"Hahaha... good!"
Aoba nodded and followed behind Eaton, walking out of Konohagakure Intelligence Division.
Not long after.
Eaton and Aoba arrived at the intersection between Konohagakure Intelligence Division and Anbu's dormitory.
Suddenly.
Aoba stopped.
"Brother Eaton, wait for me. I will go back and change my clothes. I don't want to wear Anbu uniform when eating outside." Aoba said to Eaton.
"Go."
Eaton nodded to Aoba and agreed without hesitation.
After all, this kind of thing was nothing!
In the beginning.
When he found Aoba, he was hesitant and didn't know if they could have dinner together.
After he heard Aoba's words, he was no longer worried.
It could be said that this was not a problem at all.
Then...
Based on this matter.
Eaton felt that if Aoba went to change his clothes, there was no problem. There was no problem in using his identity openly like this.
Then, Eaton stood directly at the intersection and silently waited for Aoba to change his clothes.
...
Aoba quickly walked toward his dormitory room. Just as he said, he did not feel that this was a dangerous thing at all. Instead, it was still a kind of protection.
According to normal people's common sense.
At this time, they had to avoid arousing suspicion.
Then...
If Aoba openly followed Eaton to eat, he would instead be treated as a cover-up to hide the Uzumaki Clan member.
Soon.
Aoba arrived at his room.
He didn't have anything to take, nor have anything to throw away. His idea of coming to his room this time was the same as what he said. He wanted to change his clothes.
After returning to his room, Aoba went straight to the wardrobe. There were only two sets of casual clothes in his wardrobe. After all, it was quite chaotic during this period. He still kept a low profile and didn't want to bother such things.
Aoba changes the Anbu uniform on his body with his casual clothes.
After that.
Aoba walked out of the dormitory and toward where Eaton was waiting for him. Then, he reunited with Eaton again.
"Is it done?"
Eaton looked at Aoba, who had already changed his clothes. It was as if he had changed into a different person. Aoba's appearance earlier in the Anbu uniform paired with a mask revealed a sense of mystery everywhere. However, Anbu was dressed this way, so he didn't feel much. Now that he saw Aoba had changed his clothes, his style was indeed different.
This change was very obvious!
He directly changed from an Anbu to an ordinary youth, and there was even a trace of a youthful aura on his body.
Suddenly.
A strange thought arose in Eaton's heart.
He stared at Aoba, and his lips moved slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, he said slowly.
"Aoba, do you think it is necessary for me to change my clothes too? Do I look too formal?" Eaton immediately asked Aoba. As he spoke, he lowered his head to look at his clothes. The black trench coat seemed to be full of pressure. However, he had been wearing it for so many years. He was already familiar with it and did not feel much.
"It's..."
The corners of Aoba's mouth twitched slightly. If Eaton had not asked, he would not have noticed this. However, after Eaton finished speaking, he looked over again. It was already very difficult for him to look straight at Eaton's attire. It could be said to be too hard to look at.
He seemed to have already foreseen that if Eaton wore this set of clothes to eat barbecue and simply eat without paying, the boss would not dare to say anything.
However...
Aoba seemed to have never seen Eaton wear any normal clothes.
At the very least, he had never seen it before.
"Brother Eaton, if you are in a good mood, you can try to change your style. Maybe you will feel differently."
Aoba said after thinking for a while.
After seeing Eaton's expression earlier, he had already vaguely guessed that the story of Teacher Bai of the Ninja School was ready for publication.
Other than this matter.
He could not think of any other possibility for him to invite him to celebrate.
After all, not many things could make Eaton so happy or even excited.
"Yes... yes..."
After some simple thought, Eaton nodded. He felt that this might be a good suggestion. He stared at Aoba and said, "Come home with me. I'll change my clothes, and we'll go eat barbecue."
"No problem."
Aoba smiled slightly. When he heard Eaton say these words, he knew that the other party had also relaxed, and had already started to think to change the serious-looking clothes when he went out to eat in the future.
"Come with me!"
Eaton nodded. He walked in front and led the way. Aoba followed behind. Although it was not the first time the two of them went to Eaton's residence, they still had to mind the Anbu's side. They would let them see with their eyes that Aoba was going with Eaton. This would instead make it safer.
After that.
The two left Konohagakure Intelligence Division and headed to Eaton's residence. Not many people paid special attention to them along the way, but they did not deliberately avoid the gazes of the people around them.
Ten minutes later.
Under Eaton's lead, Aoba once again arrived in front of Eaton's house and at this relatively familiar street.
"Aoba, wait for me here. It's better if you don't go in. I'll be out soon."
