Without You Behind Me, What's the Point of Becoming the Wind Shadow?

"Mom!"

Inside the Violet Flower Shop, Ziluo, dressed in a rough, dark green short-sleeved shirt, rushed in, leaning against the doorframe and gasping for breath.

"What's wrong?"

Yuko put down her needlework and asked anxiously.

"I heard Brother Hoshino is giving out supplies at the Chiyo Clan entrance. If we don't go now, there won't be any left!"

Upon hearing this, Yuko grabbed a jacket, threw it on without properly wearing it, and hurried out. As she stepped out of the flower shop, she reminded Xiao Ziluo, "You must call him Lord Hoshino. You stay here and watch the shop. Mom will be back soon."

Xiao Ziluo walked behind the counter, pulled over a slightly taller stool, and sat down. He propped his chin on his hands, looking at the flower shop, which didn't have many flowers. He wondered what needed guarding.

His sword-browed, starry-eyed gaze flickered. He jumped off the stool and ran to the middle of the shop, took a deep breath, and assumed a horse stance.

"Ha! Ha!"

Crack--!

A crisp sound came from the direction of Xiao Ziluo's fist. Xiao Ziluo looked at the shattered pieces of the flower vase on the ground, swallowed nervously, and hoped that the supplies Brother Hoshino was giving out would be generous enough. Otherwise, his backside would be in for a generous spanking.

By the time Yuko arrived, out of breath, she saw a long, winding snake of people stretching who knew how far. She figured it would be late at night by the time it was her turn.

Yuko's heart began to waver.

As the war progressed, the security in Sunagakure was deteriorating. Yuko felt a bit scared to be alone at night.

However, her husband had been transferred to the Southern Outpost after recovering from his injuries. With only her and Xiao Ziluo at home, she had to be brave, no matter how scared she was.

Yuko gritted her teeth and prepared to stand at the end of the long line. Just as she was walking over, a gentle voice sounded behind her, "Ziluo's mother?"

Yuko turned around and saw Hoshino Maki holding a form, looking at her with a questioning gaze.

"It really is you," Hoshino Maki said with a smile after glancing at the form. "You don't need to queue here. Ziying performed excellently in this war and is considered a meritorious ninja. I'm in charge of your family's supplies. Come with me."

Yuko quickly bowed. "Please don't mention it, Lord Hoshino. You can just call me Madam Ziying or Yuko."

Hoshino Maki scratched his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he had forgotten her name, only remembering she was Ziluo's mother.

"Madam Ziying, please follow me."

Yuko walked step by step, under countless envious gazes, to a registration point with a short queue.

"Kazaguruma, one A-rank supply package."

"Understood, sir."

Kazaguruma took out a voucher from a drawer and quickly signed it.

"I'll take you to the warehouse."

Hoshino Maki hadn't been to the warehouse himself, but he knew it was a place with its own rules. If one wasn't savvy, they might be given a hard time. Yuko, as a woman with little guile, might be taken advantage of or have her supplies held up there.

He didn't believe that everyone in the Chiyo Clan was like Chiyo, willing to sacrifice everything for the village. Bribery, extortion, and the strong bullying the weak were the norm at the bottom of Sunagakure.

The warehouse supervisor, upon seeing Hoshino Maki, immediately became obsequious, his attitude extremely respectful. Within a minute, all the supplies were packed. Not only that, but he also arranged for someone to deliver them to Yuko's home.

When Hoshino Maki had entered, he had clearly seen many people queuing outside under the scorching sun, wiping sweat and craning their necks, waiting to collect their supplies.

Hoshino Maki glanced at the ground littered with melon seed shells but said nothing. Some things couldn't be changed just by him saying a word, and he couldn't stay there to watch all the time.

In fact, his help wasn't out of a sense of justice or kindness. The fact that she was a friend of Aunt Miho accounted for at most ten percent. The remaining ninety percent was because she was Ziluo's mother, and his son had enough potential.

Otherwise, given Ziying's military achievements, which could be considered significant or not, getting even the lowest-grade C-rank supply package would be a stroke of luck. How could she receive such treatment?

By the time Yuko returned to the flower shop, the supplies distributed by the village had already arrived ahead of her. Xiao Ziluo was lying on the pile of supplies, giggling foolishly.

"Mom! We're rich now!"

Hearing the gate open, Xiao Ziluo quickly pressed down on the supplies and opened his eyes vigilantly. Seeing that it was his mother, he broke into a happy smile.

"Yes, we won't have to worry about this winter anymore."

In previous winters, flowers didn't sell well, and the family relied entirely on her husband Ziying's income. They lived frugally and dared not spend money.

Now, winter clothes, food, two slabs of pork, and brand-new ninja tools...

Yuko didn't even know what to stock up on for the winter. She decided to write a letter to her husband that very night, telling him that their family had enough to eat and wear thanks to him, and that he didn't need to send money home anymore. She told him to eat well himself.

That evening, Yuko, uncharacteristically, cooked three dishes. In the past, this was a treat only reserved for when her husband returned home.

Moreover, two of the dishes were meat. Xiao Ziluo ate with his face smeared with oil, his entire face buried in his bowl.

"Mom, you eat too."

Xiao Ziluo put a piece of meat on Yuko's plate and continued to eat heartily.

Yuko put the piece of meat back onto Xiao Ziluo's plate and smiled, shaking her head. "It's too greasy. I still prefer vegetables. You're practicing ninjutsu, and you need to replenish your energy."

Xiao Ziluo put down his chopsticks, looked at Yuko, and said solemnly, "If you don't eat, then I won't eat either. When I was in the hospital, I heard the doctor say that your body is weak and you should eat more nutritious food. Now you're giving all the meat to me. I'll eat and become strong, and become a top-tier ninja in the future. But if you're not behind me then, what's the point even if I become the Kazekage?"

Looking at her son, whose face was full of childish innocence yet spoke to her like a little adult, Yuko smiled. She stroked his hair a few times, then took the piece of meat from his bowl and put it into her mouth.

"Delicious, truly delicious."

Seeing his mother eat the meat, Xiao Ziluo's face lit up again. He picked up the plate with the meat and began to distribute it.

"You take one piece, I take one piece, you take one piece, I take one piece, you take one piece, you take one piece."

"Xiao Ziluo, no slacking!"

"Hee hee~"

Inside the small earthen house, the laughter of mother and son was warm and pleasant.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in the Land of Hot Springs, a country world-renowned for its beautiful natural environment and tourist resources was not enjoying its usual leisure.

The Yugakure, a ninja village that had forgotten war, was in a state of frantic disarray. Intelligence reports piled up like a small mountain before the leader, but in reality, the actions of Cloud Ninja and Konoha ninja within the Land of Hot Springs had already become semi-public.

As a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, the Land of Hot Springs, despite its good relations with the Land of Fire, dared not show any favoritism at this time.

Although the predicament of the Land of Lightning had not spread throughout the ninja world, as a neighboring country, the Land of Hot Springs had caught wind of it. How could they dare to touch the whiskers of this tiger on the verge of madness? It would only take minutes to destroy themselves. They only wished for the Land of Lightning to finish its fight with Konoha quickly and stop lingering around their doorstep.

Thanks to @书友20180830220451935 for the monthly ticket!