Childhood Arc: Shopping

The end of a school year also meant the arrival of winter. And when winter was mentioned, the "New Year" naturally came to mind.

Though this was a war-torn, unpeaceful world, people still missed their families at this time of year. Aside from a small number of people, everyone stopped taking missions and returned home.

Naturally, my parents were no exception.

They had worked overtime early on and exceeded their Jonin mission quotas. Ever since my final exams ended, they had stayed home with me.

"Qingyue, clean over there too!"

"Okay, Mom!"

There was still quite a while before the New Year, so it was a little early for a thorough cleaning. But since I normally lived in this house alone, it really wasn't fit to live in without a proper cleanup...

"Honey, it seems Sakumo and the others organized a dinner gathering. Can I go tonight?"

All in all, Mom was the one in charge of our household, so whenever Dad and I wanted to go out, we had to report to her beforehand and get her approval.

"Just don't stay out too late. Are you drinking?"

"I'll probably have a little. We usually don't have time to get together, and there'll be plenty of senior ninja and talented juniors, so..."

Drinking culture existed everywhere. It seemed to have become an unspoken understanding between men.

"I see... Then drink as little as you can, finish early, and give me the address. When it's over, I'll have Qingyue pick you up."

"Understood! I promise I won't drink too much!"

Dad immediately began cleaning at triple speed. As soon as he finished, he hurriedly threw on his coat and rushed out the door.

"Oh, Qingyue, if you want a late-night snack, I'll bring something back for you!"

"It's fine. I probably won't want any."

This world truly lacked entertainment, and daily training left me exhausted enough that I couldn't stay up late anyway. Naturally, I had kicked my old habit of late-night snacks from my previous life.

Besides...

"You'll be lucky if you can still walk in a straight line, and you're talking about bringing your son a late-night snack."

Dad awkwardly scratched the back of his head and laughed after Mom's jab, then slunk out the door.

"Sigh, judging by how he is, he'll definitely drink too much. Qingyue, I'll have to trouble you to pick him up tonight. There's still a lot to do at home, so it's inconvenient for me to go out."

"Got it. Then I'll head out to play too!"

"Mhm, go on."

Since I was heading out, the first place I had to go was Rin's house.

My relationship with Rin had been getting better and better. Kids in the ninja world matured frighteningly early. No matter how dense I was, I could more or less sense that Rin liked me.

But she could be oblivious; I couldn't afford to be.

The feelings I had for Rin now were, in truth, feelings that had grown from spending time with her and coming to like her as a person. Then I would imagine what she might be like in the future.

So before we reached an appropriate age, I absolutely would not break through that thin barrier between us. Besides, even if I did now, it would be pointless. Neither of us could do anything about it.

Slowly spending time with Rin like this was enough for me now. And what I needed to think about was not how to win her over, but how to protect her.

In the future Third Shinobi World War, she had been the girl Obito liked, so Madara had plotted to have her killed.

This time, Obito seemed not to have fallen for Rin because of the changes I had brought about. Nor did he like any other girl.

If that was the case, would Madara still choose Obito?

If possible, I still wanted to save Obito. In my previous life, I had thought he was both pitiable and detestable. Besides, we were fairly good friends now.

Lost in thought, I arrived at Rin's doorstep. I knocked on her bedroom window and quietly waited for her response.

This was a unique signal between Rin and me. Sometimes she might not be able to come outside, so I would knock on her window first to communicate with her.

Before long, the window opened, and a little cutie with short brown hair leaned out of it.

"Qingyue!" Rin seemed so pleasantly surprised that she couldn't keep her voice down.

"Rin, I came to play with you."

"Okay, wait a moment. I'll go pick out some clothes."

"I'll wait."

It seemed I was lucky today. Rin was allowed to come out and play.

The only pity was that it had not snowed these past few days, so there was no real winter atmosphere. As someone who had originally come from the south, I truly wanted to experience walking through the snow with a girl I liked.

As I waited and grew a little bored, I began sensing the existence of Haki. Under Hill's reasonable training, my physical abilities had become incredibly strong.

But unlike Battle Aura, Haki seemed to be related to one's willpower as well.

Observation Haki leaned more toward the five senses and sensing auras, but Armament Haki was difficult to understand.

Even when I put all my effort into drawing something out from within myself to strengthen my skin, I still failed every time.

"I'm only five years old, so there's no rush. I'll take it slowly..."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Where are we going?"

A sweet voice interrupted my thoughts and drew away my gaze.

She still had the same chestnut-brown short hair, but the white earmuffs added a touch of cuteness. Her white overcoat made Rin look like a fluffy rabbit wrapped in a snowball.

Her eyes, the same color as her hair, shimmered with moisture as they reflected my figure.

"Ahem, let's just wander around. We won't train today. We'll take a proper break."

"Okay, then let's go."