Eaton said to Aoba. After that, he quickly walked to his house. He had his reasons for doing so.
According to his character.
He regarded this matter as a very ordinary thing.
He regarded Aoba as an ordinary member of the Konohagakure Intelligence Division.
If so...
Under such circumstances, what other ordinary members of the Konohagakure Intelligence Division would do, then he would let Aoba do it too.
This way, when others see it, there will be no problems, and more attention will be paid to the details.
With his identity as Konohagakure Intelligence Division Captain.
Not just anyone could enter his house.
Of course.
Other than that.
There were other reasons.
That was, his home was still quite messy right now. There was no need to let Aoba in. This was not a good thing.
It was precisely because of some of the above factors. Eaton felt he must go in alone and let Aoba wait outside the door.
Aoba just waited quietly outside the door and did not say anything.
Such a method of handling was indeed the most appropriate at the moment. Since that was the case, there was no need for him to force himself to raise any different opinions. After all, he was not someone who liked to argue.
Aoba stood in place, and lowly took a deep breath.
Controlling the chakra within his body, he spread his perception to the surroundings, feeling the chakra around him.
"There really is..."
Aoba immediately felt that a strand of chakra was scattered around the vicinity of Eaton's residence and was monitoring this place. Even their attention was already on him.
'Sure enough!'
'That old bastard Hiruzen!'
'His mouth said that he would not find trouble with him again.'
In terms of actions, he was really not honest and still arranged surveillance near Eaton's residence to look for a possible Uzumaki clan survivor, that was, him with a mask.
"Take your time to find me."
Aoba immediately put away the chakra he used to sense the surrounding. He only went to feel what was going on and did not intend to continue paying attention to those monitoring him.
At least, now he knew these people had already seen him.
Moreover, they did not consider him a mission target at all.
Then there would be no problem.
...
Ten minutes later.
Eaton changed into a relatively homely outfit. This could be said to be the most relaxing outfit he could find.
"Aoba, take a look. How is this outfit? Is it not so formal?"
Eaton looked at Aoba with a smile. He did not forget to show his clothes a few times when he spoke. He looked even more down-to-earth than before. After all, that outfit before looked too hardcore, like The Men in Black organization, but now it looks a bit like the kind of uncle you can meet in daily life.
"Hahaha, I think it's very good. It's much more friendly than before. Brother Eaton, you can wear more of these clothes. It can make you look less serious." Aoba said with a smile.
"There's no need for that. We still need to maintain a more serious image. This is the way for Anbu to survive. However, today is a happy day. No matter what you wear, it's fine. Let's go. We've been delayed for a while. It's time to celebrate. I can't wait anymore." Eaton nodded at Aoba. Then, he didn't say anything more. He directly took a step forward and walked toward the barbecue shop.
"Okay!" Aoba immediately responded. He followed behind Eaton. For some reason, even he wanted to relax and not think about random things.
After Eaton and Aoba walked for a while, they arrived at the entrance of the barbecue shop.
"We're here!"
Eaton pointed at the door and told Aoba. That barbecue shop happened to be the barbecue shop that Fugaku and other was in. After all, Konohagakure was not that big. It was not difficult to have a chance encounter.
After saying that.
Eaton brought Aoba into the barbecue shop.
However.
What they ordered was a private room.
The place where Fugaku and the other eats was an ordinary seat.
Although the distance was not far.
However, one turned left, and the other turned right after entering the door, not on the same path.
When Eaton and Aoba walked in.
Coincidentally, Fugaku was focused on persuading Saki so that the latter would consider not giving up so easily and was fighting for Aoba to form a team with them to take the Chunin Exams.
...
After Eaton and Aoba sat in their seats, Eaton quickly ordered the dishes. Then, the waiter had already begun arranging the dishes to be served.
"Aoba, guess why I asked you to come here this time?" Eaton said with a smile, and his eyes flashed faintly. He had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.
"I don't know." Aoba shook his head. He was very cooperative. He guessed 99% of the possibilities in his heart. But he didn't say anything and just waited for Eaton to reveal this secret. He gave Eaton enough face.
"Hahahahaha..."
When Eaton heard Aoba's words, he immediately began to laugh, and the joy in his eyes deepened.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to guess!"
"Let me tell you now!"
"Look at what this is!"
While talking, Eaton took out a book from his ninja pouch. This book has a hand-painted sketch picture, which looks quite charming, and beside the picture was a text, what was written on it was - Teacher Bai of the Ninja School.
