Chapter 89. You Must Go!

Chapter 89. You Must Go!

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"Itachi, I'm full."

"Mm." He nodded calmly, though his chubby cheeks looked adorably soft.

Izumi couldn't resist reaching out to pinch Itachi's cheeks.

Hmm.

Chubby.

Soft.

Very satisfying!

When she noticed Itachi's puzzled eyes staring at her, she awkwardly laughed.

"Uh… there was something dirty on your face," she stammered, then quickly added with a brightened expression, "That's right! You had something on your face, so I cleaned it for you."

"Thank you," Itachi replied with a calm nod, not saying much more, maintaining his usual stoic demeanor.

Even though it was a cold winter day—

The warmth of the hearth was quite comforting.

Curled up, Itachi just wanted to sleep.

At the time—

Itachi: (ˇωˇ」∠)

And then—

Zzz… Zzz… Zzz…

He didn't want to leave.

But in the end, his mother grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out to accompany Izumi. She even handed him… pocket money?

Wasn't that the money he had saved with her?

And today, she gave him a big bill!

Though it was cold outside, there were plenty of delicious things today.

So, Itachi held a grilled rice stick, eating expressionlessly. His puffed cheeks amused Izumi endlessly.

Chubby, but not overly so.

Soft and warm to hold, like a plush doll.

So cute!

But Mom had said kids shouldn't get too chubby.

Izumi hesitated, looking at Itachi, who resembled a little hamster nibbling on his grilled rice stick, and made up her mind: "I have to keep an eye on Itachi!"

This was just the right balance.

He couldn't gain any more weight.

Suddenly—

Just as Izumi resolved herself—

Itachi stopped walking for no apparent reason. Then, to her confusion, he turned around deftly as if trying to slip away.

Izumi was stunned. "What's wrong?"

Before she could get an answer—

"Itachi."

A calm voice called out.

Itachi froze in place, knowing he'd been spotted. He sighed inwardly in defeat.

Sorry, Father. I've been discovered.

Then—

He turned around with a calm demeanor, as if nothing had happened, and obediently said, "Uncle Yuto."

At that moment—

Izumi also noticed the handsome figure and quickly mimicked Itachi, bowing and saying, "Uncle Yuto."

"Two kids on a date, huh? Not bad!" Yuto nodded in satisfaction. He pinched Itachi's cheeks, which were indeed soft and pleasant, and grinned at him. "Little Itachi, why were you trying to run away just now when you saw your uncle?"

"…No reason." Itachi's clear eyes darted around nervously, a bit embarrassed to meet Yuto's gaze. He weakly muttered, "I just… just…" and quickly pointed at a nearby dango shop. "I wanted to eat grilled dango!"

Hearing this, Yuto didn't press further. He smiled knowingly and nodded. "Good! Kids should eat more to grow."

With that, he handed some money to Itachi and gave his cheek another pinch.

Then he walked away with Suzune, who was curiously pinching Itachi's cheek as well, her eyes lighting up more with each squeeze.

Not wanting to disturb the two little ones' "date," Yuto left with a satisfied expression.

Still—

He couldn't help but wonder if his elder brother had said something to chubby little Itachi.

Come on now.

That was his nephew! Would he do anything to harm him?

Yet—

After Yuto and Suzune had gone—

"Are you afraid of Uncle Yuto?" Izumi asked, puzzled by Itachi's earlier attempt to sneak away.

If she remembered correctly—

Wasn't Uncle Yuto Itachi's actual uncle?

However—

Itachi shook his head and calmly said, "No."

He didn't elaborate further, lowering his head to look at the money in his hand. After scratching his head for a moment, he carefully tucked it away.

"I'll give this to Mom later."

Mom had promised to save it for him and give it back when he grew up.

After securing the money, he looked up and said plainly, "The fireworks are about to start."

"Huh?!" Izumi snapped out of her thoughts and quickly grabbed Itachi's hand, exclaiming, "Oh no! I almost forgot! Let's hurry!"

