Chapter 17
As Xiao Ai had described, the autumn harvest festival in the seaside town of the Tea Country was indeed bustling and lively at night.
Upon entering the festival grounds, the first thing that catches the eye is the dazzling array of goods, neatly arranged among various stalls and shelves. Around the huge bonfire in the center of the area, several rows of simple shops are scattered like stars in the sky. The bonfire roars, its leaping flames licking the air, emitting a warm and bright light that illuminates everything as if it were daytime. The firelight flickers on people's faces, reflecting their excited and joyful expressions.
At the goldfish scooping stall, goldfish swam gracefully in the transparent basins; at the takoyaki stall, a rich aroma filled the air, and the round little balls sizzled on the griddle; the konpeito stall was a riot of colors, with candies of various shapes and colors piled together like dazzling jewels, emitting an enticing sweet fragrance; the darts stall was already crowded with people, waiting to show off their skills...
This was Xue's first time participating in such an event, and she was wearing a light-colored kimono that Xiao Ai had specially taken out of her closet.
Xiao Ai's skillful hands carefully styled Xue's slightly wavy long hair into a low bun. The bun was exquisite and elegant, perfectly revealing her fair and slender neck. A few strands of hair fell from both sides of the bun, adding to her gentleness and beauty.
The girl wore a light purple kimono, embroidered with delicate lilac petals; the pale purple hue resembled the morning mist.
She raised her head, revealing a small and delicate face, her features as striking as a finely sculpted work of art. A faint melancholy always lingered in her beautiful, obsidian-like eyes, and her thin, red lips were delicate and tender.
Xue felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by the three boys in casual clothes beside her, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks.
She lowered her head slightly and whispered, "Don't look..."
Genma Shiranui quickly looked away, but his bright red earlobes betrayed his inner thoughts. He said somewhat flusteredly, "It's beautiful, snow."
Nara Shikara mumbled something indistinctly, and Yuki couldn't understand what he was saying.
Minato Namikaze, a head taller than them, walked at the front of the group. A gentle smile, like that of a senior student, graced his face, a smile as warm and bright as the autumn sun. He tried to liven up the atmosphere of the group, and indeed, he succeeded. In games like goldfish scooping, balloon popping, and dart throwing—seemingly simple games that could be rigged by unscrupulous merchants—Minato maintained his smile throughout, easily winning first place with his superior skills.
On the contrary, Xue, Xuanjian, and Luliang had several of their fishing nets broken; when they fired their guns, they missed every time, and the empty guns in their hands felt particularly embarrassing; when they threw darts, the darts always missed the bullseye, as if they were deliberately going against them.
Snow:.......
Nara:.......
Genma: .......
"You must have cheated!"
The three of them spoke in unison, their expressions remarkably identical.
Minato was amused by their expressions, and in the end, he used his winnings to buy a skewer of konpeito (Japanese candy) for everyone except himself. Perhaps the camaraderie between the boys had already slowly developed during their missions. Even they themselves didn't realize that their tone of voice had unconsciously taken on a hint of respect when they spoke to Minato.
Yuki's small, pearly teeth nibbled on the konpeito, the sweet taste spreading in her mouth.
Looking at the three people beside her in the surging crowd, she felt a surge of inexplicable warmth in her heart.
It seems... this isn't so bad.
Unbeknownst to them, the crowd grew denser, enveloping them like a surging tide. Minato Namikaze gently took Yuki Uchiha's free hand. At that moment, everything around them seemed to fall silent, leaving only the sound of their heartbeats. Only their figures remained beside them, as if the entire world had shrunk to just the two of them. Yuki still had more than half of the konpeito left in her mouth. Minato took her hand holding the konpeito and, using her hand as a springboard, took a bite—precisely from the spot she had bitten.
Xue frowned slightly, as if she wanted to say something more.
Suddenly, the sound of fireworks exploding in the sky behind her rose into the air, the crisp whistling sound like a sharp sword slicing through the night. She looked up, and as far as the eye could see, there were dazzling fireworks. Like brilliant shooting stars, the fireworks streaked across the deep blue night sky, trailing long tails, carrying people's yearning for a better life, rushing towards the heavens. Finally, they exploded high in the sky, instantly turning into countless tiny sparks of light, like stars falling to earth, decorating the entire night sky in a dreamlike way.
"Snow----"
Minato Namikaze seemed to say something, and Yuki turned her head to look at him.
"Senior, what are you saying?"
Fireworks were still rising into the sky in a flurry of colors, their vibrant glow casting a soft glow on his face.
At that moment, the blond boy smiled softly and brightly, just like an ordinary boy next door.
“————I like it————” His voice was faintly heard amidst the whistling of fireworks.
Yuki couldn't hear clearly, so she couldn't help but grasp Minato Namikaze's hand. She leaned closer, trying to hear what he was saying.