"This is..." Aoba still pretended not to understand anything. He looked at the thing Eaton took out with a face full of confusion. This was his usual practice. No matter what he did, he would give face to the leader or not let the leader lose face. This also made him the kind of person that the leader liked. Every time the leader talked to him, he would feel a sense of accomplishment and could greatly satisfy his vanity.
"This is the story of Teacher Bai of the Ninja School. I have already negotiated with the Country of Fire publisher. They think that there is no problem with publishing it. They even drew a cover. When the Teacher Bai of the Ninja School is published in the future, it will have this kind of cover. Are you satisfied?" Eaton's face was full of expectation. He looked like he was waiting for Aoba to say the word 'satisfied'. Now, he had devoted himself to Teacher Bai of the Ninja School and was very concerned about the publication of this book.
"I am very satisfied!"
Aoba immediately nodded. In his opinion, this sketch was ordinary. However, based on the Ninja World environment, it wasn't easy to have a good artist. Perhaps the publisher had already attached great importance to it. However, it could only be made like this due to world limitations.
"I knew you would be satisfied!"
Eaton put on an expression of understanding. He stared at Aoba and then returned his gaze to the book. There was a sense of intoxication in his eyes. It could be said that he really liked it.
"Brother Eaton, thank you so much for helping me publish this book. If you don't help me with this, maybe this book won't have a chance to be published at all." Aoba said with a serious face. He had mastered a skill in modern society. It was to praise. Anyone likes to listen to such nice words, and no one was an exception.
"I also don't want this good book to be buried. I try my best to do what I can. This is not only helping you but also helping myself!" Eaton unceremoniously accepted Aoba's praise. In fact, this was what he thought. If not for him, this book would never have been published.
"Thank you, Brother Eaton!"
Aoba thanked Eaton again.
When he said this, he could not help but sigh.
'Is this the power of a book lover?!'
When he was in the modern world before, he heard that when reading a book, some book lovers would generously donate money and reward the work to express their love for the work because they liked it. If Eaton lived in the modern world, he would probably be the kind of big shot who could throw a lot of money!
Step, step, step, step...
Just as Aoba and Eaton were talking, the sound of footsteps came from outside the private room door.
After that.
The waiter stopped at the door.
"Guest, the dishes you ordered are all ready. Can we send them in now?" The waiter's voice came from outside and clearly entered the private room. This voice sounded very gentle and polite, giving people a very comfortable feeling.
"Send them in!"
Eaton said in the direction of the door. Now he had already shared the most exciting part with Aoba, and the rest could be said slowly while eating.
"Pardon my intrusion!"
The waiter who was standing at the door was waiting for a reply. After hearing Eaton's words, the private room door opened, and a small cart full of marinated raw meat was pushed in. It was the dish that Eaton had ordered.
After that.
The waiter placed the dishes on their table.
They also sent another staff member to add charcoal to the stove on their table.
Suddenly.
The temperature in the private room had increased a lot.
After the waiter had dealt with everything, he left the room and handed the room back to the two of them.
...
In the ordinary seat of the barbecue shop.
After Fugaku stared at Saki and said his suggestion, he waited for her reply. Now he was doing his best to facilitate this matter.
After hearing Fugaku's words, Saki became silent and looked hesitant.
Of course.
She did not have any hesitation in her heart.
Instead, she had to use this method to allow her to take the initiative in her conversation with Fugaku.
She was not a child that could easily be deceived.
You can easily believe what they say was good for you, but not too much. At best, everyone gets what they need.
A moment later.
Saki took a deep breath and looked a little confused. Then, she stared at Fugaku in front of her.
"Actually..."
"I can give myself another chance!"
"But."
"I have a question."
"Brother Fugaku, you have to answer me. Otherwise, I won't agree to it!"
Saki only stared at Fugaku. Her eyes were filled with determination. It was as if she was telling Fugaku that everything he had done would be in vain if he didn't answer her question.
As soon as this was said.
Fugaku also felt Saki's emotions and immediately nodded.
"Tell me. If I can answer your questions, I will answer all of them!"
Fugaku's expression had already become serious. He knew that the matter had reached a critical moment. If he answered Saki's question clearly, everything would be successful.
Fugaku immediately took a deep breath. When he took a deep breath, he immediately sat straight and slowly exhaled. His entire mood had been adjusted.
'Aoba.'
'If it is something that I can answer.'
'I will answer everything.'
'This time, I'm fighting for you to have an opportunity to take Chunin Exams.'
'I will definitely succeed!'
According to Fugaku's knowledge, Aoba absolutely wanted to take the Chunin Exams. However, due to his conditions, he had no way of participating.
Especially the previous night when he left angrily.
At that time, he was laughing.
