Given the recent training, I really did smell a bit — whether it's iryo-ninjutsu or not, cooling down a heated body has to be done the old-fashioned way — and the comment was fair.
— "Well, there's a lot you can do in the bathroom too," — I replied without missing a beat, pushing the front door with my foot.
It was a relief that Kushi-chan was spending the evening at Mikoto's place, so no one would disturb us.
A few hours later, relaxing in bed and stroking Mito's luxurious hair, which reached down to her waist, I tried not to give in to the desire to fall asleep — on the way back, I needed to check on our daughter and Linley, and also slip away before Kushina returned.
— "You should visit more often," — Mito murmured softly, her head nestled comfortably on my shoulder.
— "I would love to, Mi-chan, but with the hospital, the shop, little Katsumi and Linley, and taking care of Keiko and Saya, I barely have time for proper training, let alone everything else," — I sighed, pulling the curvaceous kunoichi closer, — "I barely even see Kanade, and that's despite her being my official lover!"
Mito didn't respond, but I noticed a brief darkening of her expression. But when I shifted my gaze from the ceiling to Uzumaki, I saw only the familiar look of serene contentment. Did I imagine it? Deciding not to dwell on it, I suppressed a yawn. I could lie here for another ten minutes, then it would be time to start getting ready.
Making up my mind, I returned to the thoughts of the kunoichi holding me. Since I came back from the war, Uzumaki had seemed a bit more… clingy, perhaps?
She used to avoid so openly showing her desire to have me around and displayed her true feelings less frequently. No, we had a great time together, both in bed and out of it, during training, but there was always a sense that we were just friends with benefits and nothing more.
Now, however, that small but always-present distance between us had started to rapidly disappear, and I had the feeling that Mito was clinging to me like a drowning person to a straw. Although, that's not quite the right comparison — more like a dying person clinging to the few threads that bind them to life… Damn, it's hard to put this feeling into words, but one thing I was sure of — Uzumaki Mito needed me like never before.
Hmm, if you think about it, the recent loss of Navaki must have hit her hard — the red-haired fuinjutsu masters are very family-oriented, and the death of not just all the children but also a grandchild must have deeply affected the kunoichi. There was also a recent rumor that Mito had a serious falling out with Tsunade and even kicked her ass.
I don't know the details, as I didn't inquire, but apparently, the summoner of slugs wanted to leave Konoha without considering the head of the Senju's opinion and rightfully got a beating from her grandmother. I doubt that this contributed to improving their relationship. Thus, from close blood relatives, only Kushina-chan and I remained. Not a very impressive number compared to the huge multi-generational families in Uzushio.
Considering that Mito spent her childhood and youth on the island, moving to Konoha must have been a heavy burden, not to mention the burden of being a jinchuriki. While the Uzumaki understand the inevitability of losses in the profession of hired killers, their mortality rate is much lower simply due to their greater survivability compared to other shinobi and their focus on fuinjutsu as a primary source of income rather than mission completion.
And even if someone from the family does die, like Ryuta, there are always numerous relatives around to help cope with the grief.
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