“That was terrifying…”
Aoba Hayashipatted his chest, still shaken.
Having been scrutinized by the murderous gazes of three mothers in succession, the pressure he’d felt was no less than what Tenten and the others had experienced.
It also reminded him of the first time he went to Tenten’s house for dinner.
Back then, he’d simply thought it would be like eating at a friend’s house and hadn’t given it much thought.
Instead, it had felt more like walking into an interrogation.
Throughout the entire meal, Tenten’s parents never took their eyes off him.
Especially when they saw Tenten constantly putting food onto his plate, he had seriously wondered whether he’d make it out of their house in one piece.
Fortunately, he didn’t ride one of those noisy street racing motorcycles.
Otherwise…
he might’ve been leaving in pieces.
Sure enough, when it came to their children, mothers could become absolutely terrifying.
Still, Ino’s personality hadn’t changed much from childhood to adulthood.
Tenten and Sakura, on the other hand, had become much more mature as they grew up.
Shaking his head, Aoba stopped dwelling on it.
With the three girls gone, he turned away from the front gate and headed back inside.
He couldn’t help letting out a long breath.
The house was finally quiet again.
Yet, almost immediately afterward, he sighed.
It felt…
a little too quiet.
Although he had long since grown accustomed to life as an orphan, every now and then he still found himself yearning for the warmth of a complete family.
Thump!
Suddenly, he bumped into something soft.
The next moment, his entire body was enveloped in a warm embrace.
“Honestly…
those noisy little troublemakers finally left.”
Uzuki Yugao couldn’t help murmuring into his ear.
Aoba looked up at her.
“Big Sister Yugao, aren’t you going home?”
“Hm?”
She pouted slightly.
“Is Little Aoba trying to chase his big sister away?”
Then she teased him with a mischievous smile.
“In that case, I won’t be leaving tonight.
Little Aoba, do you want to sleep with your big sister?”
As she spoke, her lips were incredibly close to his ear.
Her warm breath, carrying a faint fragrance, brushed against him alongside her soft, gentle voice.
It felt like a mischievous kitten constantly tickling his ear, the sensation creeping straight into his heart.
Aoba couldn’t help shivering all over.
He hurriedly wriggled free from Yugao’s embrace and covered his bright red ears.
It wasn’t embarrassment.
It was simply a perfectly normal physiological reaction.
The kind that gave him goosebumps.
Seeing the amused smile tugging at Yugao’s lips, Aoba twitched the corner of his mouth.
He couldn’t even be bothered to respond.
Not that it would make any difference if he did.
His hardware simply wasn’t up to the task.
“If you’re staying, then stay.”
“My uncle still isn’t back, and it’s not bedtime yet.
I’ll go practice my taijutsu for a while.”
Watching Aoba head back into the courtyard, Yugao smiled softly.
She followed him outside.
Beneath the moonlight, the two began sparring.
Yugao had inherited Hayato Hayashi’s swordsmanship and was highly skilled with the blade.
Her taijutsu was equally impressive.
“Jonin Hayashi , I never expected someone with your personality to invite the three of us out for drinks.”
Inside a small tavern, four men sat around a wooden table, leisurely sipping sake.
Several plates of braised meat and side dishes were spread across the table as drinking snacks.
The man who had just spoken wore a black long coat, his long blond hair tied into a simple high ponytail.
A Konoha forehead protector rested across his brow.
His resolute face naturally carried a trace of coldness, a result of the line of work he did in the village.
He was none other than the captain of Konoha’s Intelligence Division—Yamanaka Inoichi, Ino’s father.
The four men seated around the table each had their own distinct style.
There was Yamanaka Inoichi in his black coat, Tenten’s father dressed in a white kimono with red trim, Haruno Kizashi in a light blue yukata…
And finally, Hayato Hayashi, whose expression remained stern as ever.
Hearing Inoichi’s deadpan remark, Hayashi felt another headache coming on.
He hadn’t wanted to invite them out for drinks in the first place.
By nature, Hayato Hayashi was a straightforward man.
Aside from practicing swordsmanship, he had little interest in socializing.
Most of the jonin from his generation were nothing more than acquaintances he greeted in passing.
But tonight…
This drink was unavoidable.
When he’d returned from sword training earlier, he hadn’t even reached his front gate before spotting the group marching toward his house with frightening momentum.
The murderous looks in their eyes were enough to make even a battle-hardened jonin like him—someone who had survived countless life-and-death situations—feel a chill.
He immediately guessed that Aoba had somehow gotten himself into trouble.
To prevent the Hayashi family’s last bloodline from being cut off, Hayashi had forced himself to stop the six adults halfway.
He’d invited the three girls’ fathers out for a proper meal and a talk.
After all…
The murderous intent radiating from the mothers had been noticeably lighter.
Nothing too serious should happen.
“Jonin Hayashi , we’re all straightforward people.
If you have something to say, just say it.”
“That’s right.
My Sakura still isn’t home yet.
I’m worried too.”
Although Tenten’s father and Haruno Kizashi were angry, they were both doing their best to remain restrained.
Meanwhile, Hayashi’s mind had gone completely blank.
He had stopped the three men on impulse and hadn’t actually prepared anything to say.
After lowering his head and thinking for a while, he decided the best course of action was to praise Aoba in front of these three men who might one day become his in-laws.
“Speaking of which…
my Aoba is actually very talented.”
“He’s already surpassed what I was capable of at his age.”
“In my opinion, even Jonin Hatake probably wouldn’t have been a match for Aoba at this age.”
“Oh?”
Hayashi’s shameless self-promotion immediately piqued everyone’s interest.
Their daughters mentioned Aoba all the time, but it was always about everyday things—playing together, eating together, and other trivial matters.
None of them had ever talked about anything related to being a ninja.
Only Tenten’s father knew a little more.
After all, Aoba was Tenten’s teacher in shurikenjutsu.
But since he wasn’t a ninja himself, he only knew that Aoba’s throwing skills were exceptional.
He didn’t understand the rest.
Now that Hayashi had suddenly brought up Kakashi, however, the three fathers had no choice but to take a proper look at the little boy who had completely captured their daughters’ hearts.
After all…
Hatake Kakashi had once set the record for the fastest graduation from the Ninja Academy.
He had become Konoha’s youngest jonin, earned countless military achievements on the battlefield, and was now recognized as Konoha’s strongest active jonin.
Most importantly…
As a member of Minato’s team, he was widely regarded as someone with the potential to become the next Hokage.
Yet Hayashi dared to claim that Aoba was no weaker than Kakashi had been at the same age.
Given Hayashi’s normally meticulous personality, the three men couldn’t help being astonished.
Seeing the expressions on their faces, the corners of Hayashi’s mouth unconsciously lifted.
“Aoba awakened his chakra about a year ago.”
“By now, his chakra reserves alone are already on par with an average genin.”
In the ninja world, chakra was the most direct measure of a shinobi’s talent.
A five-year-old possessing chakra reserves comparable to a genin…
The three fathers all acknowledged that this was extraordinary.
“And recently, I’ve begun teaching him the Vacuum Sword.”
“He’s already started grasping the basics of chakra nature transformation.”
“As long as his chakra reserves continue to grow, it won’t be long before his strength surpasses that of an average chunin.”
“And perhaps…
before long, he’ll even break Jonin Hatake’s record.”
Silence fell over the table.
If Aoba truly possessed such astonishing talent…
Combined with his civilian background…
And the fact that all three of their daughters adored him…
Then he really would make an excellent son-in-law.
But at the moment…
There was still one enormous problem standing before them.
The three men exchanged glances…