"I went looking for her earlier, and found that Tsunade-sensei was already dead drunk at the tavern..."
A hint of helplessness showed on Lin's face.
"..."
Hakushi also shook his head helplessly, but didn't comment.
Because by now, he was totally used to it.
Probably the deaths of Nawaki and Jonin Kato hit her way too hard.
Her drunken nights at taverns over the past few years were countless.
Luckily, she's never been careless in class, never late or left early, so at least she's responsible to her experimental class students.
Hakushi brought a boy and a girl in, then turned to the boy and asked, "Why are you coming in too?"
"Of course, I'm here to keep an eye on you, in case you try anything shady with Lin."
The boy said it bluntly, zero attempt to conceal it.
"You've really got a knack for comedy, Uchiha Obito. You might have a brighter future as a performer than as a ninja."
"I don't want to be called out by a guy like you who mooches off women, that's embarrassing."
Obito kept his hands behind his head, striding in with a cocky, can't-be-bothered attitude.
"Speaking of which, is Ruri-senpai not home?"
Obito glanced around at the quiet surroundings and asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"I heard from the elders in the clan that Ruri-senpai seems to have quit the Security Team. She's such a strong Jonin—why'd she step down as sub-captain of the Security Team?"
Obito looked curious.
"Probably just not a good fit. For her, doing missions outside suits her better; the Security Team mostly deals with little trivial stuff..."
"That's not trivial! I really respect all the seniors who work in the Security Team. It's an Uchiha Clan honor! Helping every villager as part of the Security Team—that's no small thing!"
Hakushi glanced at him and stayed quiet.
"Because if you can't even handle stuff like this, there's no way you could ever become Hokage!"
Obito's expression suddenly turned deadly serious.
"Hokage?"
Hakushi's face became oddly complicated.
Lin, standing to the side, smiled and said, "It's like this, Hakushi-senpai—Obito's dream is to become someone everyone recognizes, to be Hokage, and help everyone in the village."
Hearing Lin say that, Hakushi's gaze toward Obito got even weirder.
"Wha—what are you looking at me like that for?"
Obito stepped back warily.
"Nothing, just thinking about some random, pointless stuff."
Is this guy really an Uchiha?
Hakushi had more than once suspected Obito's true identity. He knew plenty in the Uchiha Clan wanted their clan to become Hokage.
But most had an extremely strong private agenda, or saw it as a way to serve clan politics—a real obsession.
But in Hakushi's eyes, Obito was just a kid with pure dreams of Hokage, genuinely wanting to fulfill that wish.
Are there really oddballs like this in the Uchiha Clan?
For the first time, Hakushi felt curious about this Uchiha boy everyone at Ninja School called "dead last."
This guy's future might just be way more interesting than expected.
"But Obito really is super diligent and caring. He's always helping old ladies struggling on the street."
"Ah, uh, that's not really a big deal, Lin, you're exaggerating."
As Lin praised him, Obito didn't even notice how his walking became all wobbly, almost tripping over nothing.
Once they were in a quiet room, Hakushi flicked on the light and let the two sit down first, while he went to prepare some desserts and tea to host them.
Tonight he'd come specifically to act as Flower Guardian, following Lin inside. But seeing Lin seriously seeking Hakushi's medical knowledge and getting really into it, Obito didn't want to interrupt since he wasn't all that familiar with medical stuff.
Watching Lin's keen eagerness, and that guy who "mooches off women" calmly answering Lin's questions, Obito had to admit this mooch actually did have some skills.
At least when it came to Medical Ninjutsu.
It wasn't until around ten at night that their little private tutoring session ended.
"Hakushi-senpai, thank you for your help tonight."
"No problem—Nohara Lin, you're welcome any time. If I can answer your questions, I'll do my best to help."
Hakushi smiled softly and saw Lin out.
Obito followed her as usual.
Even though his eyes kept drooping with sleep, he still insisted on walking Lin home before he could rest easy.
Seeing this, Hakushi became even more convinced—Uchiha Obito... is definitely one weird Uchiha.
◎
The unimaginable physical weight suddenly pressed down on Hakushi, jolting him right out of sleep.
Another sunny morning.
But compared to the bright, warm sunshine, the full, round things suddenly in front of him were way more tempting, making him yearn for them instinctively.
Not exaggerating, but for girls his age, it was honestly unbelievable.
Take Ruri, for example—her figure, unlike her fierce strength, was peculiarly modest and understated in that department.
So now, seeing something so lively and alluring...
Hakushi couldn't help but imagine, during a hot spring bath, if it floated up on the water—it'd be one hell of an amazing sight.
"Good morning, Hakushi!"
The girl straddling him like a mount, using her soft, pale fingers to poke his nose, greeted him cheerfully and casually.
"...What are you doing, Ayane?"
Honestly, the whole scene had Hakushi's brain locked up for a moment.
"I saw in a book recently that boys like to wake up this way. Hakushi, don't you like it? Or, do you want me to wake you up some other way?"
"Whatever works, but you should probably stop reading those weird books."
Hakushi gently moved Ayane off him.
No matter what, that tempting pose just now was really hard to resist.
Just now, he almost had a strong physical reaction.
As Hakushi finished getting dressed, the Shadow Lady walked in from outside, clad in all black, carrying a tray which she gently placed at the side.
"Father, mother, I've prepared breakfast for you both. Please enjoy."
"???"
"Thanks—you even made breakfast for us."
While Hakushi was still trying to figure out what was going on, Ayane was already praising the Shadow Lady for being so thoughtful.
Ayane turned to Hakushi and smiled, saying, "Look, Hakushi—our daughter is so well-behaved! She specially made breakfast for us two, so let's eat together."
She put extra emphasis on "our daughter."
"..."
Hakushi just wanted to know—while he was still sleeping, what did that idiot daughter and Ayane get up to?