The Dimensional Tavern of the Mefilas Alien

After a while, Homura Akemi came over from the kitchen carrying freshly cooked dishes.

Canegon observed her carefully.

Although his strength is not that great, as the legion's official merchant, his judgment is absolutely first-rate.

Although this little girl looks young, her demeanor clearly indicates that she is a first-rate warrior who is decisive and ruthless.

Then look at that white-haired alien with a noble air, mimicking a human...

Murphy, what exactly are you trying to do?

Could it be that he has been unwilling to accept His Majesty's invitation because he has ambitions to become independent?

Canegon started to imagine things.

"Your boiled Kewpie is here!"

Kanegon put aside his questions for the time being and decided to eat first.

This is a dish personally prepared by the gentlemanly devil king, a treatment that was unimaginable in the past.

Because he wasn't used to chopsticks, Canegon used a fork and a spoon. But after the first bite, he fell silent.

Silently, he took his second and third bites... After tasting every dish, Canegon looked up at Murphy with a complicated expression.

The ingredients are good, and Murphy certainly lives up to his boast.

“Murphy, if you’re going to pretend, you should at least put some effort into it!” Canegon sighed. “Take my advice, you should at least hire a decent cook!”

"What do you mean?" Murphy was stunned. He had long since accepted that his cooking skills were mediocre. Otherwise, he wouldn't have always tried to compensate with high-quality ingredients. But where did this pretense come from?

"We're friends now. Don't worry, I won't report your ambitions to His Majesty. But you know His Majesty's temper. If they're really exposed... you'd better watch yourself!"

Homura Akemi, who was clearing away the table next door, pricked up her ears and eavesdropped carefully.

Ambition? Could it be that part of what I said was actually true? Does the store manager actually harbor hidden ambitions?

Hmm. Homura Akemi activated her astonishing wisdom.

In that case, shouldn't I make some preparations in advance? For example, could I release a little information, using the fact that I can turn back into a human to help the shopkeeper win over some magical girls?

The shopkeeper had been kind to her, and she had to repay him. Besides, if she could really get the shopkeeper to use their world's Earth as a base for their uprising, then she would never have to worry about Xiaoyuan's safety again!

"I think you must have misunderstood." Murphy sighed helplessly. "You beast! What do you even know?! Can't you, a cosmic businessman, stop making wild assumptions based on just what you see?"

Canegon simply nodded, as if to say, "I understand, I understand." A minister who is not discreet risks his life; a ruler who is not discreet risks losing his ministers. Such matters are certainly not to be casually spoken of, and Murphy's caution is a good thing.

He knew that Murphy, who came from the Mefilas alien race, would have no small ambitions.

His Majesty has become increasingly tyrannical over the years. If Murphy does succeed, it might not be a bad thing. It would give him another way out.

Thinking of this, Kanegon gritted his teeth.

"Murphy, please accept these!"

He simply left behind all the goods he had brought. Some of these were scientific research equipment and consumables ordered by others.

"There's nothing else I can do to help you. This is all I have; consider it a small token of my appreciation!"

Since we're going to invest, we can't hesitate. Kanegon went all in this round.

"Alright, I'm leaving now! Wait for my good news!"

After saying that, Canegon ran off without giving Murphy a chance to explain.

"I just want you to help me promote Kewpie cuisine in the universe..."

Murphy's eyes looked somewhat lifeless.

"Manager, are you alright?" Jamila came over.

"It's okay for now, but it might get worse soon."

Murphy looked up to the sky and sighed, "There are always treacherous ministers trying to harm me!"

Chapter 46 Kakashi Observing in the Dark

The villagers of Konoha have recently discovered something strange.

That mischievous, troublesome, and universally hated fox spirit has been playing fewer pranks lately.

"He's so quiet right now, he must be up to something mischievous!"

Outside the ninja school, a villager woman said with certainty.

"Really, it's unbelievable that someone like that can go to school..." another villager complained.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense!" The last woman pointed a finger: "Have you forgotten the ban?"

The three village women fell silent, but in the end they couldn't help spitting in the direction of the ninja school to express their dissatisfaction.

"..."

Kakashi, who was hiding in the center of the tree canopy, witnessed everything.

He sighed softly.

He knew who the villagers were talking about.

Naruto Uzumaki, the incarnation of the Nine-Tails, the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, and also the son of his teacher.

Ten years ago, when Kushina Uzumaki, the wife of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was giving birth, the Nine-Tails suddenly went berserk and wreaked havoc in Konoha.

The Nine-Tails is a tailed beast, possessing power far exceeding that of ordinary ninjas. Its rampage brought immense disaster to Konoha Village. It can be said that on that day, almost every household in the entire village wore mourning clothes.

Finally, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sacrificed his own life to seal the Nine-Tails inside his newborn child.

That child was Naruto Uzumaki.

Having lost his parents at birth, Naruto Uzumaki's life was certainly not happy.

Moreover, rumors that Naruto was actually the incarnation of a demon fox were also quietly circulating in the village.

Even though the Third Hokage quickly discovered the matter and used decrees to force everyone not to talk about it or spread it to anyone, it still made life difficult for young Naruto.

Although the adults in the village dared not discuss the matter, they certainly gave Naruto a lot of dirty looks. After all, in their eyes, Naruto was the one who killed their relatives and friends.

Even those ninjas who knew that the Nine-Tails was actually the Nine-Tails and that Naruto was actually a Jinchuriki, most of them didn't have a good impression of Naruto.

