Motonoya Toko watched the spot where Yoruha had disappeared, a faint trace of longing flickering in her eyes.
Senju Mei, her mother, immediately saw through her daughter's thoughts.
Smiling gently, she said, "It seems you see this companion of yours a little differently. What kind of person is he?"
Hearing her mother's teasing tone, Motonoya Toko's face turned crimson.
She stammered shyly, "Wh-what do you mean, Mom? There's nothing different about him."
Senju Mei chuckled softly. "Hehe, really? You kept staring at that boy just now. I've never seen you look at Jumoku like that before."
Motonoya Toko turned her gaze toward the dimly lit road, where only the streetlights still burned.
In a quiet voice, she said, "I don't really know him yet… after all, we just met."
Senju Mei frowned slightly. "You just met? Isn't he in your class?"
She had assumed Yoruha was a transfer student.
After all, students did sometimes transfer from smaller ninja villages in the Land of Fire to Konoha.
Konoha wasn't the only ninja village in the Fire Country—just the largest and most powerful one.
There were many smaller villages scattered throughout the land.
Motonoya Toko shook her head. "He's in our class, but… for the past six years, I never noticed him. I didn't even know him before yesterday."
"What? You were in the same class for six years and didn't even know each other? Not even a single word?"
"Is that boy… reclusive or something?"
Senju Mei looked utterly surprised. It seemed impossible—being classmates for that long without a single exchange.
Motonoya Toko smiled faintly. "No, not really. It's just… Yoruha never stood out. His presence was even weaker than mine."
Senju Mei was stunned.
She couldn't quite believe it. If her daughter hadn't said it herself, she would've thought it absurd—how could anyone have such a faint presence?
After a moment, she frowned slightly. "Then… could it be that he's difficult to get along with?"
She was genuinely worried for her daughter.
From her experience, people with such low presence often had withdrawn or difficult personalities.
She didn't want her daughter to get hurt.
But Motonoya Toko shook her head. "No, Yoruha's actually really easy to get along with. I don't know why he used to be so quiet, but his personality is nice."
As she spoke, her eyes shone brighter than usual.
Senju Mei felt a headache coming on.
Could it be that her silly daughter was already falling for someone?
Children in the shinobi world matured early.
Even though they had just graduated from the academy, they already understood what emotions were.
And Motonoya Toko's circumstances made things more complicated—her father was a wealthy merchant of the Fire Country, her mother a descendant of the Senju clan, and she herself was an exceptionally pretty girl.
Even at her young age, she was already strikingly beautiful.
It was only natural that some boys would be drawn to her.
Senju Mei asked carefully, "Then what about you? How do you feel about him—like you do with Jumoku?"
Motonoya Toko wasn't as dense as Naruto; she knew exactly what her mother meant.
But she hesitated.
She had only known Yoruha for one day. Though she felt a faint liking for him, it was far too soon to be certain.
It was simply a budding affection—nothing more.
After a brief silence, she looked up and said thoughtfully, "It's… a little different, I think. I see Jumoku as a good friend, but with Yoruha… it feels a bit different.
I don't know why, but even though I just met him, I can't help feeling something unique about him."
Senju Mei frowned again—the very situation she worried about was happening.
"Maybe you're just curious," she suggested gently. "You didn't know him before, so he seems mysterious. That's probably all there is to it."
Her concern wasn't unfounded.
Their family wasn't like ordinary ones.
Though not a ninja clan per se, they were a wealthy and powerful family, and Mei herself was born of the Senju line.
Their household's influence was comparable to that of many high-ranking ninja families in Konoha—perhaps even greater.
If Toko simply wanted to make friends, Mei would be supportive, whether it was with Jumoku or anyone else.
But if romantic feelings were involved, things became much more complicated.
In that case, the boy's background, his intentions, and his goals all needed careful consideration.
Noticing her mother's anxious look, Motonoya Toko smiled and teased, "Mom, are you worried that your daughter might actually fall for Yoruha?"
Senju Mei's face turned slightly red; her daughter had seen straight through her.
Still, she nodded. "You know how our family is different from others. You're our only child. One day, you'll have to inherit the Motonoya family.
Your partner must be carefully chosen—someone who won't bring us trouble."
Motonoya Toko sighed deeply.
"Then maybe you and Dad should have another baby—give me a little brother so I can relax."
"You child… what are you saying?" Mei's face flushed even deeper.
Truth be told, she truly loved Toko's father.
Theirs had been a marriage born of mutual affection, and their relationship had always been warm and close.
Motonoya Toko smiled faintly. "I don't know if I really like Yoruha yet, but… he feels different from the others.
There's something mysterious about him, and being around him… makes me feel safe."
Senju Mei immediately caught the odd part. "Mysterious? Do you mean he's withdrawn?"
"No," Motonoya Toko said, shaking her head. "It's more like… Yoruha doesn't seem like what he appears on the surface. There's something deeper about him."
Senju Mei frowned again—this was what worried her most.
"Do you think he's hiding something from you? Maybe he has an ulterior motive?"
Motonoya Toko blinked, then chuckled softly. "Hehe… Mom, if that were true, do you think I'd still have a good impression of him?"
Though her demeanor was calm and gentle—much like Hinata's—she wasn't as naïvely kind as Hinata.
She had her own thoughts and discernment.
If someone approached her for her family's sake, she would never like them. In fact, she would find them repulsive.
Senju Mei nodded slightly. She believed that much.
Her daughter might appear meek and quiet, but she wasn't without her own sense of judgment.
"Then why does he feel so mysterious to you?" Mei pressed. "He's just a newly graduated genin, isn't he?"
Motonoya Toko shook her head. "No, Mom. I think… he's already much stronger than me—and stronger than most of my classmates."
"Oh? He's that talented?"
"Strange… why haven't I heard the Third Hokage mention him?"
"I know the names of all the top students this year, but I don't recall anyone named Yoruha."
As a member of one of Konoha's elite families, Senju Mei naturally had access to such information—especially since her beloved daughter had been among that year's graduates.
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Advance chapters at Ko-Fi (currently at Chapter 155)
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27