"The money has arrived, 1,000 ryo should be enough to buy quite a lot of things."
Standing at the entrance of the Ninja Academy, Furin counted the money Sasuke had given her and thought with a hint of uncertainty.
Well, never mind for now. Anyway, she wasn't hungry yet, so she could save Ichiraku Ramen for tonight!
"By the way, Mom doesn't seem to have made lunch for Dad. Should I go check on him?"
Remembering her conversation with Mikoto that morning, Furin finally recalled that the old man of the house hadn't eaten yet.
He's an adult, surely he can figure out how to feed himself? Oh well, whatever. I might as well go take a look. Who made me so pretty and kind-hearted anyway?
Let's go buy some food first, then.
With that thought, Furin made her way through several twists and turns to the snack street.
Listening to the vendors' cries along the roadside and smelling the appetizing aromas wafting from the food stalls, Furin felt exceptionally cheerful.
"Candied haws, delicious candied haws!"
"Super-sized rice balls, three for 100 ryo! Cheap and a great deal, you won't lose out, you won't be fooled!"
"Tri-color dango, buy one get one free!"
Hmm? Isn't this Brother Itachi's favorite tri-color dango? Gotta buy some, absolutely must buy some. Essential for raising favorability!
"Mister, I'd like some tri-color dango. How much for one?" Furin walked up to the shop and asked.
"It's 100 ryo for two. Little sister, is this your first time here? You can try a free sample first!"
The shopkeeper was a gentle older sister who picked up a piece of tri-color dango and handed it to Furin.
How nice! Is this the special treatment kids get?
Happily taking the tri-color dango, Furin took a small bite.
"So sweet, so delicious." Savoring the sweet taste in her mouth, Furin cupped her cheeks with a look of pure bliss.
"Big sister, I want 10!" Furin pulled 500 ryo from her pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper.
"Little sister is so cute, I'll give you two extra on the house. Come back often!" The older sister gently patted Furin's soft cheek and said warmly.
"Okay, thank you, big sister!"
All right, next she just needed to buy rice balls for Dad.
"Granny, three super-sized rice balls, please."
"Is the little girl eating by herself? Granny's rice balls are huge, you might not be able to finish them all on your own," the elderly woman selling rice balls said gently.
"Granny, I'm buying them for my dad. He hasn't eaten yet."
"Oh, I see. What a filial child. I'll make them for you right away."
A moment later, the old woman handed the wrapped rice balls to Furin.
"Huh? Why is there an extra one? Granny, you gave me one too many," Furin looked at the four plump rice balls in the bag and asked in confusion.
"No, good child, the extra one is a gift for you," the old woman smiled kindly.
"Thank you so much!"
Tearing the purchased food along, Furin left the snack street.
Following her memories along the streets of Konoha, Furin headed toward the Uchiha Military Police Force.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Military Police Force office, Fugaku was hard at work at his desk.
Rubbing his temples, Fugaku wore a weary expression, frowning deeply at the paperwork piled up in front of him.
"Dad, I'm here!"
A voice sweet enough to melt a person's heart echoed into the middle-aged man's ears.
Fugaku's formidable frame gave a start. He looked up to see a petite figure standing at the door, carrying a bunch of bags.
Leaving his work behind without a second thought, Fugaku used the Body Flicker Technique and instantly appeared in front of Furin, snatching the bags from her hands. Seeing Furin out of breath and exhausted, Fugaku's heart ached fiercely.
"My good daughter, what brings you here?" Fugaku asked tenderly, his heart aching.
"I came to bring Dad some food," Furin said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Hearing Furin's words, Fugaku's eyes softened completely. It felt as if his heart had been gently nudged by something, filling him with deep emotion.
He set the bags aside, bent down, and patted Furin's head. "You've worked hard, little Furin. Did Mom send you to deliver this?"
Panting, Furin shook her head. "Of course! Mom said this morning that Dad works the hardest in the whole family, with no time to eat even after working all day. If I don't help out, who will?"
"666, Host, you can lie without even blinking," the System chimed in with a cheeky laugh.
"I'm just doing this for family harmony, alright? I worry so much about this family," Furin retorted to the System in her mind.
Fugaku's heart warmed at those words, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His usually stern face looked remarkably gentle in Furin's eyes.
