"Yin Seal?"
Uchiha Mikoto was so shocked upon hearing that she almost threw the scroll in her hand back.
"Aoba, isn't the Yin Seal Tsunade-sama's jutsu?"
"I got sensei's permission for this."
Aoba said with a smile.
Uchiha Mikoto was even more confused, "Tsunade-sama agreed to let you teach the Yin Seal to me?"
"Mm. Sensei said that as long as I want to, I can teach the Yin Seal to others."
Aoba continued to tempt her, "If Aunt Mikoto can learn the Yin Seal, you'll be able to keep your youthful appearance forever."
"This…", Uchiha Mikoto's pupils trembled slightly as she stared blankly at the scroll in her hands, her expression frozen.
Eternal youth, that effect was a fatal temptation for any woman.
Looking at her slightly dazed, adorably blank face, Aoba was suddenly overcome by impulse and pinched her soft cheek.
"Eh?"
Uchiha Mikoto snapped back to her senses, staring blankly at Aoba, "Aoba, you…"
"Ahem! You've been pinching my face all this time. I'm just getting even."
Aoba made up a lame excuse, then immediately bolted.
"Aunt Mikoto, I'll be going now!"
With that, his figure vanished on the spot.
He had used the Flying Thunder God to make his escape.
It took Uchiha Mikoto quite a while to come back to herself. She touched the spot on her cheek where he had just pinched her.
She felt… maybe she'd caught a cold? Otherwise, why did it feel so hot?
Next time, she'd definitely have to pinch him back properly.
———
Two days later—
[Roran]
Sara, having just finished her training, bounced happily toward her mother's office. She planned to have lunch together with her.
After a few days of rest, once Hinata and the others had returned to Konoha, her daily routine had gone back to normal.
When her mother was working, she devoted herself to training. When her mother got off work, they'd eat together and go shopping.
When she reached the door, Sara didn't even bother knocking. She just pushed it open and stepped inside.
"Mom, I came to find you, huh?"
Her cheerful voice froze the moment she saw who was in the office.
"Sensei?"
Right there, sitting on the sofa, was Aoba. In his hand he held a teacup that looked freshly brewed, faint white steam curling upward from its rim.
On the sofa opposite him sat her mother, also holding a teacup. Her gentle, mature face was slightly flushed, her beautiful eyes curved like crescents as she smiled, legs together, sitting perfectly straight.
Sara's face lit up. She ran over excitedly and sat down next to Aoba, looping her arm through his.
"Sara, careful, the tea is hot."
Aoba hurriedly held his teacup farther away, afraid it might spill on her.
But Sara didn't care at all. She directly sat down on his lap, "It's fine, sensei would never let me get hurt, right?"
"…", Aoba was speechless.
Sara looked up at him expectantly, "Sensei, did you come here alone today?"
Aoba nodded, "Mm, just me."
"Then… did you come all this way just to see me?", Sara's eyes shone even brighter.
Before Aoba could reply, Seramu, seeing her daughter come in and not even greet her, reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her to her side.
"Sara, how's your training going today?"
"What result could there be in just one morning?"
Sara made a face and rolled her eyes a little.
Training wasn't something that showed results in just a few hours.
As she struggled to pull away and go back to Aoba's side, her nose twitched slightly, she suddenly caught a whiff of sweat.
And for some reason, her mother's breathing seemed a little… fast.
"Mom, were you just exercising?", Sara asked suspiciously.
"Hmm?"
Seramu paused for a moment, "Mm… you could say that."
Under Aoba's subtly awkward gaze, she even nodded seriously.
"These past years, I've been busy building Roran. Sitting in the office every day made my body stiff, so I asked Aoba to teach me a few ways to exercise. My body feels much better now, and my mood too."
"It really works that well?"
Sara looked intrigued, "Then can I learn too?"
Seramu thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I'm afraid not, Sara. You're still too young. Once you're older, Aoba can teach you."
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Aoba nearly choked on his tea, coughing violently before staring at Seramu in disbelief, 'How can you say that with a straight face?'
Sara looked puzzled, "Sensei, can't I learn it?"
Aoba's mouth twitched, "We'll talk about it when you grow up."
"How old is 'grown up'?"
Sara pressed further.
"That, well, at least a few more years. Oh, right, Sara, do you want to meet your junior later?"
Aoba casually tried to change the subject.
"Meet my junior?"
Sara's eyes narrowed, and her whole aura changed. Her gaze gleamed with fighting spirit.
Aoba suddenly felt this topic might not have been a good idea either.
"Uh, maybe we can do that another day?"
"I want to meet her now."
Sara's voice was soft, but her expression said she was ready to pull out a kunai at any moment.
Aoba sighed helplessly, "Fine, then come with me this afternoon."
"Okay."
Sara's sunny smile returned instantly. She stood up from the sofa, "Then let's go have lunch first!"
Saying that, she grabbed both Seramu and Aoba, trying to drag them out together.
"Wait a minute."
Seramu's expression changed slightly, calling out to her daughter.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"I still have some work to finish. You two go ahead."
Seramu kept her perfect smile, put down her teacup, and stood up to walk toward her desk.
Her steps weren't small, but her pace was slow, neither brisk nor steady.
When she reached her chair and was about to sit down, she paused for a moment.
"Mom?", Sara noticed the odd movement.
"Mm, it's nothing. I think I might've strained something while exercising just now."
Seramu shook her head calmly, then sat down.
Sara looked confused. Her mother was a kunoichi too, how could she get a strain from a little exercise?
She didn't notice that, beneath the desk, something was slowly trickling down along the inside of Seramu's ankle.
"You two go on ahead."
Seramu waved her hand toward them again.
"We—"
"Then we'll be going first."
Sara had been about to say they could wait, but Aoba had already taken her hand and quickly led her away.
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