[Hokage] Summer Festival

As a child I used to be thankful not to have any siblings.

No one came to snatch my toys, share my snacks, compare my appearance, personality, and grades with me, and share the care and love of my parents.

I once felt that I had a happy childhood like a fairy tale.

As the only daughter in the family, she enjoys the pampering of her elders.

After my father passed away, my mother was seriously ill and was hospitalized. I interrupted my overseas studies and came back to take care of her. I stayed with her day and night in the pungent smell of disinfectant.

Sometimes she needed infusion at night, and I stayed by the hospital bed all night to prevent the blood from flowing back when the medicine was exhausted.One morning she woke up and said this:

"It would be nice if you had brothers and sisters, it's too hard on your own."

I stared at her for a moment, only to see a trace of guilt appearing on her pale and haggard face.

In fact, I haven't thought about it.

The patient in the next ward has two daughters and one son. The three brothers and sisters took turns to take care of their mother. Although they were busy, they were orderly. When they passed by, they could even hear bursts of laughter from inside.

Unlike here, I was alone with my mother from the beginning to the end.

If I had siblings, at least someone would share the responsibility of taking care of my mom with me.

Mom must have thought so.

She felt that she was too heavy a responsibility for me alone.

I just feel sad.

I was pampered and willful when I was young, and my parents will always clean up the mess behind me.

Every time I get sick, my mother stays up all night to take care of me.

And I never felt guilty.

I never think, ah, I feel guilty for causing trouble to my parents.

But mom feels guilty.

She often said in her illness:

"When I'm gone too, you're all alone, without family members who love and support each other, how desolate it is."

Before I came into this world, it was true that I lived alone for several years.

Be it friends or lovers, in the end they all want to go back to their home.

I often envy them being able to laugh and dine with their families when I am eating dinner alone in front of an empty house.

The reason why I think of these things before is because Ah Duan was telling me about his and Xia Zi's parents.

"Father and mother have always taught me to take good care of and protect my sister."

"When Miki was the only one who returned to the village with injuries and said that you were ambushed by sand ninja, I was really worried that you would never come back, Natsuko."

"Fortunately, I met Jiraiya and the others..."

"Natsuko, do you still remember that I said becoming Hokage is my greatest dream?"

"I must protect everyone around me."

We sat on the wooden chairs under the tree, the afterglow of the setting sun scattered from the branches and leaves.

I saw that Ah Duan's eyes were full of firmness and determination.

Natsuko and I are different.

She also has a brother who cherishes and loves her very much.

I don't know what the title of "Hokage" means in the minds of the people in this village. Apart from the supreme leader of the ninja, there may be other deeper meanings.

Ajuan said that his ideal is to become Hokage.

Is it the responsibility of becoming Hokage to protect everyone around you, or is it necessary to become Hokage in order to protect everyone around you?

What about Xia Zi?

At that moment, I suddenly wanted to ask him, do you know what your sister Xia Zi's ideal is.

Could it be that Natsuko's ideal is also to protect her village and companions?

However, there are many things that cannot be prayed to, and everything that is cherished is not something that can be protected if you want to protect it.

Even if Ah Duan is very firm now that he wants to protect everyone around him, it won't change the situation where Xia Zi has disappeared.

Although he didn't know it.

"Xia Zi."

I looked up, but saw him pick up the book I put aside, with a hesitant expression, as if he said cautiously:

"I know you have always been a child who values ​​your companions, and my brother understands your feelings."

"However, the dead cannot be chased, and they probably don't want you to linger in sorrow."

Hearing these words, I was confused, my eyes lingered between him and the book in his hand, but I couldn't express my ignorance, so I had to purse my lips and look down at the ground.

Did he suddenly say these words related to these two books?

The books I borrowed from the library are "Konoha Masashi" and "Stories of Customs of Various Countries".

I don't know what kind of story behind these two books.

He reached out and rubbed my head, with a helpless smile on his face, and said softly:

"Xing Er-kun always has histories and books with him, and "Stories of Customs of Various Countries" is Zongsu-kun's favorite book."

"Only you like to draw, it's too boring to talk about words."

"For the good of everyone, let go of your sorrow, Xia Zi."

Life is full of coincidences.

When I borrowed those two books, how could I have thought that Xia Zi and her companion had such a past.

Koji and Zongsuke, these two names I only heard from other people, for Natsuko, they are probably her most cherished friends.

It's a pity that they, like her, lost their souls on the battlefield before they had time to look forward to the future.

No matter how beautiful life is, no matter how beautiful years are, they are all lost to war.

Let go of your sadness, Natsuko.

Xin said this to me, and Xiaochun also said this to me.

They are all so sincere, afraid of touching the pain in my heart but have to remind me to face reality.

If it was Natsuko herself, would she force herself to smile in order not to worry everyone?

Can't do it.

