[Uchiha Compound]
[Karin's Home]
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The alarm clock rang out. With her hair messy and unkempt, Karin slapped the alarm clock with a smack.
Without her glasses on, she groggily brought it up to her face.
"Ah! How did I sleep for so long?"
Karin's eyes snapped open wide as she jumped out of bed in an instant.
"Mom! Why didn't you wake me up?"
She muttered in complaint as she put on her clothes.
But outside was silent. Karin slapped her forehead and remembered, Kasui had gone to help with an experiment and wouldn't be back for a couple of days.
In a hurry, Karin threw on her clothes, grabbed her backpack and comb, and ran out of the compound.
She passed several breakfast stalls along the way but didn't dare stop.
Because Rengoku had said there was a mission today.
At the roadside outside the compound, Rengoku was already waiting for her.
"S–Shishou…"
Karin panted heavily, "I'm sorry, I'm late."
Rengoku saw Karin's messy hair and the comb still in her hand and couldn't help smiling.
"I let you sleep that long. Did you eat?"
Karin's eyes darted back and forth, "Uh…"
Rengoku, seeing her eyes shift, knew immediately that she was about to lie.
He reached out and tapped her forehead,."Alright, I'll take you to eat first."
"Hehe~"
Karin stuck out her tongue sheepishly. She'd been extra sleepy lately, always dozing off after eating.
Rengoku brought her to a breakfast shop and told the owner to bring five set meals.
Each set included rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, grilled fish, and other meats.
All of it was stacked in front of Karin, covering almost the entire table.
"Shishou, aren't you eating?", Karin picked up her chopsticks excitedly, then realized Rengoku didn't have any food in front of him.
Rengoku shook his head, "I've already eaten. You go ahead."
"Alright then, I'm starting!", Karin pressed her palms together and began eating ravenously.
As her hair kept falling forward, Rengoku stepped behind her.
"Huh, Shishou?"
"Hold still for a moment."
Rengoku tidied her hair a bit, pulled out a chopstick, wrapped her hair around it twice, pressed it in place, twisted the chopstick once, hooked the hair, and slid it through.
In just a few seconds, Karin's hair was neatly pinned up.
Karin reached back and felt the bun, her face showing surprise.
'Shishou did my hair?'
In this world's old traditions, only a husband could do that for his wife.
Only in recent times had customs loosened a bit, fathers could now do so for their daughters.
But the Uchiha were a noble clan, and the older the clan, the older the customs.
As Karin's thoughts wandered, her face turned slightly red.
Rengoku had no idea what she was thinking. He'd only done it because her hair got in the way while she was eating.
He used to fix Ryuri's hair like that at home too.
When he saw Karin stop eating, he asked, "What, full already?"
"Ah… oh! No," Karin shook her head quickly and continued eating.
Only after she'd finished all five breakfast sets did she finally set down her chopsticks.
Seeing her about to wipe her mouth with her hand again, Rengoku shoved a napkin into her palm.
"You've got napkins, why use your hand? It's all greasy."
When Karin got happy while eating, she often forgot herself.
She remembered how a few days ago at the hospital, right after eating, she'd poked Shishou's face with her fingers. She wondered if she'd gotten him greasy.
"I know, Shishou," she murmured, glancing at him shyly.
———
Rengoku and Karin entered the forest, where he announced their mission.
"Konoha's short on manpower right now. The Kumo and Iwa forces have both reached the border."
"Our mission this time is a long-range strike on the Kumo forces."
Hearing how dangerous it sounded, the trouble-loving Karin's eyes lit up immediately.
"Awesome! Shishou, this time you'll beat those Kumo people into the ground again!"
She clenched her fists excitedly. The same thing had happened three years ago. Back then, Rengoku had gone alone and thrashed the Kumo troops.
So she felt there was no danger at all.
Seeing her so thrilled, Rengoku said seriously, "This time is completely different from last time."
"They have more people now, and they probably won't split up."
"I need you to constantly use Kagura's Mind Eye to monitor their movements. And heal me when needed."
Karin nodded eagerly, "I got it, Shishou! Then let's go now!"
"This time, we'll use a faster way to travel."
Karin looked at him curiously.
Rengoku closed his eyes to sense, no scouts nearby. Then sheets of paper began flying off his body.
The papers gathered behind him, forming a pair of enormous wings.
Karin's mouth formed an "O," "Shishou… you… you can fly?"
Rengoku laughed, "There's plenty more I can do."
He grabbed her arm; the wings flapped once. An immense updraft carried them straight into the sky.
"Ahhh!"
Karin screamed as they shot upward, quickly reaching hundreds of meters above ground.
The people below looked like ants.
Rengoku didn't have much experience flying, but his body control was exceptional. After only a moment's adjustment, he was flying freely.
But he hadn't thought about one thing, the faster he flew, the stronger the wind.
After the first burst of excitement, Karin soon felt freezing cold and clung to him like a koala.
"Shishou, I'm so cold!"
With the wind roaring, she had to shout for him to hear.
Air rushed into her mouth, making it hard to breathe.
Realizing his oversight, Rengoku lifted her and shifted her behind him, letting her press against his back.
He adjusted the wings slightly, changing their angle, and instantly the wind was blocked completely.
"Still cold?"
Karin hugged his neck, her body tucked between his wings.
Warm now, she also felt utterly safe.
Leaning to his ear, she said softly, "I'm not cold anymore, Shishou."
"Hehe~ Shishou, the birthday wish I made just came true today."
Rengoku asked curiously, "Your wish was to fly?"
Karin shook her head, whispering into his neck, "No… I wished I could sit on Shishou like before."
Rengoku reached back and patted her head, "Karin, you'll grow up eventually. You can't always be a child."
"Mm, I'll grow up someday," Karin murmured.
But her face wasn't downcast at all.
Instead, she leaned close to his ear and said something softly.
Rengoku, facing the rushing wind, reached back and pinched her cheek, "You little rascal. Where'd you learn to say that?"
"Nooo, Shishou, just say yes," Karin said, pouting playfully.
"When you're grown up, we'll talk about it."
Rengoku brushed it off casually, clearly not taking her words seriously.
Karin pursed her lips, her face blushing as she lay against his back again.
She had already used up all her courage, and now had none left to say more.
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