Chapter 49 (C49)

On the highest cliff in the village stands a massive tree, a solitary, dark green wave rising abruptly between heaven and earth. Its gnarled roots dig deep into the earth, as if it is not the soil that supports it, but rather the tree's powerful tendons that bind this land, which is on the verge of crumbling. According to unofficial historical records, the First Hokage used a leaf from this tree to name his ideal utopia "Konoha," meaning "leaf of the tree," symbolizing endless life.

Two years or so did not leave many marks on this nearly centenarian tree, but it was enough to quell the physical turmoil of human adolescence. Its skeleton gradually stretched, its shoulders broadened, its chest became thicker, and the muscles on the arm behind Kana's back became more defined. The contours of its face became more distinct, and its cheeks were pressed tightly against its temples. The roundness of its childhood had completely disappeared.

Kana was embraced by Neji, whom she hadn't seen for a year. Before she could even feel grateful that Neji had managed to grow to 1.8 meters tall despite Jiraiya's unreliable lifestyle, Naruto, wailing and howling, pounced on her and hugged her over Neji.

“I’m telling you,” Kana’s patience, which was just about to run out after the long separation, popped a tack on her forehead, “you two have traveled a long way and are covered in dust. Are you trying to rub against me now?”

Naruto rubbed his head and grinned sheepishly, repeating the familiar hand chop technique.

Despite his seemingly carefree nature, Naruto always understood that no matter how much he clung to Kana when they were young, he could never occupy an important place in her heart. But even so, she was one of the very kindest people he had ever met, so he had to hold on to her tightly and relentlessly.

Not to mention Neji, even Sasuke, who was being taught a lesson by Kana, was envious of him at the time.

The turning point occurred in the seventh month after he and Neji left the village to train with Jiraiya.

It is said that Kana, who was on guard duty, suddenly appeared behind them, pulled the two bewildered and sweating minors out of the red-light district, rolled up her sleeves, and gave each of them a sharp rap on the head with both hands. After hearing the whole story, she became angrier and slapped them again.

Then he rushed over and beat up Jiraiya, who knew he was in the wrong and dared not fight back.

With one foot on a chair, she grabbed Jiraiya by the collar and pulled the beaten old man to his feet, her anger practically spitting on his bruised face. "If you dare take them to brothels again, I'll dismantle Tsunade's ANBU. I mean it!"

Naruto trembled—it was the first time he had been able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Neji in Kana's eyes.

"What are you laughing at?" Kana had just finished scolding Jiraiya, who was old enough to be her grandfather, when she turned around and saw Naruto's expression. She frowned. "This is a very serious matter."

Compared to Neji, who readily admitted his mistake and promised never to repeat it, Naruto's seemingly absent-minded attitude was clearly unacceptable.

Naruto couldn't understand any of the gonorrhea, syphilis, or genital warts she was talking about, but when she was angrily scolding him, her moon-like eyes shone brightly, reflecting his image and only containing his image.

It was as if something had suddenly taken root in the soil of his heart, tightly intertwining with the blood vessels that controlled life and death. Despite the danger, Naruto felt a sense of peace he had never experienced before.

"Uzumaki, Naruto." Kana's tone held a hint of anger. "Are you even listening to me?"

"I will definitely listen to you, Kana-nee!"

Kana's brow remained furrowed, and she looked on with a mixture of disbelief and doubt.

Naruto immediately seized the opportunity, saying, "I'll also write to Kana-nee to report back!"

Neji would send Kana a letter every three months.

The birds that reply usually arrive two weeks later, on a morning when the sun is just rising, as the sun breaks through the thick clouds and brings a few words of response from afar.

So this is what home is like, Naruto thought.

No fixed residence is needed, no template-style concern is needed; as long as that person is there, the invisible red thread between the two people remains tightly connected even if they are separated by thousands of miles.

Golden fragments of sunlight fell into his eyes, causing a slight, stinging pain. His body, acting as a natural self-protective mechanism, began to secrete a lubricating fluid from his eye sockets. When Jiraiya glanced at him with a questioning look, he quickly closed his eyes and flashed a wide, almost exaggerated smile.

Neji is a very stingy person.

Although he would give him the best food, help him with his empty wallet, and be considerate of his feelings by giving him space to spend with Jiraiya, Neji was always reluctant to share things that were truly precious.

The dim candlelight cast a warm glow on Neji's fair skin as he carefully held a thin piece of paper between his fingers, which seemed insignificant compared to the three or four pages he had sent.

But it was enough for him to occasionally ruminate on it from the place closest to his heart.

