Naruto Birdcage

The first snowfall of winter blanketed the entire village in pure white.

Makoto walked along the snow-covered streets that hadn't yet been cleared, his boots crunching with every step.

He realized he wasn't as resistant to the cold as the locals, so he had bundled up in thick layers early.

After finishing a meeting with a group of merchants, Makoto was on his way back.

Under his governance, the village had returned to order, and everything was steadily recovering.

"I'd love to have some hotpot," Makoto remarked wistfully.

"There's a hotpot restaurant in the village, Lord Makoto. You can go if you'd like," his personal attendant, Hakumen, helpfully suggested.

Makoto merely shook his head.

The hotpot here was the traditional Japanese kind, but he was craving the type with a broth brimming with red oil and loaded with chilies.

On the street, a group of children were chasing each other and playing.

A stray snowball flew through the air and hit Makoto squarely.

"Kenji, you hit the wrong person!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

Makoto gently brushed the snow off his clothes and smiled faintly, saying it was fine as he watched the group of children laugh and run off into the distance.

Suddenly, he recalled a plan related to those children.

The ninja academy would need to significantly expand its enrollment next year; otherwise, Konoha's ninja population wouldn't recover for a long time.

However, with the war just having ended, many villagers might be reluctant to send their children to the academy.

Makoto would have to come up with ways to ease their concerns.

"Let's go eat some grilled meat," Makoto said suddenly.

He and Hakumen made their way to the barbecue restaurant on West Street.

On a snowy day like this, the place was much busier than usual.

As soon as they stepped inside, they were met with the lively buzz of conversation and sizzling meat.

A staff member informed them that there were no available tables, and they'd have to wait a bit.

Makoto didn't mind and replied, "That's fine, we'll wait."

Hakumen leaned in and whispered,

"Lord Makoto, with your status, you could easily ask the owner to clear a table for you."

Makoto shot him a look and said,

"What, do you want me to be the village tyrant? Waiting for a table is perfectly normal.

Besides, waiting a little can even make the food taste better when it finally arrives."

There were already quite a few people sitting on the benches outside, and it was unclear how long they would have to wait.

At that moment, a figure suddenly leaned out from inside the restaurant.

"Makoto!"

Makoto turned and couldn't help but laugh, "Anko, you're here too."

Anko smiled with her eyes curving into crescent moons,

"I saw someone outside who looked a bit like you, so I came out to take a look. We're having a gathering inside, would you like to join us?"

Makoto asked, "You all?"

Without waiting for a reply, Anko grabbed Makoto's arm and started walking toward the restaurant,

"I can introduce you to everyone."

Hakumen quickly followed.

Anko led them to a private booth inside, and when the curtain was lifted, they found that quite a few people were already seated.

"Lord Makoto!" Kakashi immediately stood up, and in the process, he kicked Might Guy, who was engrossed in eating barbecue beside him.

"Makoto," both Obito and Rin also greeted him in surprise.

They hadn't been informed by Anko about where she was going just now.

All eyes in the private room turned to Makoto.

The people present remembered him from the celebration and were also surprised by Kakashi's reaction.

Asuma then recalled that this person had seemed to be sitting with Lord Hokage at the banquet.

"This is Hyuga Makoto," Anko introduced to everyone.

"This is Hyuga Hakumen, you should have heard of him."

Hakumen, as Orochimaru's personal Anbu, was frequently encountered by Anko when delivering food to Orochimaru.

Moreover, Hakumen, as a talented ninja from the Hyuga clan, wasn't as famous as Kakashi among his peers, but he still had a certain level of recognition.

"Hello," Makoto greeted everyone with a gentle smile and casually gestured for Kakashi and Guy to take a seat.

Besides Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Anko, those present included the third Hokage's youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma; a cute girl with red eyes, Yuhi Kurenai; another short-haired girl, Shizune; the man with a toothpick in his mouth was probably Genma Shiranui; and the one wearing sunglasses might be Aoba Yamashiro or Ebisu...

The people present were all from the younger generation of the village, the future pillars of the village, making it a good opportunity to get closer to them.

Makoto thought to himself.

"This person looks a bit familiar, I feel like I've seen him somewhere," Shizune whispered to Anko beside her.

However, she noticed that Anko had a strange look on her face.

Shizune immediately realized what she was thinking and quickly said,

"I mean it, don't get the wrong idea!"

Anko smiled and whispered, "I haven't said anything yet."

Anko then proceeded to introduce the people present to Makoto and Hakumen, and shortly after, she asked the owner to add a few more seats.

It was clear to everyone that Makoto, Anko, and Kakashi seemed to be quite familiar with each other.

After everyone sat down, Yuhi Kurenai suddenly smiled and spoke up:

"Makoto-kun, Shizune says you look very familiar, like she's seen you somewhere."

Having such a comment made directly in front of her caused Shizune to blush deeply, and she subtly shook her hand under the table, signaling Anko.

