"Morning!"
At Ichiraku Ran, Hikari greeted Aya warmly.
Aya rolled her pretty eyes at him.
"Morning? Seriously?"
"Do you even know what ti it is?"
Hikari glanced up at the blazing sun overhead, feeling as though an entire day had slipped by.
"Yeah, guess it’s not morning anymore. I’ll have a bowl of ran. After I eat, I’m going to go rest for a bit."
"What’s wrong? You look exhausted. Was the mission that tough?" Aya asked curiously.
She wouldn’t have bothered asking anyone else, but with Hikari, it was different.
Was it because she cared too much?
"I’m just... a little tired in my heart. Kinda thinking about retiring." Hikari said, slumping onto the counter, his eyes fixed on Aya. "If I retire, Aya, would you take care of ?"
"You little punk, what’re you doing here?!" Hearing Hikari’s teasing, Teuchi stord out from the kitchen, brandishing a ladle aid at Hikari’s head.
No one got to ss with Aya—not on his watch.
Did they think he, Ichiraku Teuchi, was so pushover?
"I’m here to eat ran, of course!" Hikari didn’t flinch at the threatening ladle, staying lazily sprawled on the counter. "One signature bowl, please, Uncle Teuchi!"
"Don’t call ’uncle’. I don’t have a nephew like you!" Teuchi huffed before stomping back to the kitchen.
"Is that so? Want to call you sothing sweeter? After all, Aya is going to take care of in the future." Hikari continued fanning the flas.
"Get lost!"
*WHAM!*
The ladle slamd onto the table with enough force to make the plates rattle.
"Aya’s my precious daughter! Take care of you? Why don’t you drop dead!"
"If you want her to take care of you, then cut off all those ssy relationships you’ve got with other won first. Otherwise, I’ll break your legs! Don’t underestimate a father’s love!"
After delivering the warning, Teuchi stord back into the kitchen to prepare the ran.
For the usually mild-mannered Teuchi to get this angry spoke volus about just how much he loathed Hikari.
"Um, sorry about that. Dad’s just in a bad mood today..." Aya awkwardly apologized.
"It’s fine, it’s fine. Who am I to complain, right?"
Hikari wasn’t offended. As a man, he understood why Teuchi was pissed.
If he genuinely loved only Aya, Teuchi might still dislike him but wouldn’t make it this personal.
But the truth was Hikari was tangled up with several won. No father would approve of that kind of son-in-law.
"You’re really not angry?" Aya asked, eyeing Hikari’s laid-back deanor.
Hikari nodded slightly. "Nah, it’s fine. A guy like gets chewed out sotis—it’s normal. But Aya, don’t get mad at your dad over this, okay? That’d make sad."
"Oh, shut it!"
Seeing that Hikari wasn’t angry, Aya secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but upon hearing his words, she still couldn’t help but retort playfully.
"My dad and I have a great relationship. You don’t need to worry about it."
"Ugh, girls grow up and leave the nest..." Hikari sighed, sounding like an old uncle.
Aya decided to reward him with another eye-roll and temporarily ignore this guy who said such annoying things.
"Hmm?"
Hikari suddenly straightened, his gaze shifting toward the direction of Konoha’s main gate.
"What’s wrong?" Aya asked, noticing his sudden alertness.
Just as quickly, he slumped back onto the table, his lazy deanor returning as if nothing had happened.
"It’s nothing. Just a few shinobi from Sunagakure arriving. Probably here to pick up those three kids."
"Oh, you an Temari, Gaara, and and Kankurō?"
"Yeah, who else? Konoha doesn’t exactly have other Sand shinobi hanging around." Hikari said casually.
"They’re leaving already? I thought those three were pretty nice. I didn’t expect them to leave so soon." ntioning that Temari and Gaara were leaving, Aya’s mood dipped slightly.
(Kankurō: Why’s my na left out? I’m leaving too! Why’s no one ntioning ?!)
"As sure as rain must fall and girls must marry, they’re Suna shinobi. Returning to their village is perfectly normal, right?" Hikari said offhandedly, not paying much attention to the matter.
The reason the Suna envoys ca to retrieve Gaara and the others was related to Hikari’s recent mission concerning the Three-Tails.
Even though Sunagakure had very low regard for the One-Tail, with many wishing it were dead, a Tailed Beast was still a Tailed Beast. In the environnt of Sunagakure, the One-Tail’s importance was no less than the Nine-Tails’.
From Suna’s perspective, if Hikari one day had a sudden brain cramp, he might just kill Gaara.
If that really happened, Suna would be in a real bind.
They already lacked top-tier combat power. If the One-Tail were killed, Suna’s decline would truly be imminent.
They didn’t dare gamble anymore.
Hence, the envoys had arrived.
"Ran is ready! Finish up and get lost imdiately, you brat!" Unlike with others, Teuchi’s dislike for Hikari was purely because of his daughter.
"Alright, thank you, Boss Teuchi!"
After thanking him, Hikari picked up his chopsticks and slowly began to eat.
The chewy, resilient noodles entered his mouth, springy and refreshing, combined with Teuchi’s specially made bone broth, giving a very satisfying feeling.
Hikari ate the noodles quietly. After a while, he put down his chopsticks.
"Thanks for the al!"
"You’re full already?" Seeing Hikari get up to leave, Aya was very surprised.
Based on Hikari’s usual appetite, he should need at least two bowls, if not three. Now he was leaving after just one bowl. Could it be that her dad’s cooking skills had declined?
"You brat, are you disrespecting or sothing?!" Teuchi was also sowhat depressed. As a ran chef, he wanted to see happy smiles after people finished his ran, not Hikari’s listless, indifferent expression.
It made him feel very unaccomplished.
"What’s wrong?" Hikari looked at Teuchi in confusion. "Is the money not enough? Then I’ll pay more..."
"It’s not about the money! It’s that you, after eating my ran, still look so dejected! Are you even a young man? If sothing’s wrong, just tell . Considering we’ve known each other for so many years, I’ll help you." In Teuchi’s mory, Hikari had never been this listless before.
It was like he had beco a different person.
Although he disliked Hikari for fooling around with his daughter, aside from that, he actually thought quite highly of Hikari in other aspects.
"Actually, I just realized that since I woke up today, not a single beautiful woman has given a sweet kiss. It’s making doubt my own charm, so I’m feeling quite down. If Aya could help out, I’d be eternally grateful."
Aya’s face instantly turned red. She glanced at her father, a sowhat eager look on her face.
Teuchi: ’Have I gotten too old to lift my ladle, or has this brat gotten too cocky, daring to flirt with Aya right in front of ?’
"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE I SMASH YOUR FAMILY JEWELS!"
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Read 45 advanced Chapters on my P@treon.
/KakuzuTL
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