The Last Calm (Part 2)

"Hmm? Uchiha Mikoto?"

Having just returned from the Hokage Building, Asuka saw Uchiha Mikoto standing in the middle of the street, a grocery basket in hand, staring blankly at the sky as though lost in thought.

Following her gaze upward,

Asuka found nothing worth looking at besides a few white clouds.

"There isn't even a bird in the sky!!" He stared upward for a while longer before grumbling, then pushed open his gate, intending to head home for a proper rest.

Lately, he had either been sealing Tailed Beasts or crossing half the Ninja World to attend the Five Kage Summit. Worse, he had fought the other Kage during the summit, consuming a great deal of ocular power.

Even now, his eyes still ached, and his vision had worsened considerably.

"Asuka-kun!" Just as he was about to close the gate, a gentle voice suddenly came from the street, interrupting him.

Uchiha Mikoto, who had been standing there in a daze, was now walking toward him.

Memories from several days ago surged into his mind like a tide. Looking at her gentle smile, Asuka instinctively took two steps back and asked warily, "Lady Mikoto, is something wrong?"

"Asuka-kun, don't be nervous. I only wanted to ask you a few questions." Uchiha Mikoto smiled as she stepped into the courtyard, then gently shut the gate, cutting off the bustle of the street.

The moment the gate closed, Asuka took another two steps back, the wariness in his eyes deepening. "You don't need to close the gate just to ask some questions, do you? It wouldn't look good if someone saw us."

Bang!!

The instant the gate shut, Mikoto's face darkened, and her voice carried a trace of chill. "Would it look worse than Asuka-kun dragging me off to read an adult magazine?"