dhibooks Chapter 379 A Unique Kind of Love
Chapter 379 A Unique Kind of Love
"jingle--"
Just then, the wind chimes hanging above the door rang out, and the wooden door of the dessert shop was slowly pushed open with a heavy force.
A chilling gust of air, mixed with snowflakes, instantly dispelled the sweet and warm atmosphere inside the store.
A tall figure stood at the door, wearing a dark green Uchiha police uniform, but with a thick down jacket that looked rather tight over it, making him appear somewhat comical.
Fugaku Uchiha stood there, his shoulders and hair covered with fine snowflakes that shimmered under the lamplight.
In his hand, he tightly clutched a blue iris wrapped in transparent plastic.
The posture didn't resemble holding a bouquet of flowers to present to a beloved; it was more like holding a kunai ready to be thrown at any moment.
The cheerful laughter in the store came to an abrupt halt.
Ju Xilin held the small silver spoon in mid-air, scooping up the mousse.
Minato Namikaze subconsciously stood up, with just the right amount of embarrassment, and greeted him with a smile.
"Are you still patrolling so late?"
Fugaku nodded stiffly, his gaze sweeping across the room like a searchlight before finally settling precisely on Uchiha Mikoto.
He took a step forward.
The heavy service boots, soaked with snow, left a wet footprint on the smooth, mirror-like wooden floor.
Mikoto slowly stood up, her gaze first falling on the flower that was about to be crushed, and then she looked up to meet Fugaku's tense face, which was made of extreme seriousness.
"Fugaku? What...is that you holding in your hand?"
Upon hearing this, Fugaku looked down at the flower and seemed to tighten his grip on the stem.
He handed the flowers forward.
"This is……"
Fugaku Uchiha took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cold air, as if he were about to charge into battle to complete a mission with a slim chance of survival.
"This is... something Lord Kagami asked me to deliver."
"They said it was to express their appreciation to everyone involved in the preparations for the winter festival. Since you happen to have your shop open, I thought I'd give you one while I was at it...
"puff--"
Kushina suddenly spat out the mouthful of barley tea she had just taken a sip of, splashing it all over the table in front of her.
Minato awkwardly touched his nose, silently looked up, and began to seriously study the patterns on the retro chandelier on the shop ceiling.
"(ˉ▽ˉ；)......."
Uchiha Mikoto stood there, the gentle smile on her face visibly disappearing inch by inch, replaced by an impulse to "put this blockhead in an oven and remake him."
"Lord Kagami...did you send this?"
Mikoto's voice was calm, so calm that it sent a chill down Fugaku's spine.
"Yes. Lord Jing said that the preparation work is very hard, especially for those of you in charge of logistics, so he specially ordered a batch from the mountain flower shop and distributed them to the heads of various departments."
He paused for a moment, as if he felt that his explanation was not detailed enough, and then added a sentence meticulously.
"I thought this blue one was the deepest and most dignified, so I brought it to you. The other colors are too light and don't do justice to the dignity of our Uchiha clan."
Mikoto silently accepted the flower. She looked at Fugaku, gritted her teeth, and squeezed out a few words.
"Should I, on behalf of all the village's support staff, thank Lord Jing for his consideration?"
Kushina finally couldn't hold back any longer.
She lay sprawled on the table as if she had no bones, laughing so hard that she was almost sliding off her chair.
"Hahahaha! Fugaku, you really are...you're a genius! Hahahaha!"
Mikoto casually stuck the flower into a white porcelain vase on the counter with a "snap".
She turned around, her back to Fugaku, her voice cold.
"Inspector Fugaku, you can go back now. Your patrol duties shouldn't be over yet, right?"
Fugaku paused for a moment, then belatedly realized that Mikoto's attitude seemed a bit cold.
My mind raced back to the internal manual, "How to Build Harmonious Interpersonal Relationships: Naruto's Guide."
—Article 3: When a female companion experiences negative emotions, she should be given positive guidance, either materially or verbally, in a timely manner to stabilize her emotions.
Fugaku Uchiha suddenly realized.
He felt his pocket and pulled out an oil paper package.
"Um...and this too."
"This is a braised scorpion leg with soy sauce that Akimichi Torifu just tried making."
He looked sincerely at Mikoto's retreating figure and added, "I heard that this stuff can help with calcium."
