Opposite-Sex Friends

Kagami scolded her not to do anything underhanded, but Juri just snorted, saying she was only asking.

"However, as a ninja, no matter what means you use, as long as the mission succeeds, that's all that matters. If there is a possibility, one should consider every method."

"That may be true, but it still feels wrong somehow."

Watching Juri puff out her small chest with pride, Sakumo offered a helpless, bitter smile.

"That's how it is, everyone. I'm counting on you. Now, I have to go discuss the Chunin Selection Exam with the Hokage, so I'll be heading off first. The money is on the table."

Kagami placed the money for all four of them on the table, stood up, and left.

As expected of a Jonin, his financial situation seemed quite good; whenever the four of them gathered, it was almost always Kagami who paid the bill.

It was a huge help—this was the heartfelt sentiment of Diejian, who bore the sorrow of having to "pay tribute" to Tsunade and Yamanaka Ina.

"Well then, shall we go train for the Chunin Selection Exam?"

"Ah. I thought this was a meeting for our next mission, so I scheduled something else afterward... Sorry!"

Diejian tossed a dessert into his mouth, washed it down with a gulp of water, and suggested the three of them train together.

But Sakumo apologized and refused, hurrying away from his seat.

Stunned by this unexpected and rapid reaction, Diejian watched Sakumo leave, dumbfounded, and muttered a lonely, "What the..."

That guy has really been acting cold lately, Diejian thought, turning his gaze toward Juri, who was poking at her dessert with a toothpick as if none of this concerned her.

For some reason, the person who had grown close to Juri wasn't Diejian, who had the most entanglements with her, but rather Sakumo.

Despite their terrible start, Juri actually had the best relationship with Sakumo.

"Juri, do you know something?"

"Hmph. Of course, because we're a team. Oh? Don't tell me, Senju? You, of all people, don't even know this? You don't know? Fu-ha, fu-ha, fu-ha!"

Just as expected, Juri leaned back, looking down at Diejian with a mocking laugh.

Tormented day and night by the regret of his best friend being snatched away, and the frustration of being defeated by both the sharp-tongued Juri and the friend who had gotten close to her first, Diejian was left speechless by her smug mockery.

"Well, if you really want to know that badly, I suppose I could tell you."

Laughing so hard she couldn't catch her breath, Juri wore a wicked grin, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Before the angry Diejian could open his mouth to refuse, Juri seemed to interpret the situation on her own, moving her nimble lips to say, "What a useless guy. That's why the Senju are hopeless."

Diejian narrowed his eyes in frustration.

★

"Is this really okay? Doing something like this."

"Senju, don't play the good guy now. You were clearly eager to come along, so stop saying such things, you idiot."

Diejian and Juri lowered their voices, skulking sneakily in the shade of a tree.

Diejian used the stealth techniques taught to him personally by Tobirama over the last two years, while Juri used the stealth techniques taught by Kagami, keeping a close eye on their target.

The target shook his thick silver hair, wearing long sleeves and trousers in this sweltering heat, glancing toward the clock tower from time to time.

"Is she really coming? This isn't a lie, is it?"

"Hmph. A man who cannot accept reality is truly pathetic. Are you really that bitter about being beaten to the punch by Sakumo?"

Juri's words were infuriating, but since they were the objective truth, Diejian had no retort.

"Hey Senju, looks like she's here."

"Let me see. Oh? Is that..."

A young girl was seen running toward the silver-haired boy—Sakumo.

Her white dress stood out brilliantly in the midsummer light, and the girl wore battle makeup on her face.

She was a classmate of Diejian's, a girl from the Inuzuka clan.

"Ah, those two... are they, are they in that kind of relationship?"

To summarize the rumors Juri had been spreading earlier: "Spring has arrived for Hatake Sakumo."

Learning that his best friend was rapidly climbing the stairs to adulthood, Diejian couldn't hide his shock; he had followed them with stealth techniques just to confirm the truth.

"Why didn't he talk to me about it..."