It was just that this laugh was not mocking Aoba but helping Aoba to ease the awkwardness. In his opinion, the Chunin Exam topic hurt Aoba's self-esteem.
Because...
Aoba also knows that no one would be willing to be his teammate at the Chunin Exams!
Fugaku and Aoba had known each other for a long time. At least, he had already regarded Aoba as a good friend. He did not have many friends. Besides Aoba, there was only Sekai. After all, even if it was Minato, they were not so familiar with each other. He was pursuing Mikoto and would often meet Kushina through Mikoto and then meet Minato. However, they were just acquaintances, and their relationship was far from that deep.
Originally, Aoba was not that important!
But, ever since Aoba went on an adventure with him, went deep into the secret underground rooms, and discovered that Orochimaru was Gasshi, his view of Aoba had completely changed.
He had already regarded this person willing to take risks for him as a good friend.
It was because he regarded Aoba as a good friend.
He wanted to know more about Aoba.
He found a lot of information about Aoba in the Konoha Military Police Force, and combined with Aoba's performance during this period; he found a very strange thing.
Aoba did not seem to be as weak as he appeared to be.
It was just that Aoba's sense of existence was too low. No one noticed him at all. Aoba's strength was no longer the same as before, but everyone's impression of Aoba remained the same.
Gradually.
Fugaku found that Aoba was only keeping a low profile.
After all, it was not easy for someone to continuously use the Mind-Reading Secret Technique to read memories. All these required a lot of chakras and a strong foundation.
Finally.
Fugaku came to a conclusion.
That was Aoba has no self-confidence!
As far as he was concerned.
The reason why Aoba kept such a low profile was not that Aoba wanted to keep a low profile but because Aoba lacked self-confidence.
That was why.
That was also why Aoba wore a mask no matter what he did.
This also strengthened Fugaku's determination to give Aoba a chance to take the Chunin Exams.
He was very clear.
He must first settle Nara Saki and Akimichi Rin.
This way, it could give Aoba confidence.
Otherwise...
If he was here to tell Aoba this, he could almost foresee that Aoba would definitely say he did not want to participate in the Chunin Exams.
Because he couldn't get it, he pretended not to want it!
Fugaku felt that he had completely analyzed Aoba's mentality. What he needed to do now was help Aoba get out of this vicious circle of unconfidence.
Saki looked at Fugaku's extremely sincere appearance and suddenly wanted to laugh, but she still held back.
Now was not the time to laugh.
If she laughed.
That, on the contrary, revealed that she didn't mean to be so ruthless at all.
"Brother Fugaku!"
"You keep saying that you want to help me find a teammate!"
"But the person you find..."
"It should be the one from last night, right?!"
Saki narrowed her eyes slightly, her eyes flashing with wisdom. She had already begun to ask the question she was most curious about.
It didn't matter if she went to take the exam or not.
If she didn't get an answer to this question, she would keep thinking about it in her heart, and that person was wearing a mask, so she couldn't guess his identity.
"From last night?!"
When Akimichi Rin heard this, her eyes suddenly opened wide, and she put on a posture of eating melons. Her curiosity was instantly attracted, and her ears moved. She was afraid to miss even a little detail.
"No wonder you duped me last night..."
Akimichi Rin silently whispers. Although Saki had already explained what had happened last night, she still faintly felt that Saki was hiding something. As she had expected, Saki was hiding something; she had never said about that person!
All of a sudden.
Akimichi Rin's gossip heart suddenly ignited.
This caused her even to slow down her speed of eating meat. She diverted part of her attention to the conversation between the two.
Saki paid no attention to Akimichi Rin's surprise.
Now was not the time to explain things to her.
Explaining things?
It can wait.
Now, she had to focus on Fugaku first!
"That's right, the teammate I want to find for you is him!"
When Fugaku heard Saki's question, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief. He could still answer such a question.
At the same time.
He felt that Saki was already giving in.
Just as Fugaku was about to be happy.
Saki's next sentence stunned him.
"Okay, then, Brother Fugaku, the question I want to ask is..."
A playful smile appeared on Saki's face. Saki wanted to analyze the situation in the world as Shikaku did. She wanted to help the village and voice her opinions in a large-scale matter, but she couldn't do that yet. However, it was quite easy for her to play tricks and trick people.
"Wasn't that your question just now?" Fugaku asked with a puzzled face. He was dumbfounded and was about to say that this matter was settled. But before he could say it, he found that his answer just now did not count.
"I didn't ask just now. I just confirmed a known question." Saki waved her hand and said, which looked very cute. Even if Fugaku knew he had been tricked, he couldn't get angry.
