Nawaki began to question the standards for the Chunin rank. 'How could he be so weak?'
He had defeated Ichiro, a member of the Uchiha clan, with just his physical strength, using only a slap and a punch. In truth, after the first slap, Ichiro was already defeated and couldn't continue the fight. But Nawaki didn't feel inclined to end it so quickly.
On their way home, Hikari said goodbye, while Mikoto, intending to train, accompanied Nawaki and Kushina.
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha Clan, the clan leaders were assembled in a tense meeting.
"If it were just the Senju Clan involved, we might have been able to intervene..."
Their expressions darkened further.
"Yes, but with the Hokage acting as a matchmaker, stopping Mikoto's marriage to Nawaki Senju won't be easy."
Silence fell among them.
The father of a promising 16-year-old Uchiha, in line for clan succession, looked particularly troubled. He had hoped to engage his son to Mikoto Uchiha. Her potential status as Izuna Uchiha's granddaughter significantly increased her value. Another compelling reason was that his son, Fugaku, claimed to have seen her use the Sharingan about four years ago. He trusted his son's observation, even though it seemed no one else was aware of her awakening the Sharingan.
With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes closing in contemplation. 'Is there anything I can do to prevent this engagement?'
-
-
"Wow, the training ground has really expanded!" Kushina exclaimed as she spun around the area, then noted, "There are so many more targets and it looks like there are other training tools too..."
Nawaki recalled something his sister had mentioned the day before. He shared, "It must have been Granny Mito who arranged these changes. You must have sensed it too, Kushina, right?"
"Oh, yeah." Kushina, touching her lips thoughtfully, added, "I can't pinpoint exactly what she did, but I can definitely feel the presence of sealing techniques around the training ground."
"I think even my sister could train here now," Nawaki remarked with a smile.
Kushina's eyes widened in delight, then she beamed with happiness. She had grown quite fond of Tsunade since her arrival and admired her kindness: "That's incredible, dattebane~!"
Mikoto, musing over this, commented, "To be able to withstand Tsunade-sama's training, this place must be exceptionally durable. But it makes sense if Mito-sama was involved."
In the village, Mito's expertise in sealing techniques was well respected and rarely questioned.
After a while, they finished their stretching exercises.
Kushina glanced at the two, her expression one of hesitancy as if she wanted to ask something.
"What's on your mind, Kushina?" Nawaki inquired.
"Well, I have a question," she began, taking a deep breath. "You two are engaged now, right? So why do you still act the same as before, dattebane?"
Nawaki chuckled, finding her serious demeanor amusing as he hadn't expected her question to be about their engagement.
Mikoto also let out a light laugh.
Kushina felt a bit embarrassed seeing them laugh at her question. She pouted and thought to herself, 'Was what I said really that funny, dattebane!?'
Mikoto, ceasing her laughter, responded, "I get where you're coming from, Kushina. But even though I understand what a relationship between a man and a woman entails, we are still quite young. Nawaki is focused on becoming stronger, and I want to support him in that. I also aim to become stronger myself so I can stand beside him and assist him. So, while it might seem like our relationship hasn't changed much on the surface, my perspective on it certainly has."
"Yes, and it's not like there have been no changes at all," Nawaki added with a gentle smile. "They're just small and subtle, not always immediately noticeable."
"Oh, I understand," Kushina replied, her smile returning. She then suggested, "Okay, shall we start training?"
"Yes," Nawaki agreed, nodding with his usual smile.
-
-
Holding hands, they each enjoyed a dango skewer with their other hand.
Mikoto wore a content smile as she savored her treat. Initially surprised when Nawaki took her hand, she didn't find the gesture unpleasant. In fact, her heart raced more than usual, her thoughts swirling. However, the simple act of sharing dango seemed to soothe her.
Nawaki noticed that Mikoto's hand was less sweaty than before, bringing a smile to his face. 'Though I don't want to rush things in our relationship, it's good for her to become comfortable with physical contact,' he thought, observing her satisfied expression as she ate.
After finishing their snacks, Mikoto became slightly nervous.
