Chapter 16
The journey went relatively smoothly without any unexpected situations. Occasionally, when we were traveling and it was lunchtime, we didn't pass by any restaurants, so we made do with whatever we could find on the spot.
Nara Shikara's control over chakra was extremely precise. He controlled his chakra, imbuing it into several shuriken, which were instantly and accurately pierced the small fish that were swimming in the river. Seeing this, Ai clapped and cheered excitedly.
Genma Shiranui then used sharpened wooden skewers to string together small fish, and then stuck the skewered fish into the crevices between the rocks on the riverbank.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
As Uchiha Yuki formed hand seals and breathed out flames, the grilled fish soon emitted an enticing aroma. After it was cooked, Namikaze Minato took out the salt he had specially brought and gently sprinkled it on the grilled fish.
"This is so delicious!!!" Xiao Ai took the grilled fish handed to her by Genma Shiranui, blew on it to cool it down, took a small bite, and immediately exclaimed in admiration, "The cooking time is just right! I've eaten fish grilled by ninjas using ninjutsu before when I was traveling, and the taste was completely bitter and tasteless. Your grilling is simply amazing!"
Yuki scratched her face a little embarrassedly. Minato Namikaze looked at her slightly flushed ear tips and thought to himself that she was still so easily flattered.
Yuki handed her portion of grilled fish to Genma Shiranui, as she didn't particularly like fish and shrimp.
Genma Shiranui secretly memorized it and handed the dry rations he had prepared in his bag to Yuki.
Sometimes, when traveling at night and unable to find an inn, they had no choice but to sleep on the ground, using the sky as their blanket. In the dead of night, the flickering firelight illuminated their sleeping faces. Yuki, covered with Minato Namikaze's green vest, slept against Genma Shiranui's shoulder. Even in his sleep, Genma, accustomed to being leaned on, had a slight furrow in his brow. Ai, meanwhile, slept peacefully in her sleeping bag, her head peeking out, breathing evenly and steadily.
Nara Shikara sat in a tree keeping watch. He looked at the campfire beside him, which emitted a faint light and crackled softly from time to time. Namikaze Minato, who was leaning against the tree, said in a low voice, "Looking at the firelight all the time is bad for your eyesight, Nara."
"What is the relationship between you and Yuki?" Nara asked in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Minato Namikaze didn't answer the question directly, but instead said, "Nara and Genma are a great teammate of Yuki, and they've worked together very well the whole way."
Nara frowned and pressed on, "Senpai, do you like snow?"
"It's hard not to like him, isn't it? Such a gentle child," Minato Namikaze replied with a smile.
Nara is going crazy! Minato Namikaze is really good at making excuses and fooling people!
"I love snow, the kind of love I'd be willing to protect for a lifetime." Nara sat on a tree, one foot on a branch, the other hand supporting his face on his knee. Although his tone was languid, his expression was very focused.
Minato Namikaze said thoughtfully, "Is that so... But isn't the most important thing who Yuki likes?"
Nara felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart... This senior's words really were like stabbing a knife into his heart!
-
The mission should have ended when Little Love was delivered to its destination.
However, the land of tea is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and Ai's home happens to be located near the coastline.
"As a friend, I'd like to invite you to the town's autumn harvest festival tomorrow night!" Xiao Ai clasped her hands together, her smile glowing warmly in the sunset. "Not only will there be a sea view, but there will also be a fireworks display tonight! We also have a special legend here—couples who kiss under the fireworks will grow old together!" She suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled, her gaze shifting between the three young ninjas and Xue.
Xiao Ai smiled as she looked at Xue, who was a little confused. Was she talking to her?
Xiao Ai looked at the three young ninjas who, ever since she made that rumor, kept glancing at Xue.
She covered her mouth and chuckled, "As for accommodation, you can stay at my place! Although the mission fee has already been paid to the agency, to thank everyone who's a ninja for taking such good care of me along the way, Grandpa specially caught a lot of fresh seafood from the beach! I hope Xue can stay and keep me company for one night!"
Yuki turned to look at Minato Namikaze, who, as the team leader, was weighing the options: this was the first time the three of them had left the village for a mission, and they had never been far from home before. It would be good to let the three kids relax after the war was over.
The Third Hokage originally just wanted to give them some simple training, which is why he sent me to check on how well the three of them were getting along.
During the handover of the mission, the Third Hokage mentioned this child—an Uchiha orphan whose parents had died in the line of duty. After awakening his Sharingan, the child displayed a keen mind and considerable talent for genjutsu, occasionally reminding the Third Hokage of Uchiha Kagami. The Third Hokage implied that the Konoha leadership was considering including him in the Fourth Hokage's guard reserve...
Thinking of this, the curve of Minato's lips tightened almost imperceptibly: "Then we'll have to bother you."
Ai's home is a two-story wooden house, the moisture-proofed planks gleaming with a warm sheen. Yuki shares the master bedroom with her, while the three boys are housed in the guest rooms upstairs. The autumn harvest festival is scheduled for 8 PM the following day, and it's just past 5 PM. Ai makes an excuse, saying she has something to do, and urges Yuki to go watch the sunset with her friends: "The sunset at the beach in the Land of Tea is so beautiful, Yuki, you absolutely mustn't miss it!"