Makoto, however, just smiled and said, "We've met before. It was at the hospital, we were both in a hurry and almost bumped into each other."

Shizune then realized why Makoto seemed so familiar to her.

Anko added, "I also met Makoto at the hospital, pretty much the same situation as Shizune."

Then Anko went on to mention how Makoto had tricked her into paying for a whole round of barbecue, though she omitted the part about Orochimaru.

The others couldn't help but chuckle.

Makoto responded, saying it was actually her fault for needing to apologize, not that he tricked her, and that most of the barbecue was eaten by her anyway.

Hakumen quietly sat by without speaking, and when Makoto didn't move his chopsticks, neither did he.

Some people had figured out that Makoto was likely from the main branch of the Hyuga clan, while Hakumen was from the branch family.

However, the main family didn't seem to have the Byakugan, which looked quite odd.

The group continued to discuss the matter of Guy joining the Anbu, with Ebisu complaining that there was no way someone like Guy should be allowed into the Anbu—either the person in charge was blind or had a problem with their head.

Obito, leaning against the side, added his sarcastic comment in agreement.

Makoto : "…"

Hakumen : "…"

Kakashi : "…"

Kakashi shot a glance at Ebisu, but Ebisu didn't seem to pick up on it.

Hakumen, trying to suppress his laughter, also shared his thoughts aloud.

After working with Guy recently, he was quite certain that Guy was simply not suited for the Anbu.

He couldn't understand what Lord Makoto was thinking…

Makoto cleared his throat and said, "I believe Guy does have his own strengths."

Guy immediately perked up and flashed a big smile at Makoto: "You really understand me!"

Kakashi also chimed in, "Guy is improving, he's learning every day."

His words were officially defending Guy, but in reality, he was supporting his superior, Makoto.

Guy nodded vigorously in agreement.

Asuma asked how the work in the Anbu was going for the two of them.

Kakashi replied, "It's alright, sometimes it's busy, sometimes it's quiet."

The busy times referred to working with Orochimaru, and the quiet times meant being with Makoto.

He didn't go into specifics.

Guy, sitting nearby, was also venting about the Hokage's strange and bizarre tasks, to which Hakumen nodded in agreement.

This remark drew Anko's displeasure, as she responded,

"Being able to work for Lord Orochimaru is an honor for you."

Obito, observing Kakashi and Guy as the center of attention, started to wonder if he should join the Anbu as well.

He had originally thought that once Kakashi joined the Anbu, they would be separated, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

The main reason was that Makoto's Anbu was quite unique; they didn't even have code names, and they were usually called by their real names.

Makoto didn't want nameless tools; what he wanted were elite ninjas who would have a certain influence on the village in the future.

As everyone chatted, they also mentioned the recent wars with the Iwagakure and Kirigakure, as most of them had been on the battlefield.

Obito then began talking extensively about his Hokage dream, saying he was different now and was undergoing special secret training, promising to surprise everyone later.

Genma mocked him for being all mysterious, just like during the Chunin exams, where he had been easily knocked down by Guy with a single kick.

This comment sent Obito into a fit of rage, while the rest of the group laughed heartily.

Makoto actually quite enjoyed this atmosphere, though he didn't take the initiative to speak much during the meal.

When everyone had nearly finished eating, they began to disperse.

The meal was paid for by splitting the cost evenly, and Makoto had Hakumen pay for both of them.

Makoto had some official business to attend to in the afternoon, so he left with Hakumen.

As the two left, Asuma asked Kakashi, "Is this Hyuga Makoto your and Guy's direct superior?"

Kakashi reluctantly nodded, "I was planning to warn Ebisu not to speak carelessly."

Everyone was stunned, and Ebisu was left dumbfounded.

Guy, unfazed, chuckled lightly, "It's fine, Makoto has a great temperament, he won't mind such small things."

Kurenai couldn't help but comment, "He looks like he's around our age."

Asuma then said, "During the last celebration, I saw him sitting at the same table as the Hokage, surrounded by the heads of various clans, and even Lord Jiraiya was there."

Anko also looked puzzled and said, "I thought you all knew. Makoto is Lord Orochimaru's assistant. He handles most of the village's administrative tasks, and whenever you're on special missions, you can find him in the Hokage's office."

Everyone was left astonished.

Obito, only then realizing, understood that Makoto seemed to hold a significant position.

He began to feel conflicted, thinking, "If I join the Anbu, would I have to address him as 'Lord' like Kakashi does?"

......

Makoto returned to the Hokage's office and received a report from his subordinate.

It was about how Kakashi had been in close contact with some of the Uchiha clan members recently.

Makoto then thought it was likely due to the Sharingan.

In the original story, the Uchiha clan didn't retrieve Kakashi's Sharingan because Minato became the Fourth Hokage.

Now that the Orochimaru is the Fourth Hokage, and with Obito still alive and returned, the Uchiha had sufficient reason to take back Kakashi's eye.

Makoto pondered deeply and thought it was necessary to pay Orochimaru a visit.

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