Crisis from the Otsutsuki Clan

Shi Xiu wore a smile, watching Haku's embarrassed state with keen interest for a moment before shifting his gaze to the table, where he noticed the desserts had been nearly finished.

The corners of Shi Xiu's mouth lifted slightly as he asked softly, "How is it, Haku? These desserts taste pretty good, don't they?"

Haku, who was shyly burying his head in his cake, gave a start and trembled all over at the sudden sound of Shi Xiu's voice.

Haku looked up, his eyes filled with shyness and panic. He glanced at Shi Xiu with some embarrassment, nodded gently, and replied in a small voice, "It's... it's delicious. Thank you, sir."

Perhaps because Haku had been keeping his head down to eat the cake, he hadn't noticed that a fair amount of cream had smeared onto the corners of his mouth.

At this moment, the white cream looked like little blooming flowers adorning Haku's cheeks.

Seeing this, Shi Xiu couldn't help but burst into a laugh. He reached out to point at his own face, kindly reminding him, "Haku, your face is covered in cream. You've turned into a cute little flower cat, hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Haku's already flushed face turned as red as a ripe apple.

He lowered his head in distress, scrambling to find something to wipe it off with.

At that moment, Shi Xiu took a tissue from his pocket, handed it to Haku, and said with a helpless smile, "Don't rush, use this to wipe it off first. I'll go settle the bill, and then we can head home together."

"Mm, okay." Haku took the tissue and replied in a low voice.

After Shi Xiu turned to head toward the register, Haku began to carefully wipe away the cream stains on his face.

Before long, Shi Xiu returned after successfully settling the bill. Haku quickly stood up and followed closely behind him.

However, just as they were about to step out of the shop, a clerk's urgent call came from behind: "Sir, please wait a moment!"

Hearing the hurried footsteps, Shi Xiu and Haku turned around in unison to see a clerk jogging toward them.

Shi Xiu looked at the clerk with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's the matter? Is there a problem?"

The clerk waved his hands quickly, a warm smile on his face, and pulled a card from his pocket, carefully handing it to Shi Xiu.

"Sir, our shop is currently holding a special promotion. If your purchase exceeds five hundred ryo, you receive this loyalty card. When you visit us again, you can accumulate points, and once you reach a certain amount, you can exchange them for some exquisite little prizes."

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Shi Xiu's eyes. He took the loyalty card, smiling as he thanked the clerk, "Thank you so much. I'll definitely come back to visit again."

Hearing this, the clerk beamed even brighter. She looked at Shi Xiu with anticipation and said, "That's wonderful. We look forward to seeing you again."

Then, the clerk turned her gaze toward Haku, who was standing beside Shi Xiu, and couldn't help but praise him, "Oh my, sir, your daughter is truly well-behaved and adorable."

Haku froze upon hearing this, his cheeks instantly flushing a deep crimson. He lowered his head in shyness, his lips trembling slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out.

Seeing this, Shi Xiu felt a bit awkward and gave a dry laugh, quickly explaining, "Haha... thank you for the compliment!"

With that, Shi Xiu gently took Haku's small hand and led him quickly out of the shop.

On the bustling, noisy street, people came and went in a lively flow. Shi Xiu and Haku walked side by side, but the atmosphere felt somewhat stifling and heavy.

Haku kept his head bowed, lost in his own thoughts, appearing as if he were completely cut off from the world around him.

Shi Xiu glanced sideways at the silent Haku from time to time. Recalling what had just happened, he felt his face heat up, his embarrassment beyond words.

Finally, Shi Xiu gathered the courage to break the silence and said to Haku, "Um... Haku, maybe you shouldn't wear women's clothing anymore."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Haku, who had been immersed in his own thoughts, gave a sudden start.

Haku slowly looked up, his clear, water-like eyes fixed on Shi Xiu, and asked softly with confusion, "Why? Sir... do you not like it?"

Facing Haku's direct question, Shi Xiu scratched his head in embarrassment, forcing a smile as he explained.

"It's... it's not that I don't like it, it's just that it's very easy for others to misunderstand when you go out dressed like that. I'm really sorry, Haku."

After hearing this, Haku silently lowered his head again.

A moment later, a voice so soft it was almost inaudible came from him: "As long as you are happy, sir..."

Shi Xiu let out a deep sigh. Thinking of those JK uniforms, he mused to himself, It seems Haku won't be wearing those JK uniforms after all.

Shi Xiu shook his head helplessly, a thought suddenly crossing his mind—what if he asked the shop owner to alter the sizes of the clothes later and gave them to Reina as a gift?

At the thought of Reina's sweet smile and gentle personality, Shi Xiu's heart stirred slightly, but he immediately couldn't help but sigh heavily again.

Perhaps he should go to the border to see Reina in a few days; he wondered what her attitude toward him would be by then.

At this moment, Shi Xiu stood quietly by the bustling street, the sounds of noise and laughter filling his ears.

However, this lively scene could not dispel the gloom in his heart.

Shi Xiu sighed again, his thoughts drifting involuntarily toward the dangers beyond the ninja world.

Although Obito had turned over a new leaf, the threats facing the ninja world had not ended.

Not to mention Kaguya Otsutsuki, who was sealed on the moon, there was the mysterious Otsutsuki Clan in the distant stars.

Recalling the few appearances of the Otsutsuki in Boruto, their strength didn't seem particularly overwhelming.

But the problem was, Shi Xiu didn't know how many members the clan had, nor did he know how terrifying the true strength of their leader might be.

If a full-scale conflict were to break out, how many innocent lives would be lost in the flames of war? Thinking of this, Shi Xiu's mood grew even heavier.

One could say Shi Xiu was worrying unnecessarily, but such things had to be guarded against. He had already changed many things since transmigrating; the power of the butterfly effect was not to be underestimated.

Thinking of this, Shi Xiu couldn't help but want to complain about the frequent retcons and setting changes in Naruto.

Back when Kaguya Otsutsuki first appeared, she was depicted as a noble princess of the Otsutsuki Clan.

However, after the conclusion of Naruto Shippuden, the officially published Book of Formation suddenly changed its tune, claiming that Kaguya Otsutsuki was the matriarch of the Otsutsuki Clan.

This shift was truly caught everyone off guard, as if all the previous lore regarding her identity had vanished like smoke in the wind.

Yet, who could have imagined that by the time Boruto rolled around, the plot would take another shocking turn, with Kaguya suddenly transformed into a servant of Isshiki!

Such contradictory changes to the established lore were truly baffling.

Even more absurd was the fact that Kaguya, unwilling to be reduced to a seed for the God Tree, had secretly ambushed Isshiki, leaving him nearly mortally wounded.

Going from a princess to a matriarch, and finally to a servant—it all left Shi Xiu completely speechless.

Just then, Haku, who had been keeping his head lowered, suddenly heard a soft sigh escape from Shi Xiu.

Haku looked up, his gaze filled with confusion as he asked softly, "Sir, what is the matter?"

Hearing this, Shi Xiu turned his head and met Haku's concerned eyes.

He smiled slightly, reached out to gently stroke Haku's soft hair, and spoke slowly, "It is nothing of consequence, I was merely recalling a few 'old acquaintances'..."

Haku nodded as if he understood, and Shi Xiu took Haku's hand, leading him toward home.

However, Shi Xiu did not expect to see someone at his doorstep who was both unexpected and yet entirely within reason—Nara Luling.