Chapter 40

The girl stared at him with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, her black pupils shining like obsidian he had ever seen.

Her skin was as white as the snow in the leaves of Konoha in winter, and her long black hair was as black as ink, with curls like seaweed.

Iruka had never seen such a beautiful person before. He couldn't help but hold his breath as the other person looked directly at him in response.

He was a little flustered: "N-no! Eighteen years old, what a beautiful age, hahaha!"

Xue stared at the person in his arms, Naruto, who seemed to be waking up because of his slightly hurried movements.

"Give me Naruto."

The girl stretched out her hands to him, and Iruka recalled the Third Hokage's instructions.

He looked somewhat troubled, and Naruto in his arms seemed to sense something and burst into tears.

"Eh, eh!?" Iruka, like a new dad, gently shook his arm, trying to stop Naruto from crying.

Naruto, instead, raised his two little arms and punched Iruka's still-childish face several times, causing Iruka to give an embarrassed smile.

"Ha ha..."

A girl's soft laughter rang out, and Iruka's ear tips visibly flushed red.

"What are you laughing at...?"

Xueqing cleared her voice: "I just want to hug Naruto, I won't take him out of this room. Umino-kun."

Iruka paused for a moment, and Naruto in his arms finally stopped crying and opened his big blue eyes.

The girl leaned closer and extended a slender, white finger, which Naruto quickly grasped and played with firmly in his two small hands.

"Naruto... he looks a lot like the Fourth Hokage, doesn't he, Umino-kun?"

The girl slightly raised her eyes and looked at him. For a moment, Iruka had a strange feeling.

Just like Naruto is his and Uchiha-senpai's child, he is the father and Uchiha-senpai is the mother.

This thought left him speechless, and he could only look away, his voice muffled as he said, "Yeah."

"I heard that Umino-kun's parents sacrificed themselves during the Nine-Tails' attack."

The abrupt topic brought up caught Iruka off guard, leaving him unsure how to respond.

When the girl asked this question, it was as if she were asking him if he had eaten or slept.

Naruto, who was in his arms, was very happy to see Yuki. He grabbed Yuki's fingers and put them in his mouth.

"Naruto, you can't do that. You'll get Uchiha-senpai's hands dirty."

"It's okay, I don't mind. I'll just wash my hands in a bit."

The atmosphere was somewhat somber, and Iruka calmed down.

He said, "If Uchiha-senpai is trying to provoke me into doing something that makes me unworthy of taking care of Naruto..."

The boy, a few years younger than Xue, stared directly at her, his clear brown eyes filled with determination.

"Please give up."

“I’m not the kind of person who would take out my anger on such a young child because of my parents’ sacrifice.”

Xue was stunned; the two were very close, facing each other.

The distance between their noses was only a dozen centimeters, a distance that allowed Xue to smell Iruka's scent.

The smell of baby cream and formula on her skin from taking care of Naruto made her subconsciously assume he was a child who couldn't even take care of himself. She thought he wouldn't take good care of Naruto because of his parents' sacrifice. Umino-kun... he's a very gentle person, a boy who rarely speaks harshly. Feeling the dampness on her fingertips, Yuki lowered her head, looking at Naruto's smile, which bore a resemblance to Kushina's.

Perhaps, Iruka Umino will take good care of Naruto.

At least until the age of three, the third generation said that he would let the child live independently after the age of three.

“I… didn’t think that way, Umino-kun.”

Her voice was weak, and Iruka breathed a sigh of relief.

The boy gave a slightly apologetic smile and said gently, "I misunderstood, Uchiha-senpai."

Naruto seemed to have had enough of playing with the girl's fingers, making "woo-woo-woo" sounds and waving his two chubby little arms.

The body language seemed to be expressing, "I want a hug from Xue."

"Uchiha-senpai, Naruto really likes you."

Xue took a tissue from the side and wiped Naruto's drool off her fingers.

He took Naruto from Iruka's arms; the little Naruto was already quite heavy after only a few weeks.

She looked down at Naruto in her arms with a gentle smile.

"Umino-kun, is a genin's salary enough to buy all this?"

“The Third Hokage provided me with extra funds to support Naruto, which, combined with my parents’ pension, is enough.” Iruka nodded. “It’ll be fine if we don’t go on missions for a while.”

Naruto grabbed Yuki's long hair and was about to put it in his mouth, but as soon as Yuki took it out, Naruto looked like he was about to cry.

Yuki was a little troubled; she didn't want Naruto to cry.

The girl had long eyelashes, which cast shadows under her eyes when she lowered her gaze.

Iruka scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly and said, "I feel like Uchiha-senpai would be the type to spoil children."

Is that so?

"I think this is fine too."

"I really like Naruto, and I won't get angry no matter what he does."

A gentle breeze drifted through the open window, filling the room. Strands of black hair fluttered slightly, landing on the back of Iruka's drooping hand.

The girl, unaware of her surroundings, was completely focused on Naruto. Iruka held a strand of hair in his palm, his thumb and forefinger twirling the black strand.

"But... that will spoil Naruto, senpai."

A young person's thoughts are like fallen leaves in late autumn.

