Shimizu Kento was dead.

  He never managed to fulfill the promise he made to Miketsuki. Kento's life had been spent mostly under the shadow of war. He failed to protect Chiyoko, never cleared up the misunderstandings with her, and missed his st chance to celebrate his son's birthday.

  This man's life ended like that—filled with regrets.

  Shimizu Miketsuki lowered his head, sorting through Kento’s final belongings sent by the Anbu.

  It was just a few personal items. His body would be collected by the Konoha Anbu and buried in the Konoha Cemetery after the funeral. Before that, family members could visit the battlefield recovery department to see their loved ones one st time.

  Among the items, there was one rectangur gift box that stood out. It was completely out of pce among the war-worn belongings.

  Clearly, this was a birthday gift Kento had prepared for Miketsuki in advance.

  Miketsuki hesitated for a moment, then carefully untied the ribbon and opened the box.

  Although he could guess what might be inside just from the box's appearance, he was still somewhat shocked when he opened it.

  Previously, Miketsuki had mentioned to Kento his idea of a Lightning Release ninjutsu—if there were a weapon made from chakra-conducting metal, it might become a ninjutsu without hand signs.

  Of course, Miketsuki had only been talking nonsense, trying to start a conversation with his father. He hadn’t expected Kento to remember this and actually prepare a gift based on it. Inside the box was a short sword sheathed in a scabbard.

  Miketsuki pulled out the sword. It was a straight bde, about 30 centimeters long—quite rge for a short sword.

  The bde shimmered with a cold white gleam, and when swung, it seemed to cut through the darkness itself.

  In theory, although Kento was an elite jōnin and definitely part of Konoha’s high-income group, such a weapon made entirely from chakra-conducting metal would still be beyond his means to afford.

  Miketsuki remembered that only the Second Hokage and the future Asuma had ever used such advanced ninja tools in Konoha.

  ‘Could this be a war trophy from Father?’

  As Miketsuki thought this, he noticed a card tied to the hilt of the sword.

  "Happy Birthday -- Uchiha En, presented by Shimizu Kento."

  Miketsuki vaguely remembered the name Uchiha En. He seemed to be a former comrade of his father's, someone who had also sent him gifts on past birthdays.

  Given this, it wasn't too surprising. The Uchiha cn had close ties with the Ninja Cat cn, who were known for producing and selling high-end ninja tools. Considering that retionship, Miketsuki could now easily trace the origins of the sword. However, it seemed that Uchiha En’s connection with Kento was more than just a casual friendship.

  After all, even though the Uchiha cn was close with the Ninja Cat cn, this short sword wasn’t something you could casually acquire.

  But that didn't matter anymore. Miketsuki pced the sword back in its sheath, closed the box, and carefully retied the ribbon, pnning to open it again on his birthday.

  There’s a saying, "Seeing an object brings memories of a person," and as Miketsuki cleaned up, his thoughts became more scattered, crowding his mind.

  He y down on the living room floor, thinking deeply. Was he truly sad because he had come to see Kento as his father, or was it because Kento's death reminded him of his family from his previous life?

  To be honest, when Miketsuki first received the news of Kento's death, he hadn’t felt that overwhelming sadness. While he had intended to face this new life with a fresh perspective, he hadn’t spent much time with Kento in this life.

  Ever since Chiyoko’s death, Kento had thrown himself into the battlefield, trying to vent his grief and anger. This went on until Miketsuki was three, when Kento finally started to recover.

  As a result, Miketsuki and Kento were often apart, and given Kento's quiet and reserved nature, most of their conversations were started by Miketsuki.

  But was it really like that?

  Miketsuki felt as though something was growing in his chest, a feeling that couldn’t be shaken.

  The next morning, a knock at the door woke Miketsuki up.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Miketsuki had no idea when he had fallen asleep in the living room. If not for the knock at the door, he might have stayed there, and even though his body was retively healthy in this life, it was still a child’s body—he probably would have gotten sick.

