Shimizu Kento passed away.
He ultimately failed to fulfill his promise to Mitsuki. Shimizu Kento’s entire life was spent under the shadow of war.
He failed to protect Chiyoko, never resolved their misunderstanding, and even missed his last birthday promise with his son.
This man’s life ended with a heart full of regrets.
Shimizu Mitsuki lowered his head, tidying Kento’s final belongings sent by the Anbu.
It was just some personal items. His body would be collected by Konoha’s Anbu and interred in the Konoha Cemetery after the funeral.
Before then, family members could visit the wartime collection department at any time to see their loved one’s final appearance.
Among these belongings, a rectangular gift box stood out, looking out of place among the other war-worn, weathered items.
It was clearly a birthday gift Shimizu Kento had prepared in advance for Mitsuki.
Shimizu Mitsuki hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to untie the ribbon and open the box.
Although he could guess some things from the box’s appearance, he was still somewhat surprised by the gift after opening it.
Mitsuki had previously mentioned to Shimizu Kento that he had envisioned a Lightning Release Ninjutsu. If there were a weapon made of Chakra-conducting Materials, it might become a Ninjutsu without hand signs.
This was, of course, Mitsuki just making things up, merely trying to find a topic for father and son to talk about.
He hadn't expected Kento to remember this. Inside the box was a short sword, sheathed.
Shimizu Mitsuki drew the short sword. It was a straight blade, about 30 centimeters long, quite long for a short sword.
The blade shimmered with a white, cold light, giving the illusion of cutting through the night with each swing.
Logically speaking, although Shimizu Kento was an elite Jonin, certainly one of the high-income earners in Konoha and even the Ninja World, such a weapon forged entirely from Chakra-conducting Materials was still beyond his means.
Mitsuki remembered that only the Second Hokage and the future Asuma in all of Konoha seemed to have used such Advanced Ninja tools.
“Could it be a spoil of war from Father on the battlefield?”
As Shimizu Mitsuki thought this, he noticed a card tied to the hilt of the short sword.
【Happy Birthday – From Uchiha En and Shimizu Kento】
Shimizu Mitsuki still had some impression of the name Uchiha En. He seemed to be his father’s teammate, and he had also sent gifts for his birthday every year before.
Given this, it was no longer strange. The Uchiha clan had a very close relationship with the Ninja Cat clan, and the Ninja Cat clan controlled a large portion of the forging and selling of Advanced Ninja tools in the Ninja World.
Considering this relationship, the origin of this short sword was very clear. However, this Uchiha En seemed to have an unusual relationship with Shimizu Kento.
After all, despite being very close to the Ninja Cat clan, this short sword was still not something that could be casually purchased.
But it didn’t matter anymore. Shimizu Mitsuki closed the scabbard, put it back in the gift box, carefully re-tied the ribbon, and planned to open it again on his birthday.
There’s an idiom called 'seeing an object and thinking of the person.' As Shimizu Mitsuki tidied things, more and more jumbled thoughts clogged his mind.
He simply lay on the living room floor and began to ponder whether he was truly sad because he genuinely regarded Kento as his father.
Or was he sad because Kento’s departure reminded him of his family from his previous life.
To be frank, when he heard the news of Shimizu Kento’s death, Mitsuki wasn't so grief-stricken that he couldn't breathe.
Although he was indeed prepared to embrace a new life with a reborn mindset in this life, honestly, Mitsuki and Kento didn't spend much time together.
After Chiyoko’s death, Shimizu Kento frantically vented his inner turmoil on the battlefield, filled with guilt and hatred. This situation only gradually improved when Mitsuki was three years old.
Therefore, Shimizu Kento and Mitsuki were often separated, and Shimizu Kento’s personality was also silent and reserved. Most of the topics between father and son were even initiated by Mitsuki.
But was that really the case?
Mitsuki only felt as if an emotion was taking root and sprouting in his heart.
Early the next morning, a knock on the door woke Mitsuki.
“Knock, knock, knock”
Shimizu Mitsuki had fallen asleep in the living room at some unknown time last night. Thanks to the person knocking, otherwise, lying on the living room floor, even with his good physical condition in this life, he was ultimately a child’s body and would likely get sick.
Mitsuki got up, shaking his body, and went to open the door.
