"Yoichi-nii! Welcome back!"
When Yoichi came into the vicinity, Akira playfully bounced.
Seeing this enthusiasm, Yoichi's mouth couldn't help but curl up from solace and patted Akira's head, "Quit jumping and train harder. Being a shinobi tends to have a focus on their discipline rather than playing around."
"Hmm! I understand!" Akira nodded, face lit up.
At this point, Yoichi was thoughtful.
Back then, Akira and Yoichi's affinity with each other seemed to be stifled thanks to Akira's reserved character and Yoichi's indifference.
Currently, the bond between the two was closer than ever. In his defense, Yoichi felt lucky to have them as they wholeheartedly accepted him even though he was a bona-fide disgraceful fruit from a Kumogakure Shinobi and an Uchiha Woman.
Frankly, it was truly inconceivable that Nobuyuki and Akira acknowledged his existence. Not as a person, but as a true family; a familial feeling he'd like to understand and figure out.
"Is Mother doing well? Where is she?" Yoichi asked.
"She's at home along with Father! Come on, Yoichi-nii!" Akira clasped Yoichi's hand, jogging back into the home.
*Creeeeekkk!*
"Oh, look who it is! It's Yoichi!"
Glancing at the familiar visitor, Nobuyuki greeted Yoichi with much enthusiasm.
The allocated house was named after Nobuyuki's privileges being a Konoha Police Officer. Inside, the interior felt proper and even traditional, with a large space enough for a family of 3.
Besides that, there were all the rooms including a guest room for guests.
"Don't be shy, Yoichi. Oh right, we're about to eat lunch. Do you have time to eat here?"
Nobuyuki's earnest hospitality made Yoichi hesitate a bit before being compelled to sit down with them at the dining table.
Akira lightly chuckled, then sat down.
Yoichi... What is he doing here?
Meanwhile, Naoko was on a cooking streak until he heard her husband's apparent optimism. With their time together, Nobuyuki only conducts this kind of cordiality: her distant son.
In their last meeting, Naoko's outburst felt out of place yet her feelings could not be suppressed anymore and she lashed out word-for-word in front of his long-lost son.
Right now, still confused by her view on Yoichi's disposition, Naoko took a deep breath and exhaled.
"Naoko! Are the dishes ready to go?" Nobuyuki's gentle voice resounded.
"I–It's ready!" Broken from her rhythm, Naoko's face softened as she went outside with the dishes in her hands.
Meals piping hot were presented at the table while Nobuyuki helped her to prepare the dishes.
Yoichi took a peek at Naoko intently until he lowered his head and said, "I humbly receive."
What am I supposed to do next?
Yoichi stared blankly at the food, thinking about his next set of actions.
On the other hand, Nobuyuki nudged his wife and peeked at her intensely, subtly giving out signals.
"P–please, go ahead." Naoko gently smiled stiffly, the corner of her mouth twitching in awkwardness.
After hearing her stuttered voice, Yoichi looked at Naoko once more before he ate the food.
Once Naoko glanced at her son's eyes, what she felt was absolute desolation. For the past few months, she has occasionally seen him outside the Ninja Academy walking alone while the other children walked out with their parents.
As if being prickled by intangible needles in her heart, a pang of guilt washed over Naoko's mind.
At those moments, she couldn't help but cry over his son's loneliness and her inability to move on as a mother.
Now, in that brief moment, she truly noticed the excruciating hardships of her son, firmly clutching her dress.
Off to the side, Nobuyuki opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he held in.
'It's time for her to face her fears... Not only for her sake but for her son's evident yearning...' Nobuyuki sighed internally.
"It's time for you... No, it's time for us to move on," Yoichi interjected and spotted his mother's misery in a mere glance.
Hearing this, Akira and Nobuyuki took a look at Yoichi, who was sternly glancing at Naoko.
"Do you know what I did just to see you? Then let me summarize this. I schemed to survive without any remorse. I fought and killed many children who are also hopeful like me! And at last, I lost my dear friend who also had a dream of being a great shinobi!" Yoichi smiled bitterly.
Seeing that pained smile of his made Nobuyuki and Akira fall silent while Naoko's eyes widened, tearing slowly.
"But even so, I came out alive! I abandoned my friends out there in Amegakure for an opportunity for tomorrow and a significant part of that is seeing you!" Yoichi continued, smiling gently as he held Naoko's hands.
Once the truth became obvious, the tears couldn't help but slide onto Naoko's cheeks as her teary eyes glanced at Yoichi's profile.
"I'm very sorry..." Naoko reacted, bursting into tears.
"That matter is irrelevant now. You have your struggles while I also had a fair share of my battles. I know you are still hesitant and uncertain. If your heart could be softened by time, then I'll gladly wait. Thanks for the meal."
After patting Naoko's hand, Yoichi's eyes shed a tear. Then, he left the house without having any regrets.
From those brief words alone, Naoko wept hardly amidst the helping hand of both Nobuyuki and Akira as the stillness within the house felt bleak.
"I said my piece. It's now her time to do her part. Regardless of the result, I'll ascend even more than this..." After he returned, Yoichi sat down.
Thinking of Haruhiko's dream in his mind was a bittersweet sensation.
Ever since that occurred, Yoichi tried his best to become much more measured and logical, barring anyone unmanageable from his life.
Despite that detached mindset, he couldn't resist walking to the light.
Like a magnet, the Sannin's chaos positivity plus his relatively negative factor felt deeply attracted to each other, forming close bonds together.
"Geniuses really grouped up..." Yoichi then shook his head and let out a sigh.
Previously, what he thought about them was for the sake of his ambitions. But then again, a murky feeling of friendship and camaraderie pushed once more, changing his preconceived notions around them.
People can truly change... Including me.
Yoichi's mouth curved into a wry smile, mocking himself.
Sitting down, he felt neither joy nor sorrow.
Only peace of mind occurred.
________________
(Current Progress)
[Realm: Muscle Tempering Stage]
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Perfection) 48/1000]
[Mountain Crushing Fist: (Small Success) 250/300]
[Lightning Spear Thrust: (Small Success) 247/300]
[Phantom Steps: (Great Success) 1/500]
[Secret Technique: Face Changing (Small Success) 0/300]
[Tickets: 1 Prismatic, 0 Gold, 0 Silver.]
[Attributes]
「Charm: 11」
「Soul Power: 12」
____________
Sorry guys, but I'll shorten the chapter uploads back to 2. I've understood now that the 3 chapters within their contents felt mediocre. As they said, "Nothing beats quality." I learned that after reading some of the finest books in WebNovel.
It's not a goodbye or something, just a reduction of 1 chapter for the sake of improving. I mean, look at this chapter and feel its pacing, relatively good no?
Thanks, everyone! Add the fanfic to your collections and comment if you like to do it! Anyways, see ya! XDD!