Yūhi Kurenai's home was a typical Japanese-style house, quite a bit larger than an ordinary residence, featuring a meticulously maintained small garden, indicating a rather well-off family.
As an old jonin clan of Konoha, having such a residence was not surprising.
Kurenai happily pulled open the garden gate and called inside:
"Mom, I'm home! And I brought friends!"
A gentle woman wearing an apron came out from inside the house upon hearing the voice. She was Kurenai's mother, Yūhi Ao. Seeing Sora, her face immediately showed a warm, slightly teasing smile:
"My, it's Sora-kun. It's been a long time since you last came. Please come in, lunch is almost ready."
"Thank you for having me, Auntie," Sora politely nodded in greeting.
"Not at all, not at all. Kurenai often talks about you, saying you train very hard and know a lot."
Yūhi Ao said with a smile, meaningfully glancing at her daughter, making Kurenai's ears turn red.
"Mom!"
Kurenai protested softly, quickly pushing Sora inside, "Hurry, go in!"
Sora felt a little awkward inside, especially feeling Uesugi Min's "I get it, I totally get it" look beside him.
The group took off their shoes and entered the house.
The living room was spacious and tidy, covered with clean tatami mats. A low table in the middle already had several small dishes and bowls with chopsticks set out.
"You all sit first, there's just one more soup."
Yūhi Ao said, turning and heading back into the kitchen.
Just as Sora sat down, a steady male voice came from the hallway, "You're back?"
A tall, middle-aged man with a resolute face walked out.
He wore a dark-colored house yukata, had short black hair, sharp eyes, and a calm demeanor. Between his brows carried the stern aura of one who had experienced battles, but facing his family now, that sternness was considerably toned down, appearing much gentler.
This was Kurenai's father, the Konoha jonin, Shinku Yūhi.
Sora immediately stood up, "Uncle Shinku."
This was his third time meeting Shinku Yūhi. This jonin was often away on missions, rarely at home, even Kurenai seldom saw him.
'Shinku Yūhi... In the original work, information about him is pitifully little. It's only known that he is Kurenai's father, a jonin, and that he died during the Nine-Tails attack.'
Sora looked at the man before him, whose aura was steady and powerful, and couldn't help but calculate in his mind.
'The Nine-Tails attack... According to the timeline, it will happen in about four or five years. By then, this seemingly very strong jonin will also...'
Thinking this, Sora's mood became somewhat complicated. After all, for Yūhi Kurenai, her father's sacrifice would undoubtedly be a huge trauma in her life.
"Dad! You're home today!"
Yūhi Kurenai cried out in surprise and immediately ran over.
"Yes, a mission just concluded. I'm resting for a couple of days."
Shinku Yūhi patted his daughter's head. His gaze swept over Asuma and Uesugi Min, finally settling on Sora. He nodded and said:
"Sora, long time no see. I hear from Kurenai that your performance is outstanding, already possessing Special Jonin strength?"
His tone was very flat, not revealing much emotion, but the fact that he brought it up proactively clearly meant he had heard quite a bit about Sora from Kurenai.
Sora replied modestly:
"You flatter me, Uncle Shinku. It was just good luck."
"Anbu missions don't rely on luck."
Shinku Yūhi said meaningfully, then walked to the main seat and sat down, "Everyone sit, no need to be formal."
Asuma was obviously very familiar with Shinku Yūhi, casually greeting him before sitting down.
Uesugi Min, however, seemed somewhat restrained, after all, she was facing a village jonin.
If she knew that Sora was now capable of crushing elite jonin, one wonders how she would react.
Shinku Yūhi looked at Sora, privately assessing him.
'This boy named Sora, his rate of progress is truly astonishing. A few years ago, he was just a kid with weak chakra. Now his aura is condensed, his physique robust. Just standing there gives off a faint sense of pressure. No wonder he was exceptionally promoted into Anbu and even gained the Hokage-sama's attention.'
'Kurenai being close to him, whether it's a blessing or a curse is hard to say...'
'Still, it's better than being pestered by some unreliable boy.'
Thinking this, Shinku Yūhi glanced at Asuma, who was secretly trying to pull a cigarette from his pack. Asuma felt the gaze and immediately sheepishly stuffed the cigarette back.
'At such a young age, not learning proper things, smoking at 12 years old, what a bad habit to pick up from your father~'
Yūhi Ao came out carrying the soup pot. Seeing her husband, she smiled:
"Shinku, look at Sora-kun, hasn't he grown a lot taller since last time? He's almost as tall as you."
Sora was almost 12 now, but due to the Azure Dragon Fruit's modifications to his body, his height was already close to 170 cm, a good half a head taller than peers like Kurenai, Asuma, and Min, with a straight, upright figure, though his face still carried a trace of youthful immaturity.
Shinku Yūhi looked Sora over and grunted in acknowledgement:
"Not bad."
Kurenai looked at Sora, feeling a little proud inside, as if the praise was for herself.
'Sora has always worked very hard!'
She secretly thought, then quickly lowered her head to eat.
The meal was plentiful and tasted very good.
During the meal, Yūhi Ao was very enthusiastic, constantly putting food on Sora's plate, asking questions like "Is training usually very hard?", "Are you adjusting well in Anbu?" from time to time. The fondness and curiosity in her eyes were almost undisguised, leaving Sora to thank her while trying hard to eat, occasionally answering a few words.
Kurenai's face remained slightly flushed the whole time, occasionally softly reminding her mother:
"Mom, stop asking so much..."
Under the table, Uesugi Min gently nudged Asuma with her foot, exchanging looks that said "See? See? I told you." Asuma returned a "boring" look, but the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.
Shinku Yūhi ate in silence most of the time, occasionally asking the group a few questions about missions and training.
Sora, while dealing with Yūhi Ao's enthusiasm, observed the family, feeling deep emotion.
'This is what a normal family is like. Unfortunately, according to the original, such warm scenes won't last more than a few years. War, the Nine-Tails... the beauty of this world is always fleeting.'
He knew Shinku Yūhi's ultimate fate. Looking at the steady, powerful man now, and the gentle, virtuous Yūhi Ao and lively, cute Kurenai beside him.
'Overthinking is pointless. Focus on improving strength is the right path. Only with sufficient power is it possible to change something in the future. At the very least... protect the important people around you.'
For Sora, this meal was both warm and somewhat torturous.
Finally making it through the meal, Sora sat for a little while longer before rising to take his leave.
Yūhi Ao enthusiastically told him to come often, and Kurenai saw him to the door.
"Today... thank you for coming."
Kurenai said softly, her face still bearing a faint blush.
"Thank you for the hospitality. The food was delicious. I'll bother you again next time I have the chance."
Sora smiled. He almost reached out to pat Kurenai's head like he did when they were little, but halfway his hand stopped as he noticed Kurenai's mother behind her, wearing a teasing smile. He quickly withdrew his hand.
'...'
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━