CHAPTER 128
Might Guy and Shiranui Genma followed the direction Ebisu was pointing.
Standing alone beside the training ground at the edge of the frontline headquarters was a young shinobi dressed in the standard Konoha combat uniform. Dark sunglasses concealed his eyes, while his high collar was pulled up almost to his chin.
Might Guy's eyes immediately lit up.
"Brother!!"
His unmistakably loud voice instantly echoed across the bustling headquarters.
In the distance, Shikuro's body trembled violently.
He turned around in disbelief, searching for the source of that familiar voice.
The moment the green figure he had thought about countless times entered his sight, he froze completely.
"Might Guy...? Is that really Might Guy?!"
His eyes widened beneath his sunglasses as his pupils contracted sharply.
He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
The very next second, he saw the green-clad youth waving vigorously with a radiant smile plastered across his face, his bright teeth gleaming under the sunlight.
"Might Guy!!!"
Shikuro shouted, his voice trembling with excitement and disbelief.
Almost instinctively, he stumbled forward before breaking into a run.
"Brother! How did you get here?!"
He rushed up to Might Guy and grabbed both of his shoulders, looking him up and down repeatedly as excitement and joy overflowed from his voice.
They hadn't seen each other for more than a year.
Guy had grown noticeably taller.
His shoulders had become broader.
Yet that energetic smile had remained exactly the same.
"Hahaha!"
Guy laughed heartily as he gave Shikuro a firm pat on the back.
"We were transferred to the Land of Rice Fields frontlines!"
"We're stationed at Outpost No. 8 now!"
"What?! Really?!"
Shikuro became so excited that his voice almost cracked.
His hands tightened around Guy's shoulders.
"Outpost No. 8? Isn't that where the Uchiha..."
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence after noticing the people standing behind Guy.
Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses.
A familiar mischievous grin appeared on his face as he opened his mouth.
"Yo, isn't that..."
The words suddenly caught in his throat.
Genma also rarely took the initiative to greet someone.
The senbon shifted slightly in his mouth.
Yet he, too, remained standing there with his mouth slightly open, unable to say a single word.
Wait...
What was this guy's name again?
Ebisu and Genma exchanged glances.
Their expressions immediately became awkward.
Both of them desperately searched through their memories.
Sunglasses.
High collar.
Aburame Clan.
His name was...
Aburame...
Aburame...
What was it again?
Damn it!
I can't remember at all!
Watching their hesitant expressions, a trace of disappointment that seemed to say, "Just as I expected," flashed deep within Shikuro's eyes.
However, it was quickly washed away by the overwhelming joy of seeing Might Guy again.
Just then, Uchiha Shisui, who had quietly been standing beside them, smiled gently.
Looking back and forth between Guy and Shikuro, he asked softly,
"Is he your classmate?"
His voice instantly dissolved the awkward silence.
Guy nodded vigorously.
Naturally wrapping an arm around Shikuro's shoulder, he answered without the slightest hesitation,
"Yeah."
"My good brother, Shikuro."
The name "Shikuro" was spoken clearly and confidently from Guy's mouth.
The moment he heard it...
Shikuro's body trembled once again.
Ebisu immediately seized the opportunity to cover up the awkwardness.
"Hahaha, Shikuro! It's really been a long time!"
"You've grown quite a bit!"
Genma also quickly recovered his usual calm expression.
Biting his senbon, he gave a slight nod.
"Shikuro."
"Long time no see."
His own name.
Being called one after another by everyone present.
Shikuro suddenly felt his nose sting.
His eyes immediately became hot.
More than a year...
Nearly two years had passed.
It wasn't as though he had never met former classmates.
Nor had he never encountered Academy friends.
But almost every reunion eventually became awkward.
After exchanging greetings...
People would hesitate before asking,
"What was your name again?"
Or they would simply avoid using his name altogether.
They would casually call him "Hey."
Or "That Aburame kid."
Only Might Guy.
From beginning to end...
Only Might Guy had always remembered his name perfectly.
Even now...
He still called him "brother" without the slightest hesitation.
And because of Guy...
Even Guy's teammates now remembered his name.
Shikuro blinked hard, forcing back the tears threatening to spill over.
Even so, his voice still carried an obvious tremble.
"L... long time no see..."
"Ebisu."
"Genma."
Shisui quietly observed everything from the side.
He saw the tears welling up beneath Shikuro's sunglasses.
He saw Guy casually draping an arm around his shoulder.
He also noticed the slightly embarrassed smiles on Ebisu and Genma's faces.
He silently came to a conclusion.
"They must be extremely close."
Thinking that, the smile on Shisui's face became even gentler.
"We'll deliver the prisoners to Captain Inoichi first."
"Following procedure will probably take some time."
"After the handover is finished, we should still have about two hours before returning."
He smiled at the four of them.
"You can use that time to catch up properly."
"Okay!"
The three immediately nodded.
Ebisu nudged Shikuro with his elbow before winking mischievously.
"Shikuro, don't just stand there getting emotional."
"Hurry up and call Kurenai and Asuma over."
"It's not every day classmates get to meet on the frontlines."
"Perfect timing for everyone to gather together."
"We can eat, chat, and catch up."
"Come on, hurry and call them over so we can find somewhere to sit."
Although Genma remained silent, he nodded in agreement.
His eyes also carried obvious anticipation.
However...
The moment he heard those words...
The excitement and smile on Shikuro's face froze at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Slowly...
He turned toward Might Guy.
Behind those dark sunglasses...
His eyes had become filled with complicated emotions.
Guilt.
Uneasiness.
Sadness.
And helplessness.
Watching Shikuro's sudden change in expression...
Guy's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
"Shikuro?"
The smile on Guy's face slowly faded.
He looked at him in confusion.
Shikuro's lips trembled twice.
The tears he had barely managed to suppress finally overflowed, streaming down his cheeks.
His head slowly lowered.
His shoulders began trembling uncontrollably.
A choked voice, broken by sobs, slowly escaped his lips.
"Might Guy..."
"I..."
"I'm sorry..."
"Kurenai..."
"Kurenai isn't here…"
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