It cannot be spoken, it is beyond words.

"It's okay."

-

At dusk.

This was the umpteenth time Xue had sensed Kakashi's chakra fluctuations in her own yard.

As usual, he would try to be a little more discreet so that she wouldn't notice him spying on her from the shadows.

The girl was wearing a light blue kimono at home, with her slightly wavy black hair falling over her shoulders.

Standing under the eaves, my gaze fell on the trees in the courtyard.

"Kakashi."

There was no response from the tree.

"Kakashi."

Leaves drifted down from the trees.

Xue sighed and turned to go back inside.

A pair of long, slender arms wrapped around her from behind, encircling her tightly at her lower abdomen. It was as if she were sinking into an embrace filled with the scent of cedar and a faint hint of rust.

He lowered his head and rested his chin against the crook of her neck. The boy's warm breath tickled the tips of her ears.

"Xue, please... don't ignore me, okay?"

"Minato-sensei is gone, but I'm still here."

"I'll always stay with Xue, please don't abandon me. Okay?"

His voice was low, but his body temperature was very warm.

His voice carried a hint of Xue's hidden grievances, and his soft silver hair brushed against Xue's earlobe.

She endured the tickling and said, "Kakashi... I'm sorry."

Kakashi's voice, muffled as he buried his face in hers, said, "I don't want to. As long as I don't agree to break up, we'll still be lovers, Yuki."

"I'll wait for you, okay?"

"Snow, Uchiha Snow?"

Xue raised her hand, but didn't know how to respond.

Her voice was flat, as if devoid of any emotion.

"I don't know... Kakashi."

Why? It's always like this, Uchiha Yuki.

I can pretend I don't know about your relationship with Minato-sensei.

Why can't you even give me a perfunctory reply?

Every time I returned from a business trip with Mr. Minato, there were always faint teeth marks on his slender, fair, and prominent shoulder blades that I couldn't see myself.

Kakashi knew that it was left by Minato-sensei, but in order to maintain this one-sided love, he always pretended not to see it and always pretended not to know.

I thought this feeling would continue until Minato-sensei restrained himself.

Kakashi tightened his arms around the girl's waist, and he couldn't help but open his mouth.

She tore off Xue's kimono and gently bit Xue's shoulder with her teeth.

As if venting, she slowly exerted force until Xue cried out.

"It hurts... Kakashi, let go!"

Kakashi released his grip, and Yuki took two steps forward, pulling up her kimono, which had slipped off her shoulder, to cover the bite mark on her shoulder.

At this moment, Yuki stands in the shadows, while Kakashi stands in the light under the eaves.

Xue turned to the side and slightly raised her eyes to look at him.

In the sunlight, the silver-haired boy wore the attire of the Dark Guard, with a flame tattoo on his upper left side. His handsome features were enhanced by a mole near his lip, adding to his mature air. A fox mask was worn askew on the side of his hair, and a pair of beautiful, downturned eyes stared at her.

Like a dog, with that kind of expression.

He stood there in the sunlight, his voice low.

Don't push me away.

"Let me be the little dog in the snow."

"I'd like to too, okay?"

Xue frowned and took two steps closer. He approached Xue in the shadows and gently stroked her cheek with his right hand.

He slowly kissed her eyes, his expression very devout, and he slightly narrowed his eyes.

Then, with the other hand, it slowly moved upwards through the hem of the kimono, finally resting on the slightly heaving chest, which was completely naked.

Kakashi noticed the girl's eyes were red at the corners, and she turned her face away, refusing to look him in the eye.

Light kisses landed on Yuki's face. Sometimes Kakashi felt that Uchiha Yuki was like a piece of honey.

He thought with a slightly wicked sense of amusement, "Even the secretions taste sweet."

“Answer me, Snow.”

"I...I don't know, Kakashi..."

The girl covered her mouth with the back of her hand, her face flushed, and Kakashi angrily squeezed her hand harder.

Xue bit her lower lip, trying her best not to make a sound.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know."

Kakashi smiled, giving his ever-vague and ambiguous answer.

Is Xue just like that, hooking up with men everywhere—no, she didn't even spare her pregnant teacher's wife.

She thought that by pretending not to know, she could maintain her position as the empress.

In reality, it probably didn't matter to Minato-sensei and his wife at all.

"You can't say you don't know, Xiaoxue."

Xue opened her eyes slightly, and Kakashi watched her with a smile.

"Don't call me that, Kakashi."

"Eh," Kakashi kissed Yuki's lips and tilted his head, "Why not? Does Yuki prefer me to call you that—"

Before they could speak, their words were interrupted by a chakra fluctuation that did not belong to either of them.

"team leader."

Hidden in the shadows of the courtyard, Tenzo silently watched Captain Kakashi, whom he found both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.

The actions of touching the retired former Fourth Hokage's guard, Uchiha Yuki.

Kakashi released her grip, and Yuki straightened her clothes.

"What's wrong? Didn't I tell you to move around freely?" The silver-haired boy frowned, somewhat annoyed by the interruption, and his tone was impatient.

Tianzang: ......

Wearing a Konoha mask, Tenzo said, "It's time for our shift, Captain."