-fashioned estate and knocked. Not long after, the gate opened—revealing Tsunade.
"Shizune, you didn't even notice you were being followed. You come back to the village and you already let your guard down?" Tsunade said.
Shizune froze, then turned her head to look behind her. "I remembered the Hyuga compound is also this way, so I thought those two kids were just heading home."
Tsunade sighed, her eyes locking onto the two figures behind the tree trunk. She raised her voice. "Come out, you two brats."
Found instantly…
"Let's go. If we've been spotted, there's no point hiding," Kiyonari murmured to Hinata, stepping out first.
Tsunade's amber eyes swept over the two children. Her gaze landed first on Hinata's smooth, unmarked forehead, then shifted to Kiyonari—whose forehead was covered by a strip of white cloth.
"What are your names?"
Hinata was so nervous her old habit returned—both index fingers circling restlessly as she answered in a tiny voice, "I… I'm Hyuga Hinata."
Kiyonari, by contrast, spoke calmly. "I'm Hyuga Kiyonari."
So it's this kid.
Tsunade's interest rose a notch, and her gaze lingered on Kiyonari for a few extra seconds.