[This Chapter Is Sponsored by Florin Durbaca! Everyone, please thank him in the comment!]
A few days later, in the afternoon, Uzuki Yūgao had already tidied up the flower shop.
Looking at her own shop, now completely transformed into the cozy and fragrant space she had imagined, she smiled. She decided that she would go to the Third Hokage the next day to explain everything. She was tired; she just wanted to live a simple life.
"Hayate, what brings you here?" she asked.
Her old classmate, with whom she had a good relationship, visited her today. Uzuki Yūgao greeted him with a sweet smile, as if she had forgotten the past and dispelled all the stress in her heart.
The two sat at a table near the window, the fragrance of tea filling the air. Hayate, looking haggard under the moonlight, gazed at Yūgao, the girl he considered the most perfect and innocent, feeling a sense of irony.
"Yūgao, why, why did you change like this? Some time ago, you said you wanted to find an ordinary person. I thought I had a chance. I gathered all my courage, but in the end..."
Hayate's words momentarily stunned Yūgao, but she quickly realized something, and her smile stiffened.
"Hayate, you investigated me!"
Faced with Yūgao's displeased expression, Hayate sighed bitterly and nodded, admitting directly, "You know, we are ninjas. It's our instinct to investigate the other party before forming a family."
Yūgao had thought she could bury her past, but it was all wishful thinking on her part.
Stepping out of her own world, Yūgao smiled, "Indeed, I was too naive. As a ninja, especially a female ninja, life can't be that simple."
"Among ninjas, the first step to forming a family is to investigate each other. I thought I could bury my past, but I was too naive."
After exposing her complex past, Yūgao thought she would avoid it and not dare to face it. But at this moment, she actually smiled with relief.
"The chakra-infused metal weapons, the famous swords, any piece of your jewelry is worth hundreds of thousands, and this shop is on the busiest street. Yūgao! If you really want to forget the past, how do you explain this?"
At this moment, Hayate had come to Yūgao with determination, still harboring a bit of fantasy. As long as Yūgao was willing to give up everything, he was also willing to abandon it all to pursue the goddess of his heart.
Hayate's expression was undisguised, but Yūgao leaned back in her chair, her eyes gradually becoming hazy.
"You're right. If I really want to bury my past, I shouldn't have kept these things, nor should I be enjoying them openly."
"On one hand, I talk about burying the past, and on the other, I openly enjoy all this." Yūgao's face showed a self-mocking smile.
"Maybe I haven't faced the real me yet. As a classmate, Hayate, would you like to listen to me?"
Hayate, still holding onto a bit of fantasy, silently nodded: "If you want to talk, I'll listen."
"It must have been three years ago, right? That was when we both joined the Police Force's Seventh Squad. Do you remember that I owed a huge debt back then?"
Hayate nodded silently, fully aware of the incident from three years ago. At that time, he hadn't thought much of it when Yugao mentioned it was resolved.
"You know the pressure of a million in debt? I searched for every relative, neighbor, teacher, teammate, and classmate I thought well of!"
At this point, Uzuki Yugao displayed a reminiscent expression, her lips curling into a sarcastic smile. She concealed her mission from the Anbu, but that wasn't important. What mattered was her firsthand experience of the fickleness of human relationships.
Initially, she was resolute about her secret mission. However, the disdainful and evasive looks from her former friends, relatives, and neighbors showed her their true faces.
Some even disgustingly took advantage of her situation. Her teacher, driven by greed, suggested she sleep with him for a few thousand, assuming she wouldn't survive the debt anyway.
Others revealed in her misfortune. She saw through human nature then, feeling a cold satisfaction in their exposed true selves.
"Later, under pressure and realizing many coveted me, I thought, why not sell myself at a high price to someone I don't despise and who could offer me more? So, I approached the most renowned captain of the Seventh Police Squad at the time."
She hid everything about her Anbu mission, as per the ninja code, a secret she must keep for life.
As Uzuki Yugao narrated, Hayate showed regret. At her most difficult time, he hadn't thought deeply enough; he was foolish.
"He was kind, considerate, and strong. In fact, I felt unworthy of him. It was I who approached him, and over three years, though our relationship was hidden, I experienced the warmth of a romantic relationship, including various gifts on holidays."
"I accepted luxurious jewelry usually worn only by nobility, rare weapons unattainable by ordinary ninjas, and even advanced ninjutsu, thinking I deserved it all."
Yugao shook her head in self-mockery, "I thought I traded myself for these things. Now, it seems ridiculous. He never lacked someone like me, with talent and beauty. But he never said anything, as if guilty about our secret relationship, compensating with advanced ninjutsu and weapons to ensure my survival, and jewelry as his guilt, while I took it for granted. Now I understand."
"He was a great man, afraid of burdening others with his ideals. He had his emotions but feared involving others, so he silently gave in."
Hayate listened silently, as Yugao spoke, narrating someone else's story, with both humor and sorrow, but without bitterness.
"It was my arrogance that made me think I was under pressure and scrutiny, leading me to withdraw. Now, I realize I only ever thought of myself, never considering others."
"What if I had given up everything when we parted – the prized sword, the jewelry, all the ninjutsu he taught me, everything! Could I have buried the past and started anew?"
Yugao asked curiously, genuinely wanting to know.
After hearing this, Hayate shook his head silently, "One can't just abandon their past; they can only temporarily bury it in their heart."
