Chapter 172 My Family Isn't You
Obito Uchiha took her other hand and smiled at her, "Don't we still remember? Tell me when you remember, and I'll tell Asuma and the others when I remember. Asuma and the others will tell even more people, so we won't disappear!"
Haruko stared at him, her eyes gradually brightening. Hearing her words comfort her, she finally gave a hopeful "Mmm".
Listening to the innocent conversation between the two children, Hiruzen Sarutobi wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, stood up, and touched Haruko's soft hair. When she looked at him in confusion, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled bitterly and asked her for an answer.
Do you remember her name?
Haruko nodded firmly, "Her name is Hayama Haruko, the same Haruko as Haruko!"
Morning, afternoon, sunny, day.
As if a spell had been broken, as she uttered that familiar yet unfamiliar name, all of Hiruzen Sarutobi's memories of Haruko Hayama resurfaced in his mind, wiping away the dust and coming back to life.
The girl who called him "Hiruzen," the girl who acted coquettishly towards him, the girl who grabbed him and wanted him to stay... Scenes of their intimate interactions quickly matched his missing memories.
Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to hear that girl who loved to laugh heartily running towards him, shouting loudly—
"I'm going to become a powerful ninja! Then I'll earn money to support Hiruzen in his old age!"
As illusion and reality overlapped, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly snapped back to reality, gasping for breath, and then choked out a painful sob.
"Haruko... my Haruko..."
Suddenly embraced, Haruko's eyes widened, and she looked at Obito Uchiha, who was equally dumbfounded, with a bit of a loss for what to do.
Haruko sends a mutual eye contact: What should I do, Obito? Help me!
Obito Uchiha: I don't know either! Why don't you let the Hokage hold you for now?
Haruko: ...Obito is so useless.
Obito Uchiha: Don't you dare say bad things about me with your eyes!
Haruko withdrew her gaze, which had been itching to criticize him, after being glared at by Obito Uchiha. Instead, because she was no longer distracted, she resonated even more with Hiruzen Sarutobi's trembling sobs of extreme relief at having regained what she had lost.
Haruko's stiff hands sensed her strangely low mood, and she tentatively raised them to hug Hiruzen Sarutobi. After being touched by the warm, happy color emanating from him, Haruko narrowed her eyes.
So warm...like family...
After venting his anger, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmed down and returned to his convincing leader persona, only now his eyes were gentle as he looked at his family with the eyes of someone who treasured them.
"Haruko, let's go home!" Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled broadly and was about to pull her away.
How could Obito Uchiha stand by and watch him take Haruko away? He quickly blocked his way, but facing such a leader, Obito was still somewhat intimidated. "Um... Haruko is coming home with me..."
"Go home with you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi scrutinized him from head to toe, and finally concluded that this brat was trying to steal away his cabbage!
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze grow increasingly sharp, Obito Uchiha broke out in a cold sweat, a corner of his positive image of the Hokage quietly shattering.
Is this Hokage really the Hokage that everyone recognizes and loves?
Obito Uchiha shook his head, trying to clear his mind of those distractions. The most important thing now was to bring Haruko home. If he didn't get home on time, Uncle Fugaku would definitely kill him!
"Haruko, let's go!"
Remembering Fugaku Uchiha's usual fierce expression, Obito Uchiha shuddered violently. Forgetting all about being Hokage, he stepped forward and took Haruko's hand.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him and quickly slapped away the dirty hand that was about to touch his cabbage. As Obito Uchiha looked at him incredulously, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't care about his Hokage image and just snorted.
Obito Uchiha: ? ? ?
After witnessing a childish farce between an old man and a child, Haruko helplessly raised her hand, "I want to go home with Obito! Hokage, don't stop me!"
When she broke free of his grasp, Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback, then glared at Obito Uchiha with an extremely imposing look.
Uchiha Obito: ...
Facing his own "cabbage," Hiruzen Sarutobi instantly changed his expression to a friendly smile and patiently explained to her, "Haruko is my family, so you should come home with me."
“No.” Haruko stared at him intently, her innocent expression masking her cold words, “My family isn’t you.”
Ignoring Hiruzen Sarutobi's stunned expression, Haruko continued, "My family is Fugaku, so I'm going home now. Goodbye, Hokage!"
After saying that, Haruko was pulled away by Obito Uchiha like a whirlwind, who was afraid that the Third Hokage would come and snatch her away.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood silently, his eyes following their departing figures. After briefly regaining his family, he lost them again.
Is she... Uchiha Haruko now?
*
Haruko, who was walking down the corridor looking for food, rubbed her eyes, but woke up a little when she heard voices coming from the room ahead.
Does someone come to my door so early in the morning?
Fugaku really should listen to her suggestion and turn this place into a neighborhood committee office.
Haruko silently criticized Fugaku Uchiha for his lack of taste, then went to the door and opened it.
The neighborhood committee auntie Fugaku, um, and across from him is... that Hokage who liked to cry yesterday?
Haruko was instantly wide awake, as if she had stumbled into a grand meeting between the Third Hokage and the Uchiha clan head. Seeing that they were all looking at her, Haruko stiffly closed the door again.
He's really getting going; he's spotted Fugaku getting down to business...
The door in front of her was opened again. Haruko was slightly taken aback and looked up at Uchiha Fugaku, who had a helpless expression on his face.
"I've told you so many times, get up and wash your face and rinse your mouth before you can eat."
"But my stomach started complaining before my teeth did, so adhering to the principle of first come, first served, I decided to deal with my hunger first!"
Seeing her use the same tone he used to handle clan affairs in a defiant manner, Fugaku Uchiha sighed with a headache, "The Third Hokage is here today, so you better be serious."
"Will there be a reward if I take it seriously?" Haruko asked, eagerly anticipating his answer.
Unable to resist her shamelessness, Fugaku Uchiha nodded, deciding to ignore her and send her away before returning to his seat with a serious expression.
"So, Lord Hokage, what brings you here today...?"
Fugaku Uchiha was still unclear why the Third Hokage had suddenly come to his door, but seeing his confident demeanor, he had a feeling that the visitor was up to no good.
Due to the long-standing grudges and estrangement between the Uchiha and Senju clans, as Konoha developed, the Uchiha were almost entirely excluded from the center of power. Logically speaking, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had something to do, he wouldn't personally come to the Uchiha territory.
Despite having considered countless possible guesses, Fugaku Uchiha remained serious and awaited his answer.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly sipped his tea and said gently, "It seems your sister is one of the graduates from the Ninja Academy this year, is that right?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
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