"It’s a bit surreal."

  Link, dressed casually for the first time in a while, walked through the bustling ercial district, feeling an odd sense of temporal dissonance.

  Yesterday, he was trekking through forests and battling enemies, and today, he was standing on a modern-looking street shopping for clothes.

  Shaking off the odd feeling, he entered a clothing store and effitly picked out a few rger-sized outfits. After trying them on and firming the price was reasonable, he made the purchase without much fuss or browsing.

  He was satisfied with his usual style; the only issue was that his current clothes were getting too tight.

  However, the new, rger clothes were slightly long for him.

  While the store tailored his purchases, Link decided to grab some sweets. Wandering the streets, he soon found himself at a familiar shop selling roasted chestnuts.

  Standing in line, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Gng up, he found himself face-to-chest with an obstacle ed in fish and bck fabric. Adjusting his view, he saw a woman with short purple hair tied in a pineapple-like style, wearing a brown trench coat and a friendly, familiar grin.

  "Yo, kid! I remember your name’s Link, right?" a boisterous voice greeted him.

  Her face was cheerful, but Li his to. "o meet you. You’re here to cut in line, aren’t you?"

  The woma out a haughty ugh. "Ha! We’re rades from the same vilge, right? Besides, Kurenai mentioned you a few times, so—"

  "I don’t even know who you are," Link interrupted her calmly.

  The two bystanders behind them exged awkward gnces.

  The purple-haired woman leaned closer and whispered spiratorially, "I’m Anko Mitarashi, a friend of Kurenai. How about I buy you dango and red bean soup if you let me cut?"

  "Deal." Link agreed instantly.

  "What a straightforward brat," Anko thought, pouting slightly. From what Kurenai had said, this kid was supposed to be talented, mature, and reliable. Reality wasn’t quite living up to the hype.

  …

  "This is amazing!"

  Anko gleefully bit into a piece of yokan and gri Link. "Don’t hesitate to e to me if you ever need help, okay, Link-?"

  While she enjoyed her sweets, Link sipped his red bean soup, sav the sugary warmth. It ure bliss, especially for someone in a growth phase. He could uand why certain white-haired swordsmen had such a sweet tooth.

  "Good, isn’t it?" Anko asked proudly.

  Link rolled his eyes. "Why are you ag proud?" he thought but chose not to voice it.

  Standing up, he simply said, "Goodbye."

  They’d shared a queue and some snacks as a favor to Kurenai. He didn’t see any reason to deepen their e further.

  As she watched him walk away, Anko’s cheerful expression faded.

  "He’s a bit of an unlikable brat," she thought, her fiightening around her drink . "But… he’s probably nothing like him."

  The aluminum groaned under her grip.

  Link didn’t dwell on whatever Anko was thinking. After pig up his tailored clothes from the shop, he returned home.

  Lying on his bed, he waited for his shadow to finish washing and drying the new clothes. Around noo up and headed to the barbecue restaurant.

  He had promised his teammates they’d celebrate their successful mission with grilled meat.

  As the oreating them, Link wasn’t particurly stingy. Ret missions had been lucrative, and he had no qualms about spending money on food. Like most ninja, he didn’t bother saving. After all, their profession was fraught with mortality, and there was always another payday after pleting a mission.

  The meal was as enjoyable as ever. Over sizzlis, Link shared the details of their mission, as reyed by Nara Ensui.

  Afterward, he returned home to ge into something slightly more formal before heading to the Nara pound.

  Meeting Nara Shikaku was iable. Better to get it over with soohan ter.

  The pound wasn’t far from Ensui’s home, so Link initially thought about dragging his teacher along. However, finding the house empty, he proceeded alone.

  Carrying a gift box of yokan he’d bought that m, Link soon arrived at the Nara residence.

  "Ding-dong."

  After a few moments, the door opened.

  "Click." Shikaku greeted him with a faint smile. "e in."

  "Excuse me," Link said, bowing before stepping inside and removing his shoes.

  Following Shikaku to the living room, Link handed over the gift box. "Just a small token of appreciation."

  "Thank you," Shikaku replied, accepting the yokan and p him a cup of tea. "I imagine you’re curious why I wao meet."

  "Yes," Link admitted, adopting a posture of attentive listening.

  "Have you sidered being my apprentice?" Shikaku asked bluntly.

  The question caught Link off guard.

  Before he could respond, Shikaku tinued, "Teically, it should be Hiruzen-sama taking you as his student."

  Giveraining, guidance, and resources the Third Hokage had already provided, it was akin to an informal apprenticeship.

  "But…" Shikaku shook his head. "For various reasons, the Third likely won’t take on any more disciples."

  "And since you’ve demonstrated an affinity for shadow-based teiques, it naturally fell to me to ask."

  He was straightforward. "If you’re not ied, I won’t force you. With your talent and potential, there may not be much I teach you."

  "You’re too modest," Link replied after a moment’s thought. He could piece together the reasons behind the offer.

  Hiruzen’s reluce to take on more students likely stemmed from the fallout with Orochimaru. And as part of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Shikaku and his were staunch allies of the Sarutobi family.

  This was a clear olive branch from the vilge’s moderates.

  The only question was…

  Should he accept?

  Bleam