Chapter 43
The autumn sky is clear, and the sunset glow at dusk displays a rich orange-red hue.
The clouds and trees on the horizon are tinged with warm hues, and a cool breeze caresses your face.
Xue looked up at the ferret standing on the roof.
His hair had grown a bit longer, and it was tied back with a hairband.
"Come down, little weasel."
The weasel leaped down from the roof and stood beside the snow.
"Weren't you with Shisui today?"
Itachi shook his head and said, "Shisui-nii has a mission today, aren't we going this way, Auntie?"
He pointed to the path leading up the mountain to the Memorial Monument; Itachi knew it.
When Xue was in the village, she would always take some time to visit the Martyrs' Monument.
Xue paused for a moment, then nodded. She said, "Let's go then."
Itachi walked ahead of Yuki, and Yuki realized that Itachi's height had already reached her shoulder.
Occasionally, when the two walked together, they would often go without speaking, but Itachi and Yuki didn't find it boring; instead, they felt very at ease. Just being together and having each other by their side was enough. Itachi took Yuki's hand, and Yuki held it back.
"Would Sasuke be angry if he found out we came out alone?"
"meeting."
Itachi's answer made Yuki smile.
"Is Itachi planning to graduate from the Ninja Academy early?"
"Yes, I've basically mastered the knowledge taught at school. I... want to become a ninja as soon as possible."
The two stopped before the Fourth Hokage's tombstone, where a few autumn leaves had fallen, but these had been swept clean by visitors and replaced with several bouquets of flowers. Itachi clasped his hands together before the Fourth Hokage's tombstone, offering his condolences for a while. He opened his eyes and looked at the black-haired girl standing before another tombstone not far away. Itachi took two steps forward, his gaze settling on the bouquet of lilacs before that tombstone.
The grave of Obito Uchiha is that of his younger brother, whom Yuki treated like family.
The tombstone still bore the marks of freshly cleaned surfaces, and Itachi lowered his gaze thoughtfully.
"Let's go, little weasel. It's time to go back."
On the way back, Xue felt someone holding her hand.
It seemed he had used a little too much force. Seeing her lower her head, Itachi raised his face and revealed his usual gentle smile.
"What's wrong?"
"No, it's just that I feel like my aunt... well, never mind." Itachi shook his head halfway through his sentence and continued, "My aunt is great now, I like her very much."
Sometimes, even Yuki couldn't understand what Itachi was thinking.
Seeing that he said that, we had no choice but to give up.
"I like Weasel too."
-
"Mother!"
I don't know when it started, but Naruto began calling out "snow" using those two words.
Xue frowned slightly as she opened the door, then squatted down and hugged the little boy who had rushed into her arms.
"Naruto, you can't call me that."
Xue's serious expression surprised Iruka.
After all, in Iruka's memory, Yuki had always been there for Naruto, granting his every wish.
His apartment was almost completely filled with all sorts of toys that Yuki bought for Naruto, as well as various foods that she thought were nutritious.
A gaze fell upon Iruka, who was peeking out from the kitchen. Iruka scratched his head and said, "Naruto... has never called me 'Dad.' I never taught him to say those things."
"Iruka." Naruto, still in his arms, pointed to Iruka in the kitchen and kissed Yuki's cheek. "Mom!"
Xue thought to herself, "It must have been when Naruto was playing in the village."
Other kids are bullying him again...
Xue carried Naruto as they changed their shoes in the entryway and went into the room.
Place Naruto on the ground and gently tap the tip of Naruto's nose with your index finger.
"I'm not Naruto's mother."
Little Naruto didn't understand.
Her pretty little face scrunched up in confusion, she still couldn't figure it out.
"Why!"
Xue watched as Naruto's beautiful blue eyes quickly filled with tears, looking pitiful as if they were about to fall.
Looking into those familiar eyes, she just couldn't bring herself to be cruel.
She simply turned her head away, avoiding his eyes, and said in a stiff tone.
"Anyway, Naruto, you have to remember this."
“I am not your mother, you can’t call me that.”
Naruto clenched his little fists, and large tears rolled down his cheeks.
A childish voice, trembling with sobs, cried out, "Then why do you come to see me every week?!"
"Why is it that you always play with me, kiss me, and hug me!"
"Just like my mom," Choji said, adding that only moms do that!
Yuki tried to explain something: "No, Naruto... you can call me auntie too, right?"
"I don't want to call you auntie! I want to call you mom!"
Naruto grabbed the fabric covering Yuki's chest, wiping his tears and snot all over her body.
Iruka, having prepared the meal and placed it on the table, looked at Yuki, who seemed at a loss for what to do with Naruto.
He reached out and lifted Naruto up from under his armpits, lifting up his small body.
"Naruto, you're almost three years old now, and you'll soon be living independently. You can't do this!"
Naruto, who was being held in mid-air by Iruka, kicked his legs incessantly, shouting, "Let me go, Iruka! Waaaaah!"
Xue held her forehead, surprised by Naruto's personality.
She looked more like Kushina-senpai as she gazed at Naruto's round, chubby face.
I wondered if I should reduce the frequency of my visits to him, would that make things better?
During dinner, Naruto was unusually quiet as he ate the rice in his bowl.