Neji never showed them Kana's reply, like a dragon guarding its treasure, not allowing anyone to even glance at it.

Naruto sat across the table from him, his chin resting on the tabletop, half his face buried in his crossed elbows. The dark ink on the fragile pulp paper was faintly visible through the back of the paper in the candlelight.

He used his fingers to trace the strokes on his palm, mimicking the straight and curved lines, then pieced together the scattered information—

good.

Don't listen to everything he says.

Get enough sleep.

Be careful.

Even though it was a very simple sentence, Naruto could memorize it in one go, even though he was academically at the bottom of the class. Naruto couldn't understand why Neji, who could get first place in written tests, would take it out and look at it again and again.

Naruto squatted on the ground, slightly damp after the drizzle, holding a discarded twig in his hand and drawing haphazardly, his thoughts wandering aimlessly.

"Be careful...not to stay up late..."

The familiar voice pulled Naruto back to reality, and he suddenly looked up at Jiraiya.

What are you writing?

Naruto looked down and his pupils contracted—so this was the sentence he had carelessly and unconsciously drawn and pieced together?

Neji, who was in charge of buying bento boxes, had already appeared at the street corner and was walking this way.

As if scorched by fire, Naruto threw away the hot branch in his hand, jumped up and stomped on the mud with both feet to erase the marks, as if he were trying to cover up his thoughts that no one could discover.

But it was as if a Pandora's box had been opened. Naruto began to look at the palm of his left hand whenever he was bored, happy, or frustrated. He would see invisible words etched on the intricate lines of his skin.

Like a jar of honey that never runs dry, every time he secretly opened it while its owner was away, he could always taste a sweetness. It didn't come from the tip of his tongue, but rather like a warm glow quietly emanating from somewhere within his body, as if a small stove had been lit in a corner of his heart. The lukewarm heat wasn't scorching, but simply radiated outwards slowly and steadily. And so, the long-standing emptiness and slight chill in his chest melted away inch by inch. The sharp edges of the world around him seemed to be smoothed out at this moment, bathed in a layer of honey-colored, soft halo.

But he also understood that she was Neji's older sister, Neji's family.

No matter how much he wants it, it's not his.

Naruto's lips curled into a wide grin, his eyes half-closed, while his hands, tucked into his shirt pockets, clenched almost instinctively. It wasn't a conscious exertion, but rather the body's most primal defensive posture in the face of an unknown judgment. His fingertips dug deep into the soft flesh of his palms, using that sharp pain to anchor his consciousness, which was almost drifting away from reality. His nails were icy cold, while his palms were hot and sticky with sweat; the two intertwined, outlining a silent torment.

"No need."

The air seemed to be sucked out instantly, and his oxygen-deprived heart felt a sharp pain as if it were being squeezed. The forced smile on Naruto's face cracked and became unsteady, and his voice was not as loud as before, "I will write it for you."

“I’ll come see you when I have time,” Kana said, clearly indicating that her trust in Jiraiya had reached an extremely low level, “so you don’t need to write.”

She truly kept her word.

On average, they would suddenly appear once every four months or so, but they wouldn't stay long. It was like a dragonfly skimming the water, just to make sure they were all safe and sound and hadn't been led astray by Jiraiya into gambling, drugs, or prostitution. They would slip some pocket money into their wallets and tell them to use it to buy good food and not to spend it on unreliable adults before leaving.

Jiraiya, who was almost traumatized by the frequent surprise attacks, couldn't help but complain that she was supposed to be his personal bodyguard, so why did she keep running away and not take her responsibilities seriously?

This unpredictable and surprising behavior continued until a year ago when she was recalled to Konoha after completing her mission as the personal bodyguard of the young lord of the Land of Fire.

But meeting in person and writing letters are not mutually exclusive.

Out of some unspoken understanding, the two wrote letters to each other, one longer than the other, with Naruto racking his brains and even listing what he had eaten for every meal in the past month.

That was the first time he had ever seen a speechless expression on a bird's face.

The bird saw the two thick, bound books on the table, tilted its head, flapped its wings, and flew away.

In the end, he and Neji had to treat the bird to good food and drink and apologize before they managed to coax it back.

Kana's reply was still brief.

But there would be one or two sentences spoken specifically to him.

That's enough.

Naruto finally understood Neji—his eyes were reading the words, but his soul was touching the lingering warmth; so this was what a family letter was all about.

The rich sunlight was like a newly woven brocade, warm and bright, filling the whole world to the brim.

Naruto looked at Kana and Neji, who were enveloped in the mist, and further away, at the village he had lived in for over a decade. He loudly proclaimed his presence, "I'm back!"