________________________________________
Yuichi Yuuki returned to the classroom to find Yuhi Kurenai's worried eyes fixed on him. He smiled warmly at her, gently hugged her, and ruffled her hair with one hand.
"Alright, alright, I'm fine."
The others watching this scene felt an odd sense of discomfort, as if they'd eaten something unpleasant. Uchiha Obito glanced over at Nohara Rin with a touch of envy in his eyes.
I wish I could do that with Rin! Obito thought, glaring at Yuichi, cursing him silently. Born evil, that guy!
Nohara Rin, meanwhile, looked at Yuichi and Kurenai and felt a bit envious herself. She glanced at Kakashi, who stood silently to the side, and then at Obito, offering him a kind smile.
Yuichi, now separating from Kurenai, looked around curiously. "Why are you all still here? School's over, shouldn't we head home?"
Kurenai, her face flushed from embarrassment at everyone's gaze, explained softly, "Everyone was worried about you, so we decided to wait."
Touched, Yuichi smiled at his classmates and reassured them. "It's all good."
"The teacher just asked me where we went this morning," he explained. "From now on, we just need to show up for class in the morning and can go train afterward. But we must attend the afternoon classes."
"Really?" Obito's eyes lit up, and he became excited.
"Yep," Yuichi grinned, spreading his arms wide. "We're free!"
"Hahahaha!"
Seeing this, Kakashi sighed. He wasn't sure why he'd felt a chill down his spine earlier, but the news was a relief. Now we can skip classes openly. This is great.
The group chatted happily for a while longer before heading home.
While walking, Kurenai seemed hesitant but eventually asked, "Yuichi, is there something wrong with Kakashi?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?" Yuichi looked at her, surprised.
"You kept glancing at him while you were talking earlier," Kurenai replied, tapping her finger thoughtfully on her lower lip. "You only do that when you're setting a trap for someone."
Having grown up with Yuichi, Kurenai knew him better than anyone else, even her own father.
Yuichi chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "It's not a trap for him."
"The teacher thinks Kakashi led us astray. So, I just played along and told him that Kakashi took us to the training ground."
Hearing that, Kurenai couldn't help but giggle. "Yuichi, you're so bad~"
"And do you like it?"
"Yeah, I like it." Kurenai lowered her head, nodding shyly, her voice barely above a whisper.
When they arrived home, Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinku, was already sitting at the dining table, waiting for them.
"Aunt Tada!" the two chorused.
Yuhi Shinku glanced towards the door, seeing the two walk in, and smiled. "You're back?"
"You're later than yesterday," he commented, eyeing Yuichi suspiciously. "Don't tell me you were out messing around."
"Dad!" Kurenai puffed out her cheeks in protest. "Don't say that about Yuichi!"
Yuhi Shinku's stern expression faltered. Aren't daughters supposed to be their father's little treasures? Why is mine defending him?
She's more like Yuichi's little treasure, he thought, feeling somewhat defeated.
Yuichi awkwardly smiled at Shinku before sitting down at the table without hesitation. "I'm starving," he said, rubbing his stomach.
Seeing how genuinely hungry he was, Yuhi Shinku let it go, bringing the food to the table. "Eat up."
The moment the food was served, Yuichi's eyes lit up, and he began to devour it like he hadn't eaten in days. Shinku watched this in surprise and turned to Kurenai, concerned. "What happened to him?"
Kurenai, with her mouth full of food, mumbled, "Yuichi and Kakashi fought today, so he's really hungry."
Yuichi's strong physique, inherited from his Uzumaki bloodline, meant his appetite was larger than most. After today's sparring session with Kakashi, combined with a light lunch, he was famished.
Even Kurenai had a bigger appetite today after practicing ninjutsu all morning, which consumed a significant amount of chakra.
As they ate, Kurenai and Yuichi recounted the day's events, and Yuhi Shinku listened, finally understanding why they were so hungry.
Once the meal was finished, Kurenai leaned back, patting her full stomach with a satisfied look, but then she noticed her father hadn't eaten anything.
"Dad, aren't you going to eat?"
Shinku glanced at the nearly empty table. If he tried to eat now, there wouldn't be enough left for him. Smiling, he said, "I already ate before you two got home."
Yuichi, however, wasn't fooled. Eyeing the empty bowl in front of Shinku, he smirked. "You didn't eat yet, did you?"
Scratching his head, Yuichi awkwardly suggested, "How about we go get some ramen instead?"
Shinku shook his head. "No need. I already ate," he insisted, smiling at Yuichi's keen observation.
"Now, let's get to it! Time for some lessons on chakra transformation and nature!"
________________________________________