At night, Uchiha Hikaru slept in the middle, with Kurotsuchi on his left and Yugito Nii on his right. The three of them shared a single quilt, lying neatly on the tatami.
Not long after lying down, Kurotsuchi fell asleep like a baby.
An hour later, Hikaru was still wide awake. Unable to sleep, he sighed softly in the darkness.
"Young people really are amazing… they fall asleep the moment they lie down. I'm honestly jealous." (￣▽￣;)
That quiet murmur made Yugito turn over. She rolled onto her side, facing him, her body shifting slightly beneath the quilt.
"What's wrong?" Her voice was low and gentle, carrying the calm confidence of an older sister type. "Worried about something?"
Hikaru subconsciously turned his head and saw Yugito propping her head up with one hand, her eyes half-lidded as she looked at him quietly.
"Yeah," he replied. "Just thinking."
"What are you thinking about?" she asked softly. "Tell me."
As she spoke, she tugged the quilt closer and leaned in so she could hear him better, her ear almost brushing his lips.
Hikaru suddenly felt an itch at the tip of his nose. Yugito's hair had come loose from her braid, and a few strands tickled his face. He had to raise his hand and gently push it aside.
If he sneezed and woke Kurotsuchi, that would be trouble.
"Move back a bit," he whispered. "It's itchy."
Yugito hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly leaned back.
"Alright," she said quietly. "Tell me now."
She looked at him expectantly, but Hikaru seemed completely unaware of the meaning behind her gaze. His expression turned serious instead.
"I was thinking about when the ninja world will finally achieve real peace," he said slowly, "and when things like those impossible-to-swallow earthen cakes will disappear for good."
Yugito's face immediately fell.
She turned around without another word, pulled the quilt over herself, and curled up.
"…I'm sleepy. I'm going to sleep."
Hikaru stared blankly at her quick movements for a second before finally realizing the look she had given him earlier.
A hand suddenly reached out from beneath the quilt, sliding around Yugito's waist and pulling her—along with the quilt—back against him.
"What are you doing?" Yugito whispered, her voice low and slightly displeased. "Aren't you letting me sleep?"
Hikaru tightened his hold just a little.
"Shh—keep your voice down," he murmured. "You'll wake Kurotsuchi."
"I can't fall asleep without holding something," he added calmly. "I'll have to trouble you for a bit."
Yugito snorted softly, her tone carrying a clear tsundere edge.
"…Then I'll reluctantly agree."
"Only this once."
Even in the dark, Hikaru could see a faint blush spreading across the side of her face, the corners of her lips unconsciously lifting.
The next morning, Hikaru felt something tightly wrapped around his neck. His breathing became difficult, and he snapped awake in alarm.
What he saw made his mind go blank.
Kurotsuchi was hugging his head with both arms, using it as a pillow—pressed squarely against her chest. The soft, warm pressure left no room for misunderstanding.
Hikaru calmly raised a hand and pried Kurotsuchi's arms off his head.
But the moment he moved, Yugito, who had been sleeping comfortably with her arm around his waist, felt the emptiness beside her. She opened her eyes abruptly, turned around—
—and saw the scene in front of her.
At the same time, Kurotsuchi woke up, her "pillow" suddenly trying to escape her embrace.
"What—!?"
"Ah!?"
"Shit—!"
All three shouted at the exact same time.
After a while, they finished packing and prepared to set out. The room was filled with an awkward silence. Both Kurotsuchi and Yugito kept their heads lowered, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
"It's fine," Hikaru said seriously, spouting nonsense with a straight face. "I don't know anything about what happened last night."
"…Yeah," Kurotsuchi replied stiffly. "Everyone slept really well."
"I'm well-rested too," Yugito said calmly. "It's time to move on."
...
By afternoon, the three of them finally arrived at Iwagakure.
After the events of the morning, the relationship between Kurotsuchi and Yugito was noticeably less tense. Kurotsuchi even took the initiative to suggest showing Yugito around the village.
Hikaru, meanwhile, followed Kitsuchi, who had been waiting for a long time at the newly built gate, and headed straight to the Tsuchikage Building, to Ōnoki's office.
The moment he saw Hikaru, Ōnoki stood up from behind his desk, smiling broadly.
"Hikaru, I've been waiting a long time for you to finally arrive."
"We recently added a new gate to Iwagakure," he continued. "There's also a large open area nearby. Quite a few merchants want to rent the land to open shops."
"I've held them all off—for Konoha."
He spoke smoothly, as if he had offended countless merchants just for this favor.
Hikaru wasn't fooled for a second. He walked to the window and pointed at the newly cleared open space outside.
"You mean that land?"
Ōnoki nodded, floated up using his levitation technique, and hovered beside the window, pointing at the ant-sized caravans passing through the gate.
"That's right. It was created after Deidara attacked Iwagakure some time ago. A mountain that big was blown apart."
"But this old man had an idea. I used Dust Release to clear away the rubble, freeing up such a large area."
"It's right by the entrance—perfect for transport. What do you think, Hikaru? I'd say I'm being quite generous."
Hikaru frowned slightly, his tone carrying genuine concern.
"Deidara didn't cause any casualties when he attacked, did he?" he asked. "If not, you really spent a fortune leaving me such a prime location, old man."
Ōnoki let out a few bitter laughs.
"…That traitor of mine. I once thought of making him the next Tsuchikage."
"I never imagined he'd join Akatsuki instead."
"And then he even dared to attack Iwagakure. It truly disappointed me."
After a pause, he looked at Hikaru again.
"But I still need to thank you. I only recently learned that you withdrew the wanted order on Deidara."
"He was my apprentice, after all. When you get old, you start clinging to the past. For that, I'm grateful."
The bitter smile on Ōnoki's face revealed real emotion—though the truth behind it was far more complex. As Tsuchikage, he had been forced by the will of the village to abandon his own disciple.
Hikaru waved it off.
"No need to thank me. The leader of Akatsuki challenged me to a private duel. Loser joins the winner."
"I won. Akatsuki joined the Ninja Association."
"Deidara said he wanted to return to Iwagakure, but a few days later he went back to Konoha instead. I don't know what happened between the two of you."
"But don't worry. He's living well in Konoha now—and he's already a jonin."
Ōnoki's heart skipped violently. His face darkened, and he hurriedly pulled a bottle of fast-acting heart medicine from his drawer, swallowing several pills before he felt steady again.
He forced a smile.
"…It's not a bad thing for him to be in Konoha. He's my disciple. As long as he's happy, that's enough."
"As his teacher, I only ever wanted him to walk the right path."
"I believe you played an important role in that, Hikaru. Thank you."
He sighed deeply.
"It's just a pity… more than ten years as master and disciple, and in the end, this is how it turned out."
...
...
...
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