Under the eaves, the old man dozed in the sunlight.
Suddenly, Uchiha Tunan's gentle voice came from inside the house.
"Grandpa, were you a ninja too?"
The old man opened his eyes, shook his head, and became a little more alert as he subconsciously replied,
"Hmph. Have you heard of the Sango Clan?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed to remember something.
He stared blankly at the flowers and grass in the courtyard, looking somewhat lonely as he said,
"You probably haven't, because I'm the only one left now.
The Sango Clan was once a renowned samurai clan in ancient times.
Later, as ninjas rose to prominence, the Sango Clan became a ninja clan as well.
But during the Warring States era, so many clan members died that only a scattered few remained.
By the time the First Hokage established Konoha, I was the only member of the entire Sango Clan left.
Not long after that, the First Shinobi World War broke out, and my whole family went to the battlefield.
That was when my legs were crippled, and my son and wife died too."
Once old people started talking, they could not stop.
By the time the old man stopped, he realized that he seemed to have said a little too much.
Yet Uchiha Tunan did not mind in the slightest. Instead, he asked curiously through the wall,
"You must have been very strong back then, right?"
The old man raised a brow and said with slight pride,
"Of course. I used to be an Anbu squad captain.
I led teams on S-rank missions.
It's just a pity..."
The old man lightly patted his paralyzed legs.
"War is just that cruel..."
Inside the house, Uchiha Tunan placed the last piece of clutter into the cabinet.
Sunlight poured through the window behind him, making it impossible to see his expression clearly.
Uchiha Tunan slowly rose to his feet, picked up a handkerchief, and headed toward the bathroom.
The clutter had been cleared away. Now, he needed to wipe off the dust.
But when Uchiha Tunan opened the bathroom door, the sight before him made him frown slightly.
Filth was everywhere in the bathroom, and the toilet had been clogged for who knew how long.
An indescribable stench wafted out, stinging his eyes slightly.
Based on the old man's earlier behavior, Uchiha Tunan roughly guessed why such a miser had still hired a ninja to clean.
Just then, the old man rolled his wheelchair up behind Uchiha Tunan and coughed guiltily.
"Ahem, kid, abandoning a mission will leave a record on your file."
Uchiha Tunan turned around and smiled with narrowed eyes. "Do you not have a plunger at home?"
"No." The old man shook his head.
Uchiha Tunan nodded and bowed. "Please wait a moment."
With that, he walked out into the courtyard.
Before long, Uchiha Tunan returned with tools under the old man's uneasy gaze.
Without any regard for the filth in the bathroom, he lowered his head and began cleaning.
As the old man watched Uchiha Tunan diligently clean the bathroom without complaint, a trace of guilt flashed through his eyes.
After Uchiha Tunan finished cleaning the bathroom, he stood up and began wiping the dust off the furniture.
Throughout the entire process, Uchiha Tunan maintained a focused expression.
He even took a small brush from his shirt pocket when dealing with small items, carefully brushing away every speck of dust.
The old man swore that he had never seen anyone put so much care into household chores.
It was practically art.
By noon, Uchiha Tunan had wiped the floor for the third time.
After spraying perfume throughout the house, he respectfully approached the old man, bowed with both hands resting on his knees, and said,
"I've finished cleaning. Please inspect it."
Seeing that Uchiha Tunan's originally neat and clean white shirt had become wrinkled and discolored, the old man felt increasingly guilty.
"You... did very well."
Uchiha Tunan smiled faintly and handed over the Mission Scroll and a pen at the same time.
"Then please sign the Mission Scroll."
The old man readily signed his name, then hesitated for a moment.
He took out the two thousand ryo Kakashi had paid earlier from his clothes, pain flashing in his eyes.
He forcibly stuffed the money and the Mission Scroll into Uchiha Tunan's hands.
"This two thousand ryo is your tip. Hurry up and go."
"Grandpa, you're such a kind person. I'll thank you on Kakashi's behalf."
A sunshine-like smile spread across Uchiha Tunan's face as he left the courtyard and headed for the Hokage Building to submit the mission.
After Uchiha Tunan left, the old man wheeled himself into the bedroom and took a photo frame from the bedside table.
Inside the frame was a happy family of three.
The old man stretched out a trembling hand and gently stroked the frame.
"If Juwan hadn't died, he'd probably have great-grandchildren by now, as well-behaved as that little fellow."
The old man let out a long sigh, placed the photo frame back in the bedside table, and turned toward the kitchen.
When he opened the refrigerator, there were only a few rice balls left over from that morning.
Ever since his family died, the old man had become increasingly withdrawn.
On top of that, he was a notorious miser, so the neighbors around him were unwilling to associate with him.
The old man took two rice balls from the refrigerator and held them in his hands, intending to eat them after they thawed on their own.
"I'll have to go out again this afternoon." The old man sighed and leaned against the back of his wheelchair, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Growl~"
At this hour, most villagers had returned home to eat.
Outside was silent, save for a few scattered birdcalls.
The old man leaned against the back of his wheelchair, his eyes half-closed as he drifted into a light doze.
Time passed little by little.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
After an unknown amount of time, a sudden knock sounded at the door.
The old man's eyelids fluttered a few times before he finally woke up and called out in a low voice,
"Who is it?"
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The old man frowned, pushed his wheelchair to the door with one hand, and opened it.
The moment the door opened, warm sunlight streamed in.
Uchiha Tunan stood there with ingredients in both hands and a smile as warm as the early spring sun. He said gently,
"While I was cleaning earlier, I noticed that there wasn't any food in your refrigerator.
I figured it was inconvenient for you to go grocery shopping, so I bought some for you."
The old man froze for a moment, then shook his head. "Thank you, kid, but I don't need these things."
After all, with his legs inconvenient, it was extremely difficult for him to prepare a proper meal. Usually, he simply ate a few rice balls.
Whenever he wanted meat, he would wrap some preserved meat inside a rice ball.
Uchiha Tunan glanced at the old man's legs and said gently,
"I've already bought it, and it would be wasteful not to eat it.
How about I cook for you? I'm the only one left in my family anyway.
We can eat together. That way, I'll have someone to keep me company too."
The old man looked slightly moved, clearly somewhat tempted.
"Do as you like."
Uchiha Tunan smiled faintly, walked inside, and casually took the rice balls from the old man's hands before tossing them into the trash.
"These rice balls aren't nutritious. You shouldn't eat them."
With that, he went to the kitchen, tied an apron around his waist, and began cooking.
He lit the fire and added oil.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
The sound of chopping vegetables rang out rhythmically.
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