[Hokage] Flower Time

Lusheng and Huashi were promoted to Chunin together, leaving Yang Doujun and the big bag on his head, lamenting alone under the tree.

"Yang Dou-kun, please don't be discouraged." Karinan, who was leaning against the branch, comforted him: "Please continue to work hard for the next Chunin exam.... Even if your sense of direction is not good, but your artistic attainments... ...Uh, he should be far ahead of his peers."

Yang Dou thought about it carefully—well, what Mr. Guolinan said seems very reasonable.

Yang Dou's mood became better again, even the two teammates wearing Chunin vests dangling in front of his eyes were not so glaring anymore.

... No, it's still dazzling.

Yang Dou squinted his eyes for a while, then let out a soft "tss".This low sound was heard by Huashi, and Huashi couldn't help raising his fist, sending out a silent threat.

"It's time to break up, isn't it?" Hua Shi put one hand on his forehead, looked up at the sun in the sky, and said, "Lusheng and I have already become Chunin, and it's really too much to continue picking up trash." Too much."

Lu Sheng, who was carrying two bags of trash beside him, couldn't help complaining in a low voice: "...I picked up your share, okay?"

Huashi ignored Lusheng's dissatisfaction, she raised her two fingers, and disappeared from the spot with a bang, leaving a crow standing there, looking at Lusheng with a garbage bag full of energy.

"What, let the avatar perform the task?!"

The mixed shouts of Haruto and Shikao echoed in Konoha Village.

×

It has been a while since Lihuashi became a Chunin. She successfully took over the Chunin qualification certificate and Chunin vest from the third generation of His Excellency. Green coat, and proud of it.

Until one day, she found that the green vest would block the Uchiha clan emblem on the back, and then she gave up this extremely hot wearing method.

She tiptoed in her yard, taking back the clothes that had been dried by the summer sun one by one.Black short sleeves, black short sleeves, black short sleeves...

The clothes of both of them are this kind of black short-sleeved tops, the difference is only the size.

Huashi looked at the clothes belonging to Zhishui in his hand, and didn't move for a long time.

"Hua Shi, what are you doing?" Zhi Shui's shout brought her back to her senses: "Are you making trouble with my clothes?"

Hua Shi suddenly became embarrassed like a child who was caught and made a mistake.She hurriedly hung the clothes belonging to Zhishui on her arms, her face flushed slightly.

Zhishui's footsteps sounded behind her, she adjusted her expression, turned her head to look at Zhishui - Zhishui was wearing mission attire, obviously going out.When Hua Shi thought about the family gathering to be held tonight, she felt a little puzzled: "It's already afternoon... Where else is brother going?"

Recently, the time of family gatherings has become more and more intensive. The gatherings that used to be once a month or even several months before are now held every half a month.The topics are the same, and the atmosphere is becoming more and more strange.

However, every time when she had doubts, Shisui would tell her with a smile that nothing happened, and it was only because Master Fuyue admired her that she had that strange behavior.

"Go out for a while." Shisui fastened the forehead guard on his forehead and said, "You can just wait for me to come back at home. If I'm late, go to the shrine first. You should know the way, right? The seventh tatami of the shrine... don't forget it wrong."

"Where are you going? At this time." Hua Shi patted the clothes on his hands, frowned slightly, and said, "Really, it's like this every time. Don't tell me anything, and then secretly alone To perform some unknown missions... I don't have time to accompany me."

"Feel sorry."

Shisui's answer was the same as before.

Every time he couldn't accompany Hua because of a mission, he would apologize like this, and this time was no exception.

Huashi turned around, continued to collect the clothes that were drying in the yard, and said, "Come back early."

"it is good."

She heard Zhishui's answer, followed by footsteps getting farther and farther away.Until the sound of footsteps was near the gate, she couldn't help turning her head to look at Zhishui's back—his black jacket, the family pattern on the back, short black hair, armor and a short knife, White straps tied around the calf.This is her familiar brother, facing the afternoon sun, walking into the junction of light and shadow.

The light penetrated his body and welcomed him into the other side of the world.

After watching for a long time, she stood on one side, while her brother stood on the other side, walking further and further away.

A crow flitted past her eyes, and the trembling wings made a small sound when they flapped, rubbing the air and forming a wind current.The black feathers fluttered down and landed at her feet, awakening her dreamlike reverie.

——Ah, I don’t know what kind of mission it is that makes my brother go out in such an emergency?Could it be that His Excellency Three Generations temporarily called all the Jonin to go to the forest to pick up garbage?

While thinking about it, Huashi took all the clothes on the rope.Her eyes searched for her brother's clothes, and a certain thought in her heart was still surging up unstoppably.

This... feeling of something growing.

×

Zhishui never came back.

It was getting dark, the twilight was closing in, and the summer wind was blowing up the night streets.Huashi took a last look and confirmed that Zhishui hadn't shown any signs of returning home, so he simply locked the door and ran out of the clan.

