What did he mean by that sentence?
Pakura felt her heart tremble slightly.
Her thoughts raced uncontrollably.
Does he want to pursue me?
But that thought quickly made her frown.
Aomizu already had several girlfriends—everyone knew that. And yet he still dared to look at her with such calm confidence.
As expected…
He's a real playboy.
Pakura clenched her fists inwardly.
That was right.
This man was clearly a bad person.
Pakura, you absolutely cannot fall for his tricks!
After calming herself down, she glanced at Aomizu, who had just caught up with her.
Almost subconsciously, she stepped farther away from him.
Her posture looked as if she were avoiding something dangerous.
"I'm only acting as a host," she said quickly, her tone stiff.
"I'm just taking you around Sunagakure to appreciate the scenery."
She crossed her arms and turned her head away.
"It's not like I'm on a date with you."
"So don't get any strange ideas."
Aomizu blinked.
For a moment, he was completely speechless.
Which one of us is getting strange ideas here…?
One Month Later
The Joint Chūnin Exams finally came to a successful conclusion.
Fortunately, no unexpected incidents occurred during the remainder of the exams.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
Inside the crowd of newly promoted ninja, a loud voice suddenly erupted with excitement.
"Great!"
"I finally became a Chūnin!"
The person shouting was Might Duy.
His excitement was so intense that he practically jumped up and down.
It was understandable.
For years, he had remained a Genin, known throughout the village as someone who could never advance.
Now that he had finally passed the exam and earned the rank of Chūnin, it meant everything.
Higher rank meant higher-paying missions.
And that meant he could finally improve his family's financial situation.
"Congratulations, Uncle Duy!"
Two young ninja approached him.
They were Mukai Yuki and Sasaki Ayami.
As Duy's teammates, they understood better than anyone how hard he had worked to reach this point.
"Congratulations to all of us!" Duy exclaimed proudly.
"This is the blazing youth of our team!"
With dramatic flair, he struck a familiar pose.
One hand raised in a thumbs-up.
His teeth sparkled with exaggerated brilliance.
The surrounding ninja immediately took a few steps back.
Clearly, they were not used to this kind of enthusiasm.
Only Mukai Yuki and Sasaki Ayami remained calm.
After all, they had grown accustomed to it long ago.
"It's all thanks to Uncle Duy," Mukai Yuki said sincerely.
"If it weren't for him, we would have been eliminated during the second exam."
"That's right," Ayami agreed.
"In that round, Uncle Duy showed incredible strength."
It was the truth.
Without Might Duy's performance in the second stage of the exam, the two of them would have been eliminated long before reaching the third round.
Let alone becoming Chūnin.
Duy laughed loudly.
"Young people!"
"This is the power of youth!"
Nearby, another voice called out.
"Brother Aomizu!"
A young boy hurried over.
It was Yahiko.
His face was filled with pride.
"All three of us passed!"
"We're Chūnin now!"
He looked exactly like a child showing his report card to a parent.
Aomizu smiled faintly.
"Good job."
He gave Yahiko the praise he clearly wanted.
Then his gaze shifted slightly.
Standing beside Yahiko was Konan.
Unlike him, she looked somewhat downcast.
The reason was obvious.
The Chūnin Exams were over.
Which meant they would soon have to leave.
Aomizu walked over and gently pulled her into his arms.
He reached out and ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Don't look so sad," he said softly.
"It's not like we'll never see each other again."
"If you want, you can come to Konoha anytime."
Leaning against his chest, Konan took a quiet breath.
She seemed to be memorizing his scent.
"Goodbye… Brother Aomizu."
But in her heart, she made a silent promise.
Next time we meet…
I will definitely tell you my feelings.
During her time in Konoha, she had learned many things.
And one particular person came to mind.
Uchiha Mikoto.
Konan secretly gritted her teeth.
That woman had clearly said she and Aomizu weren't in a relationship.
Yet now the two of them were inseparable.
How shameless.
"Goodbye, Konan."
"Goodbye, Yahiko."
"Goodbye, Nagato."
Aomizu watched as the three children departed toward the Land of Rain.
Meanwhile, another group nearby was celebrating.
Honoka, along with Yumiko and Yoshino, had also successfully passed the Chūnin Exams.
All three had been promoted.