  He groggily got up, swaying as he went to open the door.

  Outside stood Nohara Rin, the daughter of the Nohara family.

  Miketsuki, of course, knew Rin from the manga, but in this life, they had met at the orphanage. One of the reasons Rin's mother had come to help at the orphanage was to find some pymates for her daughter.

  “Good morning, Miketsuki! You haven’t had breakfast yet, right? My mom made some tamagoyaki before going to work. I was feeling a bit lonely eating by myself, so I wanted to ask if you’d join me... Is that okay?”

  Rin said carefully, her eyes flickering away from Miketsuki’s gaze.

  This was a lie.

  Rin had actually come because she had heard the news of Kento's death from her mother. Although her mother had reassured her that Miketsuki was a strong child who could handle it, Rin was still worried about how he was doing. She needed to see for herself.

  Miketsuki could easily guess her thoughts, but he believed his own emotions were fairly calm. It wouldn’t be right to leave her standing outside, so he waved her in.

  “Now that you mention it, I haven’t eaten yet. I must have slept in today. Thanks for offering, Rin. Please come in.”

  "Then, I’ll be bothering you," Rin said as she entered, holding a lunchbox.

  Miketsuki really was hungry. He dug into the tamagoyaki, which had been cut into perfect slices. Mrs. Nohara's tamagoyaki was truly something special. The bance between the egg and milk was perfect, and even the appearance was beautifully crafted.

  It even wobbled like pudding when he gently prodded it with his chopsticks, showcasing an incredible esticity.

  Rin watched Miketsuki devour the food, and an idea drifted into her mind—if only Miketsuki were eating food she had made herself. But then, would Miketsuki still enjoy it as much?

  Miketsuki noticed that Rin hadn’t touched her chopsticks. Instead, she was just resting her chin in her hands, staring at him.

  ‘What’s going on? Is she shocked by the way I’m eating? Weird... I ate like this at the orphanage, too.’

  In the Land of Fire, eating someone else’s food in such a ravenous manner was the highest form of praise for their cooking skills.

  At the orphanage, every time Miketsuki ate like this, Mrs. Nohara would ugh happily and even say, “Aww, if only Miketsuki could become my daughter, I could watch him eat like that every day.”

  As for why she said daughter... that’s a topic for another time.

  Seeing Rin lost in thought, Miketsuki coughed lightly to get her attention.

  “Rin, didn’t you tell me before that tamagoyaki gets hard if it cools down? You should eat it while it’s warm.”

  “Ah—sorry, sorry!” Rin snapped out of her trance and started eating her own tamagoyaki.

  In truth, she hadn’t really heard what Miketsuki said, but she was too embarrassed to ask him again. So, she just focused on eating, remembering Miketsuki’s advice to keep busy when feeling awkward.

  ‘Thinking back, Miketsuki’s advice is always helpful.’

  Rin wandered off again in thought.

  Miketsuki raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you an eighty-year-old granny or something?’

  Despite this little incident, Miketsuki’s mood improved. After all, he couldn’t keep dwelling on the past. He had to move forward. He was an adult now, in both mind and body, and couldn’t afford to stay stuck in the past.

  “Pull yourself together, Miketsuki. Since you’re reborn, you’ve got to show your true potential,” Miketsuki thought, before grabbing some of Rin’s tamagoyaki from her pte and shoving it into his mouth. Hearing her soft gasp, he chewed and mumbled with his mouth full.

  “Rin, come help me clean up the house. I’ve got this disease where doing too much housework could kill me~”

  Rin, hearing this clearly for the first time, pouted in mock anger, her cheeks puffing out like an angry pufferfish. But at Miketsuki's request, she defted like a balloon.

  “Alright, but no more bullying me, Miketsuki! And don’t make up illnesses on the spot like that!”

  “Hmm... sounds a bit difficult. I’ll try my best.”

  “Ah (｀Δ′)”

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