A salty sea breeze, carrying fine sand, brushed against her cheek as Xue walked alone on the beach. Memories suddenly surged—when she was Lin Xue, the orphanage was located in a coastal city. She took off her ninja shoes and stepped barefoot into the soft sand, seashells shimmering like stars in the setting sun.
A spiral-shaped conch shell caught her attention. As she bent down to pick it up, seawater trickled through her fingers, washing away the fine sand inside the shell. She gently traced the patterns with her fingertips, and suddenly, on a whim, she spoke something to the conch shell, then brought it close to her ear—sure enough, the sound of the tide echoed back, as if someone from another world was calling to her.
"Why did you stop smiling as soon as I arrived?" Minato's voice startled her, causing her to turn around, her hair ruffled by the sea breeze. He reached out to smooth the stray hairs at her temples, his fingertips warm and calloused. Yuki instinctively took a half-step back, her ears flushing slightly: "I... I just..."
Xue responded softly, glanced at him, seemed a little embarrassed, and turned her face away.
How could she explain it? That she was missing her old name? That would be too strange.
"Yuki seems to have grown up. She promised me before that she would tell me everything." Minato's smile was tinged with bitterness in the afterglow of the setting sun, leaving Yuki somewhat at a loss.
"Wouldn't that be better? If I told Minato-senpai everything, he'd probably be bothered instead," Yuki thought.
They always remained silent, keeping their feelings hidden deep inside. They strived to integrate themselves into this world and become a ninja.
The setting sun cast a hazy silhouette on the girl, who lowered her gaze to the waves at her feet, her eyelashes casting butterfly-wing-like shadows beneath her eyes. Minato watched her gaze shift from direct to averted; the girl seemed like a bubble, and if he didn't hold on tight, she would vanish like the Little Mermaid in the fairy tale.
"Sometimes I can't help but think that Xue always seems to have a lot on her mind."
Minato noticed early on that Yuki never seemed to actively reject other people's intimate touch.
Even a complete stranger can easily approach and touch her.
Just like... her two teammates, they always touched the snow without restraint in front of him.
She's supposed to be his future wife, so why isn't she at all alert?
He frowned slightly, then smiled: "When will Xue's heart let me get close again?"
When will I be able to express something proactively, like that time under the moonlight?
Xue felt a little uncomfortable; she didn't know where to look.
This situation is really not right, Minato-senpai... It's strange. Yuki instinctively felt that something was wrong, not knowing what the problem was. Minato watched her shift her gaze from direct to averted; was he thinking about something?
Finally, when the sun has completely set.
The girl looked up, and her dark eyes seemed to be looking through him, as if she were looking at someone else, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"I'm not used to having a senior like that."
Minato Namikaze: ?
Minato Namikaze's brain has gone blank.
What do you mean by "not used to it"?
The girl shook her head, her face regaining its somewhat distant expression: "It's nothing, it was my rudeness. Minato-senpai."
Xue felt a little unwell in her head, and lately she's been having some trouble remembering things. She wondered why.
She was about to leave when the boy behind her gripped her wrist tightly. The grip wasn't strong, but she couldn't break free.
Sometimes, I wonder. Does Xue know something that others don't? Her eyes always seem to look through me and into other people. From the very beginning, was the me that Xue knew really me, or the me of the future?
Yuki was somewhat taken aback by his words, but there was no reason for him to discover her... She turned her head; the boy's face still held a gentle smile, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. Minato Namikaze was too clever; the more time she spent with him, the faster she would expose herself. Yuki couldn't help but breathe faster, but outwardly tried to appear as normal as possible.
"Minato-senpai, what are you saying? Minato-senpai is indeed Minato-senpai, hahaha..."
Minato Namikaze frowned, his grip on Yuki's hand tightening and loosening.
He sighed, seemingly in resignation, and pulled the snow to his chest.
Xue could clearly smell the scent of fresh grass on him, a very comforting aroma...
Could she trust Minato Namikaze? And so, tell him everything.
Would that make her feel any better? Xue lowered her eyes, lost in thought.
"Xue... I told you, I would protect you. You are important, and there are things Xue doesn't want to talk about. I don't want to force you."
That's a lie. For Minato Namikaze, the most important person was Kushina Uzumaki.
"But I don't want to let Xue go. Every time I come back from a mission, there are always a lot of unfamiliar boys around Xue."
You're lying again, it's just because you're not familiar with Kushina Uzumaki yet...
"I don't want Xue to be with anyone else either; just thinking about it is terrifying..."
But in the end, you will still end up with Kushina Uzumaki, just like Nawaki Senju was destined to die.
Like a golden retriever showing its belly to the snow, the boy spread out its softest spot and let the snow knead it.
Xue repeatedly refused, because she was afraid, terrified, of a fate she could not defy.
The blond boy's eyes were fixed on the sorrow between the girl's brows, and he bit his lower lip in resentment.
How can I win your heart?
Please don't sever our relationship so easily, and don't distance yourself from me, okay?
Whether it's the distance of emotional or physical contact.
Can they be entangled together forever?
Whether it's fate, or you and me.
Finally, the girl simply said softly, "Mmm."
Neither refusing nor agreeing was enough to make Minato Namikaze overjoyed.
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