Naruto: Konoha’s Trickster, Starting as the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki

"Little brat, did you just say you want to be my guard?"

"Well... yes!"

Kazuyama nodded firmly. He had said it, and he wouldn't take it back.

"Very well. I am now a prisoner of Konohagakure. If you want information, just come and get it."

Pakura tore off her forehead protector and tossed it onto the Hokage's desk before dropping onto the sofa. Though her actions suggested surrender, the fiery determination in her eyes said otherwise.

Only Pakura truly understood her intentions.

As a prisoner, she was now facing the Hokage of Konohagakure and the infamous Konoha White Fang, who stood nearby. Escape was impossible. She had no choice but to appear cooperative—for now.

What had driven her to this decision were Kazuyama's words.

A lonely person at heart wouldn't have chosen the path of a warrior if not for the demands of the village. Pakura herself was an orphan, discovered for her natural talent and trained relentlessly to serve as a weapon for her home. Ever since she gained strength, she had fought for the village, her life dictated by duty.

A lonely person... Damn brat…

"Sakumo, take her to the Interrogation Force, and have Heichi Yamanaka accompany you," Hiruzen instructed, his sharp gaze shifting to Kazuyama.

He smiled slightly at the younger man's hopeful expression. "You go with them too. I'll leave the subsequent guarding mission to you. But remember—ensure she doesn't take any action within the village."

His tone grew firmer. "You understand the consequences, Kazuyama."

If Pakura made a single wrong move, her life would end.

Kazuyama understood this clearly and nodded solemnly.

…

The Interrogation Force wasn't as dark or foreboding as one might expect—just an ordinary house.

Pakura stood facing the same people as before, though now a few more individuals had joined the room.

Heichi Yamanaka placed his hand on her head, activating the Psycho Mind Transmission technique to probe her memories.

Pakura's thoughts wandered, replaying the image of that damned brat's face as he spoke.

A lonely person...

Yes, she had always been lonely. Whether on missions or returning home, she had no one. Always alone...

Damn it... She hated it. Hated the solitude, hated how much it clung to her life... She didn't like being alone, not at all.

Suddenly, tears streamed down her face.

"Huh? Can mind-reading make someone cry?" Kazuyama asked, his voice full of skepticism as he glanced at Heichi. "Heichi, are you sure your technique isn't broken?"

"This isn't working for you, is it? Is your mind-reading technique out of date or something?"

Kazuyama's words stung, his tone riddled with doubt. His confidence in the Yamanaka Clan's abilities seemed to plummet instantly.

Heichi finished his mind-reading and, noticing Kazuyama's disgusted expression, immediately felt offended.

"Damn it! Are you kidding me? I'm from the Yamanaka Clan. There's no way I'd mess up something as basic as mind-reading!" He crossed his arms in frustration. "Besides, I only accessed her memories. The worst that could happen is a little mental confusion. Her crying has nothing to do with me!"

Pakura, snapping out of her emotional haze, wiped her tears away and returned to her cold, indifferent demeanor.

"Can I go now?" she asked flatly, her tone devoid of warmth.

"Kid, get me out of here," she added, directing her words toward Kazuyama.

Hearing this, Kazuyama waved off Heichi and nodded. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he escorted Pakura out of the room.

Once outside the Interrogation Force, Kazuyama removed the handcuffs from her wrists.

"You can have the handcuffs off," he said, "but the Five Elements Seal on your body stays in place. Your status is... complicated, and you might end up living at my house from now on."

He hesitated before continuing. "Don't worry—there are other people at my house besides me."

Pakura shot him a sharp look, then snorted in disdain.

"What? Am I scary?"

She smirked. "You didn't seem so nervous when you were spying on me in the shower."

"I'm curious, even in the shower, I never let my guard down. You're very good at hiding."

Should he tell her he could become invisible? That spying becomes twice as effective when you're invisible?

"Heh, never mind. Let's go, kid."

"No, can you stop calling me kid? You're not much older than me..."

Kazuyama was very unhappy with the way Pakura addressed him.

How could I be a kid? Let me tell you—I've lived two lives. I'm at least 40 years old by now!

"I don't know your name either. And you are younger than me, aren't you?"

Kazuyama: ...Damn it! It's no use arguing with her.

"My name is Kazuyama Gekkō, of the Konoha Gekkō Clan."

"Let's go. I'll take you to my house."

Back at his house, Ebisami was still sitting in front of her room, watching Hayate Gekkō. She was quite happy to see Kazuyama return, but her happiness barely lasted three seconds.

"Damn, Kazuyama, you're something else! Where'd you find this girl?"

"Tsk, tsk, gotta hand it to you—your taste is top-notch."

"She's got curves in all the right places—built for making strong kids, no doubt."

Pakura: ???

Kazuyama: OMG...

"Not bad, not bad. If your parents knew you had a girlfriend at such a young age, they would be overjoyed. Now the bloodline of the Gekkō Clan can be passed on."

"Young lady, don't worry. The Kazuyama kid might not seem all that reliable... but then again, what we do doesn't exactly scream 'reliable' either. Still, we're good people at heart."

Pakura, having never been treated so warmly before, was momentarily dazed. But seeing the other woman so enthusiastic, she didn't want to seem rude.

"Um... Hello, my name is Pakura..."

"Pakura, right? That's good, very good. That name sounds like a beautiful woman."

"My name is Ebisami. You can just call me Auntie Ebisami. I watched this boy grow up."

"Come, are you hungry? I'll go make you some food."

Ebisami completely ignored Kazuyama and dragged Pakura toward the courtyard.

Kazuyama stood there in shock, and only after a while did he let out a light laugh. He had been worried Ebisami wouldn't accept him suddenly bringing a woman home, but it seemed his worries were unnecessary.

"Auntie Ebisami, you just said Kazuyama hasn't done anything good. What exactly has he done?"

Ebisami burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Oh, he's done so many bad things!"

"Like what? Peeping on people in the shower..."

Kazuyama was completely speechless.

"Hey, Auntie Ebisami, stop telling her stuff like that!"

Pakura: Hahaha, little brat, so you're a repeat offender.

Unlike the joy in the Gekkō household, inside the Hokage building, the atmosphere was much more tense.

"Sakumo, what do you mean by this?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at the resignation letter Sakumo Hatake had placed on the table with a hint of shock.

"Hah, now that I'm past middle age, I'm not as decisive as I used to be."

"If it weren't for Kazuyama's Flying Thunder God Technique during this mission, I might've made a huge mistake. Maybe the whole mission would've failed too."

Sakumo gave a small smile. During the mission, he had suddenly realized he was not as sharp as he used to be, both in willpower and in thought.

"Besides, I've only resigned from the position of Anbu Commander—not from being a ninja."