"Mom!"
Ziluo rushed into the Violet Flower Shop, wearing a rough, dark green short-sleeved shirt. He grabbed the doorframe and panted heavily.
"What's wrong?"
Yuko put down her needlework and hurriedly asked.
"I heard Brother Hoshino is handing things out at the entrance to the Chiyo Clan! If we don't go now, there won't be anything left!"
As soon as Yuko heard, she grabbed a coat and threw it on. She hurried out before she'd even put it on properly, and as she stepped out of the shop, she didn't forget to remind Xiao Ziluo, "You should call him Lord Hoshino. You stay here and watch the shop. I'll be back soon."
Xiao Ziluo went behind the counter, pulled over a slightly taller stool, and sat down with his chin in his hands. He looked around the flower shop, which barely had any flowers, and wondered what there was to guard.
His sharp, handsome eyes darted around. He jumped off the stool and ran to the middle of the shop, took a deep breath, and dropped into a horse stance.
"Ha! Ha!"
Crack!
A crisp sound came from the direction of Xiao Ziluo's fist. He stared at the broken vase on the floor and nervously swallowed. He hoped Brother Hoshino was handing out enough good stuff this time; otherwise, his backside was going to get a lot more attention.
By the time Yuko arrived, panting heavily, she saw a long, winding line of people that stretched so far she couldn't tell where it ended. If she joined, she probably wouldn't reach the front until late at night.
Yuko began to have second thoughts.
As the war dragged on, security in Sunagakure had grown worse. Yuko was honestly a little afraid to be out alone at night.
But after her husband recovered from his injuries, he'd been reassigned to the Southern Outpost. She and Xiao Ziluo were the only ones at home, so no matter how frightened she was, she had to hold on.
Yuko gritted her teeth and prepared to join the end of the long line. Just as she started over, a gentle voice came from behind her. "Ziluo's mother?"
Yuko turned around and saw Hoshino Maki holding a form, looking at her questioningly.
"So it really is you." Hoshino Maki glanced at the form and smiled. "You don't need to wait in line. Ziying performed well in this war and earned merit as a ninja. I'm in charge of your family's supplies, so come with me."
Yuko hurriedly bowed. "I wouldn't dare presume, Lord Hoshino. Please just call me Madam Ziying or Yuko."
Hoshino Maki scratched his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to call her by name; he'd simply forgotten it. He only remembered that she was Ziluo's mother.
"Madam Ziying, please come with me."
Yuko followed close behind him, walking under the envious gazes of countless people to a registration desk with a much shorter line.
"Kazaguruma, one A-rank supply pack."
"Right away, sir."
Kazaguruma took a receipt from the drawer and hurriedly signed it.
"I'll take you to the warehouse."
Hoshino Maki had never been to the warehouse, but he knew there were tricks to dealing with the people there. If you didn't know how to handle them, they might make things difficult for you. Yuko was a woman who wasn't particularly worldly. It wouldn't do if she were taken advantage of or had her supplies withheld.
He didn't believe that everyone in the Chiyo Clan was like Chiyo, willing to give everything for the village. Greed and petty corruption, and the strong bullying those weaker than them, were the norm among Sunagakure's lower ranks.
Just as he'd expected, the warehouse attendant bowed and scraped when he saw Hoshino Maki, his manner extremely deferential. He had everything prepared in a minute. What's more, he even had someone deliver it to Yuko's home.
When Hoshino Maki had come in, he'd clearly seen a great many people outside, waiting in line under the blazing sun. They wiped the sweat from their brows and craned their necks, waiting to collect their supplies.
Hoshino Maki glanced at the sunflower seed shells scattered across the floor but said nothing. Some things couldn't be changed just by his saying so, and he couldn't stay there watching all the time.
In truth, he hadn't helped Yuko out of a sense of justice or kindness. Her being Aunt Miho's friend accounted for, at most, one-tenth of it. The other nine-tenths was because she was Ziluo's mother, and her son had plenty of potential.
Otherwise, with Ziying's military record—which could hardly be said to exist—he'd be lucky to get the lowest-grade C-rank supply pack. There was no way he'd have received such special treatment.
By the time Yuko returned to the shop, the village's supplies had already arrived ahead of her. Xiao Ziluo lay on top of the pile, grinning foolishly.
"Mom! We're rich!"
At the sound of the door opening, Xiao Ziluo hurriedly held down the supplies and opened his eyes warily. Only after he saw it was his mother did a happy smile spread across his face.
"That's right. We won't have to worry this winter."
In past years, flowers hadn't sold well in winter, and the family had relied entirely on Ziying's income. Money had always been tight, and they'd hardly dared spend any.
Now they had winter clothes, grain, two whole sides of pork, and brand-new ninja tools.
Yuko didn't even know what else they needed to stock up on for winter this year. She decided to write her husband a letter that very night, telling him that thanks to him, the family had enough to eat and wear. He didn't need to send money home anymore; he should spend it on something good for himself.
That evening, Yuko made three dishes, something she'd usually only done when her husband had just returned home.
Two of them were meat dishes. Xiao Ziluo ate until grease covered his mouth, his whole face buried in his bowl.
"Mom, you eat some too."
Xiao Ziluo put a piece of meat in Yuko's bowl, then kept eating with gusto.
Yuko placed the piece of meat back in Xiao Ziluo's bowl and smiled as she shook her head. "It's too greasy. I'd rather eat vegetables. You're practicing Ninjutsu, so you need the extra energy."
Xiao Ziluo put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked at Yuko. He said solemnly, "If you don't eat, then I won't either. When we were at the hospital, I heard the doctor say you were weak and needed to eat more. If you give all the meat to me now, I'll grow up strong and become an outstanding ninja. But if you weren't there behind me then, what would becoming Kazekage mean to me?"
Yuko smiled at her son, who still had a childish face but was earnestly lecturing her as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. She stroked his hair a few times, then took the piece of meat from his bowl and put it in her mouth.
"It's delicious. Really delicious."
When Xiao Ziluo saw his mother eat the meat, a smile returned to his face. He picked up the dish and began dividing the meat.
"One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me. One for you, one for you."
"Xiao Ziluo, no cheating!"
"Hehe!"
Laughter filled the little earthen house, warm and bright.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Land of Hot Springs—a country renowned throughout the world for its beautiful natural scenery and tourism—the people were no longer enjoying their usual leisurely lives.
Yugakure, the "ninja village that had forgotten war," was now in a state of frantic activity. A mountain of intelligence reports was piled up in front of its leader, though in truth, the Cloud Ninja and Konoha ninja operations in the Land of Hot Springs had already become almost public knowledge.
The Land of Hot Springs was a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. Although it had always been on good terms with the Land of Fire, it didn't dare show any preference now.
The Land of Hot Springs hadn't heard the full story of the Land of Lightning's predicament, but as a neighboring country, it had still caught wind of some rumors. Who would dare touch the whiskers of a tiger on the verge of madness? The Land of Lightning could wipe them out in minutes. All they could do was hope it would hurry along and fight Konoha, instead of continuing to prowl around their doorstep.
Thanks to reader 20180830220451935 for the Monthly Ticket!
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