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"Come in."
Haori's hospital room door rarely had knocking sounds. If it was a medical ninja or Kushina coming, they would just walk in.
They didn't respect Haori's privacy.
"Oh, it's Asuma."
This time, the one who pushed the door open was Sarutobi Asuma.
"Hey, hey, why do you look so disgusted when you see it's me?"
Actually, Haori didn't know many people. Even fewer people would visit him while he was injured. But he did have some friends.
"Can I say it's because you're aging too fast, and your facial hair is too thick?"
Haori answered Asuma's question seriously. If you're going to be disgusted with someone, you need to give a reason. You can't be like some people who like to answer with phrases like "Although you're a good person, but…"
Tragic, like Sarutobi Asuma. A naive boy, prematurely aged.
"…You're as merciless as ever. It's a family trait. You understand genetics, right? It's beyond my control."
This shows that Asuma is the Third Hokage's son. It's a good thing for Sarutobi Hizashi, Biwa, and Asuma himself. Haori shouldn't be so critical.
"The Fourth Hokage's wedding is today, isn't it? You really are tragic. For that, I'll forgive your personal attack just now."
"He's not the Fourth Hokage yet, right?" Although Minato's matter is already a known fact, it's probably not a good idea for the Third's son to call him that.
"And do you really need to say 'as expected'? I don't look like I can move freely at all. To be honest, I really want to…"
"Want to what…"
"Nothing. Where are Kurenai and Shikamaru? They're not in Konoha?"
He really wanted to see what Kushina's wedding would be like.
"Shikamaru is still at the front line. Kurenai will be returning soon. After all, the pressure of war has greatly decreased. The front line doesn't need to maintain that number of ninjas."
Haori nodded. As a former member of the same squad, if those two were in Konoha, they wouldn't be able to avoid coming to see him after hearing about what happened.
"Want to go for a walk?" Asuma asked Haori.
"Forget it. The medical ninjas here don't allow me to do too much activity… Let's go to the rooftop. It's good to get some fresh air." Haori said. He shouldn't be running around during his recovery period.
"Yeah, good idea."
"Good idea? What are you standing there for? Lend me a hand." Did he expect Haori, in this state, to demonstrate some taijutsu, do a somersault, and get up directly?
"Got it, got it. Just say what you want."
Asuma seemed a bit strange today. He looked preoccupied.
Haori, who was now delicate and precious, was helped by Asuma to slowly climb up to the rooftop. Once they got up there, Haori sat down on a bench, and Asuma leaned on the railing, looking out into the distance.
From here, Konoha looked the same as always.
"The weather is really nice today. No one's been bothering you, right? Including Kushina-sensei?"
Actually, that wasn't true. Haori had seen Kushina yesterday. She came in the morning to tell Haori that she wouldn't be coming today, to prove that she wasn't the kind of person who would forget about her disciple after getting married… Please, you're getting married today. Come over for what?
"Don't change the subject. Just say what you have to say. Love advice? About Kurenai?" Haori didn't pick up on Asuma's lead. Instead, he asked directly. He seemed like the kind of person who should just say what he had to say.
"Love advice? No, do I look like the kind of person who would have those kinds of worries? You're probably the one who needs love advice."
"Cough!"
The unintentional words of an unintentional person can often hit the nail on the head. Although he himself was completely oblivious.
Actually, Asuma meant that with Haori's face, it was easy to be misunderstood. He should have worries that needed to be discussed.
"If it's not about Kurenai, then what do you have to say?"
"…"
Is the center of Asuma's world just Kurenai, in Haori's opinion?
"It's not that. Haori, I recently became a Jōnin." Asuma said, being truthful to limit Haori's imagination.
"Really? Congratulations. But for you, this was just a matter of time. Do you need to worry about this?"
"That's not the point. The point is that I'm going to leave Konoha soon."
"Is this a mission, or… Anyway, the Hokage's son becoming a rogue ninja, that would have too big of an impact. You should think carefully about it."
Only by being more truthful can you limit Haori's imagination.
"It's a matter of a mission. I'm going to go on a long-term mission to protect the Daimyo. So, I'm going to leave Konoha. It could be five years, or it could be ten years."
"Why? Was this mission assigned to you by the Hokage?"
This mission is too long-term! It's the legendary ten-year mission.
Haori wouldn't think that Asuma would really become a rogue ninja, but he didn't expect him to go on a mission like this.
After all, Asuma is the Hokage's son. To send him away for ten years, that's basically the same as exile. Except for the Hokage himself, no one else would do something that disrespects the Hokage so much.
"No, I requested it myself."
Haori: "…"
"Is it still a love problem?"
He must have been stimulated by Kurenai, right?
Asuma didn't pick up on this either. "If you have to say it, it's probably my conflict with the Third Hokage. Compared to my brother, I've never been able to satisfy my old man. Although my strength has been improving, and I've become a Jōnin now, this dissatisfaction still exists. It's even worse…"
"It's making me feel a bit lost in Konoha."
"So, you're escaping?" Haori is now taking on the role of a heart-to-heart big sister mediating a family conflict.
Because he can see beyond the limitations of his perspective, Haori can imagine the conflict between the Third Hokage and Asuma. It's just another one of those "Will of Fire" things.
But the Hokage's requirements, for Asuma at this age, he probably wouldn't understand them. He simply understands the Third's demands as a ninja's strength. In reality, the Hokage cares more about thoughts and beliefs.
Some people can think about problems with the Hokage's mindset at the age of seven. But that's an anomaly, just like Haori being able to see through many things.
Asuma's situation is the kind of thinking that someone his age should have.
"Escaping? You could say that."
"Asuma… People are forced to do many meaningless things in their lives. This is like your beard. It's an inevitable objective existence. It can't determine the value of life…"
"But doing meaningless things on your own… that's crazy."
"If you don't talk about your beard, I think it's more convincing… Then, what's the meaning of life for you, Haori?"
"For me? It's probably about protecting the things I want to protect…"
That sentence shouldn't have the "吧" (ba) at the end.
"Then, what do you want to protect?" Asuma asked again.
"That… I haven't found it yet." Haori answered.
But have you really not found it?
"The things you're saying are exactly the same as what the old man says. They seem to make sense, but they're not substantial. They're meaningless, like they weren't said at all."
"The important things in life, they're not easy to find. After all, they're important. Not to mention ordinary… Your own thoughts are only known to yourself. No one can help you with that. You'll probably understand someday."
"But one thing is certain. Protecting the Daimyo, what's the point? There's absolutely no point. I suggest you think carefully about it. Five years or ten years, that's a very long time."
Haori's words were almost cold, but it was true that there was absolutely no point.
What's the Daimyo? For Haori, he's nothing. He's nothing.
"I'll think about it carefully."
After a moment of silence, Asuma said.
Actually, he didn't have much to think about. Since he had already accepted the mission, even if it was just because of a young man's stubbornness, he would still leave Konoha.
"Speaking of which, I can't even attend the teacher's wedding. And I'm here chatting with you. You're pretty pitiful, Haori…"
"But, wedding or no wedding, the sentiment is what matters."
Asuma brought the topic back to Kushina, which meant that his questions were over.
"Sentiment?" Haori was confused.
"A wedding gift. You wouldn't have forgotten, would you?"
"Uh?"
What the hell! Is that even a thing?
...…
One person's mind can be easily changed, or it can be very difficult to change. A few days later, Asuma said goodbye to Haori.
The Hokage's son left Konoha.
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