"Are you an idiot? If he told you, you'd just leak it to Yamanaka Ina, and then you'd both come running to join the fun. Have some self-awareness."

Juri snorted, saying that was what Sakumo had told her.

Diejian thought about how that was indeed a possibility and nodded.

But why talk to Juri about it? Diejian felt a wave of intense frustration and scratched his head vigorously.

Watching Diejian's flustered state, Juri's expression twisted into a nasty look, as if to say, "This is exactly what I wanted to see," and she covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

Watching Sakumo and the girl smile at each other, saying "Sorry to keep you waiting" and "I just got here," Diejian trembled, "Are you kidding me! Since when did life become such a cliché plot!"

Diejian desperately tried to convince himself he wasn't jealous, but his pathetic display only made it harder for Juri to suppress her urge to laugh.

"Hey Senju, they're starting to walk away."

As soon as Sakumo and the others began to move, Juri struck Diejian on the head with her Fist.

Ignoring Diejian as he cried out in pain, Juri kept a slight distance and followed after them.

"Sakumo... where are you going? Take me with you."

"Fu-hahaha! You've been beaten to the punch by a friend! How unsightly!"

"You're the same, aren't you?"

"Ha!?"

Diejian calmly retorted to Juri's provocation, and the words seemed to be more effective than he had imagined.

Juri acted as if she had only just realized it, her eyes darting around as she began to mutter something about "If I wanted to, one or two men...", her consciousness drifting elsewhere.

Finding this disgusting, Diejian quietly increased the distance between himself and Juri.

"Hey, they turned the corner. We're going to lose them."

In order to catch up with Sakumo and the others who had turned the corner, Diejian and Juri quickened their pace slightly.

However—after turning the corner, the figures of Sakumo and the others were nowhere to be seen.

"They're gone... we were spotted..."

"Yeah. As expected of my friend."

Far away from the two who were filled with regret, Sakumo wearily pressed a hand to his forehead.

★

"That's how it is."

"Ohhh—!! Isn't that just youthful!!!"

"You, why do you always say that? Well, I suppose it is indeed youthful."

"Thanks for the encouragement!!"

The afternoon training ground.

Having finished their sparring, Diejian and Dai were eating their bento on the mats.

Recently, Diejian had been carried along by the ever-high-spirited Dai, finding himself smiling naturally.

"Well, it's best not to meddle in other people's romantic affairs. You'll get kicked by a horse, you know."

"I never expected to hear such sensible words from Dai."

Diejian blinked in surprise, and Dai smiled at having shown a new side of himself to his friend, his positive energy in peak condition.

But what Dai said made a lot of sense.

Have I been getting a bit carried away?—Diejian thought, deciding to apologize another day, and smiled at Dai.

Dai responded with a thumbs-up and an "Oh!", which seemed a bit too enthusiastic for this summer afternoon.

Just as Diejian was packing up his finished bento, an unfamiliar shadow approached him.

Diejian looked up in confusion to find a girl he didn't recognize standing there.

She was so slender she seemed as if she might melt into the summer sky, wearing a straw hat, her skirt swaying in the breeze.

Watching the figure with long, trembling eyelashes, Diejian let out a breath of admiration: "What a picturesque girl."

"Isn't that Rei! What's wrong!!"

"Eh, is she someone you know, Dai?"

This girl, who carried an air of fragility, seemed to be an acquaintance of Dai.

The extremely intense Dai and the extremely faint Rei.

Diejian had never anticipated such a combination and compared the two with a blank expression.

"This, I brought it. You forgot it."

"Ohhh, thanks!!"

"Also, the bento box. I'll take it back."

Rei, whose voice was as thin as a whisper, and the loud, shouting Dai.

It seemed Rei had come to bring Dai a change of clothes; she pulled a green bodysuit from her basket.

Dai took the bodysuit, handed the empty bento box to Rei, and gave a thumbs-up, saying, "It was delicious!"

What on earth is going on here—Diejian could not hide his bewilderment, and with a bad premonition, he asked Dai about their relationship.

