Lifelong Partner

Running along the main road of the Land of Fire, Shuichi felt that everyone being so quiet was not a good thing.

As the leader of the team, it was his responsibility to cultivate and guide the younger generation, so he took the initiative to start chatting and joking around, smiling as he said to Itachi:

"You've been doing well lately, kid. The other seniors are all praising you, so you haven't tarnished my reputation."

"I noticed you're lacking in one-hit kill techniques during this battle. I'll teach you Wind Release: Nature Transformation when we get back. Also, there's a little gift for you!"

Yūhi Kurenai understood Shuichi's thoughts and jokingly added, "Itachi-kun is already very strong. You have to admit that some geniuses are born with extraordinary abilities."

"With your advanced teaching, I'm afraid it won't be long before Tatsuki and I are no match for him." She continued in a teasing tone, "To be honest, when you were instructing us back then, didn't you think we were all too stupid? We practiced for ages and still couldn't get it right."

"How could that be? Your learning progress is actually quite fast." Shuichi laughed it off. In fact, that was true, but he couldn't say it out loud, or his girlfriend would probably pinch him again.

Although Itachi was just a child, he could guess that his teacher and Kurenai were worried about him developing psychological trauma.

Although I didn't actively participate in the conversation, I felt much more relaxed. In my calm state, a sudden thought struck me, and I noticed many unusual things that had happened in the past.

"Senior Hong has been visiting the teacher's house much more frequently in recent months... Not only that, but there have also been several times when they've gone on missions together, perhaps..."

Shuichi himself didn't reveal any "flaws," but Kurenai's changes were particularly noticeable to the perceptive Itachi.

He hadn't paid attention to this before, but after observing it for a moment, he realized that her conversation with Shuichi felt completely different from before. It might be more accurate to describe it as "flirting" that children couldn't understand.

Romance is too far removed from Itachi's life right now, but his intuition tells him the right thing to do: give them as much personal space as possible. "Looks like I'll have to be more careful when I go to my teacher's house in the future."

It just goes to show that women are emotional creatures. Hong thought no one had noticed her relationship with Shuichi, but little did she expect that even an 8-year-old child could see through it on the spot...

After two days of travel, the three saw the Konoha Gate at dusk one day Uchiha Itachi, being quite cunning this time, very tactfully took the initiative to speak:

"Teacher, Senior Kurenai, I'll be leaving now if there's nothing else. Sasuke is still waiting for me at home."

Kurenai was initially considering whether to leave with Shuichi, but now that Itachi had left, she silently followed Shuichi to the Hokage Building.

The report to the Third Hokage didn't elicit much of a reaction, something Shuichi had anticipated. If he hadn't personally taken charge, a B-rank or C-rank mission wouldn't have needed to reach the Hokage at all.

If he had to report everything to Sarutobi Hiruzen, he'd be working himself to the bone.

Moreover, there have been many demons and monsters similar to the Jashin Cult throughout history. They have no impact on the interests of the Land of Fire, nor have they actively provoked Konoha. Why waste energy to eliminate these small forces that only dare to cause trouble in secret?

Shuichi came out of the Hokage's Office, where Kurenai was already waiting at the door. The two quickly walked side by side toward the Yūhi family home.

As dusk fell, two elongated shadows almost touched; the streets were not crowded at this time.

Red glanced around nervously, and finding no one she knew, she quietly took Shuichi's hand. The response she received was that he squeezed her hand even tighter, and their fingers occasionally flicked against each other, like little insects chasing and playing.

Even though we slowed down as much as possible and tacitly took a few extra streets, time seemed to pass exceptionally quickly, and it felt like we arrived at our Yūhi residence in the blink of an eye.

As we rounded the last street corner, perhaps by sheer coincidence, a figure appeared on the opposite side of the street, stopping in its tracks upon seeing the two of them.

Shuichi suddenly stopped, and Hong, sensing his reaction, instinctively looked up and immediately released his grip in a panic, crying out, "Father!"

"Uncle, good afternoon..." Shuichi said somewhat awkwardly. He had been caught red-handed flirting with someone else's daughter, so he couldn't just turn around and run away.

Yūhi Shinkō was initially surprised, but in the blink of an eye, a meaningful smile appeared on her stern face.

"I can't believe it! When did they start talking? They kept it from me for so long!"

"Oh, it's Shuichi. It's lunchtime, why don't you stay and eat with us today?"

