Ah. Ah. Seriously. Seriously—would it work to push the blame onto Rasa right now?
Like, "I wanted to go home, but Rasa forced me to stay"?
No… at this point, would anything I say even matter?
Would it?
Uchiha Yorin's pupils practically shook. Meanwhile, Temari looked completely clueless about what was going on—she did know Hikari, of course.
But during that "legendary battle" between Hikari and Yorin, Temari had just happened to be away visiting home.
If she'd seen it, maybe things would've gone a little smoother.
But she hadn't, so she interpreted this as plain old jealousy.
And her clever little brain quickly mapped out the situation:
This looked like "getting caught," but if you thought about it, it really wasn't.
Temari and Hikari were both Yorin's women, so there was no real "caught cheating" here—at most it was a jealousy flare-up.
Yorin had apparently promised Hikari he'd be home tonight. But because her father (Rasa) invited him and insisted he stay, he couldn't leave.
So she waited and waited… and when he didn't show, she got angry and actually used Flying Thunder God to teleport straight to Sunagakure, which was ridiculous.
Wait—she can use Flying Thunder God?
Are Uchiha Sharingan really that outrageous, or is this kid's talent just insane?
Temari immediately drafted a "battle plan" in her head.
With a contrite expression, she clasped her hands together, squinted one eye, stuck out her tongue, tilted her head—full cute-mode—and apologized to Hikari:
"Ahh, I'm really sorry, Hikari-chan. I didn't know you and Yorin had plans… Can you forgive me just this once?"
The next second, Hikari's black flames lit up half the night sky.
"Forgive you? Sure," Hikari said to Temari. "Fight me. Win or lose, and I'll forgive you."
If Hikari had said that before releasing Amaterasu, Temari might've half-agreed.
A fight? Who's afraid of that?
Even if the Uchiha are geniuses, Sunagakure's techniques aren't for show.
Temari had confidence in herself. Even if she didn't become Kage-level in the future, she could at least reach elite jōnin—and with enough work, maybe even approach the level of Mei, Tsunade, or Pakura.
So she shouldn't be scared of anyone.
But that single burst of Amaterasu erased every ounce of her will to resist.
After the briefest flash of terror, Temari made the smartest, most rational decision possible: she threw herself face-down to the ground in a full-body prostration and apologized with maximum sincerity.
"I'm very sorry!"
Hikari: "..."
If it had been anyone else—especially Hikari right after she woke up—Temari would be thinking about her next reincarnation right now.
But after spending time with Yorin and everyone else, Hikari's temper had softened a lot.
Temari and Hikari had played together before. Calling them friends wouldn't even be wrong.
Remembering those moments, Hikari sighed.
Fine. Whatever.
With her old temperament, she might've beaten Temari into the dirt. But now Temari was already kneeling; stepping on her head and humiliating her would've been too far.
…Hikari really had improved.
The old Hikari wouldn't have thought this much. She would've gone, "I don't care," and struck immediately.
"…Yorin. Come with me for a moment."
After giving Temari one last look, Hikari sighed again, then turned to Yorin and said that.
And just like that, all the pressure shifted onto Uchiha Yorin.
He instinctively looked at Temari, hoping her clever little brain would save him.
But no luck—Temari only gave him an "I can't help you" look.
So Yorin could only use Flying Thunder God to leave with Hikari—abandoning Temari behind.
Temari took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
"I survived…"
After confirming she hadn't been beaten to death by an enraged Hikari, Temari's worry shifted to Yorin.
"Is Yorin going to be okay…? Hikari's so cute—she won't kill him, right?"
Then she thought about it more carefully, and the picture in her head changed:
In this situation, with Hikari's personality… she might do something like that…
"Damn it. I accidentally helped them…"
Temari sighed, exasperated.
And sure enough, things played out more or less like she expected.
After leaving Temari's room, the two of them walked along the lakeside in the green oasis, trying to talk.
Yorin opened his mouth several times, but couldn't quite make the excuses come out.
Every "reason" he could think of sounded like a bad dodge—like he'd come off as a total jerk.
And while he was still racking his brain, Hikari spoke first.
"…Will you abandon me, Yorin?"
Yorin: "?"
He had thought that after today's "punches-and-heart" fight, she wouldn't be anxious like this anymore.
But she asked anyway.
"Of course not. Why would you ask that?" he replied.
"Because…" Hikari stared at him with intense seriousness. "You told people our relationship is… like spouses, right?"
"Don't think I don't know how babies happen. I'm not clueless."
"And men… even someone as capable as you… still have desires. So you got tempted by Temari."
"Even if I did… I still wouldn't abandon you."
"But…"
In the next instant, she lunged into his arms and buried her face against his chest. She was flushed with embarrassment, yet she refused to let go.
"But if… I want a closer relationship with you…"
"As partners, as friends—that's already good. We can be family too. We can be comrades in battle. If enemies appear, I can fight beside you and defeat them."
"That's all fine."
"But… if it's possible… I want that kind of relationship too. I mean…"
She couldn't quite say it out loud, but then she lifted her head, shut her eyes, and puckered her lips.
Even an idiot would understand what she meant.
Hikari was starving for love.
And like so many Uchiha, she had that inborn, intense fixation on emotional bonds.
Once she'd decided Yorin mattered, she wanted to lock that bond in as deep as it could possibly go.
Yorin should be grateful she hadn't spiraled into some "if so, then let's love-and-kill each other" kind of madness.
She only wanted to move forward into a real romantic relationship—and honestly, that was exactly what Yorin wanted too.
If Temari hadn't accidentally accelerated things, Yorin probably would've had to stumble through a whole string of awkward rom-com misunderstandings before they finally defined the relationship.
But now… none of that was necessary.
Still, he needed to be clear about something first.
"I already have a lot of partners," Yorin told her. "And in the future, there might be more. Are you really okay with that?"
"No problem!" Hikari answered, completely firm.
(There would probably be problems later. But at least right now, she said it without hesitation.)
"I can't give you all my time and attention. Are you still okay with that?"
"Yes!"
"And the most important thing—do you truly like me? Not just because I'm good-looking and you got swept up?"
"I really like you!"
Then there was no reason to hesitate.
Yorin pulled her into his arms and answered her confession.
"Then… let's love each other."
Under the gentle moonlight, the young man and young woman of the Uchiha made their promise.
From that day on, Hikari had a home.
A lover. A best friend.
A place to belong.
Even if the man was sometimes shameless, sometimes reckless, and far too arrogant—Hikari thought this was the best ending she could have.
In a way, she felt like the kind of girl who could be easily fooled.
How nice.
How lucky.
If Yorin hadn't reached her first, the outcome might've been dangerous.
With a Flying Thunder God flash, Yorin brought Hikari back to Konoha—
and quietly gave her the "two hours" he'd originally promised Temari.
Temari wouldn't be mad, right?
Thinking carefully… she probably wouldn't.
If anything, she'd be grateful.
Because Yorin had essentially saved her life—kept her from getting beaten into the ground by Hikari.
Two hours later, looking at the sleeping girl—so cute she looked like an angel—Uchiha Yorin silently made a vow:
He would protect her.