"We're relatives, childhood friends!!"

"The bento. I made it."

Could it be.

No way.

It can't be—.

Diejian retreated into his own mind to escape reality, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that Juri would only call him an "idiot" in response.

Deeply struck by this, Diejian collapsed to his knees, trembling with a sense of defeat.

After learning that Sakumo—whom he had looked down upon and underestimated—was actually quite popular, and then discovering that even Dai, whom he had felt comfortable with as a fellow training-obsessed fool, had a close female companion, Diejian could not help but feel shaken to his core.

"Woooooooh!"

With a primal roar, Diejian didn't even bother with his lunchbox, fleeing the training ground at an astonishing speed.

"Wh-what happened?"

"No idea."

"I see! So Diejian has finally realized what youth is all about!! In that case, I shall run 50 laps around the village on my hands!!"

Rei's whispered "I don't think that's it" failed to reach the ears of Dai, who was already sprinting off in pursuit of Diejian.

★

"That's how it is..."

"Then why come running to me?! Ugh, you're in the way!"

Having fled the training ground, Diejian wandered about until he arrived at the Hokage's residence.

Tobirama, who was in the middle of reviewing documents regarding the Chunin Selection Exam, blinked in surprise as Diejian suddenly yanked the door open and appeared.

Upon hearing what the matter was, he found it utterly tedious.

To make such a fuss over a woman—that was Tobirama's only thought.

"Why don't you just go to the Yamanaka girl?"

"Ina is working..."

"I am working too! I am the Hokage! I am very busy!"

Diejian grabbed the hem of Tobirama's Hokage robe as if clutching at a life-saving straw, letting himself be dragged along.

Faced with a disciple acting like a petulant child, Tobirama was left speechless, muttering "You're in the way, you're in the way" over and over.

"Go find Monkey (Sarutobi) instead!"

"Big Brother and Biwako are nowhere to be found. Besides, doesn't Monkey already have a woman?"

"Are you implying that I am unwanted...? Ugh, Kagami, do something!"

Tobirama turned to Kagami, who happened to be present, for help, but Kagami merely laughed "Hahaha" and remained still.

He seemed quite interested in Diejian's behavior.

Although he kept it hidden from Diejian and Juri, Kagami also had a woman he was close with.

He figured that if he got too close, he would only end up getting dragged into this mess.

"With all this clamor, we can't even talk. Kagami, come here!"

"Yes."

Unable to tolerate his disciple's extreme rudeness any longer, Tobirama deftly shed his Hokage robe.

Tobirama touched Kagami's shoulder as he approached and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport elsewhere, leaving Diejian to roar "Damn it!" in frustration.

★

"That's how it is..."

"Why come running to me because of that? I'm going out with Jiraiya and the others today, so no."

Back home, Diejian blocked Tsunade, who was just about to head out.

Her limbs, which were beginning to grow longer, were wrapped in a cool, practical kimono, and Tsunade covered her slightly exposed, slender chest with a shawl.

Seeing this familiar attire, Diejian realized, "She's copying Ina."

Faced with her brother, who was rarely this clingy and wanted her company, Tsunade felt a moment of hesitation, but her gathering with friends today had been planned long ago.

If it were just Jiraiya, it might be one thing, but this was a promise made to the rest of their peers; she couldn't back out now.

Understanding this, Diejian wasn't the kind of pathetic brother who would beg, "Can't you make an exception?"

He slumped into a chair, his head hanging low in dejection.

Tsunade looked at him and offered a helpless, wry smile.

"Eh...?"

Tsunade used her fingertips to gently lift Diejian's chin.

The next second, Diejian felt a soft sensation and the warmth of human breath on his forehead.

It was Tsunade's lips pressing against his brow.

"Hehe. Let's talk about it next time!"

Tsunade blushed in embarrassment and flashed a smile as bright as a sunflower at Diejian.

Calling out "I'm off!" to the still-stunned Diejian, Tsunade hurried out of the house.

