"Kabuto, don't eat so fast, you'll choke…"
Before the sentence was finished, Kabuto, sitting at Ichiraku Ramen, was already clutching his throat with one hand while pounding his chest with the other.
Smack!
Ku gave him a firm slap on the back, and Kabuto finally swallowed the ramen down.
"Whew…"
He let out a breath of relief and looked gratefully at Uzumaki Ku.
"It's not every day Big Brother treats me to ramen. I've got to eat as much as I can!"
Ku chuckled. "Don't worry, I brought enough money. After we eat, we'll pack up twenty servings to take back for your friends and the director to try."
Kabuto's eyes lit up. "Really? The director hasn't had a proper meal in a long time. Yesterday, I overheard... the orphanage's funding…"
Ku smiled and looked behind him. From outside Ichiraku's curtain, someone was approaching. "If I'm not mistaken, the funding issue is already resolved. Don't worry, you and your director won't be forced to become spies."
The curtain lifted. Kakashi entered, his forehead protector raised to reveal his Sharingan, its three tomoe slowly spinning, locked onto Ku.
"No need to be so tense, Kakashi. Your Kamui can't hold me. But if you want to talk, I'll treat you to a bowl of ramen," Ku said with a smile.
"It seems the Flying Thunder God Technique renders Konoha's barrier useless to you… Uzumaki Ku, facing someone like you, I can't afford the slightest carelessness."
Kakashi glanced at Kabuto. "Someone like you… Being friends with a child?"
Ku grinned and replied: "You're not that old yourself. Is that really something you should say? Besides, this kid's talent isn't any lower than yours."
Shff!
With a soft sound, Minato appeared beside Kakashi, wearing the Fourth Hokage cloak.
He patted Kakashi on the shoulder. "Lower the Sharingan. If I'm right, the moment you activate Kamui, he'll already have used Flying Thunder God to leave."
Kakashi frowned. "Even if it's the Flying Thunder God, not everyone is as fast as you, sensei…"
Minato glanced at Ku and exhaled. "That's exactly what I'm worried about."
Though confused, Kakashi lowered his forehead protector, covering the Sharingan once again.
"Teuchi, one large original broth ramen, please."
Teuchi, busy in the kitchen, called back his usual reply until he saw who it was: the Fourth Hokage himself.
"Hokage-sama, you're not busy today? This ramen's on the house!"
His generosity didn't extend to Ku's twenty-bowl order.
Minato smiled and waved it off. "No need, Teuchi. Charge me as usual. Go on with your work."
Once Teuchi returned to the kitchen, Minato looked at Ku and smiled. "We meet again."
Ku returned the smile and nodded. "We do, Fourth Hokage. The fact I'm here after our last information exchange means you handled things well."
Minato tested the waters: "Was it that arm last time that gave you the First Hokage's Wood Release?"
Ku raised his fingers, holding a chakra paper. Flames flared, it shattered, tore, and then soaked through.
"Four chakra natures. The time was a bit too short; otherwise, you wouldn't have seen Danzo alive yesterday."
Minato's expression turned serious as he looked at the chakra paper on the table—fire, wind, earth, water.
'He's already at this level…?'
He hesitated but asked: "Why did you want to kill Danzo?"
He glanced at Kabuto. "Surely this kid isn't your only objective?"
Ku chuckled. "You and Kakashi are underestimating this child. If everything goes as it should, his power could one day affect the entire world."
Hearing that, Minato looked at the dazed Kabuto seriously for the first time.
White hair, glasses that didn't quite suit him… Hatake?
"He's not related to Kakashi. Just a civilian child. But his talent in some areas is absolutely top-tier in this world."
Ku turned to Kabuto. "I'll be leaving here soon, and you have two options."
Kabuto blinked and nodded slightly.
Ku continued: "First, follow the Fourth Hokage. I suggest you join the research and medical departments. Second: return to the orphanage and help Director Nonō take care of the children."
Kabuto fell into deep thought.
He recalled what happened yesterday, the man wrapped in bandages, and the other with snake-like eyes.
"Seems you've understood."
Ku sighed. "What I'd hoped for was you staying peacefully at the orphanage, protecting that small sanctuary. But you also understand now, without strength, everything you try to protect turns to dust."
"Go with the Fourth. Use your full potential. As someone tied to the orphanage, the stronger your value to the Hokage, the safer the orphanage will be."
Kabuto looked up and smiled at Ku. "Mm! I trust you, Big Brother!"
Ku paused, then ruffled his hair. "Your fate has changed too… As an orphan, you shouldn't have fallen into darkness for someone else's ambition."
"Ahem!"
Minato, confused, cleared his throat. "You two didn't exactly ask for my opinion, did you? I'm the Hokage, but you're the ones deciding my personnel?"
Kakashi leaned over and whispered, "Sensei… aren't they our enemies? Is it really okay to just let him plant a spy right in front of us like this?"
Minato sighed. Some things just couldn't be explained to this student.
'Enemy? Maybe not.'
Shff!
A kunai sliced Kabuto's arm, leaving a shallow wound that began to bleed.
"Kabuto, use the medical ninjutsu your director taught you. Show the Fourth."
Kabuto, unfazed, nodded. He understood what Ku wanted.
Green chakra gathered around his hands. The shallow cut stopped bleeding, and the healing sped up visibly.
"Precise chakra control. He definitely has a knack for medical ninjutsu," Minato commented.
"Medical jutsu isn't even worth mentioning among his talents."
Ku shook his head and tapped his own temple. "Talent isn't just about bloodline. True power lies in the mind. This kid's real strength is up here."
"Not quite at the Second Hokage's level, but not far behind you, the creator of the Rasengan."
Minato's eyes lit up.
Konoha had many combat prodigies, but in the research and medical fields, only Orochimaru and Tsunade had stood out. And neither were on his side.
"I approve."
"By the way, Ku, when you say 'not far behind me'… do you mean he's a little behind me, or I'm a little behind him?"
"You're a little behind him."
…???