"True, just like I've grown accustomed to my current exalted position."
At this moment, Uzuki Yugao's face gradually radiated the heroic bearing she once had in ninja school, like a proud swan slowly lifting her head.
"I am a special Jonin at seventeen, mastering countless high-level ninja techniques envied and coveted by many, and I have reached heights that many civilian ninjas could never achieve in their lifetimes. I relish the regretful looks of relatives, neighbors, and friends who once shunned me and now regret their actions."
"And all of this I achieved in three years, and he never minded it!" As Uzuki Yugao spoke these words, she magnified the selfishness in her heart, yet she was open and unguarded about it.
"So even if I give up all of this, my past will still not be forgotten, just like you said, Hayate."
Wearing a self-mocking smile, Uzuki Yugao chuckled and shook her head: "The simple life I thought I was pursuing, what about others? Will they forget my past? And the people around me! They won't!"
"From the moment I became a ninja, I was destined for the extraordinary. Even if I went to an orphanage, they would investigate my background and character, and even ordinary colleagues would investigate due to ninja habits."
"So why should I give up all this? What I have is the haven he provided me. When I lost everything, these were my last resources."
At this moment, Uzuki Yugao showed a sincere smile, as if she had just seen through herself.
She never really wanted to give up everything she had achieved in these three years. Perhaps it was vanity, or maybe selfishness, but that's human nature.
After all, even if she gave up everything, others would not let go of her past, so why should she give up her own things?
"I understand now, maybe from that moment three years ago, we were people from two different worlds."
This time, Hayate gave a bitter smile, knowing that their worlds had diverged three years ago.
The last bit of fantasy in his heart completely disappeared. He could accept it, but what about his family? His friends? The constant reminders were just his self-deception.
And Uzuki Yugao also found her true self.
Hayate left, decisively this time. In different worlds, neither is willing to give up everything.
Like Hayate Gekko, who couldn't give up his family, companions, and everything closely related to them. And Uzuki Yugao couldn't give up her power and everything else.
When the flower shop returned to its peaceful state, Uzuki Yugao was alone, quietly observing the shop's interior in the sunlight.
"So this place is just the cabin I wanted to escape to, not a place to forget everything and start anew."
Her voice echoed in the room when suddenly a young figure timidly opened the door and came in.
"Sister Yuugao, I'm here to help you clean up the flower shop today."
A girl with long golden hair smiled immediately upon seeing Uzuki Yugao.
"It's Ino, you've come at the right time. I've just prepared some afternoon tea, so let's take a break today."
In the mountains and fields, this shop used to be Ino's mother's flower shop. After her parents passed away, the shop closed and was sold by the Yamanaka family. Ino always hoped that the new owner would continue to run it as a flower shop.
Thus, she could find a sense of her mother's presence here.
Ino sat obediently on the stool, the two of them, one old and one young, smiling and sipping tea like sisters.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your parents, Ino."
It was sad to see such a young child lose her parents, especially being the daughter of the clan head. Although her treatment was better than average, it wouldn't be the same as before under the new head, as new headship brings new interests.
Despite her youth, Ino, like a little adult in the world of ninjas, smiled.
"Sister Yugao, my mother did this to protect me, so I have to smile every day, so that my parents won't be disappointed."
Ino understood from a young age that after her father's death, relying solely on her mother was the most dangerous thing.
Instead, her mother's death was to protect her daughter. The couple sacrificed everything, leaving behind their young daughter. The new successor would avoid harming Ino to prevent gossip.
After all, a child without parents is less of a target. Simply by not teaching her advanced ninja techniques, Ino would naturally fade into obscurity.
On the other hand, if her mother was alive, as Ino grew up, she would learn advanced ninja techniques, and might she reclaim the position of clan head? That was a potential threat.
And with her mother around, would the clan head's resources have to be shared with this orphaned mother and daughter? Without her mother, Ino lost everything but also her threat.
"Ino, are you doing okay in the clan?"
Faced with Yugao's question, Ino smiled sweetly and innocently, "It's fine, nobody cares anymore."
Her casual remark about being uncared for made Yugao shudder, understanding the harsh reality. The former daughter of the Yamanaka clan head was now just an ordinary, unnoticed girl.
"So, Ino, do you have any dreams?"
Yugao asked casually, perhaps trying to compensate or probe Ino's inner hatred, while subtly using a simple hypnotic ninja technique to lower her guard.
The Yamanaka clan allowed Ino to come here, also using her as a means to completely eliminate any potential threat from the seemingly harmless Ino.
Ino, somewhat dazed, slowly revealed a hint of hatred in her eyes, "I want to become the strongest female ninja and then question the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans! Why did they abandon my father in the name of collective progress and retreat?"
"And the Third Hokage, who talked about protecting everyone, why did he tacitly allow all this?"
The young Ino, having lost her parents, quickly grew to understand who really caused their deaths.
Inside the flower shop, Ino, like a little kitten, leaned on the soft chair and drifted into her dreams, where she had her home and her parents.
Yugao sighed softly, "Poor girl, your parents' fate was the result of current politics."
"Not daring to take responsibility, pushing it onto subordinates, who, in turn, sacrificed your parents for their interests. This may be politics, but it shouldn't be so cold and heartless."
Experiencing the corruption under the Third Hokage's reign, Yugao truly realized its extent, like the setting sun of his era.
And she hoped for a rising sun that would never set.