"Nawaki, you must have been surprised by everything that happened, right?" she asked abruptly.
Recalling his reaction in the Hokage's office, Nawaki gave an awkward smile. "Yes, I was definitely taken aback."
"Mm. So was I," she admitted with a blush. "When I told my parents, my intention was just to make them understand that I had feelings for someone, not to set up any arranged marriage. But then... They said the only way to prevent a clan-arranged marriage was with the support of the Senju Clan and the Hokage. That's why they took me to the Hokage."
Nawaki pondered this. Indeed, the Senju Clan alone might not be sufficient to counter the Uchiha Clan's influence, particularly with the Senju's declining prominence.
Nawaki was confident that no one could stop him, despite not having recently tested his current strength with his sister. He believed himself to be stronger than most Jonin, and his progress was rapid, even now improving in using the orbs while engaging in conversation and walking with Mikoto.
He was somewhat surprised by the Hokage's eagerness to play matchmaker, but Nawaki suspected there was more to it than met the eye. It could be due to Grandma Mito's influence or another reason.
After expressing his thoughts, Nawaki kissed Mikoto's cheek and said, "Anyway, I was surprised, but I'm happy you're willing to be my bride."
Her face flushed even more from the kiss, Mikoto replied, "You bet!"
Nawaki chuckled at her reaction. She playfully puffed out her cheeks and gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.
This time, Nawaki entered the Uchiha Complex and accompanied Mikoto to her house.
Standing in front of her home, Mikoto bid him farewell: "See you tomorrow morning, Nawaki."
"Yes, see you tomorrow," Nawaki replied with a smile.
As she started to open the gate, she paused, then quickly turned back. Standing on her toes in front of Nawaki, she briefly pressed her lips against his. The contact was soft and fleeting.
With her face glowing red, she hurried inside. Yet, she paused again at the door, waving at him: "Bye, be careful on your way back...!"
Nawaki, touching his lips, smiled to himself.
||- Note -||
Read 30+ chapter on Patre on!
pa treon.com/Tozoku
Nawaki began to question the standards for the Chunin rank. 'How could he be so weak?'
He had defeated Ichiro, a member of the Uchiha clan, with just his physical strength, using only a slap and a punch. In truth, after the first slap, Ichiro was already defeated and couldn't continue the fight. But Nawaki didn't feel inclined to end it so quickly.
On their way home, Hikari said goodbye, while Mikoto, intending to train, accompanied Nawaki and Kushina.
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha Clan, the clan leaders were assembled in a tense meeting.
"If it were just the Senju Clan involved, we might have been able to intervene..."
Their expressions darkened further.
"Yes, but with the Hokage acting as a matchmaker, stopping Mikoto's marriage to Nawaki Senju won't be easy."
Silence fell among them.
The father of a promising 16-year-old Uchiha, in line for clan succession, looked particularly troubled. He had hoped to engage his son to Mikoto Uchiha. Her potential status as Izuna Uchiha's granddaughter significantly increased her value. Another compelling reason was that his son, Fugaku, claimed to have seen her use the Sharingan about four years ago. He trusted his son's observation, even though it seemed no one else was aware of her awakening the Sharingan.
With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes closing in contemplation. 'Is there anything I can do to prevent this engagement?'
-
-
"Wow, the training ground has really expanded!" Kushina exclaimed as she spun around the area, then noted, "There are so many more targets and it looks like there are other training tools too..."
Nawaki recalled something his sister had mentioned the day before. He shared, "It must have been Granny Mito who arranged these changes. You must have sensed it too, Kushina, right?"
"Oh, yeah." Kushina, touching her lips thoughtfully, added, "I can't pinpoint exactly what she did, but I can definitely feel the presence of sealing techniques around the training ground."
"I think even my sister could train here now," Nawaki remarked with a smile.
Kushina's eyes widened in delight, then she beamed with happiness. She had grown quite fond of Tsunade since her arrival and admired her kindness: "That's incredible, dattebane~!"