As the fireworks faded, the lingering smoke in the night sky drifted away like a soft veil. Minato Namikaze lowered his head and gently kissed the corner of her lips. In the night, her azure eyes, like the blooming blue fireworks, shimmered with dazzling light.
He said with great focus, "No matter what Xue thinks, I will wait for Xue to grow up."
"So no matter how Xue pushes me away, I won't leave."
-
When I returned to the village, about a week had passed.
When Yuki stepped into Konoha Village, she looked up and saw Obito. She then realized that Obito had grown quite a bit taller, now reaching her shoulder.
"Why weren't you waiting for me at home?" She reached out to touch his head, but the boy, wearing orange goggles, looked very angry, like a black, bristly rabbit with its ears perked up.
Obito was genuinely angry, and he said in a loud voice, "Didn't you say you'd be back in a week? Ten days have passed already!"
He waited at the village gate for three days in a row, but she didn't come back even after the gate closed!
Yuki couldn't help but laugh, and even Nara and Genma next to her leaned closer to Obito to tease him.
"You're already a student at the Senior Ninja Academy, why are you still clinging to your older sister like this?"
Obito glared fiercely at Nara, his gaze inadvertently falling on Nara's hand resting on Yuki's shoulder, his little face scrunched up in a frown.
"Alright, let's go submit the mission first." Minato's gaze lingered on Obito for a few moments before shifting away. He said gently, "Obito, come along too. Wait for Yuki in front of the Hokage Building."
After receiving her mission reward, Yuki stood on the stairs watching Obito, who was still sulking. The last rays of the setting sun shone through the window onto him, casting a long shadow on the ground. A slight smile played on Yuki's lips as she took out a necklace made of pretty little seashells and conch shells that she had carefully selected at the beach that day and gently handed it to Obito.
"Are you still angry?"
Before him suddenly appeared the face he had been longing for day and night. He snorted, his gaze subtly sweeping over the ocean necklace in Xue's hand before turning away, feigning indifference.
Yuki feigned some distress: "Since Obito doesn't like it, we'll have to give this gift to Shisui..."
Shisui, Uchiha Shisui, was a newborn child in the clan. He was a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, and the Uchiha clan placed extremely high hopes on him. Even Obito sometimes heard people discussing this child, who was a few years younger than him, when he passed through the clan's territory; everyone seemed... to like Shisui very much.
Obito's eyes widened. How could she do this?!
He swiftly snatched the necklace from the snowman and deftly put it on his head.
"I didn't say I didn't want it!"
Xue gently took his hand and whispered softly, "Obito has grown quite a bit taller. Next time, Obito can just wait for me at home."
The two walked until they reached their front door. Obito grasped Yuki's hand, and Yuki paused as she took out her keys.
"Kakashi has graduated, Yuki..." Obito's voice carried a complex mix of emotions.
Yuki was momentarily speechless. Kakashi was indeed a genius. He had entered the Ninja Academy and graduated in just six months. As a ninja herself, Yuki had long heard of his Hatake clan's swordsmanship and his decisiveness during missions.
Xue thought that Kakashi might be going on a mission with their team.
She gently patted Obito's shoulder, comforting him, "But, besides Kakashi, Obito has never lost to any other student in taijutsu, right?" Of course, this excludes his abysmal theoretical grades...
Obito's feelings became increasingly complicated. He felt that he was probably the only one who wasn't happy about Kakashi's graduation.
His gaze fell on the hand he was holding with Xue's, and he couldn't help but feel indignant.
"Then Xue, next time you see Kakashi, you're not allowed to talk to him."
Awkward, unreasonable, and illogical words, as long as they're spoken here in Xue.
She would tolerate it all without complaint, because they were family.
Obito's eyes were filled with Yuki's smiling face as she smiled back at him. Obito knew in his heart that she was just joking.
But that's enough, isn't it? Even if Xue is just putting on an act, he... doesn't care.
He stretched out his hands, his face slightly flushed, and his voice was a little muffled: "Then Xue, hug me. It's been so long since I've hugged you."
Xue paused for a moment, then pulled him into her arms. Obito's height was just enough for him to bury his head in Xue's neck. Xue had a faint scent of lilac on her body, along with some other mixed... indescribable smells.
However, I am very satisfied.
Just like being in my parents' arms...
As the autumn evening sun shone on the earth, Obito thought it was wonderful that there was snow.
When Xue went out on a mission, he had a very absurd dream.
He dreamt that snow was nowhere to be found, and in the dream he went around asking his people where snow had gone.
But the people around him, even the clan leader who doted on Yuki, asked him who Uchiha Yuki was.
Only Aunt Mikoto, who loves snow the most, frowned slightly and said that her neighbor's child was named Snow.
However, that child... died at the age of five due to poor health and illness.
He didn't want Xue to be gone; he wanted Xue to always be by his side.
Even when he becomes Hokage, even when they are both old and old, they will stay together forever!
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