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“So adorable! Is this your little sister, Hinata? She’s really cute, just like you were when you were little—” Kushina cooed, holding Hanabi and pinching her cheeks.
Tsunade, sitting beside Kushina, also couldn’t resist pinching Hanabi’s cheeks. Though, honestly, Tsunade would rather be pinching Shin’s face.
“Ugh, I regret coming,” Hanabi thought miserably. They were going to pinch her cheeks off!
“Let Hanabi go. Can’t you see she’s uncomfortable?” Shin finally rescued Hanabi, who looked up at him with grateful eyes.
“Shin, did Hiashi Hyūga agree to let Hanabi come over?” Mikoto couldn’t help but ask Shin.
“Well, Hiashi didn’t object,” Shin replied with a smile. He knew Hiashi basically wouldn’t refuse anything he said.
“At home, Father always makes me train. I’m finally free!” Hanabi found a comfortable position and sprawled out on the sofa. At home, Hanabi wouldn’t dare be so unrestrained.
Hiashi maintained strict authority when teaching his children; Hinata had been terrified of him when she was younger.
“If Hanabi wants, she can stay here for a while. Big sister can play with you,” Mei Terumī offered, also quite fond of Hanabi.
“Hanabi, I advise you not to hang out with Mei. She’ll lead you astray,” Kushina warned Hanabi seriously.
Mei Terumī glared at Kushina.
“Here’s a flower for you. Do you like it?”
At that moment, Konan presented Hanabi with a paper flower she had folded, handing it to her.
“Wow! Did Konan-neechan make this out of paper?” Hanabi looked at the paper flower, which was as exquisite as a real one, and accepted it happily.
“Konan-neechan, can you teach me origami?” Hanabi now wanted to learn origami from Konan. Children’s interests shifted quickly; Hanabi was currently fascinated by origami.
“Okay. But Hanabi, you need to be patient,” Konan agreed with a gentle smile.
Hanabi was incredibly popular here. Mikoto, Tsunade, Kushina, Mei Terumī, and Konan all adored her.
Seeing her sister looking so happy, a smile unconsciously appeared on Hinata’s face.
———
“Oh right, Tsunade, I almost forgot to tell you. I saw Nawaki in Kirigakure,” Shin suddenly remembered, patting his head. Since he’d seen Nawaki, he had to mention it to Tsunade.
“You saw Nawaki? What was he doing in Kirigakure?” Tsunade was actually quite concerned about Nawaki. Well, she might forget about him most of the time, but when reminded, she still cared.
If Nawaki knew this, would he be happy or sad?
“The last time I chatted with Nawaki was a few years ago. Wasn’t he running a shop then? Apparently, he went bankrupt and Hizashi Hyūga invited him to Kirigakure.”
“So, does that kid have a girlfriend yet?” Tsunade was very concerned about this question.
As for Nawaki losing money, Tsunade didn’t really care. Even if Nawaki hit rock bottom, he definitely wouldn’t starve. Money wasn’t an issue.
“I didn’t ask him, so I don’t know. I’ll ask next time I see him.” Although Shin said he didn’t know, he guessed Nawaki was likely still single.
“Also, I’m heading to Konoha in a while. Does anyone want to come with me?”
He was going to Konoha for the Chūnin Exams.
The exams themselves weren’t the main point; he primarily wanted to see if Orochimaru would still attempt the Konoha Crush plan.
“Not interested. I think staying home is more comfortable.” Tsunade felt lounging at home with some sake was far too comfortable. Having lived the lazy life for too long, Tsunade had evolved into a true salted fish.
“I’m not interested either,” Mikoto shook her head at Shin.
In the end, only Kushina was interested. She wanted to go with Shin to Konoha and see what the current Chūnin Exams were like.
Several nations joining forces for a grand Chūnin Exam… just thinking about it seemed interesting. Kushina’s interest was piqued; she decided she had to go see.
Back when Shin and the others took the exams, it wasn’t such a large-scale event. Besides the proctors, no one paid much attention.
The overall strength of ninja seemed lower now, yet they created more elaborate spectacles.
———
After staying in the Land of Whirlpools for ten days, Shin and his group departed for Konoha.
Accompanying him were Kushina, Hinata, Karin, and little Hanabi.
During these ten days in the Land of Whirlpools, Hanabi had put on quite a bit of weight, looking even more adorable and lively than before.
“Konoha… That’s where the Hyūga Clan used to be, right?” Hanabi asked with curiosity in her eyes. Hanabi hadn’t been born when the Hyūga Clan defected from Konoha, so the village was completely unfamiliar to her.
“Big Sister, what’s Konoha like?” Hanabi asked Hinata.
Hinata fell into thought. It had been so long ago, and she was young back then. She had forgotten most of it.
“I only remember Konoha being very prosperous. I don’t remember much else.”
“I heard Konoha is the wealthiest among the Five Great Villages, and also the strongest. I wonder what it’s like,” Karin added, her eyes also filled with anticipation for the unseen Konoha.
“Konoha is alright. In terms of prosperity, no other village can compare. You’ll see for yourselves when we get there,” Kushina told the curious Karin and Hanabi.
———
Not long after, Shin and his group arrived at the main gate of Konoha. Coincidentally, Nawaki and his team had just arrived as well.
Nawaki and Hizashi were the team leaders, followed by several teams of Kirigakure ninja, including Hizashi’s son, Neji Hyūga.
Because Hizashi hadn’t died, Neji naturally didn’t harbor resentment towards the Hyūga main family. Furthermore, Neji didn’t have the Caged Bird seal on his forehead now; he was considered part of the main family.
“Didn’t expect us to arrive at the same time,” Shin said with a smile. They hadn’t coordinated their arrival times; it was pure coincidence.
“Sigh… back in Konoha again.” Nawaki looked up at the village gate, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He, who once dreamed of becoming Hokage, never imagined he would end up as a missing-nin of Konoha. Life truly was unpredictable.
In fact, if Shin hadn’t altered the plot, Nawaki wouldn’t even have had the chance to become a missing-nin.
According to the original storyline, Nawaki’s grave mound would be several feet high by now…
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