This time, Ju Xilin's shoulders stopped trembling. She buried her head in her arms and let out suppressed, animal-like whimpers.
Uchiha Mikoto stared at the oil paper package, speaking slowly and deliberately, her voice somewhat speechless.
"Uchiha, Fugaku."
"Take the scorpion leg and go now, immediately, right now."
Fugaku opened his mouth, feeling that there might be a major error in the manual.
Or perhaps the thick snow outside affected his judgment of the current situation.
He silently withdrew his hand and stuffed the oil paper package, which carried the friendship of his companions and the miraculous effect of calcium supplementation, back into his pocket.
"Then...then I'll continue my patrol."
He turned around somewhat awkwardly, opened the door, and his tall figure stepped back into the swirling snow.
The moment the door closed, a deafening burst of laughter erupted inside the shop.
Mikoto slumped back onto the stool, staring at the innocent blue iris in the vase.
Although I was very angry, I really wanted to press him down and rub him in the snow.
But recalling Fugaku's earnest yet clumsy, even slightly aggrieved, gaze, she felt a strange sense of powerlessness.
"That idiot..."
She muttered a curse under her breath, not even able to tell whether it was more anger or helplessness.
Mikoto looked at the vase.
Although the petals of that iris were somewhat wrinkled, their color was indeed an extremely deep, dark blue, like the starry night sky of winter.
I reached out and, with my fingertips, touched the cool, soft petals with utmost gentleness.
Then, she suddenly picked up the small cup filled with hot water in front of her and glanced at the clothes rack hanging on the wall.
He wanted to speak but hesitated, yet he hesitated to speak but still wanted to.
"Um...you guys, I..."
"Okay, okay, we're here!"
Ju Xilin immediately winked understandingly, a sly smile on her face, "Go and come back quickly!"
Mikoto Uchiha grabbed the scarf she had recently knitted herself, held the warm cup in her hand, and without hesitation opened the shop door, chasing after the lonely figure that was about to disappear into the snowstorm.
"Ta-da!"
Kushina and Tachibana Shiori exchanged a smile, their smiles barely concealed.
The wind and snow outside continued, howling fiercely.
But the lights in the dessert shop seemed a little warmer than before.
The Hokage Building, office.
The snow outside the window had stopped sometime ago.
A pale, crescent moon hung above the branches, casting its silvery light across the tranquil village. The snow on the eaves reflected the soft light, like a layer of delicate icing.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding the red thermos that had been with him for many years.
The goji berries in the cup floated up and down with the steam from the hot water.
He unscrewed the lid, gently blew away the rising steam, and took a small sip.
The warm tea slid down my throat, dispelling the last chill of the night.
His gaze passed through the window, looking down at the brightly lit streets below.
Even on such a snowy night, the Hokage Avenue was still bustling with people, villagers and ninjas busy preparing for the upcoming Winter Festival and Expo.
Every lit window, every laugh mingled with the cold wind, was like a subtle yet warm energy, slowly seeping into his weary body, already crammed with official documents and power struggles, belonging to the corporate slave.
The astronomical figure that had been crossed out in the ledger because of the Tongtian Wooden Building project didn't seem to bother him as much anymore.
A smile, unnoticed even by himself, appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips.
"well……"
He let out a sigh that was both satisfied and tinged with a hint of helplessness.
"If the village could grow two more Nara deer antlers, I could probably take my fishing rod and sit by the Naka River for an afternoon."
Under the moonlight, two small figures walked home, leaving a string of footprints side by side on the white snow.
Kushina Uzumaki tilted her head back, her fiery red hair standing out against the night sky, and the white breath she exhaled condensed into a cloud in the air.
"Watergate! On the day of the expo, I want to eat the biggest, biggest strawberry! The kind that Uncle Sakumo said was in limited supply!"
"it is good."
Minato Namikaze's voice was as gentle as ever. He turned his head slightly, his golden hair appearing incredibly soft in the moonlight.
"I'll buy it for you."
"And one more thing! I want to see that firework that turns into a smiley face at the end! Obito said it's super—super amazing!"
"Um."
Minato smiled and nodded earnestly.
Let's watch it together.
The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, eventually vanishing at the end of the Hokage Avenue. Only their clear voices seemed to echo in the cool air.