Shuichi quickly regained his composure. Given their relationship, refusing again would be rude. "Well then, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Upon entering the Yūhi residence, Mrs. Yūhi greeted them with an unusually expressive face. While entertaining Shuichi, she asked with a gossipy smile, "You two are dating, aren't you? No wonder Kurenai has been staring out the window lately; it turns out you've found someone you like!"

"Mother!"

Embarrassed by her exposed secret Yūhi Kurenai stamped her foot and quickly walked into the house.

Shuichi had already calmed down and shamelessly replied, "We've been together for a few months now, and I was the one who pursued her. She's really understanding, and the time I spent with her was the happiest time of my life."

The Mr. and Mrs. Yūhi were overjoyed to hear this. The situation was now very favorable, and they were able to "bring" this most outstanding young man in the Shinobi World into their possession. Their daughter was unexpectedly amazing!

The atmosphere between the two immediately became harmonious. "Bring on some good dishes tonight; it's rare for Shuichi to come all this way."

"No need for you to tell me, just wait, it'll be ready soon..."

Thanks to Mrs. Yūhi's energetic efforts, the dining table was soon filled with plates of different sizes, and the various exquisite foods looked incredibly tempting.

When the meal officially started, only Hong looked like she was in prison, while the other three chatted enthusiastically, with her being the center of the conversation.

Although Shuichi didn't understand what was there to be shy about, he was happy to enjoy her appearance.

After a few rounds of drinks, the food had been almost completely cleared away. Mrs. Yūhi was talking to Shuichi about the red matter while simultaneously kicking her husband under the table, trying to get him to speak up.

"Cough, cough..." Yūhi Shinkō coughed twice to indicate that she had something to say.

Seeing that the young man and woman opposite him were looking over, he asked tentatively and slowly, "I thought you two had only known each other for a short time, but it turns out it's been almost half a year. What are your plans for the future?"

"Future?"

Shuichi and Kurenai exchanged a puzzled glance, while Mrs. Yūhi, standing nearby, nearly drove herself crazy with anxiety. She could only roll her eyes at her husband before flashing a gentle smile.

"Oh, of course it's about getting married and starting a family. You two practically grew up together, you know each other like the back of your hand."

We are very satisfied with Shuichi's character, and since you two get along so well, we should definitely finalize the marriage arrangements as soon as possible."

Shuichi was somewhat taken aback. He had been surprised not long ago that Ishikawa Tatsuki was planning to get married next year, but he never expected that he would have the opportunity to overtake him.

However, he quickly realized that this was not the environment of late marriage and childbearing that he had lived in before.

In a chaotic world, with frequent wars, getting married early was perfectly normal; many people had children by Shuichi's age.

Furthermore, ninjas' emotions differ from those of ordinary people; the concept of breaking up is practically nonexistent. Their profession demands rationality and composure, and without spending a considerable amount of time together, they simply cannot open their hearts to each other.

If two people can still get together under such circumstances, they must have truly committed to each other and find it very difficult to accept anyone else in this lifetime.

Thinking about all this, Shuichi realized that he was already deeply marked as a "ninja," and he probably wouldn't be able to entrust his life to any other woman he met.

Under the watchful gaze of his Mrs. Yūhi, who was also looking down and glancing sideways, he firmly replied, "That's what I think too, but I hope we can officially get married a few years later."

Seeing that the entire Yūhi family was looking over, Shuichi grabbed Kurenai's hand and said, "She has worked hard for many years to become an excellent ninja, and I don't want her to have any regrets in the future."

We can arrange the engagement first, and then get married when we're both of a better age.

The reason why female ninjas active on the front lines of battle are so rare is because of this drawback: once they get married, they probably won't be able to wield a sword anymore.

Female ninjas responsible for medical care, sealing, and logistics can still contribute, while female ninjas who make a living from fighting can only retire from the ninja stage after having a child.

Pregnancy, recuperation, being a good wife, raising children... after all this, years of honing skills are wasted, and the strength of Jonin might even drop to below the Chunin level, making the mortality rate of going into battle extremely high.

Hearing his words, Hong was no longer shy. She felt deeply grateful for his thoughtfulness and could only hold Shuichi's hand tightly to express her gratitude. At the same time, she looked at her parents without saying a word, tacitly acknowledging that this was also her own idea.

Yūhi Shinkō approved of their decision. It was a win-win situation: their daughter could enjoy her youth freely and also solidify her relationship.

Only Mrs. Yūhi believed that ninjas were too dangerous and wanted her to settle down as soon as possible, but the vote was now 3 to 1, and the opposition suffered a complete defeat...