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Nono sighed softly, and her anger faded.
As the director of an orphanage, she was normally a very gentle person.
But ever since meeting Yuto, she kept finding herself getting angry.
This boy was far too reckless.
She could understand wanting to protect his comrades, but if he risked his life every single time, one day he would leave the people who cared about him with nothing but regret.
It was just like the children at the orphanage.
Many of them had parents who had been ninja.
Those children should never have had to live in this world as orphans.
They should have been able to grow up happy.
But because their parents died in battle, they had been forced to live as orphans instead.
No matter how hard Nono tried, and no matter how much the children treated her as family, she still could not give them true parental love.
“Yuto, don’t do that again.
You need to protect yourself too.”
“The children miss you very much.
Yesterday, they were still asking me why Big Brother Yuto had not come to visit them.”
At the mention of the children at the orphanage, Yuto felt conflicted.
He had also been an orphan in his previous life.
He did not know why, but perhaps because he saw his former self in them, he had donated most of his mission pay to the orphanage since transmigrating.
Otherwise, with how often Yuto took missions, he would not still be living in that tiny old house in the clan compound.
Every time he visited the children and saw their smiling faces, his desire to scam the compensation money faded a little.
To avoid giving up on his plan to die someday, he had not gone to the orphanage in over a month.
“Big Sis Nono, I understand.
After my injuries heal, I’ll go see them.”
Nono opened her mouth, then shook her head helplessly.
No matter how many times she said it, this boy would not listen.
Seeing how she wanted to lecture him but could not, Yuto thought for a moment and threw out Excuse Number 75 from his special list.
“An eagle that soars through the storm is bound to get its feathers wet sometimes.
Right, Big Sis Nono?”
“You and your nonsense.”
Nono rolled her eyes at him.
“I have other patients.
Rest properly.
I’ll go first.”
After watching Nono leave, Tsukimi held the lunch box and prepared to continue feeding Yuto.
Seeing that, Yuto immediately shut his mouth.
He had no idea where Nono had learned to cook, but even ordinary rice somehow tasted bitter.
For the sake of his tongue, Yuto refused to eat another bite.
He had failed to die, and his entire body hurt.
He did not want his mouth to suffer too.
“Tsukimi, didn’t you say you haven’t eaten?
I’m not hungry right now.
Why don’t you eat it?”
Yuto’s eyes were full of hope.
I saved your life on the battlefield earlier.
Now it’s your turn to save me, Tsukimi.
You wouldn’t refuse, right?
Tsukimi looked at the lunch box in her hand, then at Yuto’s expectant gaze.
In the end, she lost.
“F-Fine…”
The lunch box in her hand now looked like a terrifying monster.
Even after experiencing it more than once, Tsukimi was still deeply afraid of Nono’s cooking.
As if marching to her death, she picked up the chopsticks, took a bite of food, closed her eyes, and shoved it into her mouth.
The strangely seasoned food rampaged through her mouth, making her gasp for breath.
By the time she finished the entire serving, Tsukimi was nearly exhausted.
Looking at Tsukimi covered in a sheen of sweat, Yuto guiltily shifted his gaze away.
For some reason, it felt as if he had forced Tsukimi to do something strange.
After eating, Tsukimi immediately picked up a cup of water and poured it into her mouth.
Only after the strange seasoning was washed away did she feel much better.
“Yuto, I’ll go buy you something to eat.
You were unconscious for so long.
Are you really not hungry?”
Of course, not being hungry was only an excuse.
Yuto simply did not want to eat Nono’s food again.
“Thanks, Tsukimi.
I appreciate it.”
Tsukimi puffed up her cheeks.
Sure enough, this guy had deliberately made her embarrass herself.
After Tsukimi left the hospital room and the door closed, Yuto immediately struggled to get up.
He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, but his bladder was about to explode.
Yuto moved with great difficulty, the corners of his eyes twitching.
Almost every step sent sharp pain through his wounds.
Fortunately, Konoha’s hospital rooms were fairly modern and had private bathrooms.
Otherwise, Yuto was afraid he would not have been able to make it that far.
He had only just let his little brother breathe when the door to the hospital room suddenly opened.
Yuto nearly got it all over his pants.
“Yuto, what do you want to eat…?
Ah, why are you out of bed?
Hurry up and…”
Halfway through speaking, Tsukimi immediately shut her mouth.
“S-Sorry!”
“I didn’t mean to look!”
Yuto had thought no one would come in, so he had not closed the bathroom door.
He had not expected Tsukimi to turn back so suddenly.
Tsukimi had only remembered after leaving the hospital that she had not asked what Yuto wanted to eat, so she had immediately run back.
Inside the hospital room, a strange silence fell.
Yuto could tell Tsukimi had not left.
With someone watching, even Uchiha Madara would have trouble continuing.
After waiting for a long time and still not seeing Yuto come out of the bathroom, Tsukimi could not help feeling uneasy.
Was Yuto having trouble because of his injuries?
Thinking of the scene in the valley, when Yuto had used his own body to block a fatal blow for her, Tsukimi suddenly made up her mind for some reason.
“Yuto, I’ll help you!”
Yuto’s eyes widened.
No, wait.
Help him?
What exactly did she want to help him with?
He appreciated the kindness, but please, just go outside.
Before Yuto could refuse, Tsukimi walked into the bathroom.
“Yuto, don’t be embarrassed.
You’re a patient right now.”
“I’ve seen the lady next door take care of a little…
little…”
Before she could finish, Tsukimi suddenly stopped.
Why was this different from what she had seen?
Yuto was so mortified he could have dug an entire apartment into the floor with his toes.
Stop staring, you pervert.
“I think…
this is how it works.
Yuto, hurry up and finish.”
Looking at Tsukimi’s reddened cheeks beside him, Yuto sighed softly.
Ah, hormones.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and the shinobi world seemed to grow more restless by the day.
Yuto finally made it to the day he could be discharged from the hospital.
During this time, Tsukimi had been taking care of him closely, to the point that he could barely sleep at night.
After completing the discharge procedures, Yuto was lectured by Nono again before he was finally allowed to leave the hospital.
“Big Sis Nono, are you going back to the orphanage later?”
Nono did not look up.
She held a pen in her hand and was bent over some paperwork, probably a patient’s medical record.
“Yes.
Why?”
Yuto nodded.
He had not gone to see the children in a long time, so he planned to visit them.
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