It Was the Very Thing You'd Been Looking Forward To

Kurenai smiled sweetly at Hayato as they gazed into each other's eyes, both seeming to hold endless tenderness and understanding within them.

The laughter and cheer of the birthday party gradually faded.

Night quietly fell. After their brief gathering, the children said their goodbyes one by one and headed home.

Hayato stayed until the very end. He wasn't in a hurry to leave, waiting quietly until the guests had all gone.

When the last trace of noise had vanished into the night sky, he spoke softly, his voice carrying a tenderness that was difficult to notice.

"Would you like to go for a walk together and enjoy this peaceful night?"

Kurenai nodded slightly, her eyes shining with anticipation. "Sure. I could use a walk, too."

They politely said goodbye to Shinku, then walked hand in hand into the night.

The moon was especially enchanting tonight. Its silver light bathed the earth, draping the world in a mysterious, romantic veil.

Hayato walked ahead, his figure especially upright in the moonlight, while Kurenai's steps were light as the wind as she followed close behind him.

Their shadows intertwined on the ground, as if foreshadowing a bond too deep for words.

Hayato began telling Kurenai about his recent experiences.

He shared everything from the nerves and excitement of his first mission to the little details of his recent, diligent training under Sakumo's Coaching.

His voice was calm and warm, each word like a spring breeze brushing across Kurenai's heart.

Kurenai listened quietly beside him, her eyes full of focus and admiration, as though she could feel everything Hayato had been through.

"I've been working hard at my training lately, too," Kurenai said suddenly, her tone earnest and resolute. "I'm planning to apply for graduation before long and become a real ninja."

Her eyes fixed on Hayato, shining with boundless hope for the future.

At her words, Hayato gently patted her shoulder, a smile of encouragement curling his lips. "I'm sure you'll make it. Maybe we'll even get to go on missions together."

But their time alone was always brief.

Before long, Hayato had escorted Kurenai back to her front door.

Beneath the moonlight, Hayato waved goodbye to her. "Well, see you later, Kurenai."

Kurenai stood at the door, her smile blooming like a flower. "Yeah. See you next time."

She watched Hayato's figure recede into the distance and disappear into the night before turning to open the door and return to the warmth of home.

Once back in her room, Kurenai eagerly pulled open a drawer and took out the scroll Hayato had given her earlier.

Her heart raced, as if it might leap out of her chest. What secret could the scroll hold?

What could be inside?

Even as they walked together earlier, she had kept wondering what was inside the scroll.

With a mixture of nervousness and anticipation, she slowly untied the scroll and spread it out before her.

At first, Kurenai couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when she saw what it contained.

It wasn't the love letter everyone had teased them about. It was a Taijutsu manual.

Hayato had created this Taijutsu scroll especially for Kurenai, drawing on his experience from his previous life.

"Wing Chun?" Kurenai murmured.

But as she read on, she discovered that the style was very suitable for women to practice, and the scroll detailed Wing Chun's methods and techniques.

More importantly, at the end of the scroll, Hayato had written a line in warm, resolute strokes: "I hope this Taijutsu helps you. Graduate soon—I'll be waiting for you up ahead."

Seeing those words, Kurenai's face broke into a blissful smile.

She hugged the scroll tightly, as if she had received the most precious treasure in the world.

"I definitely won't let you down, Hayato," she vowed silently to herself.

Close-quarters combat had always been Kurenai's weakness.

With the help of this Taijutsu manual, she believed she could take her abilities to the next level.

As for the quality of the style, she trusted Hayato.

So she immediately ran out of her room to ask Shinku to help prepare the equipment she needed for training.

Meanwhile, Hayato returned home.

After chatting briefly with his parents, he went back to his room and continued training in the Flying Thunder God.

Hayato's home was spacious and cozy, with five rooms in all.

He had one room to himself.

He had asked his parents for it, and they had happily agreed.

They knew Hayato had always been a sensible, independent child.

Setting aside his thoughts, Hayato resumed his Flying Thunder God training.

He had a feeling he was only one step away from fully mastering it.

He would break through today.

After two hours of relentless effort, he finally overcame the bottleneck!

"I did it!"

His face brimmed with uncontainable joy, as if the whole world were cheering for him.

After more than two months, he had finally mastered this powerful Space-Time Ninjutsu.

It had taken him a while, but that was because he had also been working on many other subjects and hadn't devoted all his attention to training in the Flying Thunder God.

Even so, he had succeeded through sheer Guts and intelligence.

Exhausted in both body and mind, Hayato fell onto his bed and sank into a deep sleep, a contented, happy smile on his face.

He knew the night's effort hadn't been in vain. He was one step closer to his goal.

The next day.

Hayato went to the Hokage Building with Sakumo.

"Sensei, is something important happening today?" Hayato asked curiously.

Early that morning, Sakumo had come to his house and woken him up, saying he wanted Hayato to go with him to the Hokage Building.

"It's the very thing you've been looking forward to," Sakumo replied.

The thing I've been looking forward to?

Sakumo didn't explain right away. Instead, he took Hayato with him to the Hokage's office.

When they arrived, they found that besides Hokage Hiruzen, there was a stranger in the room dressed in an outfit that looked remarkably high-tech.

The man was anxiously waiting for them to arrive.

"The people you've been waiting for are here," Hiruzen said.

The man looked toward the doorway with delight, but when he saw Sakumo and Hayato, his face darkened.

"Hokage, what is the meaning of this?"

"These two are the elite team responsible for this mission," Hiruzen said slowly after taking a couple of puffs from his pipe.

The man looked indignant. "A child, Hokage? Are you joking with us?"

"Allow me to introduce them. This is Hatake Sakumo, an outstanding jonin of Konoha, and his subordinate, Uchiha Hayato, who is also an excellent ninja."

"It's precisely because I take this assignment so seriously that I've arranged for the two of them to go," Hiruzen explained calmly.

The moment the man heard Hatake Sakumo's name, his expression changed completely.

They had heard of the White Fang of Konoha. And the other one was an Uchiha, a member of a renowned clan. Perhaps this mission was simply meant to give him some experience.

This was a sure thing now.

"Thank you for taking this so seriously, Lord Hokage."

Hayato had been somewhat confused at first.

But when he saw the meaningful look in his teacher's eyes, he suddenly understood. So when Sakumo had said it was "the thing I've been looking forward to," he had meant that Hayato would get to take on a higher-ranked mission!

"Well then, Lord Hokage, we'll go prepare. Thank you."

After saying this, the man nodded to Sakumo with a smile, then left the Hokage's office.

A short while later, Hiruzen handed a scroll to Sakumo.

"The scroll contains all the details of the mission. It's urgent, so get ready and set out as soon as you can," Hiruzen said quietly.

Sakumo nodded, put away the mission scroll, and looked at Hayato.

"I don't need to pack anything. I'm ready whenever," Hayato replied softly.