Kazuto and Chie were quiet for a moment.
Kazuto gave a small laugh and scratched his cheek. "Well... I guess that's true."
Chie looked at Shinichi for a while, trying to see if he was only acting calm, but there was nothing forced about him. He had spoken as easily as if he were talking about the weather.
After a while, Chie smiled and ruffled his hair. "You really are different from us."
Kazuto blinked. "That doesn't sound like praise."
"It is," Chie said. The worry on her face was gone. "He is just himself."
Shinichi did not move away from her hand. By now, he understood why she had talked about the villagers' fear.
She was not afraid of the villagers themselves. She was afraid that their fear might one day grow into something heavier and fall on him, the way Konoha had seen before.
Shinichi looked down for a moment.
If people were only afraid, it did not matter. But if there was something more behind it, something meant to unsettle his family, he would have it looked into later.
He picked up his chopsticks. "The food is getting cold."
Kazuto looked at him for a second, then laughed. "Right, right. Your mother spent half the day cooking this. Eat properly."
Chie looked at him. "You too."
Kazuto coughed lightly and picked up his chopsticks again.
Once they had eaten a little, Chie seemed to remember something. "Speaking of today, I also met Ino at the flower shop."
Before Kazuto could speak, Chie continued, "She noticed I was not in a good mood and stayed with me for a while. She helped me choose a few flowers too. Some were meant to help with sleep, and some could be kept near the pillow."
Kazuto immediately looked interested. "The Yamanaka girl is quite thoughtful."
"She is," Chie said with a smile. "I only mentioned your name once, and she became very concerned."
Shinichi looked at the two of them. "You are both enjoying this too much."
"We are only talking," Kazuto said, his smile giving him away. "Someone is this concerned about our son. How can we not pay attention?"
Shinichi put down his bowl. "There is nothing to pay attention to. We are both still young. It is too early to talk about these things."
Kazuto clicked his tongue. "You answer too seriously."
"It is a serious answer."
Chie laughed softly and stopped teasing him. "Alright. I only wanted to say she helped me today."
Shinichi nodded. "Then I will thank her later."
Kazuto finally dropped the subject, and dinner continued as usual.
The rest of the meal passed without anything heavy being brought up again. Kazuto still talked more than he ate, while Chie occasionally told him to slow down and stop making the dishes go cold.
Shinichi listened quietly from the side, answering when he needed to, and the earlier unease gradually faded into the ordinary noise of home.
For Chie, that seemed to be enough.
The next morning, Shinichi left home after a simple wash.
He did not go to the Hokage Building. Instead, he turned toward the remote side of Konoha, where the streets became quieter and patrols grew more frequent.
Konoha Prison was built into the mountain, away from the main roads and residential areas. Layers of barriers covered the entrance, and several guard posts were set along the path leading inside. Even before reaching the gate, the air already felt different from the rest of the village.
When Shinichi arrived, the two jonin guarding the entrance straightened almost at the same time.
"Shinichi-sama."
Their salute was proper, and their voices carried no hesitation. Still, their movements were more careful than usual. They did not avoid his eyes, but they did not look at him for long either.
Shinichi noticed it, but did not comment.
One of them quickly stepped forward. "Hokage-sama sent orders yesterday. I will lead the way."
Shinichi nodded. "Go."
The jonin turned at once and guided him through the entrance.
The prison was colder inside, with stone walls closing in on both sides and sealing marks carved into the passage at regular intervals. Guards stood at intervals, and barrier checkpoints blocked the passage, but after seeing Shinichi, no one asked unnecessary questions.
Doors opened one after another.
The sound of each lock echoed faintly through the corridor before fading behind them. Prisoners in the outer cells looked up as they passed. After hearing the guards call him Shinichi-sama, most lowered their eyes again.
Soon, the ordinary cells were left behind, replaced by sealed chambers meant for prisoners who could not be held by iron bars alone.
Shinichi walked through it all without slowing down.
The jonin leading the way was careful not to speak too much. When they finally stopped, it was in front of a cell wrapped in several layers of seals.
"Shinichi-sama," he said, lowering his head. "This is the place."
Shinichi looked past him.
Inside the cell, a long-haired figure sat against the wall with eyes half closed. He wore plain prison clothes, while sealing chains wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and neck. The runes on the chains flickered faintly, suppressing the chakra inside.
Even like this, he was unmistakably Orochimaru.
Shinichi stopped outside the barrier.
"Long time no see, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at Shinichi for a moment, then gave a low laugh. Even with his chakra sealed and his body bound in chains, the familiar cold amusement in his voice had not disappeared.
"Long time no see?" he said hoarsely. "If I remember correctly, it has not even been a year since the Konoha Collapse failed. Isn't that a little soon?"
Shinichi did not answer.
Orochimaru studied him for a while, and the mockery in his eyes gradually faded.
"No... perhaps it has been long enough."
The chains gave a faint sound as he shifted against the wall. His golden eyes narrowed, no longer as casual as before.
"You have changed, Shinichi-kun. Even through these seals, I can feel it."
Shinichi looked at him quietly.
Orochimaru laughed softly. "Not even a reaction. How boring."
"I did not come here to entertain you."
"Of course not." Orochimaru chuckled. "You were never good at playing along."
A moment later, Shinichi turned to the jonin beside him. "Withdraw. Guard the passage outside. No one comes near without my order."
"Yes, Shinichi-sama."
The jonin bowed at once and left with the other guards. Their footsteps soon faded down the corridor, leaving only the sealed cell between Shinichi and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru watched them leave. "Sending everyone away before speaking to me. It seems this is not a casual visit."
"No."
"Then why come all the way here to see a prisoner like me?"
Shinichi looked at him through the barrier.
"I came to give you a chance."
Orochimaru went quiet.
"A chance?"
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