Taking that tender, fair little hand in mine, I led Rin onto the streets of Konoha.

Though there was still some time before the New Year, the streets were already filled with festive cheer. New Year supply shops were packed with customers, and people lined up outside restaurants to reserve their New Year's Eve dinners.

People streamed through the streets, which were bustling with life. It was a scene of peace and tranquility.

Unfortunately, before long, the flames of the Third Shinobi World War would sweep through all this like a sudden natural disaster, tearing that peace completely apart.

In the end, it would become only a few sparse pages in history books and rows of stone monuments in heroes' cemeteries... All that would remain were the endless tears of family and friends, along with countless hatreds that could never be severed.

No matter the world, war was this kind of thing. Amid smoke and chaos, the only thing ordinary people could do was pray to gods or buddhas they did not even know existed, begging for the war to end.

"What's wrong, Qingyue? You seem a little distracted. You look kind of unhappy."

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something. Sorry for making you worry."

"That's good. I thought something upsetting had happened to you."

"How could I be unhappy while out shopping with you? Oh, they sell candied hawthorns over there. Let's take a look!"

With that, I pulled Rin into a light run toward the elderly man selling candied hawthorns, then began choosing among the various red and yellow skewers.

"They all look so delicious. I want to try every one."

"Then let's each buy a different kind and share. We can't try every flavor, but at least you'll get to taste two."

"Can we? Thank you, Qingyue!"

Rin suddenly turned to look at me with those lovely eyes. Once I nodded to confirm, she looped both arms around mine and bounced around like a little white rabbit.

"You two are so close. Here, these two candied hawthorn skewers are on the house."

"Huh? That wouldn't be right, Grandpa. We should pay."

At his age, the old man was still out selling things in such freezing weather. It was very possible that his children and grandchildren had gone to war, leaving him in difficult financial circumstances.

"Oh, it's fine, it's fine. I only came out because I was bored sitting at home and wanted to see the streets. Meeting you two children reminded me of my late wife."

"I see..."

I had learned some good news: the old man probably was not struggling financially. But I had also learned some bad news.

"My capable son and grandson are both outstanding ninja, and they're still out carrying out missions. That's why this old man came out to sell things. It's too quiet staying home alone."

Hearing about the old man's situation quickly reminded me of my own experience in my previous life.

When I was young, during the time when my family was not getting along, what I loved most was staying in my hometown with my grandfather.

He always spoiled me and worried that I might not be living well.

By the time I entered high school, I spent very little time with him. After I started working, I only returned to my hometown during the New Year.

Then, under those circumstances, I suddenly learned that Grandpa had fallen seriously ill... I knew that he did not have much time left with me.

Later, I met with an accident and came to the world of Naruto. I would never see my grandfather again.

"If you don't mind, how about we accompany you home and chat for a while? Is that okay, Rin?"

"Of course!"

When he heard us say that, the old man smiled and nodded, then led us back to his home.

It was a very ordinary two-story house. In one corner of the second floor stood two memorial portraits. One was probably the old man's wife, while the other looked like a child only four or five years older than me.

"That was my other grandson. He died on a mission just last year."

I see... Ninja was a high-risk profession. In this world, such things were already commonplace.

But it still left a bitter feeling in my heart.

After that, Rin sat beside the old man, pouring him tea and bringing him water as she played the role of a granddaughter, while I listened to him tell stories of his youth.

From what I heard, the old man had also been a ninja when he was young. At his age, his seniority even surpassed that of the Third Hokage. He was an elder from the Warring States Period.

For a civilian ninja to survive the Warring States Period, he must have possessed extraordinary ability. The old man had undoubtedly been an exceptional powerhouse in his youth.

His son had even entered the ANBU now, while his grandson had just passed the Chunin Exams.

"The person I admired most back then was our Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Come to think of it, I once fought one of his disciples. His name seemed to be... Maruboshi Kosuke?"

That name... wasn't that the eternally Genin from the anime, the one proficient in Konoha-Style Swordsmanship and the same Water Release techniques as Tobirama?

"That fellow seemed unwilling to be promoted for some reason. I heard he's still active as a ninja even now. People really can't be compared. At my age, I truly have no drive left."

We talked until it was late and time for dinner. The old man wanted to keep us for a meal, but our parents were waiting at home, so we could only politely decline.

Before we left, the old man gave us several ninjutsu scrolls. He said they contained Release techniques he had invented himself, as well as ninja insights he had written after retiring and a few clever methods of protecting oneself on the battlefield.

After returning home for dinner, I sat in my room and began reading through the ninja insights.

The self-created ninjutsu was certainly tempting, but I truly was not suited to fighting with ninjutsu, so I gave all the ninjutsu scrolls to Rin.

The first sentence in Ninja Insights described the old man's ninja way—fight for peace, and never wish to see family members shed tears again.

What a fine ninja way, Grandpa. I'll presumptuously inherit it.