Their fear of the Nine-Tails fueled their hatred for Naruto. Moreover, this wasn't the first time the Nine-Tails had gone berserk. They found it hard to believe in the mental stability of a young child. If Naruto were to go berserk one day, the village wouldn't have another Fourth Hokage to sacrifice himself.

Fortunately, the Third Hokage's authority was still considerable. No matter how much people hated him, at least openly no one dared to do anything to Naruto; at most, they would ignore him or stare at him with cold eyes. Even Danzo would only repeatedly go to the Third Hokage's office to bang on the table, and then, after being rejected, harass the Hokage's office door.

However, this kind of emotional abuse is just as harmful to people.

Young Naruto couldn't understand why everyone hated him so much and ignored him.

Feeling lonely, he played many absurd pranks in an attempt to attract attention.

But things didn't go as planned. These pranks only made the villagers reject him even more. Even those who didn't know the truth developed a dislike for him.

For young Naruto, the only warmth in the village might have come from the care of the Third Hokage.

To be honest, Kakashi felt that the Third Hokage cared a great deal about Naruto. At least many times more than he, the Fourth Hokage's student, had.

In addition to giving Naruto a substantial allowance every month, he also frequently visited Naruto in person to comfort and console him.

However, the Third Hokage was, after all, the village's Hokage, and he had too many things to do. It was difficult for him to spare much time to spend with Naruto. Moreover, the Third Hokage himself wasn't very good at raising children.

Of his three disciples, one defected, and the other became a wanderer. One of his sons died, and the other went to serve a daimyo. He even rarely had time to care for his own grandson.

At least, he gave Naruto the freedom to move around as a Jinchūriki.

Kakashi witnessed the treatment Kushina received when he was a child.

As the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina was almost entirely under house arrest. She could only stay in a fixed area most of the time.

But Naruto is different. Although he has always been protected by the Anbu in secret, he has been free since childhood. He can play in the forest if he wants, and stroll around the shopping district if he wants.

Although it's unknown how the Third Hokage convinced the other advisors, Kakashi could roughly guess how much pressure he was under.

After all, if this were in the real world, the third generation's actions could basically be understood as letting a nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment wander around a busy urban area.

So it's no wonder the villagers sometimes give Naruto the silent treatment. After all, who wouldn't be afraid of a nuclear bomb nearby?

Even Kakashi sometimes couldn't help but wonder if the Third Hokage was a bit too extreme.

However, seeing Naruto able to live freely in the sunlight still brought Kakashi some comfort.

Naruto has already suffered enough; it would be too cruel to take away his freedom as well.

Perhaps the third generation took this into consideration, which is why they overruled all objections!

However, that alone is not enough.

Kakashi's gaze pierced through the leaves and looked into the Ninja Academy.

On that day, the third generation suddenly summoned him.

"Naruto came into contact with an entity that appears to be an alien."

Kakashi's first reaction upon hearing this was whether the Third Hokage had become senile.

But after the third generation finished explaining everything, he had no choice but to believe it.

"Your current task is to observe and protect Naruto in secret, and make sure he is not affected by the genjutsu. Also, if that tavern reappears, you must follow Naruto immediately."

Several years ago, the Uchiha clan, the most skilled genjutsu clan in the village, was wiped out by the rogue ninja Itachi Uchiha. Now, only Kakashi Hatake, an outsider, still possesses a Sharingan in the village. Therefore, this mission is perfect for him.

"He is the last surviving member of four generations; the village must protect him!"

After the Fourth Hokage's death, Kakashi, who had been depressed for several years, was finally moved when he heard these words.

He thought of his teacher Minato Namikaze's meticulous guidance and his teacher's wife Kushina's care for him. He was overwhelmed with self-reproach.

I've been so focused on being decadent all these years that I haven't even thought to check on Naruto's situation. I'm so sorry for letting them down.

So this time he accepted the task without hesitation.

It was during this process that he truly realized how serious the villagers' malice towards Naruto was.

Indeed, Naruto's grades were poor, and he always liked to play pranks and boast. Even to those who didn't know the truth, he was a complete nuisance.

But isn't the root cause of all this precisely these adults who do nothing and arbitrarily vent their resentment on a child?

Chapter 47 The Way of Konoha is contained within it.

Kakashi felt disgusted with himself again.

He's now looking down on others, but how different is he from the simple-minded men and women in the village?

They are the source of the harm to Naruto. Does that mean that those who turn a blind eye are also accomplices?

From this perspective, the alien who was unaware of the truth actually did a good thing.

At least, he showed Naruto a rare kindness, which motivated Naruto to work harder.

……

Iruka also discovered something strange.

Naruto, who used to be mischievous and never paid attention in class, has recently become very diligent.

Although he's still at the bottom of the class, at least he's starting to listen attentively to the teacher's lessons now.

This made Iruka very happy.

As a teacher at the ninja academy, his wish is for every student to learn the skills well and graduate smoothly.

However, this wish seems impossible to fulfill for Naruto.

In the past, Naruto would either sleep or skip class. No matter how much he tried to teach him, it was no use.

"Teacher Iruka, are there aliens on that star in the sky?"

This lesson was about astronomy. The main topic was celestial phenomena and how to use them to orient oneself in the wild. But after only a couple of sentences, Naruto raised his hand and interrupted.

"Hahaha!"

The students in the classroom burst into laughter.

"You idiot Naruto, how could there possibly be aliens?" Kiba Inuzuka mocked.

"Exactly! Those who are the worst off are always daydreaming!"

Other students chimed in with agreement.

"Naruto really is an idiot!" Sakura, the most popular girl in the class, giggled along. "Could it be that he's been reading some manga?"