Madam, You Wouldn't Want Your Husband to Know About This, Would You?

At last, having found his target, Guy did not rush to interrupt.

With Kimimaro in tow, he stood quietly in the shadows outside the window, listening to the husband and wife's low conversation inside.

"This year got cold earlier than usual, and the snow's heavier too." The man's voice was weary.

"Yes... We're almost out of firewood. Haku is still growing, and in weather this cold..." The woman's voice was gentle, tinged with worry.

"Don't worry. I'll head out to sea earlier tomorrow, catch more fish, and trade with those families near the village entrance for more firewood and food." The man comforted her. "We'll get through the winter somehow."

"Then be careful. The winds and waves are strong, so come back early." Her tone was filled with concern.

"Mm, don't worry. Take good care of Haku at home," the man replied.

Though their words revealed the hardship of their lives,

the mutual support between husband and wife and their care for their child formed a rare warmth amid their poverty.

Listening outside the window, Guy gently shook his head and sighed inwardly.

Haku was different from Kimimaro.

Ever since Kimimaro could remember, he had been in a prison cell, facing only his clansmen's madness and captivity.

But before Haku turned five, though his life had been poor and difficult, he had at least possessed a complete family and his parents' love.

He had enjoyed at least some of the happiness of childhood.

If everything had gone normally, perhaps growing up like that would have been fine...

But Guy knew things were far from that simple.

The reason Haku possessed the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai was that he had inherited his mother's latent ability.

His father was merely an ordinary man.

His mother likely possessed only an extremely weak Ice