"I came to wait for Aunt Mikoto, and just happened to run into Yugito."
Aoba shook his head. He noticed that ever since Samui and Mabui showed up, Yugito had gotten even more nervous.
It was as if she was afraid they might say something to him.
Judging from this, she had probably complained to them yesterday about something related to him, and now she felt a little guilty.
"I see. Mikoto should be down soon, so we won't bother you."
After saying that, Samui took Yugito and Mabui and left together.
She could tell Yugito was nervous too, and couldn't help but feel speechless.
They were only teasing her a little, it's not like they were actually going to compete with her for him.
Why so nervous?
Besides, Aoba definitely wouldn't agree to let them swap jobs with Yugito, because Yugito didn't have the brains for it.
Not long after, Uchiha Mikoto came out. When she saw Aoba, she was clearly a little surprised.
"Aunt Mikoto, I have something I'd like to talk to you about."
Aoba got straight to the point.
"It's about Uchiha Obito, isn't it?"
Uchiha Mikoto had already guessed as much.
Aoba nodded, "Pretty much… uh—"
Before he could continue, she suddenly reached out and pinched his cheek.
"Something that serious, Aoba, are you planning to talk about it right here on the street?"
"Uh, no…"
"Then we'll talk when we're home!"
"Okay."
As usual, they went to the market first to buy groceries, then chatted idly on the way home.
But what surprised both of them was, Sasuke was actually at home.
"Sasuke, did your training end early today?", Uchiha Mikoto asked curiously.
"Kakashi-sensei seems to be in kind of a bad mood these past couple of days."
Sasuke explained, then looked at Aoba in shock, as if he'd seen a ghost.
"What? Don't recognize me anymore?", Aoba teased.
"You're really Aoba?"
Sasuke looked horrified.
Aoba turned to Mikoto in surprise, "Aunt Mikoto, you haven't told Sasuke about me yet?"
Uchiha Mikoto covered her mouth and laughed softly. She actually wanted to see Sasuke's shocked expression. Serves him right for always pretending to be such a little adult.
Of course, she couldn't say that out loud, so she made up an excuse.
"After all, I thought it'd be better if you told him yourself, Aoba."
"I see…"
Aoba took a sip of tea, then began explaining everything. Meanwhile, Uchiha Mikoto went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
"There's actually something that amazing?"
The more Sasuke listened, the more shocked he became. Then immediately felt ten times more frustrated.
"Aoba, that ability to go back in time… do you still have it?", After hearing everything, Sasuke gritted his teeth and asked.
He couldn't beat Aoba before, and now the guy had somehow gotten three years ahead of him. How was that fair?
'That's cheating!'
Aoba's mouth twitched, Sasuke was seriously stubborn, "The Dragon Vein is very weak right now. I'm afraid it can't support another time-space jump."
A part of the Dragon Vein's power was still inside him, and the one in the past had been heavily drained. It would take time to recover.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly. Now he really couldn't catch up to Aoba.
Aoba sighed and patted him on the shoulder, "Time travel is extremely dangerous, you know. Even I barely made it back. You shouldn't even think about it."
After saying that, he stood up and headed toward the kitchen, "Sit for a bit. I'll go help your mom with dinner."
Sasuke didn't answer. He was deep in thought, figuring out how to get stronger faster.
He'd trained hard in Konoha for months with Kakashi, improving his Lightning Release techniques. He thought his progress had been big enough, but Aoba had somehow gotten three years ahead of him.
That made him realize that training behind closed doors wasn't enough. He needed to take missions outside the village too. Maybe he'd encounter opportunities like Aoba's.
And also—
Sasuke glanced toward the kitchen.
Aoba and Uchiha Mikoto were whispering to each other.
Now that Aoba had matured early, he was even taller than Mikoto. Standing together, they really did look like a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
Sometimes Sasuke couldn't help but think, 'It might not be very appropriate for me to still be living at home.'
He was already a Chunin, and in Konoha, many Chunin were already capable of living independently.
"Oh, right, Sasuke, Naruto should be coming back in a few days."
Just as Sasuke was lost in thought, Aoba suddenly called out from the kitchen.
"Huh?"
Sasuke blinked, "Didn't that guy just leave not long ago?"
"Something happened recently. It's related to Naruto. They need him to come back."
The notice for Naruto's return had already been sent out yesterday, but it would take some time to reach him.
"I see."
Sasuke clenched his fists again, his gaze firming.
He and Naruto had agreed to fight when Naruto returned. Even if he was coming back early, that battle was inevitable.
Uchiha Mikoto looked at her son, who had regained his spirit, and smiled warmly.
Since both her hands were busy preparing food, she leaned over and gently rubbed her face against Aoba's, "Thank you, Aoba."
"It's nothing. As long as you're happy, Aunt Mikoto,".Aoba replied calmly.
Mikoto quickly realized her gesture might have been a bit too intimate, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
But when she saw that his expression didn't change at all, she got a little annoyed, and rubbed against him again.
Aoba looked helpless. He'd gotten used to this level of closeness; he was basically immune now.
Seeing that, Mikoto pouted and gave up, turning the topic back to casual chatter.
Dinner was harmonious. So harmonious, in fact, that they never even got around to discussing the serious matter.
It wasn't until Aoba was about to leave, standing under the streetlight outside the door—
"Aunt Mikoto, about Uchiha Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan…"
"That eye was your spoil of war to begin with. You don't need to worry about me or the clan's opinion."
Mikoto interrupted him with a gentle smile.
"Then… what if I wanted to give it to someone else?"
Aoba continued. That eye was basically useless to him, but to others, it could be a great boon.
"This… Aoba, you really know how to give your aunt a headache."
Mikoto looked at him with mock reproach, reached out, and pinched his cheek again before saying indulgently, "But since it's what you want, I'll try to convince the clan."
Aoba was touched, almost flustered. He took out a scroll and handed it to her.
"Aunt Mikoto, this is for you."
"What is it?"
Mikoto accepted it curiously.
"The Yin Seal."