Nara Luling's Confusion

At this moment in Konoha Village, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows upon the ground.

While Shi Xiu and Kakashi were away at the border on a mission, Nara Luling sat quietly on Shi Xiu's tidy bed, though her heart was as turbulent as a surging sea.

Nara Luling's brows were tightly furrowed, her gaze unfocused, as if a thousand tangled threads were knotted in her mind.

Inside Nara Luling's head, two little figures were locked in a fierce, unending argument.

"Ugh, so annoying!" Nara Luling finally couldn't help but complain in a low voice.

Nara Luling shook her head irritably, trying to drive away the noisy voices echoing in her mind, but it was to no avail.

Just as Nara Luling was feeling flustered, Kushina's gentle voice suddenly brushed past her ears like a spring breeze: "What are you worrying about?"

Startled by the sudden sound, Nara Luling trembled all over and snapped her eyes open.

She saw Kushina smiling, holding a few steaming buns and a bowl of fragrant white porridge, appearing before her like an angel.

Nara Luling scrambled off the bed in a panic, her face flushing red as she looked at Kushina, stammering, "Lady Kushina... why... why are you here?" Her heart hammered against her ribs, as if it were about to leap out of her throat.

Kushina smiled slightly, placed the breakfast on the table, and sat down gracefully beside Nara Luling, speaking kindly.

"Don't be so nervous, sit down. I saw you hadn't come out of your room and thought you might not have had breakfast yet, so I brought some over."

As she spoke, she reached out and patted Nara Luling's shoulder, signaling her to relax.

Hearing Kushina's words, Nara Luling's mood calmed down slightly.

Nara Luling cautiously sat back down on the edge of the bed, still looking somewhat reserved, and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Lady Kushina. You really shouldn't have gone to such trouble."

Kushina smiled, her gaze softening as she watched Nara Luling's distracted expression, and she asked gently.

"What's wrong? Did you run into something troubling? Ever since I walked in, I could tell you seemed a bit restless."

Hearing this, Nara Luling's small face turned bright red, like a little girl caught red-handed doing something wrong.

Nara Luling quickly lowered her head, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, her lips trembling slightly. She wanted to say something several times, but the words died on her tongue.

Kushina remained patient and gentle, sitting there quietly like a tranquil lake, silently embracing all of Nara Luling's emotional fluctuations.

Kushina neither urged her to speak nor showed the slightest impatience, simply gazing at the slightly awkward young girl before her with eyes full of care and affection.

Time ticked by, and the room grew so quiet that only their faint breathing could be heard.

Finally, unable to suppress her inner conflict and confusion any longer, Nara Luling suddenly looked up, gathered her courage to meet Kushina's eyes, and said with a slightly trembling voice.

"I... actually, it's because of some things. I feel like my relationship with Lord Shi Xiu has become very strained. But I really don't know why Lord Shi Xiu insisted on bringing me here..."

By the end, Nara Luling's eyes were moist, and crystalline tears welled up, making her look incredibly pitiful.

As someone who had weathered many storms and understood the ways of the world, Kushina keenly captured the confusion and unease in Nara Luling's eyes.

Kushina's lips curled into a warm and kind smile as she said softly, "If you don't mind, you can tell me what's bothering you."

Nara Luling hesitated for a moment, but seeing the encouragement and care in Kushina's eyes, she gathered her courage and recounted everything that had happened at the Hokage's office that day.

Kushina listened quietly, nodding from time to time to show she was paying close attention. When Nara Luling finished, Kushina nodded thoughtfully.

Nara Luling looked nervous now, staring intently at Kushina as she asked cautiously.

"Lady Kushina, could you tell me what kind of person Lord Shi Xiu really is?"

Hearing Nara Luling's question, Kushina's gaze involuntarily deepened, as if she had fallen into distant memories.

A moment later, Kushina sighed softly and said, "About Lord Shi Xiu... to be honest, even though we have known each other for many years, I still cannot say for certain what kind of person he really is."

Hearing Kushina say this, Nara Luling became very curious, forgetting her own troubles as she looked at Kushina and asked impatiently, "Lady Kushina, can you tell me how you and Lord Minato met?"

Sure enough, girls always have an inexplicable passion for gossip.

Kushina nodded slightly, a bright smile appearing on her lips as she said softly.

"How we met... actually, back then, Lord Shi Xiu did pursue me!"

Her words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves in Nara Luling's heart.

Nara Luling's eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth slightly agape, as if she could fit an egg inside.

She felt as if she had inadvertently stumbled upon a shocking secret, and for a moment, she was too stunned to react.

A short while later, Nara Luling regained her senses and instinctively lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard, asking tremblingly and full of curiosity, "Then... does Lord Minato know about this?"

Seeing this, Kushina couldn't help but be amused by Nara Luling's cautious demeanor and burst into laughter.

Kushina laughed until she was doubled over, tears almost streaming down her face, and only after a long while did she manage to stop and catch her breath.

"Oh my, what are you thinking! Of course Minato knows about this." After saying that, another round of silver-bell-like laughter rang out.

Nara Luling's surprise did not diminish; instead, she became even more curious.

"In fact, at that time, compared to Lord Shi Xiu, I was more drawn to Minato deep down. However, in the end, Lord Shi Xiu chose to let go, and so, I married Minato."

Upon hearing this, a look of confusion appeared on Nara Luling's face, and she hurriedly asked, "Why on earth was that?"

Kushina pursed her lips into a smile and answered softly, "The reason for that is because Minato saved my life when we were children! At that very moment, I admit, my heart was moved."

As Kushina recounted the past, she gazed gently into the distance, as if she had returned to those green and beautiful days.

At this moment, the intense love contained within Kushina's beautiful eyes shone as brilliantly as the stars, appearing as though it might overflow at any second.

As Nara Luling listened to Kushina recount her past, she felt a strange tightness in her chest, beyond the initial curiosity she had felt at the start.

Kushina realized she had strayed from the topic and gave an awkward laugh, saying, "Actually, you don't need to worry. Lord Shi Xiu has a sharp tongue but a soft heart; you two can still become very good friends."

For some reason, when she heard the word "friends," the feeling of stifling vexation in Nara Luling's heart grew even heavier.

Kushina looked at Nara Luling with a smile, stood up, and said, "If you don't eat your breakfast soon, it will get cold. Go ahead and eat; I'll be going now." With that, Kushina rose and left, leaving Nara Luling alone to stare blankly at the breakfast on the table.