The next day, Aoba was woken up by a full-of-grievance Shizune.
Shizune had not yet adjusted to waking up in the morning without someone in her arms, so from early on, she was filled with resentment.
Although Aoba didn't have to live at Tsunade's place anymore, he still had to follow her to the Hokage building.
The reopening time for the third round of the exam hadn't been confirmed yet. During this period, each team's leading jonin still had to guide their students for special training.
No one could give Aoba special training after the power he had shown yesterday. With nothing to do at home, he was dragged off by Tsunade to be a laborer again.
He also carefully observed Tsunade's attitude toward him. Neither cold nor warm.
Judging by her look, she seemed to have already forgotten the incident where he gr*ped her chest yesterday. Or perhaps she didn't mind in the first place.
After a busy morning at the Hokage building, Aoba felt like something was missing. He suddenly asked, "Sensei, did Aunt Mikoto take leave today?"
In the past few days, Uchiha Mikoto had been coming to the office every now and then, lingering in front of him. But today, he hadn't seen her once all morning. Who was going to replenish his shirt buttons?
"Hmm? No," Tsunade was momentarily stunned, then shook her head, "I gave her a day off."
"Did something happen?", Aoba looked worried, "Was she injured yesterday?"
"No, Lady Mikoto felt a bit down because of Uchiha Itachi's attack on Lady Tsunade yesterday, so Lady Tsunade gave her a day off to rest," Shizune, nearby, helped explain.
"I see," Aoba thought for a moment. The son she once took the most pride in had suddenly betrayed the village and even came back now to attack the Hokage.
As a mother, that really was hard to accept.
He didn't ask further, deciding he would visit Uchiha Mikoto's house after work.
When Shizune temporarily left the office for work, Aoba turned to Tsunade and asked, "Aunt Mikoto… does she know that Uchiha Itachi is actually a spy for the village?"
Tsunade shook her head, her expression somewhat helpless.
"I tried to persuade him to give up the undercover mission and return to Konoha. I could even help clear his name for what happened back then. But he refused and asked me to continue keeping his identity secret. He seems to have his own thoughts."
"I see…", Aoba thought again, 'Could it be that Itachi still wants to use his own death to help Sasuke awaken the Mangekyo?'
'As expected, Uchiha's brother complexes are all a bit abnormal.'
———
After work in the afternoon.
"Sensei, Shizune-nee, you two go on ahead. I have something else to do," At the door of the Hokage building, Aoba said to them a little apologetically.
"Mm," Tsunade responded casually.
But Shizune remained standing, squinting her eyes, "You're going to see Mikoto-san?"
"Uh… I'm going to check on Aunt Mikoto," Aoba scratched his head awkwardly.
"Aoba, you sure care about Mikoto-san, huh," Shizune puffed her cheeks and looked at Aoba unhappily.
"Well, Aunt Mikoto takes good care of me after all."
"Hmph~ Remember to come find me tonight," Shizune pinched a few red marks into Aoba's face before leaving with Tsunade.
———
[Uchiha Clan Compound, Clan Head's House]
Aoba raised his hand and knocked on the door.
Soon, the door was opened.
Uchiha Mikoto's originally weary-looking face lit up with a smile when she saw Aoba, and she stepped aside, "Aoba, come in first."
Aoba followed her into the house.
"Aoba, please sit down," Uchiha Mikoto greeted him to sit while she started preparing tea and snacks.
"Aunt Mikoto, you don't have to be so polite," Aoba sat on the sofa.
"That won't do. Aoba, you haven't visited in a long time. Auntie definitely has to treat you well," Uchiha Mikoto said with a playful tone.
Hearing this, Aoba simply sat down obediently and didn't say anything more polite.
Very soon, Uchiha Mikoto brought over the prepared snacks and tea, placing them on the table.
"Aoba, I watched yesterday's battle. You were very handsome."
"Thank you," Aoba said thank you a little shyly. [T/N: Geh]
"Mm."
"..."
Then it went quiet.
Neither of them knew what to say next. The atmosphere became a little awkward.
After a while, Aoba tried to make conversation.
"Uh… has Sasuke not come home yet?"
"Pfft!", Uchiha Mikoto couldn't help laughing.
"Aunt Mikoto, why are you laughing?", Aoba asked, puzzled. Was there something odd in what he said?
"It's nothing," Uchiha Mikoto shook her head, covering her mouth as she smiled, "I just thought your clumsy look was kind of cute."
Aoba wasn't angry and even complimented, "Aunt Mikoto, you look much prettier when you smile now."
The smile on Uchiha Mikoto's face paused briefly. She pinched Aoba's face and said half-annoyed, "Are you saying Auntie didn't look good when she smiled just now?"
Aoba shook his head, "It all looked good. It's just that earlier, when you smiled, it was obvious you were hiding something. This smile now looks better."
Hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto's pinching motion turned into a gentle caress.
"Aoba, you came to visit Auntie because you were worried about her, didn't you?"
"…Yeah."
"Then it looks like I need to take more days off in the future, so I can trick Aoba into coming home," Uchiha Mikoto laughed shamelessly.
'Tricking the little brother to come home, Aunt Mikoto, you're kind of indecent, aren't you?'
"Then better not, or else Shizune-nee might get overwhelmed."
Hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto pursed her lips with a troubled look, "Aoba, don't you know that when comforting a woman, you must never mention another woman's name?"
"Uh… sorry," Aoba was stunned by Uchiha Mikoto's words but quickly apologized smoothly.
Uchiha Mikoto seemed to realize the problem with her words as well and explained, "Auntie doesn't mind, but if you say that while comforting one of your little girlfriends, it could easily cause conflict, you know?"
"I see. I understand now," Aoba suddenly realized.
"So it looks like Auntie knows a lot, huh?"
"Of course, Auntie is an adult after all."
The two of them chatted about some family matters as time passed bit by bit.
Seeing that Uchiha Mikoto's emotions seemed stable, Aoba got ready to leave.
"Sasuke is about to come home. Won't you stay and have dinner with us?", Standing at the door, Uchiha Mikoto tried to keep him.
Aoba shook his head, "I promised Yugao-nee I'd have dinner at home."
"Then can you come tomorrow?", Uchiha Mikoto asked again.
Aoba thought for a moment, "Sure."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y