Aoba turned to look at Sara, who was pouting, and said, "Sara, want me to take you around Konoha later?"
The reason the two of them were weak now was because their chakra was too depleted. But if it was only a lack of chakra, that wasn't much of a problem for him.
"Really? I want to! I want to!", Sara's eyes lit up.
"Mm."
Aoba nodded, "Hanabi, do you want to come too?"
"Of course!", Hanabi answered without hesitation.
There was no way she'd let the two of them go out and play alone.
Aoba smiled knowingly.
Balancing the relationship between these two was actually quite simple, he just had to keep things even.
The conflict between them from the start was basically over their "senior sister" status.
As long as Aoba didn't take sides and kept things fair, there would be no problem.
Besides, the two probably wouldn't have many chances to meet again in the future anyway. After all, one lived in Konoha and the other in Roran.
Just as Aoba thought, Sara only pouted and didn't say anything.
"What about Hinata? Want to come along?", Aoba asked for Hinata's opinion too.
Although Hinata really wanted to go, she still shook her head with a smile.
"No, Aoba-kun, you should spend time with Hanabi and the others today."
"Aoba, come to our house for dinner tonight, bring Sara with you," Hyuga Ayako also said with a warm smile.
"Alright, then I'll bring them over at dinner time."
Aoba didn't refuse, and led the two, one big, one small, out the door.
That entire afternoon was quite lively.
Every few steps, the two would start bickering again. Most of the time, Aoba stayed out of it, but he made sure never to favor one over the other.
What Hanabi had, Sara also had.
What Sara didn't have, Hanabi couldn't have either.
By the time dinner was over, Sara took out a gift she had originally prepared for Hanabi.
It was a large bag of Roran specialty snacks.
As the Hyuga clan head's second daughter, Hanabi also gave a box of Hyuga clan's special handmade pastries in return.
Their relationship improved a little.
But only a little. Aoba could tell that next time they met, they'd probably still end up bickering.
———
Two days later in the afternoon.
Aoba and Shizune were standing at the entrance of Konoha, waiting for a "big guest."
That big guest was none other than the Snow Country's daimyo, Koyuki Kazahana, who had arranged her visit to Konoha a week earlier.
Even though the Snow Country was small, a daimyo's status was still one of nobility in the shinobi world.
So Tsunade had arranged for Aoba and Shizune to personally welcome her.
The first was because Koyuki herself requested Aoba, and the second because Shizune, as Tsunade's personal assistant, represented how seriously Konoha took the visit.
Luckily the two came together, at least they could chat to kill time.
But just as they were waiting for Koyuki, two other people arrived first.
A little blond kid came running toward Konoha's gate in a hurry, but as soon as he reached it, he suddenly stopped.
Then he began circling Aoba curiously.
"Welcome back to the village, Naruto."
Shizune greeted him with a smile.
"Hi, Shizune-nee!", Naruto greeted her politely as well.
Aoba reached out and placed a hand on the little blond's head, saying irritably, "Alright, Naruto, if you keep spinning around, you're going to make me dizzy."
This little blond was, of course, Naruto, who had just returned with Jiraiya.
"You… you're Aoba! How'd you suddenly grow so much?"
Naruto's eyes widened. Clearly, he had recognized Aoba.
"I'll explain that later. We're still on duty right now."
Seeing that Naruto recognized him, Aoba removed his hand.
"Eh?"
Naruto looked disappointed, "But I wanted to go eat Ichiraku Ramen with you!"
Aoba chuckled and patted his head again, "Go find Sasuke and the others first. When I'm done with this mission, I'll come find you."
"Sasuke's still in the village?", Naruto's expression brightened again.
"Yeah."
"Yo! Isn't that Shizune, and… huh? You're that kid Aoba?", Jiraiya walked up and, upon seeing Aoba, showed a surprised expression as well.
"It's me," Aoba nodded again, "Welcome back to the village, Jiraiya-sensei."
Jiraiya's eyes glinted, and he laughed heartily, "Gahaha! So Tsunade knew I was coming and sent you two to welcome me, huh?"
Aoba shrugged, "Sorry to disappoint, Jiraiya-sensei, but we're actually waiting for another VIP."
"What? You mean the Great Toad Sage himself doesn't count as a VIP?"
Jiraiya protested in mock outrage.
"You're just a pervy sage, what kind of VIP is that?", Before Aoba or Shizune could explain, Naruto muttered under his breath and instantly shattered Jiraiya's image.
The two couldn't help but chuckle.
"Show some respect to your elders, idiot Naruto!"
Jiraiya, embarrassed and annoyed, grabbed Naruto's hair and ruffled it hard.
"Ah! Let go of me, you pervy sage! I have to go see Sasuke and the others later!"
Naruto flailed his arms and legs, struggling.
"Hmph! Then you can go see them with a bird's nest for hair!"
Jiraiya tightened his grip, dragging Naruto along toward the village.
"Shizune, Aoba, I'll take this brat in first."
"See you later, Aoba!", Naruto yelled back as they walked away.
.
.
.
Not long after, a luxurious carriage stopped at Konoha's gate.
Stepping out of it was a woman dressed in an elegant purple gown, Koyuki Kazahana.
"Aoba?"
With a happy, expectant look on her face, Koyuki gazed at the taller, more mature Aoba, not quite sure if she could believe it was him.
———
[Hokage Building, Conference Room]
Only Tsunade, Shizune, Aoba, Koyuki Kazahana, and Asama Sandayu were present.
At this moment, Koyuki's eyes were practically glued to Aoba, filled with sparkling stars.
She hadn't expected that after just a few months apart, he had grown so much. And more importantly, become even more handsome.
And she liked him even more now.
Aoba sat up straight, visibly uneasy.
He had two extra hands on him, one resting on his waist, the other on his leg.
Seeing Koyuki's starry-eyed expression, Asama Sandayu couldn't help but smile knowingly. Before discussing official matters, he decided to bring up something else first.
"Hokage-sama, before we talk business, there's one matter I'd like to discuss with Aoba-sama."
"Me?", Aoba blinked in confusion, "What is it?"
Asama Sandayu's expression turned serious, sitting up straight, "Here's the thing. Ever since Her Excellency the Daimyo ascended to her position, she has held Aoba-sama in very high regard. I was wondering if you would be willing… to marry into the Kazahana family as her husband."
He said it plainly.
Tsunade and Aoba froze.
Even Koyuki, who had been gazing dreamily at Aoba, was stunned.
Why hadn't they discussed this with her first?
Shizune's hand, which had been resting on her thigh, twitched, and accidentally pressed down harder.
"Hiss!"