"Alright, ask away. This time, it can be regarded as asking!" Fugaku spread out his hands helplessly. He suddenly found that Saki, this little girl, was very strange. He might have fallen into her trap if he did not pay attention when talking to her.
"Who is the person wearing the mask? What is his name? If you don't say it, I will not agree!" Saki suddenly asked in a low voice. Her quick tone was like she did not want to give Fugaku time to recover. She wanted to get the answer the moment she asked.
"This..."
Fugaku's expression suddenly became serious.
This was really a rare question that he could not answer.
Regarding Aoba's identity...
He had promised Aoba that he would keep it a secret!
Now that Fugaku hasn't gotten Aoba's consent, he doesn't dare to say anything, but his earlier hard work may be ruined if he doesn't say anything.
"Is it difficult?"
Saki tilted her head and said, "Brother Fugaku, you said you would find us a teammate, then we have to know who he is. There shouldn't be a problem, right?"
After Saki finished speaking.
She immediately turned to look at Akimichi Rin. There was no need to communicate in advance. At the very least, they had a tacit understanding of each other.
"Am I right, Rin?"
"That's right!"
Akimichi Rin nodded as she ate the meat. Then, her gaze fell on Fugaku. She had never said anything to Fugaku. The reason was very simple. It was just that she could not interfere in these matters. As long as Saki made the decision, it would be fine.
However.
The matter of teammates.
It was not Saki's matter alone; she was there too.
She still had the right to speak.
"Brother Fugaku..."
Akimichi Rin stared at Fugaku. She was eating the barbecue Fugaku invited her to, so naturally, she couldn't say much. She was not Saki, so she did not have so many thoughts.
"I think what Saki said is very reasonable. I also thought the same. Although you invited me to eat, um, a fragrant and delicious barbecue, I won't say anything. However, we should at least know who our teammate is. Otherwise, even if we did not take the Chunin Exams, it does not matter!"
Akimichi Rin said directly to Fugaku.
In fact, in her heart.
She no longer wanted to participate in the Chunin Exams.
It was just that Saki still wanted to participate, so she had been taking care of Saki's emotions. After all, even if she were here, it would still be missing one, and Saki would be the only one left if she backed out now. Then, there was no need to participate anymore. Everything was too late!
"En..."
Fugaku's face turned serious. He was trying to convince himself to say Aoba's name.
'Anyway, you will all become teammates.'
'So what if they know the name?'
'But...'
'It doesn't seem convenient for me to say it out!'
'What should I do?'
Fugaku was thinking quickly. If he wanted to find a way to break the situation in the shortest time, he had to delay the topic.
"Saki, Rin, I understand your feelings, but my friend has a special identity. Before I get his consent, I really don't know how to say it!"
A bitter smile appeared on Fugaku's face. Right now, he was extremely helpless. These things were causing him to be especially conflicted. He didn't know how to weigh the pros and cons at all.
On one side were Nara Saki and Akimichi Rin. If he didn't say Aoba's name, this opportunity he had worked so hard to obtain might be gone.
On the other side was his good friend, Yamanaka Aoba. If he disregarded Aoba's request and rashly revealed Aoba's name, it might cause Aoba to be dissatisfied. That might cause even greater misunderstanding.
So, what should he do?
"Brother Fugaku, is this very difficult?" Saki blinked her crafty eyes and asked Fugaku.
"It is indeed not convenient for me to say it out..." Fugaku nodded. He stared at Saki with a serious expression, his eyes flashing with begging. From this posture, it was obvious that he wanted Saki to change the question, but it was not good to say it out loud.
"I see!"
The expression on Saki's face became even more subtle, as if she could no longer hide her smile and was about to lose control.
In fact.
She had already expected that Fugaku would say this.
If it was so easy to say that person's name, Fugaku should have said it last night, and there was no need to wait until now.
"Brother Fugaku, let me guess. If I can guess that person's name, then you only need to say "yes" or "no". If you feel that even saying "yes" is not keeping your promise, then you can nod or shake your head. Do you think this is okay?" Saki immediately stated her real question. She and Fugaku went around a circle and used verbal techniques. First, she said something that was not so easy to accept. After making things difficult for the other party, she would say something easier for the other party to accept. So that things that were easier to accept may be accepted.
"Yes!"
Fugaku immediately nodded. This time, he agreed without much trouble. After all, he just needed to nod or shake his head. There was no need for him to say anything.
This way, he could also explain to Aoba...
He did not say anything.
Those two girls had guessed it themselves.
It had nothing to do with him.
"Hehehe~."
Saki smiled with satisfaction, then blinked her crafty eyes and said, "Then I have to start guessing~."