Tejima Shinichi pushed open the front door, bent to change his shoes, and spoke in his usual flat tone.
"Sorry I'm late."
But the expected reply from Mori Chie never came, and Tejima Kazuto's greeting was nowhere to be heard either.
The house was silent, save for the sound of his own shoes.
Shinichi paused, straightened in puzzlement, and looked toward the living room.
There, Tejima Kazuto and Mori Chie sat side by side at the dining table, both staring straight at him with expressions of indescribable complexity.
A mix of disbelief, trance-like worry, and even a trace of… unfamiliarity.
Frowning, Shinichi slipped into his indoor shoes, walked to the living room, and studied their faces. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
His voice broke the stillness.
Kazuto drew a slow breath, exchanged a glance with Chie, and—at her silent "you tell him"—planted his hands on his knees and said gravely.
"Shinichi, there's something we have to make clear."
Shinichi's frown deepened at the unprecedented solemnity; a bad premonition stirred.
"What is it?"
Kazuto swallowed, throat bobbing, and finally forced out the words that had circled his mind for hours.
"We… we think you might not be our biological child!!"
"…"
Shinichi's usual composure froze.
He tilted his head; for the first time, pure stupefaction flashed in his amber eyes.
He wondered if over-draining his chakra had made him hallucinate.
'I just went to a Chunin Exam… and came home to find I've lost my parents???'
Shinichi swept his gaze across their faces—unmistakably serious—and confirmed this was no joke.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he reined in the absurdity galloping through him.
"Could you tell me… what made you reach that conclusion?"
His unnerving calm left Kazuto at a loss; every prepared follow-up stuck in his throat.
Chie took over, voice trembling with excitement.
"Shinichi! We… we heard what you did in the Forest of Death! You fought that… that monster, Shukaku, the One-Tail—and won!!"
Her hands fluttered, trying to sketch the unimaginable scene.
"That's a Tailed Beast! Your father and I are ninja—we know what that means! No genin, no ordinary jonin could do that!"
Kazuto nodded vigorously. "Right! Look at us—your old man's just a plain medical chunin! Your mom was only a special jonin with decent taijutsu and common fire- and wind-type chakra. How could our bloodlines produce someone… uh…"
Words failed him; he couldn't find a label for his son's "abnormality."
Chie picked up, voice quavering with self-doubt.
"So we wondered… could there have been a mix-up at the hospital twelve years ago?"
Finished, the couple again fastened their complicated stares on Shinichi, hunting for any feature that didn't belong to them.
Shinichi remained silent. "…"
Looking at those earnestly suspicious faces, he didn't know what expression to wear.
Yet he understood: to ordinary ninja parents, birthing a prodigy could only mean questioning the blood tie itself.
He rubbed his brow in resignation.
"I know many ways parents celebrate their kid's achievements—praise, encouragement, even tears of joy."
His calm gaze settled on them.
"But celebrating by disowning your only son…"
He paused and softly added...
"…is one of a kind."
"…"
The blunt jest left Kazuto and Chie gaping in mortification.
Kazuto recovered first, forcing two dry laughs and waving his hands theatrically.
"Haha! Shinichi, you saw right through us! Yep—special welcome-home ceremony! Memorable enough? Surprised?"
He slapped his thigh, eyes sliding aside in guilt.
Chie rolled her eyes and twisted his arm. "This is all your fault! I knew our son couldn't be anyone else's!"
Kazuto gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head.
Instantly united, they spun to Shinichi and chorused, "Congratulations on clearing the second round of the Chunin Exams!"
Shinichi smiled faintly. "Ah~, thanks!"
"All right, let's eat!" Chie beamed, warmth returning. "I made your favorites—reheated them over and over so they'd be hot when you got back."
Kazuto scooped rice. "Your mom started in the afternoon, worrying whether you'd eaten properly in the Forest of Death…"
The table regained its cozy bustle, both parents plying him with questions about the exam.
Shinichi listened quietly, savoring the rare peace.
At this moment he wasn't the ninja who could fight a Tailed Beast—just a son who had returned home.
But upheaval struck without warning.
As Chie lifted a piece of fish, her face changed; she covered her mouth and gagged.
"What's wrong?" Kazuto set down his bowl and steadied her.
Shinichi straightened, concern etched on his face.
Chie waved a hand. "I-it's nothing… just worried about Shinichi and haven't slept well…"
Before she could finish, nausea surged again and she hurried to the restroom.
A medical ninja's instinct told Kazuto something was off.
He followed, gently patting her back, his frown deepening.
When the spell passed, he already had his simple medical kit out. He checked her pulse and ran a few tests.
Moments later he froze, disbelief flooding his face.
"What is it?"
Shinichi stood in the doorway.
Kazuto turned, voice shaking.
"Shinichi… it looks like… you're going to be a big brother."
Chie blinked, hand instinctively moving to her abdomen.