"There's still time; no need to rush," Itachi replied.

But Izumi seemed not to hear him. She anxiously pulled him along, leaving Itachi no choice but to follow.

Soon—

Boom～

The fireworks lit up the sky.

The winter festival was coming to an end.

Two elderly figures, one with hands clasped behind his back, the other reservedly resting their hands on their waist, watched the fireworks with slightly hunched postures.

"Beautiful!"

The old man commented.

The woman next to him glanced at him calmly, nodded without expression, and replied, "Yes."

It was indeed beautiful.

Not far from them—

Yuto watched the fireworks as well. Glancing at Suzune, who silently admired the display, he allowed a slight smile to form before turning back to the night sky.

When the fireworks ended—

He couldn't help but stretch lazily, sighing contentedly.

"It's over."

"Mm," Suzune responded softly.

After watching the two elderly figures walk away, Yuto and Suzune headed home as well.

And so, a peaceful evening came to an end.

Though—

When he dropped Suzune off at the Hyuga clan's gates, he received a small gift.

A simple yet heartwarming winter festival.

It had concluded.

…

The next day.

Yuto, wearing a red scarf, arrived at the milk tea shop.

"Boss, there's a package for you!" Sato called out to him. "It's from outside the village."

"???" Yuto looked curiously at the delicate paper bag. "What is it?"

"...I don't know." Sato hesitated for a moment, glanced at his boss's scarf, and decided to play it safe. "Boss, you should check for yourself!"

With that, he quickly handed over the package.

Still puzzled, Yuto gave the bag a light squeeze. Judging by the packaging, it was likely sent from the Land of Rain through a courier.

Did those three kids send it?

A gift for him?

Not bad!

The kids were growing up! It felt soft, like fabric, to the touch.

Feeling a bit sentimental, he opened the package.

When he saw what was inside, he froze.

This...

He already had one.

And it was also red.

He could already guess who sent it. Just as he was about to take it out—

"Yuto," a soft, delicate voice called from behind him, "did someone send you a gift?"

Startled, Yuto flinched.

But he quickly regained his composure.

It's just the secretary seeing her boss receiving a gift—nothing suspicious about that.

He straightened up and smiled slightly as he tucked the bag away. "It's nothing!"

After a short break, it was time to get back to work.

Boss Yuto was a busy man.

...

In the blink of an eye, some time had passed since the Winter Festival.

The war, however, raged on.

A few days later—

Fugaku led the clan members to the battlefield.

There were reports of suspicious movements from Sunagakure, so vigilance was necessary.

Perhaps because the last raid to take the 600 million ryo had cost Sunagakure a significant number of ninjas, their situation seemed unstable.

This instability, combined with increased aggression from Iwagakure, escalated the tension of the war.

Meanwhile—

At Kannabi Bridge—

Iwagakure forces launched a relentless assault on Konoha, forcing Konoha's defenders down to just four people.

The situation for Konoha was dire.

To cut off Iwagakure's supply line, Kakashi and his team had to destroy the bridge.

However—

An unexpected incident occurred during the mission.

Their teammate, Rin, was captured!

"Prioritize the mission!" Kakashi said coldly, glaring at Obito. "Only a foolish ninja abandon their missions at a time like this!"

"Bang!"

Obito punched him directly, his eyes blazing with anger. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum… But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum! I believe the White Fang of Konoha was a true hero!"

Though I gave up, I will ensure Rin's happiness.

"You..." Kakashi stared at Obito, momentarily stunned. His heart wavered before he regained his composure. "Idiot!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?!" Obito raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously not going?"

"No!"

"You must go!"

"Why?" Kakashi rolled his eyes, his tone flat. "I'm a ninja!"

"Hmph!" Obito formed the Tiger Seal with his hands, smirking coldly. "If you don't go, I'll challenge you every single day!"

Hearing this—

Kakashi: ...

His lips twitched, and his legs tightened slightly.

This guy was truly insufferable!