"Aunt Mikoto, are you okay going back alone?", Looking at Uchiha Mikoto, who had been drinking and whose face was slightly flushed, Aoba was a little worried.
"It's fine. Auntie is very strong, you know, there won't be any danger," Uchiha Mikoto smiled and raised her fist. After all, she was the current head of the Uchiha clan.
"I'll still walk you back," Aoba thought for a mont and then walked up beside Uchiha Mikoto.
Yugao and Shizune, who were tidying up, both cast scrutinizing glances over.
———
"Aunt Mikoto, do you have sothing on your mind?", Walking out of the Senju compound, Aoba broke the silence between them.
"Hm?", Uchiha Mikoto was slightly taken aback, then smiled and replied, "No, I should be thanking you, Aoba. Auntie hasn't been this happy in a long ti."
"...", Aoba didn't speak, he just quietly looked at her.
Uchiha Mikoto also fell silent.
After a while, she let out a soft sigh.
She stopped walking, reached out and ruffled his hair, her expression complex.
"I just didn't expect you to grow up so fast, Aoba. Auntie's having a bit of trouble adjusting."
"So Aunt Mikoto noticed after all?", Aoba also responded calmly.
Uchiha Mikoto chuckled, "You guys were so obvious. You're just bullying girls like Tenten because they're young and don't really understand these things."
"But you're still young now. You need to know moderation. Eating too much of those kinds of things isn't good for your body."
'Why did she suddenly shift into mom-mode?'
"Uh… actually my body's fine. Every night it's always Sister Yugao and—mmph!", Aoba's mouth was suddenly covered by a soft, fair hand.
"You don't need to tell Auntie things like that," Uchiha Mikoto blushed and glared at him.
Seeing him obediently nod, she slowly withdrew her hand.
Aoba said seriously, "I just don't want there to be distance between us because of sothing like this, because no matter how things change, I'm still ."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Then Auntie can rest assured," Upon hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto suddenly showed a mischievous smile.
Then she reached out with both hands and began rubbing Aoba's cheeks.
After all these years, she still loved this feeling.
Aoba couldn't help but roll his eyes, "Aunt Mikoto, are you just worried that you won't be able to squish my face in the future?"
"Does Aoba hate it?", Uchiha Mikoto asked with a smile.
Aoba shook his head, "I don't hate it. If it's Aunt Mikoto, then even for a lifeti, it's no problem."
Uchiha Mikoto smiled even more happily, content as she pulled her hands back, "Auntie needs to head back now. Otherwise, Sasuke will throw a tantrum being ho alone."
"Then I'll just carry you back, it'll be faster."
"Eh? Eh!", Uchiha Mikoto's voice turned from puzzled to surprised as Aoba directly picked her up.
With a flash, they reached the Uchiha compound in just a few breaths.
———
"S-So fast!", Uchiha Mikoto stepped down from Aoba with ssy hair, still a bit dazed as she looked around at the familiar surroundings.
"Then I'll head back," Aoba had no intention of staying long.
"Hmm? You're not coming in for a bit?", Uchiha Mikoto returned to her senses.
"No need, I've got sothing else to take care of," Aoba politely declined.
"Sothing?", Uchiha Mikoto seed to think of sothing, and the blush that had just faded returned to her face again, "Th-Then that is indeed important, go ahead."
Aoba felt like she misunderstood again but didn't feel the need to explain.
"Then goodbye, Aunt Mikoto," As he spoke, his figure instantly disappeared.
"Goodbye…", Uchiha Mikoto looked at the spot where Aoba had vanished, unconsciously shook her head, and thought back to the feeling of being carried in his arms.
Her cheeks were even starting to feel warm.
'So things really has changed.'
'Aoba has already gone from a reassuring child to soone dependable.'
'All these years later, the one who can still give a sense of security… is still that boy.'
———
Outside the Senju compound, right where Aoba had just vanished, a figure with blue-purple hair appeared, glancing around, as if searching for sothing.
A figure suddenly appeared behind her.
"Konan-neesan, so it really was you."
Konan's body trembled slightly. She turned around and saw the white-haired young man smiling gently under the moonlight, "Aoba, you…"
He still held two skewers of grilled fish in his hand, "I specially saved these for you."
Aoba handed the grilled fish to Konan, "Konan-neesan, I rember your favorite is grilled fish, right?"
Konan hesitated for a mont but still took it, "When did you notice ?"
"From the beginning," Aoba teased again, "Since you already ca, Konan-neesan, why didn't you join us? Why just watch from the side?"
Even soone like Konan, normally cool and quiet, couldn't help but feel a little shy at this mont.
Aoba had invited her before, but she had declined at the ti.
Now she had been caught red-handed, and even her toes were curling.
"I… I'm just not used to that kind of setting."
"And..."
"This ti I ca because I have sothing important to tell you…", Konan's tone grew slightly urgent, but Aoba raised his hand and interrupted her.
"No rush. If grilled fish gets cold, it'll taste awful," He knew exactly what she wanted to say.
Lately, Konan would occasionally drop hints around him about the suspicious actions of Sunagakure.
He even found strange little notes outside his house sotis.
Not offers for "big money sperm donors", or so "Heaven on Earth" club, or even a shady massage parlor, but ones saying things like Sunagakure's Evil Plans.
Konan's actions were already an obvious signal, but Aoba either directly or indirectly ignored them all.
Now it looked like she was planning to co clean and lay it all out.
But to him, these things weren't really important.
"You…", Seeing the boy's completely indifferent expression, Konan was starting to get annoyed.
She had been kindly trying to warn him. If sothing went wrong, it would be his village that suffered. Yet he acted like it was no big deal.
Instead, she was the one getting anxious and flustered. What was up with that?
Konan simply turned to the side, took a deep breath, and bit hard into the grilled fish.
The perfectly crispy texture crackled as it entered her mouth, and a loud crunch echoed in the quiet night.
Konan's eyes lit up.
Aoba asked, "Is it good?"
"Good…", Konan instinctively replied. She had never eaten grilled fish this delicious back in Agakure.
Aoba asked again, "Then is Konan-neesan still angry?"
Konan's expression subtly shifted, then she changed her words, "It's… average."
"Are you being tsundere?"
Crunch!
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
User Comments
0 comments from readers