Brother is getting more and more over the top.

In the past, he just kept promises to her and let her down, but now he even dared to be late for the gathering of the clan.

Although the topic of the recent gatherings is similar, everyone speaks code words that she barely understands, and tells each other things that only the interlocutor understands.Every time she heard someone repeat those metaphor-filled and meaningful words, she fell asleep.

If becoming an adult is such a troublesome thing, she would rather not grow up for the rest of her life.

She came to Nanga Shrine alone, where the Uchiha clan gathered. Mikoto, who was in charge of ordering, saw her lonely figure and asked, "Where is Shisui-kun?"

"Brother, he..." Huashi lowered his head, not knowing what excuses to use to save his flawless brother's impression in the eyes of the tribe, and said, "Maybe he will be late for a while."

Fortunately, Mikoto didn't get to the bottom of it, because Fugaku beat her up with a serious face, and the two stood under the eaves of the shrine, their eyes wandering among the scattered clansmen.Huashi thought with some worry, they must be looking for his brother, right?

It wasn't until the rally started that she realized that Mikoto and Fugaku were looking for Itachi.

Is that excellent ninja who is always punctual and strict, even late today?

Huashi had doubts in his heart.

She looked at the clansmen beside her - their expressions were very gloomy, and they were even more terrifying under the faint light of the fire.Such a treacherous and longing expression made Huashi feel very uncomfortable.But Zhishui is not there, and she has no one to pull her sleeves into her arms.

Until the end of the rally, Itachi and Shisui did not show up.

Although I know that the relationship between the two of them is very good, and my brother also regards Itachi as a brother, but... the absence of these two guys from the rally together is too much, isn't it?In the past, I just secretly chatted in the grove about some topics that I would not tell her...

Huashi looked up at the blue and black in the sky, and walked quietly towards her home.

There is no moon tonight, only stars shining faintly among the clouds in the night sky.

The room was dark, without any lights or shadows, and it was very quiet.She heard the crow flapping its wings, but she didn't hear her brother's footsteps or movements.

It's been a long time since such a quiet night.

Thinking like this, Huashi walked through the path in the courtyard.The crow perched on the branch was startled by her footsteps, flapping its wings and passing between the branches and leaves.

"Hanamaru, you haven't slept yet." Hua Shi looked at the crow and smiled.From the corner of her eye, she glanced into the room through the crack of the door, and the smile on her face and her footsteps froze in an instant.The light from the building next door slanted into the house through the narrow street, illuminating the low cabinet by the window and the neatly folded forehead guards on it.

That's... my brother's forehead.

He has been back.

Hua Shi pushed the door open completely and walked towards the low cabinet.Hanamaru, who was awakened, landed on her shoulder and turned her head to look at her without fear.

She held Zhishui's forehead protector, and looked out of the house with her eyes facing the window.The building opposite emitted a warm orange light, and the figure in the window moved slightly.And she stood alone in the dark, with a crow for company.

She glanced down, and found another folded piece of paper where Zhishui put her forehead.As she unfolded the paper, she couldn't help guessing the content of the note in her mind—could it be telling her that she had to go out temporarily to perform a mission or something?Or what sweets do you want to eat tomorrow, I hope my lovely sister can help buy breakfast...

The paper unfolded in half, revealing a column of words.

"The Uchiha clan..."

Ah, what, those big principles about the family and the village again, not the words left for her.

Hua Shi sighed and unfolded the paper completely.

However, when she roughly scanned the columns of words under the light outside the house, the cells in her whole body seemed to freeze because of these black words.For a moment, she felt as if she was in an ice cellar, and the bone-piercing cold swept her body.Her hand holding the paper began to tremble slightly, and she couldn't stop it no matter what.

The clansman's call came from outside the house.

"Is Zhishui back?" Someone was knocking on the iron door.

"It doesn't seem to be there, even the lights are not on. But I remember that Zhishui's younger sister has already gone home first. Isn't it there?"

"It's going to be okay, right? The two of them don't seem like people who would go out at night without being notified. ... Besides, it's such an extraordinary time. Let's go in and take a look."

Accompanied by the sound of footsteps and crows flapping their wings, someone rushed to the door of the room.With the light outside the house, when they saw the flowers standing blankly by the window, they breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So someone is there. Sorry, I broke into the house without permission."

Huashi ignored them, just staring blankly at the light outside the house.Her arms drooped feebly, and a piece of white paper fell from between her fingers, with light creases and black writing, which were extremely obvious.

"I'm completely tired of these endless quests. If this continues, the Uchiha clan has no future. So, I don't want to go on like this anymore. I'm sorry, it took time. Brother doesn't want to continue living anymore. Please forget my existence, Follow the person who is worth entrusting and continue to walk together."