Sure enough, a whole group had been waiting for me.
I just hadn't expected them to bring all their students along.
As those gentle, wistful words left him, the Silver Moon Black Robe looked at the scene, not all that different from what he had imagined, and felt quite surprised.
But...
It really had been a long time.
Looking at Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi ahead of him, the Silver Moon Black Robe felt even more nostalgia than he had thought possible upon seeing them. Even though he had long known what the three of them looked like after growing up, he still had the feeling that everyone has changed so much. I can't see even a trace of what they used to be.
Beneath his hood, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a wistful smile.
Perhaps some things truly never changed. Although they had not seen each other for more than a decade, the moment he truly saw them, even those he had not interacted with much, a sense of familiarity arose within him—a warmth from the depths of his heart. It was as if, upon seeing them, he, who had thought himself homeless, had suddenly found where he belonged.
It really had been a long time.
In the end, all the feelings that came after their reunion condensed into that sigh that seemed to surge from the depths of his heart.
Then came silence.
Less than ten meters apart, none of the four spoke: the Silver Moon Black Robe, who had said those words; Kurenai Yuhi, standing before her students and slowly straightening from her defensive, protective posture; Asuma Sarutobi, who took out the cigarette he had put away, fumbled for his lighter, then could only put it back again with a faint smile; and Kakashi,