Yakiniku Q Gathering

Higashino Shin followed the Two Little Ones into the private booth at Yakiniku Q and spotted his parents.

Also seated at the table were a man and a woman, all four around the same age, chatting cheerfully over drinks. The main dishes hadn't arrived yet, only a few Appetizers.

Higashino Jiro took one look at Hayate and Yugao's Flushed Faces and asked, "Shin, did you bully them?"

"You worry too much, Father. How could I do something so rude?"

Hayate Gekko and Uzuki Yugao kept their heads down, too afraid to meet the adults' eyes, which made them look exactly like they'd been picked on.

The adults didn't mind; kids roughhousing was normal.

"Good to hear. Come, let me introduce you. These are Uncle Uzuki Yuwa and Aunt Uzuki Sakura. They're old classmates of your mother and me. Yuwa and I were also teammates, and we came back together this time."

So it was a Sakura, but with Purple Hair.

Given the surname, these must be Uzuki Yugao's parents.

Higashino Shin obediently bowed to the two adults seated across from him. "Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunt. My name is Higashino Shin. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me."

Uzuki Sakura: "What a polite and beautiful child, Megumi. He looks just like you."

Higashino Megumi: "He really does resemble me."

Uzuki Yuwa's hair color was similar to Higashino Shin's. In Konoha, Dark Brown Hair was fairly common, but black was the most prevalent; all sorts of Colorful Hair Colors were the minority.

He smiled warmly, gesturing for the Three Little Ones to sit down, while sizing up Higashino Shin with curiosity. "Jiro, is this your and Megumi's child? He seems quite Steady and Reliable."

"Steady, sure, but way too unlovable."

Uzuki Yuwa laughed heartily. "Isn't steadiness a good thing? It saves you worry. If you had a kid running around causing trouble All Day, you'd know what a headache is."

"That's true, and it does save his mother and me trouble. Shin never causes problems; he barely even goes out. That's why I asked you to bring Yugao and Hayate today—I hope he can make some Friends of the Same Age."

Just then, the Waiter started bringing out the dishes, and the grill on the table began to heat up.

Yakiniku Q's food was really good, and Higashino Shin couldn't stop eating. The adults had a few bites before switching to drinking, while he kept devouring everything in sight.

Hayate Gekko watched him with envy; due to his health, his appetite had never been strong.

In his Previous Life, Higashino Shin had been fine, but now he was a full-on carnivore. After all, to build a strong body, meat, eggs, and milk were essential.

Anyone preaching vegetarianism was either taking dirty money or pushing pure heresy.

After a few drinks, Uzuki Yuwa glanced at Higashino Shin again. "That calm, composed demeanor reminds me of a senior's child. Too bad that kid's become so unpleasant now."

Higashino Megumi: "You mean Kakashi, right? He fights to the death on missions and gets injured often. I've seen him at the hospital several times this year. His aura is way too cold."

Higashino Jiro: "That kid... he's a real Genius. He became a Chunin at six, same age as me. Probably last year's incident hit him too hard."

Uzuki Yuwa nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what a shame about White Fang. I used to go on missions under him. He always looked out for us Juniors, even taught me swordsmanship. He was a respectable senior."

At that point, maybe the alcohol was getting to him. He slammed his cup hard on the table, raising his voice. "I don't get what the higher-ups were thinking. If a mission fails, punish him according to the rules—why let those rumors spread through the village?

And that Bastard who blamed White Fang—he saved his life by failing the mission, and the guy bit the hand that fed him. Good thing he killed himself. If he hadn't, I'd never have let him off."

Uzuki Sakura frowned, glanced outside the booth, then glared at her husband. "Yuwa, watch your words. This isn't something we can discuss."

Higashino Megumi also urged, "Yuwa, that matter is over. The village has banned it. Don't bring trouble on yourself.

Besides, the kids are here. Don't let them hear about this too early."

The two men fell silent, then each sighed, clinked glasses, and downed their drinks, dropping the topic.

Higashino Shin kept eating his grilled meat while tuning into the adults' conversation.

He knew about Kakashi's ordeal—it happened in August last year. The village had been flooded with rumors, sparking heated debates.

It started with the mission failure causing huge losses to the Land of Fire and Konoha, then spiraled into a debate over whether completing the mission or saving a Comrade's life mattered more.

Both sides had supporters, and the arguments raged on, growing fiercer.

No one cared who started the rumors anymore, but letting the debate continue was clearly shaking the ideological foundation of Konoha's existence.

After all, Konoha's core philosophy was the Will of Fire. Abandoning a Comrade's life for a mission went against it.

But the idea that a Ninja lived for the mission, that the mission came first, was deeply ingrained.

The two were completely contradictory.

Which was more important? Without changing the overall mindset of the Shinobi World, it was an unsolvable question with no answer.

In the end, White Fang committed suicide, the village issued a ban, and no one was allowed to discuss it.

The matter was hastily closed.

The surviving Ninjas bottled up their thoughts and went back to their lives, doing what they had to. Only Kakashi changed from then on—everything revolved around the mission, cold and ruthless, indifferent to his Teammates' lives, becoming that unpleasant person everyone avoided.

After a few more drinks to wash down the indignation, Uzuki Yuwa suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Shin and my Yugao turn five next year. What do you think—should they enroll early with Hayate?"

Higashino Megumi and Uzuki Sakura pondered this. Both had confidence in their children's talent, so enrolling a year early wasn't out of the question.

But Higashino Jiro was firmly against it. "Yuwa, old pal, we both just got back from the border. You know the situation—who knows when war will break out?

Enrolling a year early means getting dragged into it a year sooner. They're too young. Let them grow up properly. We'll take the front line."

"You have a point, haha. The title of genius is too heavy, and getting an early taste of killing isn't a good thing. Drink up, drink up."

After that, the two began sharing amusing stories from the border, steering clear of sensitive topics until the meal ended.

At the crossroads, everyone waved goodbye and headed home to sleep.

Uzuki Yugao suddenly asked, "Makoto, where do you usually go to play?"

The little girl was born in November, and Higashino Makoto, being over seven months older than her, was perfectly fine being called "Brother."

"Training and studying at home. I rarely go out."

"Then can Hayate Brother and I come find you to play sometimes?"

Higashino Makoto glanced at his parents' expectant expressions and nodded. "Sure."

Satisfied with the answer, both families smiled and led their children home. It seemed they hoped the bond between the older generation would carry on through their kids.

On the way back, Higashino Makoto asked, "Were you and Hayate's parents classmates too?"

Higashino Jiro chuckled and ruffled his son's dog head. "No, just friends. Senior Student Yun Jian was two years ahead of us. But the Hayate Clan and the Uzuki Clan are old family friends, both skilled in Konoha Style Swordsmanship. Their relationship is very close, and the juniors from both families train together."

"Oh, but Hayate doesn't seem very healthy."

Higashino Megumi said, "Congenital. He inherited it from his late mother. It's a shame—I've heard that boy has great talent in swordsmanship, but his body holds him back completely."

Higashino Jiro added, "That's why, Makoto, a strong body is the foundation of everything. Never forget that."

"Got it, Father."

He didn't need the reminder for something like that.

A healthy body was a ninja's true capital, after all.