Mikoto, musing over this, commented, "To be able to withstand Tsunade-sama's training, this place must be exceptionally durable. But it makes sense if Mito-sama was involved."
In the village, Mito's expertise in sealing techniques was well respected and rarely questioned.
After a while, they finished their stretching exercises.
Kushina glanced at the two, her expression one of hesitancy as if she wanted to ask something.
"What's on your mind, Kushina?" Nawaki inquired.
"Well, I have a question," she began, taking a deep breath. "You two are engaged now, right? So why do you still act the same as before, dattebane?"
Nawaki chuckled, finding her serious demeanor amusing as he hadn't expected her question to be about their engagement.
Mikoto also let out a light laugh.
Kushina felt a bit embarrassed seeing them laugh at her question. She pouted and thought to herself, 'Was what I said really that funny, dattebane!?'
Mikoto, ceasing her laughter, responded, "I get where you're coming from, Kushina. But even though I understand what a relationship between a man and a woman entails, we are still quite young. Nawaki is focused on becoming stronger, and I want to support him in that. I also aim to become stronger myself so I can stand beside him and assist him. So, while it might seem like our relationship hasn't changed much on the surface, my perspective on it certainly has."
"Yes, and it's not like there have been no changes at all," Nawaki added with a gentle smile. "They're just small and subtle, not always immediately noticeable."
"Oh, I understand," Kushina replied, her smile returning. She then suggested, "Okay, shall we start training?"
"Yes," Nawaki agreed, nodding with his usual smile.
-
-
Holding hands, they each enjoyed a dango skewer with their other hand.
Mikoto wore a content smile as she savored her treat. Initially surprised when Nawaki took her hand, she didn't find the gesture unpleasant. In fact, her heart raced more than usual, her thoughts swirling. However, the simple act of sharing dango seemed to soothe her.
Nawaki noticed that Mikoto's hand was less sweaty than before, bringing a smile to his face. 'Though I don't want to rush things in our relationship, it's good for her to become comfortable with physical contact,' he thought, observing her satisfied expression as she ate.
After finishing their snacks, Mikoto became slightly nervous.
"Nawaki, you must have been surprised by everything that happened, right?" she asked abruptly.
Recalling his reaction in the Hokage's office, Nawaki gave an awkward smile. "Yes, I was definitely taken aback."
"Mm. So was I," she admitted with a blush. "When I told my parents, my intention was just to make them understand that I had feelings for someone, not to set up any arranged marriage. But then... They said the only way to prevent a clan-arranged marriage was with the support of the Senju Clan and the Hokage. That's why they took me to the Hokage."
Nawaki pondered this. Indeed, the Senju Clan alone might not be sufficient to counter the Uchiha Clan's influence, particularly with the Senju's declining prominence.
Nawaki was confident that no one could stop him, despite not having recently tested his current strength with his sister. He believed himself to be stronger than most Jonin, and his progress was rapid, even now improving in using the orbs while engaging in conversation and walking with Mikoto.
He was somewhat surprised by the Hokage's eagerness to play matchmaker, but Nawaki suspected there was more to it than met the eye. It could be due to Grandma Mito's influence or another reason.
After expressing his thoughts, Nawaki kissed Mikoto's cheek and said, "Anyway, I was surprised, but I'm happy you're willing to be my bride."
Her face flushed even more from the kiss, Mikoto replied, "You bet!"
Nawaki chuckled at her reaction. She playfully puffed out her cheeks and gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.
This time, Nawaki entered the Uchiha Complex and accompanied Mikoto to her house.
Standing in front of her home, Mikoto bid him farewell: "See you tomorrow morning, Nawaki."
"Yes, see you tomorrow," Nawaki replied with a smile.
As she started to open the gate, she paused, then quickly turned back. Standing on her toes in front of Nawaki, she briefly pressed her lips against his. The contact was soft and fleeting.
With her face glowing red, she hurried inside. Yet, she paused again at the door, waving at him: "Bye, be careful on your way back...!"
Nawaki, touching his lips, smiled to himself.
||- Note -||
Read 30+ chapter on Patre on!
pa treon.com/Tozoku