When Honoka saw that Aomizu was standing alone, she immediately ran toward him.
Her bare feet made soft sounds against the ground.
She grabbed his arm excitedly.
"Aomizu!"
"I'm a Chūnin now too!"
The red-haired girl's eyes sparkled with joy.
Seeing her excitement, Aomizu smiled.
He gently rubbed her head.
"Very impressive."
"You've just made history."
Honoka tilted her head.
"History?"
"Yes," Aomizu said.
"You are the fastest Genin in Konoha's history to become a Chūnin."
She had achieved the promotion only one month after becoming a Genin.
Even someone like Hatake Kakashi would have difficulty matching that record.
"Hehe."
Honoka beamed happily.
Nearby, Yumiko watched the scene quietly.
A trace of envy appeared in her eyes.
She wanted to share her success with someone too.
Specifically—
Minato.
But she would have to wait until she returned to Konoha.
"Alright," Aomizu finally said.
"It's time for us to go home."
With his order, the Konoha ninja who had come to Sunagakure began preparing for the journey back.
Before leaving, Aomizu glanced toward a familiar figure.
Pakura had come to see them off.
"See you next time, Pakura."
Pakura crossed her arms.
"Hmph."
She curled her lips slightly.
You should have left long ago, you shameless playboy.
Four Days Later
The group returned safely to Konoha.
Unlike their rushed journey to Sunagakure, they traveled at a relaxed pace this time.
After submitting the mission report to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Aomizu finally returned to his apartment.
His only thought now was simple.
A hot bath.
Sunagakure was a desert village.
Water was extremely precious.
Even bathing there was inconvenient.
But when he opened the door to his home—
He froze.
The house was filled with the delicious aroma of food.
Standing in the kitchen was Uchiha Mikoto.
She wore casual home clothing.
A purple apron covered her waist.
Her gentle smile made the entire room feel warm.
"Aomizu."
"Welcome home."
It was obvious.
She had already learned that the Chūnin Exams were over and had prepared everything in advance.
Looking at her, Aomizu felt a warmth spread through his heart.
He stepped forward immediately and pulled her into his arms.
Without hesitation, he kissed her soft lips.
Mikoto responded just as passionately.
After a while, they finally separated.
"Aomizu," she asked softly.
"Do you want to eat first… or take a bath first?"
"I've already prepared hot water."
Aomizu smiled.
"Bath first."
More than anything, he wanted to wash away the fatigue from the past month.
Taking Mikoto's hand, he led her toward the bathroom.
As the saying goes—
A brief separation makes the reunion even sweeter.
That day, Mikoto was unusually passionate.
She responded to Aomizu with enthusiasm.
But in the end, her stamina could not match his.
Soon she surrendered completely.
Later, after the bath ended, steam slowly drifted out from the open bathroom door.
Aomizu carried Mikoto in his arms toward the dining table.
Since both of his arms were busy holding her—
Mikoto had to feed him.
The scene was strangely intimate.
And both of them enjoyed it.
For Mikoto, this peaceful life had always been her dream.
After finishing dinner, Aomizu cleaned the dishes himself.
Mikoto had already worked very hard.
He wanted her to rest.
When he returned to the bedroom, she was lying quietly on the bed.
He lay down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Mikoto leaned comfortably against him.
After a moment of silence, she spoke softly.
"Aomizu…"
"When are you going to marry me?"
They had been together for two years.
Their relationship was already deeply established.
But they had never officially held a wedding.
And at their age…
Marriage was a natural topic.
Aomizu fell silent.
It wasn't that he didn't want to marry her.
He simply didn't want to do it yet.
Because he knew something.
War was coming.
In the original timeline, the Second Great Ninja War and the Third Great Ninja War were separated by only a few short years.
Even though his presence had changed many things—
War between the great ninja villages was still inevitable.
Unless someone like Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara appeared again.
A figure powerful enough to suppress the ambitions of the entire ninja world.
Aomizu wasn't at that level yet.
And perhaps…
He needed a war to prove it.
After thinking for a moment, he spoke gently.
"Wait a few more years."
"When the time is right…"
"I will give you the most magnificent wedding."
Mikoto didn't hesitate.
"I'll wait."
Her words were simple.
But they carried the deepest sincerity of her heart.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)