CH_162

Tōji hadn't eaten lunch, but it was already almost dinnertime, and he didn't feel hungry.

Wandering aimlessly along the village's outskirts alone, his mind was a mess—he couldn't piece together a good plan to save himself.

He knew he didn't dare approach Orochimaru on his own—better to go to Namikaze Minato and ask the Hokage for protection.

And Tōji figured the only person in this whole Naruto world who might actually believe his nonsense about "seeing the future" or "traveling through time" was probably Jiraiya. Whether Tōji wanted to reveal the truth or spin some fantastical story, Jiraiya would be the most likely to buy it.

But the problem was—Tōji had no way of finding Jiraiya.

To find Jiraiya, he'd probably have to ask the Third or Fourth Hokage… Even the Fourth probably didn't know Jiraiya's whereabouts.

As for the Third—forget it. Tōji sometimes thought that if Hiruzen knew something, whether he believed it or not, he might "pass it along" to Danzo.

Even if Hiruzen didn't say anything, Danzo always managed to "share" whatever intelligence Hiruzen had. This so-called "light and shadow" arrangement was, in Tōji's eyes, utterly ridiculous.

So aside from not being able to think of a way to save himself, Tōji also couldn't think of a good plan to seek protection from the big shots.

The only comfort was that Orochimaru would be gone from the village for at least half a year this time. And as long as Orochimaru didn't return, Tōji would be safe—he'd still have time to think.

But once Orochimaru came back, whether Tōji would suddenly vanish from the face of the earth was anyone's guess.

The Tōji who'd once longed to be selected for a "village guard squad" had now actually been assigned guard duty—even if it was temporary. He should have been happy.

But Tōji couldn't be happy. At dinner, he had to force himself to act like nothing was wrong, giving his parents a heavily abridged account of what had happened over the past year.

If not for this sudden turn of events, Tōji would have been making plans to get into Konoha Hospital again right about now.

『I wonder how Neru's doing at the hospital…』 After dinner, Tōji was still debating whether to go tell Neru about Kenji tonight.

After a brief hesitation, Tōji slapped his thigh and headed out the door.

But once he was out on the street, Tōji realized his brain really wasn't working well today. He'd never been to Neru's house—he only vaguely knew the general area of the Itoi clan.

He did know where Natchi lived, though…

Figuring it was still early—only eight o'clock—Tōji decided to go to his usual spot and be alone for a while.

Better than being at home. With his family, Tōji couldn't share most of his worries.

When he truly needed someone to talk to, to share and discuss things with… Tōji didn't count on his parents at all—their thinking and worldview were completely different.

Watching the streetlights pass one after another ahead of him, Tōji felt he wasn't much different from the bugs flitting wildly under the dim yellow light… seemingly guided, yet just circling in place.

"Tōji." Neru suddenly appeared in a side alley beside him.

"Neru—you were looking for me?" Tōji found it a little sudden, but not surprising.

"I ran into someone named Akame Iwao at the hospital today—so I knew you were back." Neru walked up beside Tōji, who had stopped.

"Yeah—I came back to the village with him. Why come find me at night?" Tōji didn't rush to bring up Kenji.

"The hospital shift ends in the evening. After dinner, this is the time I'd come find you. What—did I need an appointment to take you out for a meal?" Neru was talking more than before. Though her words still lacked warmth, Tōji could tell this was Neru changing.

"Let's walk and talk—call it a post-dinner stroll." Tōji wondered whether to make small talk first or get straight to the point.

Neru noticed something off about Tōji. "Something you want to tell me?"