"Next, I'll leave her to you, Kurenai."
Watching Kurenai Yuhi tightly embrace Hinata ahead of him, while Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame in the corner of his eye struggled to hold themselves back from rushing forward, Chiba hid the nostalgia and sorrow in his eyes and spoke with a smile.
Come to think of it, Yukina had never been a fragile girl.
She had never needed us to worry about her. If anything, Hirohiko and I had made her worry far more.
That was the thought that passed through Chiba's mind at that moment.
"Thank you, Big Brother Chiba."
At this, Kurenai Yuhi loosened her hold on Hyuga Hinata slightly, nodded at Chiba, and spoke sincerely.
"No need. If I hadn't done this..."
Hearing this, Chiba, seemingly lost in thought, glanced at Kurenai Yuhi and the Hyuga Hinata in her arms, who appeared somewhat drowsy. He smiled as he spoke, but ultimately could not finish his sentence.
Yukina... Sister Yukina?
Hearing that and watching Chiba's reaction, Kurenai Yuhi seemed to understand something immediately. The same thought also flashed through the minds of Kakashi, Asuma, and Might Guy behind her.
That was right...
When all was said and done, Hinata was still Yukina's niece.
And as that thought of Yukina arose, everyone understood.
They all knew what Chiba had been about to say: "Yukina would blame me."
After realizing this, no one spoke. The four teachers fell silent, their eyes revealing the same nostalgia and sorrow Chiba had shown earlier.
Perhaps time could fade many things and make people forget many matters, but without question, for Chiba, Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi, the name Yukina had not faded with the passage of time.
At that moment, perhaps because they had recalled everything about Yukina, or all the chain reactions