So, this was the Anbu, Kaguya realized, no wonder it felt so familiar. She had spent some time in the Anbu herself and was naturally well acquainted with their style.
Afterward, Minato took the two of them to a room to fill out some forms, mostly containing personal information. Kaguya just scribbled something down to finish. When she turned her head, Kaguya was amused by Black Zetsu's expression as the little girl rested her chin on her pen, frowning at the words on the form.
It was probably because of Kaguya's earlier remark, "Write properly," that she was taking it seriously. Kaguya reached out and patted Black Zetsu's head, took the paper and pen, and quickly filled it out for her. After all, it wasn't real information, so she just wrote whatever.
This matter was thus completed without much fuss—it was merely a formality.
As they were heading back, they unexpectedly encountered a familiar face: the ever-grim Danzo.
Danzo, accompanied by two Anbu ninjas, passed by them, seemingly glancing at Kaguya unintentionally.
Kaguya's eyebrows twitched slightly; a person's eyes often reveal their true thoughts. Danzo appeared indifferent toward them, yet Kaguya sensed a chill in his gaze, like that of a predator eyeing its prey. It was identical to Danzo's expression when he ambushed Kaguya back then.
It was possible that the person watching them last night was sent by Danzo.
Kaguya snorted coldly. Back then, she had been young and unsuspecting, which allowed Danzo to succeed. If he dared provoke her now, she would beat him until even his mother wouldn't recognize him.
Minato had to leave early to attend to other matters, leaving only Kaguya and Black Zetsu.
By this time, it was already around ten o'clock, and going back to sleep was out of the question. So they decided to stay out and walk around.
Kaguya held Black Zetsu's hand as they aimlessly strolled down the street. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as if she had seen something. She smiled and said to Black Zetsu, "Let me take you to get something delicious."
Indeed, the only thing that could make Kaguya this happy was her favorite treat: dango. To her surprise, there was a dango shop even twenty years ago. However, the owner wasn't the middle-aged man she remembered but rather a young boy.
"Isn't it tasty?" Kaguya gently patted Black Zetsu's head and smiled.
"Mm-hmm," Black Zetsu nodded, her mouth full of dango, making her words indistinct. She squinted her eyes with a blissful expression.
Kaguya watched contentedly as the little girl happily bit into the dango. Finding someone who shares your interests often brings more joy, and Kaguya was no exception.
While they were eating, a group of kids unknowingly gathered around. They looked about ten years old and seemed rather young, but judging by their headbands, they had already graduated from the ninja academy. Their conversation made Kaguya's lips twitch.
"Did you see over there?"
"What?"
"Over there, that big sister is so pretty."
"Wow, she really is."
"Hey, keep it down."
"I'm going to marry a pretty big sister when I grow up."
"Yeah, right, as if you could."
"Are kids these days really so mature?" Kaguya thought to herself, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
Just then, a tall figure walked in. With spiky hair and a headband marked with the kanji for "oil," wearing green under a red vest, it was none other than Jiraiya. However, this Jiraiya looked much younger, with no wrinkles on his face, appearing to be in his thirties.
Kaguya had always wanted to comment that Jiraiya and Naruto weren't bad-looking; in fact, they were quite handsome on closer inspection. But the clothes they wore were truly unappealing, practically outdated. It's no wonder they didn't attract much attention. As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man," and even an average-looking person can gain a lot by dressing well. Conversely, no matter how handsome you are, dressing sloppily means no one will think highly of you.
"Boss, three more skewers of dango, and a serving of corn sweet soup, please."
"Alright, coming right up!"
Jiraiya found a spot and sat down, conveniently across from Kaguya. When Jiraiya looked up, his eyes met Kaguya's.
Kaguya blinked her bright eyes, then turned away to continue focusing on her dango. She didn't expect to encounter Jiraiya here. In her memory, Jiraiya was rarely in the village during this time. He was supposed to be traveling the world, following the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, searching for the prophesied child, while writing his adult novels on the side.
Of course, Kaguya had no intention of engaging with him, as she had no connection to Jiraiya.
However, just because Kaguya didn't want to interact with others didn't mean others didn't want to interact with her. Jiraiya stood up from his seat, walked over to Kaguya, and stood before her.
"Miss, you look unfamiliar. Are you not from around here?" Jiraiya asked, smiling with his eyes nearly closed.
"Yes, you could say that," Kaguya replied dismissively, without any real sincerity.
She thought to herself, "You're the 'miss,' your whole family are 'misses.'"
"I was just wondering how long you've been here," Jiraiya continued with a smile, "Don't misunderstand, I just wanted to see if there's anything you need help with."
"No, thank you," Kaguya responded with a polite smile, "I don't need any help."
"No need to be shy," Jiraiya laughed, "If you need anything, feel free to let me know."
"Mmm-hmm," Kaguya said, growing impatient, her eyebrows raised, "Alright, you must want something from me. Just say it straight, no need to beat around the bush."
"Sorry about that, you caught me," Jiraiya admitted. "I'm a travelogue writer, traveling extensively and introducing local customs and culture in magazines."
As he spoke, Jiraiya pulled out a book from his pocket, about to hand it over, when he seemed to realize something and quickly put it away, fumbling to hide it. He then pulled out another book from his pocket, which was a continental travel journal, and handed it over.
With Kaguya's astonishing eyesight, she had already seen the title of the first book before Jiraiya put it away: "Make-Out Paradise," the very same one Kakashi often read, with an identical cover.
Kaguya's lips twitched. Was this guy thinking of making her a subject in his writing? The thought of being the heroine in an adult novel made her shiver.
"Would you allow me to feature you, a beautiful lady, in—"
"No, thanks."
Kaguya rejected the offer outright. She already knew what Jiraiya was going to say next, and there was absolutely no way she would agree to it. The thought of being the object of countless men's fantasies made her skin crawl.