Even though I'm not Natsuko, I have a strong feeling that I pretended nothing had happened in order not to worry my elders, and even when I smiled, I would cry.

A Duan said that Xia Zi likes to draw, and maybe she will have the opportunity to see her past painting in the future.

Although I don't understand art, I still hope to guess her mood when she writes through the paintings.

"Don't worry, I know what I should do."

As soon as the words fell, I cursed myself in my heart for being hypocritical.

It's easy to say, but I know the truth best—obviously I don't know what to do, and I'm just passively accepting what happened after becoming "Kato Natsuko" in confusion.

I really don't know where the confidence comes from when I say this sentence.

There are young mothers on the street calling their children to go home for dinner, and the setting sun in the distance has sunk below the horizon.

I suddenly remembered one thing, and I couldn't help thinking that something was wrong—Xinyi told me to go back to the ward within an hour, what time is it now.

I don't know if I will be grounded when I go back.

***

Konoha Village has not been established for 30 years, so the history books are not thick.

But no matter which world or era, official history that is too serious is naturally far less interesting and readable than unofficial history.

It has been several days since I finished reading "Story of Customs of Various Countries", but "Konoha Masashi" takes a lot of energy every time I read it, and there seems to be a drowsy sleepy bug hidden between the lines.

If this is my enlightenment book, maybe I will be as bored with words as Xia Zi.

There is a library card on the back of the cover of "Konoha Masashi". The first in the list of borrowers is "Yamamoto Koji", and the second is Hatake Sakumo.

I took the thin card and looked at the names one by one, but I didn't recognize any more.

Just as he was thinking about other things, a huge object suddenly blocked the sunlight on the window sill.

Looking up, I saw a young man squatting on the window sill like a frog, grinning and showing his white teeth, raised his palm and said:

"Yo, Xia Zi."

"That guy Hui made a bet with me to see who gets to you first. Oh hehe, she lost."

I was stunned for several seconds, watching him triumphantly alone, speechless for a moment.

I don't even know who he is, let alone the "Hui" in his mouth.

Just as he was wondering, there was a "bang—" in the room, and the young man seemed to have been kicked in the back, and fell heavily from the window sill with his face facing the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a girl jumped in from the window, clapped her palms and raised her eyebrows to look at him.

"Show your back to your opponent, you are too lax, Mr. Liang."

She gloated.

It was the girl I met on the street the other day.

Mr. Liang.

At that time, when she talked about Sakumo Hatake, she also mentioned this name.

The young man stood up, patting the dust off his body, shook his head and said:

"Let's make another bet, Hui."

"It's so rude, I bet you won't get married in your life."

It turned out that her name was Hui.

The girl immediately swept across her legs with a sharp kick.

The young man's skill is not bad either, he advances and retreats with a certain degree of dodge, calm and unhurried.

For a while, there were voices of provocation, bickering, and reluctance.There was an uproar in the small ward.

Being completely ignored, I sat on the hospital bed and watched them fight, I really didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.

Although they are not forgiving to each other and fight very neatly, it is easy to see that they have a very good relationship.

A little more gossip, it can be said to be a way of flirting.

Just don't alarm the doctors and nurses.

Just thinking about it, the door was pushed open.

When the visitor saw them, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said:

"You're really motivated, Ah Liang, Hui."

Silver hair, mask.

Not doctors and nurses.

It was Sakumo Hatake who disappeared after saying that he wanted to guide me in my practice.

It is now the middle of September.

A Liang and Hui stopped fighting, the former put his hand on his shoulder very familiarly, the latter gave A Liang a look, and honestly called "Suo Maosang".

The ward was quiet.

The wind blew in and knocked the paper cranes on the cabinet to the ground.

Hui picked up one and looked at it in his hand, then asked curiously:

"Xia Zi, since when did you like to play with this kind of thing?"

Then he shook his head and said:

"Will it be drawing or origami cranes, Xia Zi, can you have some more lively hobbies?"

"Your youth, it was too quiet and boring."

Before I could speak, Ah Liang immediately teased:

"This is the hobby that a normal girl should have."

"It's not like you, the biggest hobby is punching and kicking others."

She glanced over, gritted her teeth and said:

"...you'd better die."

Then the two got into a fight again.

This is probably the busiest afternoon since I came to this world.

I don't care, I just feel baffled by the coincidence of these three people appearing in my ward at the same time.

Suddenly a scroll stretched out in front of my eyes, I turned my head, and Sakumo Hatake walked over at some point.

He glanced at the history book in my hand, and moved his hand holding the scroll, motioning for me to catch it.

When I looked down, the first thing I noticed was the scabbed blood on his wrist.

That's right, he was on a mission, and it's not uncommon for him to be injured.

I don't know if the hideous scar on his back has healed.

Probably because he saw that I hadn't moved for a long time, he uttered a very short sentence from under the mask with a little helplessness:

"Practice."