CHAPTER 84
Pushing open the door, a familiar sense of warmth rushed toward him. The rich aroma of red bean soup with mochi drifted through the house, mingled with the sweet scent of steaming rice. Two sets of bowls and chopsticks were already laid out on the table, with a large soup bowl placed in the center. Snow-white mochi floated in the deep red bean soup, and wisps of steam rose gently from the surface.
Guy took one look, and his heart felt as though it had been gently soothed. The exhaustion and tension accumulated over half a year on the battlefield quietly melted away amidst this familiar scent of home.
"Quick, sit down! The soup is still hot!"
Duy rubbed his hands together, an uncontrollable smile plastered across his face. The swelling around his eyes had not yet completely faded. He hurried ahead of Guy, pulled out a chair for him, then rushed off to serve the rice.
Guy sat down as instructed.
Duy placed a bowl piled high with white rice in front of him, then sat opposite him without picking up his chopsticks. He simply stared at Guy without blinking.
Within his gaze was the pure relief of recovering something once thought lost, along with a satisfaction that could never be filled no matter how much he looked.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under such a gaze, Guy picked up a spoon and stirred the soup.
"Dad, why aren't you eating?"
"Dad's not hungry."
Duy grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth.
"Dad is already full just watching you eat."
Guy's mouth twitched. He was already accustomed to his father's strange brand of logic.
He scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it gently, and put it into his mouth.
The warm sweetness instantly spread across his tongue. The rich texture of the red beans and the soft chewiness of the mochi blended perfectly together. It tasted exactly the same as in his memory, without the slightest difference.
"It still tastes the same."
Guy spoke softly before taking another bite of mochi.
Duy's eyes immediately reddened again.
He hurriedly lowered his head and wiped his face with his sleeve. His voice became slightly choked.
"Of course! Dad's cooking skills... Youth will never lie to you!"
The dining table fell quiet for a while, leaving only the faint sounds of Guy eating and drinking soup.
After calming down a little, Duy could not help but ask:
"Guy, how have you been these past six months? Was it... especially hard over at Mount Kikyo?"
Guy swallowed the food in his mouth, thought for a moment, then answered casually:
"It was alright. Training, carrying out missions, coordinating with Ebisu and Genma. Captain Choza took good care of us."
He deliberately skipped over the sixty-eight days he had spent guarding the Mountain Ridge alone.
He omitted the dangers of every encounter with enemy scouts.
He also avoided mentioning the final battle that had nearly destroyed Mount Kikyo and caused devastating casualties.
Duy listened quietly, but the hands resting on his knees trembled slightly.
How could he fail to hear the understatement hidden behind those simple words?
Still, he did not press further. He merely nodded vigorously several times, his Adam's apple bobbing repeatedly.
The atmosphere grew somewhat quiet.
Guy changed the subject.
"What about you, Dad? What missions have you been doing these past six months? Did you get injured?"
At the mention of himself, Duy instantly became animated.
He puffed out his chest and tried to sound cheerful.
"Dad was assigned to the rear support unit!"
"It was mainly escorting supply convoys and patrolling the borders."
"Even though I wasn't fighting on the front lines, it was still a very important mission!"
He paused before lowering his voice slightly.
"We encountered a few Iwagakure squads trying to ambush the convoy, but we drove them all away!"
"One time, they planted explosive tags and nearly blew up Dad's wagon."
"Luckily, Dad reacted quickly! I opened the First Gate of the Eight Gates and jumped away in an instant! Hahaha!"
He spoke energetically, as though recounting a funny and proud story.
Yet Guy could hear the danger hidden beneath those words.
The rear supply lines were equally important targets.
Ambushes.
Raids.
Traps.
Every casual phrase like "small enemy squads" and "almost got blown up" concealed life-and-death struggles.
This foolish father had also been fighting for his life in his own way.
Guy listened quietly, feeling both a little sad and a little proud.
He did not interrupt and simply took another sip of soup.
After Duy finished speaking, Guy casually added:
"I also spent quite a while guarding the Mountain Ridge by myself."
The smile on Duy's face froze instantly.
He stared at Guy's calm profile, and his lips began trembling uncontrollably.
Tears welled up once more without warning.
Large droplets fell one after another.
"Sixty... sixty-eight days... Dad heard about it..."
He choked out the words while wiping his eyes forcefully.
"All alone... in a place so far away... and you're only nine years old... Dad... Dad..."
Guy put down his spoon and reached over to pat Duy's trembling arm.
"It's all in the past, Dad. See? I'm perfectly fine."
Duy nodded repeatedly.
His face was covered with tears and snot, yet he still forced out a smile uglier than crying.
Guy briefly recounted some of the events that happened afterward.
When he mentioned Orochimaru arriving with reinforcements in time and completely turning the battle around, Duy's tense shoulders finally relaxed.
He let out a long breath and murmured repeatedly:
"Thank goodness... thank goodness Lord Orochimaru arrived... thank goodness..."
Then Guy suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, Dad, why did you suddenly come back? Did you receive a new mission?"
Duy sniffled and immediately flashed another thumbs-up.
"It's not a mission!"
"The higher-ups heard that you achieved great merit at Mount Kikyo and were seriously injured, so they specially approved my leave to come back and see you!"
"It's special leave!"
Guy was momentarily stunned.
"Special leave? Then... how long can you stay?"
"Three days!"
Duy's voice instantly rose again.
"A full three days! Three whole days of youth! Dad is going to properly nourish you!"
"Three days, huh..."
Guy looked at his father's excited face, smiled softly, and muttered:
"That's enough."
"Eh? What's enough?"
Duy failed to hear him clearly and leaned closer.
Guy chuckled.
Just as he was about to answer, Duy suddenly slapped his forehead and sprang to his feet.
"Oh no!"
"I was so excited to see you that I completely forgot!"
"Yesterday, when I came back to clean the house, I found quite a few letters! They're all for you!"
"Letters?"
Guy was startled, and several familiar faces immediately appeared in his mind.
Duy had already rushed into the inner room and begun rummaging through drawers.
A moment later, he returned carrying three letters and handed them over.
Guy accepted them and glanced at the names written on the envelopes.
The first letter was from Kakashi Hatake.
The second letter was from Kurenai Yuhi.
The third letter was from Shikuro Aburame.
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