Yugao Uzuki

Relations between the Uchiha and the village were delicate, and the Sarutobi Clan and the Uchiha Clan had little contact.

But now, what was he seeing? Asuma Sarutobi was actually walking alongside Uchiha Shimizu, heading somewhere to eat.

"Shimizu went out to have a meal with Kurenai Yuhi? Wasn't there also a Hyuga woman who came looking for him before?"

Uchiha Inabi clicked his tongue in wonder.

"What would you know? Shimizu has a keen political sense!"

Tekka smacked Inabi on the head, exasperated with him.

Shimizu had been so mature since childhood. Was he really the type to get caught up in romance?

Tekka could tell at a glance that the only reason Shimizu would associate with Asuma Sarutobi was to get on good terms with the Third.

That way, if Asuma Sarutobi rose to a high position in the future, he wouldn't be so hostile toward the Uchiha Clan.

Tekka shared his theory with Inabi, who remained unconvinced.

Seeing that Inabi didn't believe him, Uchiha Tekka continued explaining why his reasoning was correct.

Their conversation didn't affect Shimizu and the others.

Before long, they arrived outside Yakiniku Q.

"My balloon! It's stuck on the roof!"

A little girl with purple hair anxiously stared at her balloon.

Standing in front of her was a black-haired boy with a sickly complexion.

"Yugao, I don't think I can get it back."

Gekko Hayate spoke to his childhood friend, Uzuki Yugao.

There was a water tank up there, and the balloon had gotten caught beside it.

Hayate didn't think there was any way to reach it unless you were a ninja who had learned to climb walls with chakra.

"Cough, cough."

Gekko Hayate coughed twice.

He instinctively looked at his palm, which he had used to cover his mouth. Seeing no blood, he breathed a sigh of relief.

His illness seemed to be getting worse lately. He didn't know if it would interfere with learning ninjutsu or refining chakra.

"Are you all right, Hayate? Let's go back and get your medicine."

Uzuki Yugao patted Gekko Hayate's back, trying to ease his coughing.

"I'm feeling better. But if we go back for the medicine now, the wind might blow the balloon away before we get back."

Gekko Hayate pointed at the balloon, swaying in the wind.

"If we can't get it back, then we can just forget about it."

Uzuki Yugao said, pretending not to care.

She was a little disappointed, of course, but Gekko Hayate's health mattered more.

"Are you having trouble with something?"

Kurenai Yuhi stepped forward and asked.

She'd seen two four- or five-year-old children looking troubled, so she'd come over to see if there was anything she could do to help.

"My balloon's stuck up there."

Uzuki Yugao pointed in the direction of her balloon.

Kurenai Yuhi followed her gesture and saw a cute, cartoon-style balloon bobbing beside the water tank.

"Can either of you do anything?"

Kurenai Yuhi turned to ask Asuma Sarutobi and Shimizu.

She still couldn't control her chakra well enough. She could try climbing a wall just three meters high, but this was far too high.

"Uh..."

Asuma Sarutobi looked at Kurenai Yuhi's hopeful gaze and started sweating nervously.

He couldn't get up there either.

He didn't get along with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Whenever the old man told him to do something, he habitually rebelled a little.

The old man was always telling him to work hard, so he'd always slacked off.

Now he regretted not having enough chakra when he needed it. If only he'd trained harder.

But Asuma Sarutobi didn't want to lose face in front of Kurenai Yuhi, so he could only stammer.

"I'll get it."

Seeing the sweat on Asuma Sarutobi's forehead, Shimizu knew he was panicking.

Asuma Sarutobi let out a long breath. Thank goodness Uchiha Shimizu had offered to go.

Otherwise, he would definitely have embarrassed himself.

"Body Flicker Technique."

Shimizu used the Body Flicker Technique he'd practiced for so long, racing up the wall and reaching the water tank in a flash.

"He... he's gotten even stronger."

Kurenai Yuhi couldn't even follow Shimizu's movements. One moment he was there, and the next he'd zipped up the wall.

Shimizu retrieved the balloon and jumped straight down from the height.

His movements were nimble and graceful. His well-fitted Uchiha robe showed off his sturdy physique.

As Gekko Hayate watched enviously, Shimizu handed the balloon to Uzuki Yugao.

"Thank you, big brother!"

Uzuki Yugao happily took the balloon. Looking at Shimizu's vigorous, healthy physique, she thought he was so strong.

"Be more careful next time."

Shimizu smiled.

The two before him were a tragic couple from the original story.

The cold beauty and the sickly guy.

Uzuki Yugao was an Anbu ninja, which showed she had considerable talent.

And her name was actually a hint at Gekko Hayate's fate.

Yugao was the name of a flower, known as the moonflower.

It bloomed only at night, shaped like a full moon and as bright as moonlight. Its flower language was eternal love.

Her childhood friend, Gekko Hayate, wasn't weak either. Unfortunately, he suffered from an illness from birth. He coughed up blood at the slightest provocation and became breathless whenever he exerted himself.

Simply put, Gekko Hayate was the premature type.

"Having a pawn in the Anbu wouldn't be bad."

Shimizu thought to himself. As he looked at the grateful Uzuki Yugao, he calmly considered how to bring her under his wing.

"Mm, I will."

Uzuki Yugao nodded firmly, deciding to take better care of her balloon.

After the problem was solved, Asuma Sarutobi led Shimizu and Kurenai Yuhi into Yakiniku Q and asked the host about their reservation.

"That big brother's body is so strong. I wish I were that strong too," Gekko Hayate muttered after Shimizu had left.

"Hayate, once you're better, I'm sure you'll be just as strong."

"I hope so."

At Uzuki Yugao's encouragement, Gekko Hayate felt a trace of bitterness.

His problem was a hereditary family illness, passed down through a single line.

If it could have been cured, it would have been cured long ago.

The three of them entered Yakiniku Q and found their seats. Asuma Sarutobi was the first to grill a few slices of meat.

The meat sizzled on the iron plate, filling the air with a savory aroma.

"Shimizu, how do you feel about the village?"

Asuma Sarutobi asked casually.

"The village is my home."

Shimizu picked up a cooked slice of meat, dipped it in mustard, and ate it.

"Sarutobi, what kind of question is that?"

Kurenai Yuhi thought Asuma Sarutobi was acting strangely.

"I'm just curious, that's all."

Asuma Sarutobi laughed it off, then went on to ask Shimizu several more pointed questions.

Shimizu had known Asuma Sarutobi would ask him things that might relate to the Will of Fire, so he'd prepared his answers on the way over.

"We are the leaves that protect the young buds, shielding them from raging winds and torrential rain, bitter cold and crashing thunder. I believe that in the future, with your talent, Sarutobi, you'll become a leaf that can shade the sky."

Shimizu spoke with such conviction that his words left Asuma Sarutobi fired up.

Asuma Sarutobi was still young and inexperienced, not yet the jaded man he would become. His heart was full of passion, and Konoha's constant calls to sacrifice for the village only fueled it.

The more Asuma Sarutobi listened to Shimizu, the more he agreed with him. He felt as if he and Shimizu had hit it off at first sight.