Outside the door was Mrs. Nohara’s daughter, Rin Nohara.
Shimizu Mitsuki, of course, knew Rin from the manga, and in reality, the two had met at the reception center.
One of the reasons Mrs. Nohara initially came to help at the reception center was to find some playmates for Rin.
“Good morning, Mitsuki. You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? My mom made some tamagoyaki and then went to work. I’m a little lonely eating alone, so I was wondering if you’d like to eat with me... Is that okay?”
Rin Nohara said cautiously, her gaze flickering away from Shimizu Mitsuki.
This was a lie.
Rin was here, of course, because she had heard from her mother about the passing of Mitsuki’s father, Mr. Shimizu Kento.
Although her mother had also said that Mitsuki was an excellent child and could pull himself together.
But she was really worried about Mitsuki’s state and had to come and see him to feel at ease.
Shimizu Mitsuki naturally guessed Rin’s thoughts, but he believed his emotions were still calm. In any case, standing outside the door wasn’t proper, so he greeted Rin.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t eaten yet. I seem to have overslept today. Thank you, Rin, you’re a great help. Come in first.”
“Well then, excuse me for intruding.”
Rin entered the Shimizu home, carrying a meal box.
Shimizu Mitsuki was truly hungry, eating the already-cut tamagoyaki in big bites. Mrs. Nohara’s tamagoyaki was truly exceptional; not only was the ratio of egg liquid to milk perfect, but even the appearance was exquisite and beautiful.
Even with a slight poke of chopsticks, one could see it jiggle like pudding, revealing astonishing elasticity.
Rin watched Shimizu Mitsuki devour his food and couldn’t help but think, 'If Mitsuki were eating something I made, that would be great.' But if it were something she made, would Mitsuki still like it so much?
Shimizu Mitsuki, out of the corner of his eye, saw that Rin hadn’t touched her chopsticks, merely propping her face in her hands and staring blankly at him.
“What’s wrong? Was she scared by the way I eat? That’s strange, wasn’t I eating like this at the reception center before?”
In the Land of Fire, eating someone else’s cooking ravenously, like a whirlwind, was the greatest acknowledgment of their culinary skill.
Therefore, at the reception center, every time Mitsuki ate like this, Mrs. Nohara would smile very happily, even saying,
“Oh, if only Mitsuki-chan could be my daughter, then I could see Mitsuki-chan eating at home too.”
As for why a daughter, let’s not dwell on that for now.
In any case, facing the spaced-out Rin, Mitsuki cleared his throat and reminded her,
“Tamagoyaki gets hard when it cools down. Didn’t you teach me that before, Rin?”
“Ah~ Sorry, sorry (0 x 0)”
Hearing Mitsuki’s voice, Rin finally snapped back to reality and began to eat the tamagoyaki in front of her.
She hadn’t actually heard what Mitsuki had just said, but she was too embarrassed to ask him. In any case, now was the time to lower her head and eat.
This was something Mitsuki had taught her: when you feel awkward, find something to do to make yourself seem busy.
“Come to think of it, everything Mitsuki teaches me always comes in handy.”
Rin zoned out again.
Shimizu Mitsuki was speechless. “Are you an eighty-year-old woman?”
However, after this interlude, Shimizu Mitsuki’s mood improved a lot. People always have to look forward, after all.
After all, he was an adult inside, no matter what, and couldn’t hesitate like a child.
Pull yourself together, Shimizu Mitsuki. Since you’ve had a Rebirth, you need to show your true capabilities.
Thinking this, Shimizu Mitsuki extended his 'evil chopsticks,' picked up the tamagoyaki from Rin’s plate, and put it into his mouth. After hearing her soft gasp, he chewed and mumbled indistinctly,
“Rin-mama, come help me clean up the house. I have a disease where I’ll die if I do too much housework~.”
Rin truly heard him this time. She had puffed out her cheeks, like an angry pufferfish, at Mitsuki’s 'villainous' action, but after hearing Shimizu Mitsuki’s request, she immediately deflated like a balloon.
“Okay, okay, but Mitsuki, you’re not allowed to bully me anymore. And where is there such a disease that sounds like it’s just made up?”
“That’s a bit difficult. I’ll try my best.”
“Ah (｀Δ´)”