Having a good little sister is truly wonderful—his chest filled with warmth, Diejian savored a happiness that felt as if he were ascending to the heavens.

★

"Senju, you jerk! Why didn't you come to me!!"

"Eh, why what?"

Feeling satisfied by Tsunade's concern, Diejian walked along the streets of Konohagakure with a beaming smile.

Even though the people around him looked at him from afar as if he were disgusting, he didn't care in the slightest.

Just then, a gorgeous, black-haired girl with twin-tails appeared before him.

"Slap"—Diejian gently brushed away the finger pointed at him.

Juri looked irritable, her mouth twitching, but Diejian merely tilted his head.

Juri's argument was simple yet difficult to grasp; if summarized extremely concisely, it was, "If you're looking for an opposite-sex friend you're close with, isn't there one right here?"

However, given Juri's personality, she would absolutely never say such a thing to Diejian.

Even if Diejian had actually gone to find Juri, she would likely have just laughed at him loudly and left it at that.

Diejian was certain of this, which was why he hadn't relied on Juri.

In reality, Juri had originally been excitedly anticipating that if Diejian came running to cry on her shoulder, she would declare, "You're not my friend at all, you idiot!"

Where did Juri get the information about Diejian's rampage—that was an interesting question, but regardless, Juri had assumed Diejian would definitely come to her to vent.

And what was the result? Diejian was actually strolling through the sweltering afternoon heat with a refreshed expression.

An indescribable sense of frustration—without even bothering to wipe away the sweat trickling down, Juri had run up to Diejian.

"Why what... no, it's nothing... no, it's nothing at all! You idiot!"

"Huh?"

Although she had rushed out, she didn't know what to say to Diejian, so Juri tried to muddle through it by shouting.

This girl is trying to force her way through with sheer momentum, Diejian thought, narrowing his eyes helplessly.

Perhaps intimidated by Diejian's expression, Juri recoiled, her eyes darting away. "W-what are you doing, you jerk!"

"Hey, hey, I don't care about you anymore! I hope you trip and bump your head!!"

"What's up with her?"

Diejian watched the retreating Juri in a daze, then pulled himself together and headed toward a shaved ice stall.

★

"That's how it is..."

"So you're saying I'm the last one? Hey, that's a bit strange, isn't it?"

"What's strange about it?"

Sitting in a chair, Ina leaned her elbows on the desk, propping herself up.

After finishing his shaved ice, Diejian had arrived at Ina's family flower shop before sunset.

Diejian hadn't planned on coming here from the start; he had just been walking, and before he knew it, he had arrived—that was the kind of feeling it was.

Ina's older sister, the "former" poster girl of the Yamanaka Flower Shop—who would be furious if she knew she was called that—had welcomed Diejian, so he had stepped inside.

Ina's room was as tidy as a girl's should be, and compared to Diejian's room, which bordered on a trash heap, the aesthetic difference was incomparable.

Although Diejian had his Shadow Clone clean regularly, he was the type of man who simply couldn't tidy up; even his Shadow Clone would give up on cleaning to bury itself in books—that was how hopeless he was.

The only time he would clean was the day before Ina came over to hang out.

"Haa..."

Seeing Diejian's reaction, Ina pressed her head in exhaustion.

Ina let out a long sigh at Diejian, who was scratching his head in embarrassment, wondering if he had done something wrong.

In the sweltering summer heat, her hair was cut short—the hair clip used to pin back her slightly long bangs was a plain, household style with some of the paint peeling off.

"But, come to think of it, it is quite surprising. When that girl was at the facility, she was a very gloomy child."

"Ah, you mean Juri?"

"Yeah. She basically wouldn't respond when people talked to her, and on the rare occasions she did speak, she had this high-and-mighty attitude. Back then, she even badmouthed you, Diejian, who was so popular."

"Don't bring up 'back then'."

Well, it was tough back then, too—Ina smiled.

At that time, the only person who hated Diejian being hailed as the "Grandson, the Next Hokage" was Juri.

Ina didn't explicitly mention it, but Juri was a bit like a bullied child.

