7. Loving Him

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The shop manager’s face bore a practiced, businesslike smile.
“I see.”
Hoping to quickly resolve the commotion, the manager had no intention of further debate and aimed to gently usher the two children out the door.
“We’re not wrong!” Kotono clung tightly to the threshold, unwilling to let go even though her fingers ached. “Naruto is not a monster! If he were, wouldn’t he have eaten that guy already? He deserves an apology!”
Naruto leapt forward without hesitation, punching the manager. “Don’t touch Kotono!”
Caught in a pincer movement, the manager’s smile faltered. “Who can prove it? Kids can be stubborn, but they sure give adults a headache.”
“Manager, let me handle this,” a ninja employee volunteered, radiating a fierce aura.
Damn, she was certain she would lose any power contest against this employee.
What exactly was wrong with this situation?
Kotono was truly about to turn red with anger.
At this stalemate, a calm male voice sounded.
“I saw it. This employee was the one who pushed these two kids first.”
Seeing him, the employee’s face turned pale. “Kakashi-senpai! What are you doing here...”
Before them stood the cold, silver-haired man who had lectured her before.
Konoha’s ordinary citizens seemed to belong to the world’s most formidable intelligence network, always revealing crucial information at just the right moment.
“Isn’t that Sharingan Kakashi?”
“I heard he doesn’t hesitate to kill comrades to complete missions—an example for ninjas.”
“So cold-blooded.”
“Shh, keep it down—he’s a hero from the Third Great Ninja War, his comrades all...”
Kotono’s ears twitched; her eyes sharpened.
His style was cold and assassin-like, always prioritizing mission efficiency. Strong, notorious, sacrificing the few for justice... Could it be you, Kiritsugu papa?
Kakashi paid no heed to the crowd’s gossip, staring coldly at the employee. “Bullying juniors still in the ninja academy, spreading unverified rumors— is this your ninja way?”
The employee’s eyes darted nervously, sweat pouring down his forehead.
The manager’s face also darkened.
Kakashi was a prodigy who rose during the war and a disciple of the Fourth Hokage. With his testimony, how could they continue selling this book?
Kakashi glared fiercely at the employee, silently urging him to apologize.
Though reluctant to bow to the children, under pressure from the manager and public scorn, the employee lowered his head and bowed deeply.
“My sincerest apologies, dear customers. My words were inappropriate. Please forgive me!”
This was the first time he had been humiliated into apologizing!
Naruto was a bit overwhelmed but, seeing Kotono’s expression, tried to appear unfazed, quietly clenching his fist.
No doubt she was his favorite little Kotono!
Of course, this ninja big brother standing up for justice was also very cool; no other adults were willing to help them.
But before he could thank the handsome Kakashi, the latter turned and left without a glance.
“I’m giving you this book,” Kakashi casually placed a book on Kotono’s head.
It hit with some force, causing her a headache. She glared at him as she pulled it off, but Kakashi was already gone.
“Goodbye.” Kakashi waved over his shoulder. For some reason, his figure seemed lonely and desolate.
Behind his departing silhouette, a golden, shining heroic poster stared at the three with a frozen smile.
[Limited CG: The Dim Legacy Unlocked]

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Kotono flipped the book over and saw it was the biography of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
A finely bound book worth 100 ryo—given so casually, no wonder he was a jonin.
But this guy named Kakashi Hatake was definitely not ordinary.
How could a random passerby trigger such a deeply tragic CG?
—Right, Kiritsugu Emiya and Saber were master and servant in the last Holy Grail War.
Kakashi must be connected to the Fourth Hokage!
Moreover, Kakashi likely indirectly caused the death of his wife and has a daughter he’s forbidden to see but desperately seeks. Such a bond is crucial; reincarnation couldn’t erase it.
Who could she be?
She liked Kiritsugu papa very much and wanted to help Kakashi find his daughter and help her own sister—who was the small Holy Grail (a human vessel)—escape a fatal fate, possibly reincarnated as a brother.
Giving a finely bound book upon meeting showed Kakashi’s good material condition. Being her foster father would be great... Then she could eat all the fruit she wanted; she really missed the taste of grapes.
She decided to ask Iruka-sensei if he knew Kakashi, then use that as a pretext to seek Kakashi’s guidance.
If she could find out if Kakashi had saved her before—like pulling her from a fire—that would provide a reason to connect.
“Such a strange person,” Naruto muttered, “but he looks really strong.”
Then came the usual declarations about wanting to become a strong ninja, become Hokage, and have the whole village look up to him.
“If you want to be Hokage, start by reading this book.”
Kotono handed the book to Naruto Uzumaki.
In the previous arc, he had already finished reading it; the writing was good and the historical facts detailed, providing a thorough understanding of Konoha’s vast organizational philosophy.
“The blazing fire of... um, how do you read this character?”
Kotono sighed and silently chose a beginner’s literacy book.
No wonder Naruto was always distracted in class; he barely knew any kanji and struggled to follow lessons.
The ninja academy had no language classes; teachers assumed passing the entrance test meant basic literacy was mastered.
The test was easy for her, but Naruto seemed never to have passed it—how did he even get in?
Kotono tapped the cover. “Use this book to help you recognize characters. You know too few; Konoha wouldn’t let an illiterate become Hokage.”
The blond boy’s face instantly fell.
He looked pitifully at Kotono, trying to whine, “I don’t want to learn...”
He vaguely sensed she was right, because the Hokage looked very knowledgeable.
But he really hated reading; the dense black characters tangled like tadpoles and were impossible to distinguish.
Kotono knew exactly how to handle Naruto.
“If you learn twenty new characters today, we’ll go have hotpot in the back mountain this afternoon.”
“Okay, I definitely can do it!”
The blond boy’s fighting spirit surged instantly.
She couldn’t help but smile.
Naruto’s heart was ridiculously easy to read.

