Kaguya returned to the place she used to live, and to her surprise, the house hadn't been demolished, considering she used to be an S-rank wanted criminal.
The exterior of the house appeared slightly old and gray. The walls were mottled and covered with climbing ivy, with much of the wall paint peeling off. The wooden windows were somewhat decayed, and some of the glass panes were broken, even completely shattered in some places.
"It's really nostalgic," Kaguya sighed.
Inside, the place was a mess, with clutter everywhere. It looked like it had been ransacked. The wardrobe and such had been rummaged through, with even her underwear thrown on the floor.
"Is this where you used to live?" Konan looked around the room, seemingly very curious about Kaguya's former dwelling.
"Yes, I didn't want to live at home, so I bought a house outside," Kaguya's eyelashes trembled slightly as she recalled the past, "This house cost me a lot of money. I remember doing missions desperately for half a year to pay off the mortgage."
"That's nice," Konan smiled slightly. Although Kaguya seemed to be complaining, it was a kind of happiness, right? During her time, there weren't such good conditions. They were orphans, living in a cave, relying on stealing to survive until Jiraiya came.
"But this place is really old and full of dust," Kaguya pinched her nose and waved at the dust in the air, "Why don't we buy a new house?"
"No," Konan smiled, "Actually, I think this place is quite nice." Besides, this was where Kaguya used to live, giving her a sense of home.
However, she didn't say this out loud.
"Is that so?" Kaguya opened the windows to let some air in.
"Yes, I like it here," Konan said, touching a small mirror.
"Alright then," Kaguya didn't insist, actually she liked it here too, after all, it used to be her home, "I'll go buy some cleaning supplies and daily necessities."
"Okay."
Walking on the street, Kaguya noticed that Konoha Village had changed a lot over the years. Many of the once low houses had disappeared, replaced by several-story buildings. The roads had been renovated, becoming very spacious, with shops on both sides selling a variety of goods, the merchandise dazzling and overwhelming.
What attracted her most was a dango shop on the corner, a place she often visited. Surprisingly, it was still open. Judging by the aroma in the air, not much had changed. Perhaps the only change was the shop itself. It was no longer the small shop it used to be; now it was twice the original size and beautifully decorated.
Kaguya stood in front of the dango shop, struggling with her thoughts. She wanted to buy dango but also needed to go to the supermarket for daily necessities. If she took the dango to go, the taste would be significantly different. Kaguya was very conflicted.
"Is that you?" A familiar voice came from behind her.
Kaguya turned around and was stunned.
Not far away stood a familiar woman with long purple hair, almond-shaped eyes, a delicate face with a hint of heroism, and a tall, curvaceous figure.
"Yugao!" Kaguya rushed over and hugged Yugao, rubbing her face against Yugao's chest.
"Ow, ow."
"How disrespectful, call me Sister Yugao," Yugao pinched Kaguya's cheeks without hesitation, her eyes gradually turning red, "You finally know to come back, and you didn't even come to find me."
"It's because I was wanted," Kaguya said with an embarrassed smile.
"You still have the nerve to say that. Why did you run away back then?" Yugao wiped the corners of her eyes. "I was worried about you for so long."
"There were some things I didn't want to do either, but there was no choice," Kaguya sighed helplessly.
"By the way," Yugao suddenly realized, "you're still a wanted criminal. Did you sneak in? Come with me." She grabbed Kaguya's hand and started to leave.
"Don't worry," Kaguya said, holding Yugao's hand with a smile, "I've been cleared of charges this time. I'm no longer a wanted criminal."
"Really?" Yugao smiled and pinched Kaguya's cheek. "Then I'm relieved. But, by the way, you're getting prettier and prettier, I just can't help but want to pinch you."
"Is my purpose in being pretty just to be pinched?" Kaguya's head filled with black lines.
"Yes."
""
Eventually, Kaguya couldn't resist the temptation of the dango and walked into the dango shop.
Kaguya reached out and picked up a skewer of tri-color dango, dipped it in the sauce, put it in her mouth, and savored the delicate and soft texture, resting her face in her hand with a happy smile.
"I can't believe after all these years, you still love dango so much," Yugao laughed and placed the skewer of dango from her own plate onto Kaguya's plate.
"Some things never change," Kaguya mumbled with her mouth full.
"So, what are your plans now?" Yugao propped her face in her hand, staring at Kaguya.
"Plans? My plan is to..."
At this moment, the door was pushed open, and three people walked in: a long-haired boy with clear, transparent white eyes; another boy with a bowl haircut and thick eyebrows; and a girl with a fresh and pretty appearance, her hair styled in double buns.
Although they had changed a bit, Kaguya still recognized them as Neji, Lee, and Tenten.
"You, you are..." Lee pointed at Kaguya sitting by the window, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Kaguya, I didn't expect to see you here," Neji walked up to Kaguya.
"It's you," Kaguya said, still dealing with her dango, speaking indistinctly, "Is there something you need?"
"No," Neji replied, "but Uncle and Hinata miss you a lot. If possible, they hope you can visit them."
"I was planning to go anyway," Kaguya swallowed the dango in her mouth and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "By the way, do you know about Jiraiya? How is he?"
"When Jiraiya-senpai was brought in, his condition was very critical, but after Lady Tsunade's treatment, he's out of danger," Neji said with a smile. "He's reportedly recovering well now."