From the perspective of Ina, who knew Diejian well, the bad things Juri said about him sometimes made her want to nod and agree, "He really does have that side to him," but for the girls who only shrieked in support of him, it was very unpleasant.

Moreover, Juri possessed a dignified beauty that attracted boys, and her occasional arrogant attitude meant she naturally couldn't make any friends.

Although Ina, as the leader of the girls, had stopped those insidious behaviors, one couldn't completely rule out what might have happened in the shadows, away from Ina's knowledge.

Even so, Shuri had always endured the slander and defamation directed at him silently, like a doll.

Ina had assumed that was simply the kind of girl Shuri was—but now, he was a completely different person.

"People really do change. I wonder if someone influenced you."

"Perhaps."

Diejian nodded with his eyes closed.

Ina crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knees.

Ina did not know what Diejian was thinking right now.

However, just as Shuri had changed after joining Team Six, Diejian was indeed changing little by little as well.

Having watched Diejian all this time, Ina knew this better than anyone.

"Uchiha Shuri," who showed an obsession with the "Senju."

"Senju Diejian," who kept his gaze fixed on Shuri, "the Uchiha."

Shuri and I are similar—that was what Diejian had once told Ina.

When she heard those words, Ina felt that "Shuri and Diejian were like two sides of the same coin."

And now, "Uchiha Shuri" and "Senju Diejian" were transcending the barriers of their clans, cultivating a friendship that existed solely between "Shuri" and "Diejian."

It was not that Ina hadn't noticed how frequently and casually that name slipped from Diejian's lips.

It should be alright to feel a little uneasy—Ina smiled lonely in her heart, glancing at the dried flowers hanging on the wall.

Those were the flowers Diejian had given her.

Moreover, she was not the only one who had received such a bouquet.

There was someone else—Ina recalled an event from two years ago.

Back then, Shuri had visited the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

It was around the time the Genin promotion exams had ended and Team Six had just taken on their first mission.

Shuri had been holding a brand-new vase filled with clear water.

But tucked inside was a rose on the verge of wilting, with only a few petals remaining.

Even with water, even with fertilizer, its once-vibrant color could not be restored—with the expression of a lost child, Shuri had come to Ina.

Ina, who happened to be minding the shop, could not bring herself to treat Shuri harshly, given her own nature.

—A withered flower cannot be restored to its original state.

If so, she at least wanted to preserve the memory.

Shuri's wish to revive the flower could not be fulfilled, and it had already passed the stage where it could be turned into dried flowers like the ones Ina made.

So, Ina suggested keeping a single petal as a pressed flower.

Then.

What was that faded flower swaying by Shuri's ear?

And what had the dried flowers decorating this room once been?

Had Diejian noticed?

No, knowing him.

He probably hadn't—Ina concluded, sighing within a chest grown cold with loneliness.

"Come to think of it, you kept the flowers I gave you. I'm so happy. They're really beautiful."

Diejian smiled as he looked at the dried flowers on the wall.

As if her secret thoughts had been laid bare, Ina's body gave a sharp jolt at that exact moment.

The dried flowers hanging on the wall were the physical form of Ina's precious memories.

Yet Diejian called those dried flowers "really beautiful."

Ina was dazed by the turmoil of her thoughts when Diejian, as if suddenly remembering something, pulled a small object from his pocket.

"I bought this at a stall before coming here. I don't know why, but I just felt like buying it."

In Diejian's hand was a pink hairclip carved with a "Bush Clover."

Ina gasped, feeling a certain emotional index rising rapidly in response to Diejian's relentless barrage.

"Honestly, you..."

Ina let out a long, helpless sigh.

Faced with this unexpected reaction, Diejian frowned in confusion.

The sun gradually began to set.

Brown light streamed in through the window, dyeing Ina's room a golden yellow.

Diejian's profile—his shadow—was cast upon the wall of Ina's room.

Slightly intimidated by the atmosphere as Ina quietly drew closer—the silhouettes of the two overlapped.