"Dad, you should eat first! I specially picked out your favorites!" Furin thrust the bag directly into Fugaku's arms, urging, "Hurry up, it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Obediently opening the bag, Fugaku first spotted the plump, super-sized rice balls and couldn't help smiling. "They're so big. Did Furin pick these out specially?"
*Of course, these were just the cheapest and most affordable.* Naturally, she couldn't say that out loud; Furin only thought it in her heart.
"Yup!" Furin put her hands on her hips proudly. "And the grandma selling the rice balls praised me for being filial and even gave me an extra one!"
Fugaku picked up a rice ball and took a casual bite. It had a very ordinary taste, just a bit dense. Still, Fugaku feigned surprise and said, "Delicious. You've worked hard, Furin."
"Not hard at all!" Furin waved her hand dismissively and pushed the pack of tri-color dango toward Fugaku. "There's also this!"
"Tri-color dango? Are these for Itachi?" Fugaku looked at the package of dango and raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, though Dad can eat them too," Furin said proudly. "And I already ate one myself, they're super delicious!"
Watching his lively young daughter, Fugaku felt the fatigue in his heart dissipate quite a bit. As he ate his rice ball, he asked with a smile, "So how many am I allowed to have?"
Counting on her fingers, Furin thought about it seriously: a family of five, twelve in total, how should they divide them?
Fugaku's smile instantly froze on her face. She tilted her head and pondered for a moment, then muttered softly, "If I don't eat any, they can be divided evenly... but I've already eaten one. Σ(°Д°；"
Fugaku burst out laughing. Furin looked at him with an innocent expression, puzzled. "What are you laughing at, Dad? I considered the whole family, so why are you making fun of me?"
"Nothing. Dad just thinks our Furin is such a sweet and thoughtful little helper." Fugaku reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "Don't worry, Dad doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. You, Mom, and your brother can share these."
Fugaku—wait, Furin—instantly brightened up, the difficult problem finally solved.
As they were talking, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and Uchiha Itachi's figure appeared in the doorway. Clearly not expecting to see Furin here, he paused slightly. "Furin, what are you doing here?"
Fugaku—wait, Furin—was also stunned. Shouldn't Itachi be in the ANBU right now? Why did he get off work so early? Still, no matter what, she had to keep this guy happy!
"Brother Itachi!" Furin bounded over excitedly. "I came to bring Dad some lunch! Oh, and I even specially bought your favorite tri-color dango!" As she spoke, she pulled the package of dango from her bag and held it up in front of Itachi.
Itachi took the dango, glanced down at them, and then looked back up at Furin with a smile. "Thanks, Furin, but you don't need to go out of your way to buy them next time."
"How can I not!" Furin pouted slightly. "Brother is usually so busy, I just wanted to give you a little surprise."
Fugaku—wait, Furin—was smiling on the outside while crying on the inside. *Of course I have to buy them! Keeping your lordship happy is better than anything else. Otherwise, if you decide to slice me up, who am I going to complain to?*
Watching the interaction between the two children, Fugaku felt a wave of warmth in his chest. He had never seen Itachi act so gentle with anyone except Sasuke and Furin.
Although Itachi was known as a genius outside, only Fugaku knew how heavy the burdens he carried were. And Furin's lively and cheerful nature somehow helped Itachi shed that invisible pressure.
"Itachi, do you have any missions today?" Fugaku asked casually.
Itachi shook his head. "No missions today, and it's still early. I can walk Furin home."
*Yes! The chance to cozy up to him has arrived!* Hearing this, Furin knew her opportunity for some alone time had come. She had to figure out how to raise Itachi's favorability.
Ideally, she wanted to get Itachi's favorability up to around the same level as Sasuke's. Though it would be difficult, Furin had to try. Her life was on the line, after all!
"Really?" Furin's eyes lit up, and she immediately turned to Fugaku. "Dad, aren't you coming back with us?"
Fugaku shook his head. "Dad still has a lot of work to finish up, so I can't go with you."
Furin nodded. "Okay then, Dad, make sure you eat your fill!"
"Got it." Fugaku smiled indulgently, watching as Furin grabbed Itachi's hand and led him out of the office.