*

Teaching Naruto was torturous; he either zoned out or stared blankly at Kotono’s face, his attention span less than five minutes.
“This is really hard. Kotono, just hit me instead,” Naruto weakly laid his head on the table, like a faded paper doll drained of nutrients, even starting to babble in pain. “If I pass out, I won’t have to study anymore.”
“No, you must do it.”
Kotono’s words sounded like both a command and a comfort: “No one taught you before, so you don’t understand the importance of reading and studying. It’s not your fault.”
“But I understand now, and I’ve discovered the problem.”
Everyone else might ignore Naruto, but Uzumaki Kotono could never do that.

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“Kotono, studying really hurts,” the boy tried to whine. “Aren’t we family?”
“Family life isn’t always happiness; sometimes there’s pain and misunderstanding,” Kotono firmly refused to be bribed by emotions. “When Naruto truly understands, he’ll have grown up.”
“No way,” Naruto didn’t believe it. He disliked how Kotono treated him like a child; they were the same age.
Though she was often cool, smart, and impressive, she didn’t have to be so genius-like... leaving him so far behind.
Just like that always-cool Sasuke, whose genius world seemed separate from theirs.
“What are you daydreaming about? Come on, let’s try again. I’ve adjusted the approach and picked ten common school characters; we’ll start from the basics.”
Naruto snapped back to reality.
No, Kotono wasn’t like those geniuses.
She would never leave him behind and would always pull him along.
Even if he lagged, she would hold his hand and run forward with him.
So he... couldn’t fall too far behind!
Naruto’s gaze grew determined as he launched a fierce attack on the ten characters.

*

Overall, their afternoon study session went well.
Kotono could tell Naruto really tried today, remembering all ten common characters.
Honestly, when the tutoring ended, both teacher and student sighed in relief.
She suddenly realized she had even broken a sweat.
Meanwhile, the once-study-drained Naruto instantly revived at the promise of hotpot and cheered, “Hotpot, back mountain, hotpot, back mountain!”
Konoha village was surrounded by vast forests.
The outer areas of the back mountain were safe for Konoha’s children.
Some ninja families reportedly took their children deep into the back mountain to hunt wild boar and such to train them.
Kotono and Naruto lacked such skills but usually just picked mushrooms and fished in the mountains, then made a fish and mushroom hotpot.
When their monthly allowance ran low, they’d forage in the back mountain for food.
It sounded tough, but both loved these outdoor picnics.
Kotono enjoyed discovering new chakra training spots, while Naruto found the adventures fun.
Usually, Naruto took charge as the chef.
“Reading is tough, but you never need pushing to learn cooking,” Kotono casually teased. “If you don’t work harder, you’ll end up a Hokage who only makes side dishes.”
“No way! Because you’re so picky and always let me eat your share,” Naruto scratched his face, embarrassed but serious.
“I want to make the most nutritious dishes that you’ll always love.”
They couldn’t afford expensive lights, so their desk lamp’s pale glare cast stiff shadows on their faces.
But Naruto’s blue eyes shone bright and clear.
“Making you happy and becoming Hokage are equally important.”
Kotono drew in a deep breath to ease a strange ache in her chest.
In reality, she was also an orphan, knowing family only through films. Most things she had done before were just to clear the game or satisfy her own FSN storyline.
But now...
She had begun to like this unusually real game.
She liked this family game of starting from zero, learning with Naruto.
—She liked Naruto.