Then, using a fork, he put the vegetables he didn't like into Iruka's bowl.
Iruka's anger had materialized, and he punched Naruto on the head.
Naruto covered the large bump on his head and looked at Xue with teary eyes.
"Eat lots of fresh vegetables so you can grow taller, Naruto."
Naruto snorted, but in the end he obediently chewed the vegetables and swallowed them.
As he was leaving, he tugged at Xue's sleeve in the entryway, his voice muffled.
Are you angry? Because I've been calling you "Mom" a lot lately.
The blond, blue-eyed boy wore a light green raglan long-sleeved shirt with a swirl logo printed on the chest and dark green shorts.
He held onto Xue's clothes with one hand, and nervously clutched his own clothes with the other.
The expression on his face was somewhat cautious.
After putting on her shoes, Xue reached out and ruffled Naruto's short, golden hair with a hint of helplessness.
She shook her head, her tone gentle: "I won't be angry with Naruto, it's just... he'll understand when he grows up."
As usual, Xue kissed his forehead, and Naruto's eyes looked somewhat forlorn.
"I have to wait another week for the snow to come. Why can we only see each other once a week? Who decided this? I don't like it at all! When I live independently, Xue, can you move in with me?"
"I'm sorry... Naruto."
"Okay... I know, because you're Sasuke's aunt, right? So you have to stay with Sasuke. I really envy him."
“No, Naruto.” Yuki couldn’t explain why.
Naruto stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on Yuki's cheek.
His clear blue eyes stared straight at her, revealing a smile as bright as a little sun.
"It's okay, I'll wait for Xue! When I grow up, Xue can live with me! That way, no one will say anything!"
Xue paused for a moment, then lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.
She quickly raised her head, her dark eyes seemed a little moist, and she nodded.
"good."
-
As soon as Uchiha Yuki sat down at the barbecue restaurant, Nara Shikara and Shiranui Genma sat down beside her.
The three of them no longer looked as naive as when they were genin.
The snow fell even more beautifully, her delicate features like a piece of jade carefully sculpted. Her slightly wavy long hair was tied back with a thin ribbon, revealing her slender, fair neck. The faint sorrow between her brows added a touch of melancholy to her air.
Mitarashi Anko looked at her, then at herself.
Turning to Kurenai Yuhi angrily, she said, "Why are other people so slender and slim!"
Xi Yanghong held the hot tea and took a sip: "If you can stop eating red beans without restraint right now."
Hongdou, who was eating meat with gusto, paused for a moment and smiled.
"Then I'll pass!"
Lu Liang handed the menu to Xue, who opened it and ordered a beef tenderloin.
Lu Liang raised an eyebrow: "If you don't order more, you might not even get to eat what you ordered."
Xue Renjun couldn't help but chuckle, shook her head, and pushed the menu towards Xuanjian.
"Since it's the second young master of the Nara family treating us, we have no choice but to treat him to a meal," Genma said, a thin kunai dangling from his lips, his tone teasing.
"Keep craving it, you won't eat me out of house and home."
A handsome young man with brown hair leaned close to Xue, their two heads, one black and one brown, touching.
When Xue recalled the times they ate together after completing a mission, her eyes crinkled with joy.
Genma paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on her clear, bright black eyes before slowly shifting away.
"How come the three of them get along so well?" Asuma asked curiously as he sat across from Yuki at the table, sipping his tea.
Sitting next to him, Tokuma Hinata explained, "The three of them used to be in the same squad."
"Yuki, pass me that sauce." Tokuma pointed to the bottle of dry barbecue sauce near Yuki, then took the sauce from Yuki.
Asma raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what about you?"
“Yuki and I were classmates,” Tokuma replied, pausing between chopsticks in his hand.
"I see." Asuma's lips curled up slightly, finding it somewhat amusing.
Sitting next to him, Kurenai noticed her childhood friend's thoughts and nudged him with her elbow. Asuma turned his head and asked in confusion.
Kurenai Yuhi asked, "What are you thinking about now?"
"It's nothing," Asuma smiled.
The grilled meat sizzled on the table, and glasses clinked together.
The curtain of the private room was lifted, and the first thing you smelled was a faint metallic rust.
"I'm late."
Xue looked up and saw Kakashi. He arrived late and casually sat down in an empty seat, still wearing his Anbu uniform.
Occasionally, Xue also wants to complain: it's already winter, yet the Anbu's uniforms are the same style all year round.
Although everyone uses chakra to control their body temperature, it doesn't matter what clothes they wear.
Kakashi took the sake cup that Asuma handed him, which was filled with clear and strong sake.
"You bastard..."
Asuma chuckled and patted him on the shoulder: "The famous Copy Ninja, you can't possibly be so bad at drinking, can you?"
The warm light inside the shop illuminated Kakashi's handsome face as he nonchalantly downed his drink in one gulp.
The people around applauded, including Lu Liang and Xuan Jian.
For a moment, it turned into a drinking contest.
In the end, only Kurenai Yuhi and Yuki Uchiha remained conscious.
Encouraged by Hongdou, Yuhi Kurenai also had a few drinks, her face flushed slightly from the alcohol.
However, he remained perfectly clear-headed.
The two men exchanged a glance, looked at the group of people who were passed out on the table, and sighed in unison.
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