Looking at the figure under the big tree, Sora was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized.
"Kurenai?"
As a Naruto fan, Sora was very familiar with this future genjutsu jonin. He just never expected that Kurenai, as a child, would be hiding here alone, crying.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sora walked over and crouched down to ask.
Kurenai lifted her head, revealing a small face red from crying.
Her eyes were very big, her pupils a rare wine red, and her eyelashes still held teardrops, making her look pitiful.
Seeing a stranger approach, Kurenai instinctively shrank back, but upon seeing it was a boy about her own age, she quickly wiped her tears again, forcing calm as she said, "I... I'm fine..."
'Heh, this girl is quite strong willed.' Sora felt amused internally. He thought for a moment, then pulled a piece of candy from his pocket.
"Here, have something sweet, it'll make you feel better." Sora handed over the candy, smiling like a weird uncle.
Kurenai hesitated, but still took it, saying quietly, "Thank you..."
"You're welcome." Sora sat down beside her. "What's wrong? Are you lost? Or were you bullied?"
Kurenai shook her head, whispering, "I... I can't find my way home."
Sora almost laughed out loud. 'Well now, isn't this the plot with Hinata and Naruto? Just with me as the main character?'
Sora looked around. The sky was already beginning to darken, and the snow was falling heavier. Although Kurenai was dressed warmly, her small face was already pale from the cold.
"Where is your home? I'll take you back." Sora stood up, patting the snow off his trousers.
Kurenai looked up, somewhat surprised. "You... you're willing to help me?"
"Otherwise? Should I leave you here alone?" Sora shrugged. "What if you meet a bad person? Although Konoha's public security is good, you can't rule out perverts who like to kidnap children..."
Kurenai was amused by Sora's words, her tears turning to laughter. "You talk so strangely."
"This is called a sense of humor." Sora stretched out his hand. "Let's go. If it gets any later, the snow will be heavier and the road harder to find."
Kurenai hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand in Sora's palm.
On the way, Kurenai gradually relaxed and became more talkative.
"My name is Kurenai Yūhi. What's yours?"
"Sora, from the orphanage."
"Oh..." Kurenai lowered her head, seeming somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up..."
"It's fine, I'm used to it long ago." Sora waved his hand. "But you, why did you go to the training grounds alone? Where are your parents?"
Kurenai bit her lip, saying with a hint of grievance:
"Dad went on a mission. He said he'd be back today, but... but there's still no news. I originally wanted to wait for him at the village entrance, but I got lost on the way..."
Sora understood internally. In the original story, Kurenai's father, Shinku Yūhi, should be a Konoha jonin, who later seemingly died during the Nine-Tails attack.
Thinking of this, Sora couldn't help but soften his tone. "Your father is a ninja, right? Mission extensions are normal for ninja, don't worry too much."
Kurenai nodded, but her eyes still dimmed. "But... I haven't seen him for a long time."
Sora sighed. As an orphan in both lives, he deeply understood this little girl's loneliness. He just didn't know the situation with Kurenai's mother, as it wasn't mentioned in the original.
Sora ruffled Kurenai's hair. "Don't worry, your dad is definitely fine. How about this, if you're bored in the future, you can come to the orphanage to find me to play."
Kurenai's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course, if I'm lying, I'm a dog." Sora laughed.
Kurenai finally showed a smile, her wine red eyes sparkling in the snowy ground. She said happily, "It's settled then! From now on, we are friends!"
...
When Sora took Kurenai to her doorstep, it was completely dark. Kurenai's home was a traditional Japanese style compound, and it looked quite comfortable.
"We're here." Sora let go of her hand. "Don't run off again next time. If you get lost again, you might not meet someone as nice as me."
Kurenai nodded, then suddenly said, "Sora, you are so good to me~"
Sora was startled, then laughed. "Hahaha, of course, helping others is the traditional virtue of the nation... uh, I mean, helping comrades is a basic quality of a ninja."
Kurenai tilted her head, clearly not understanding the first part, but still said seriously, "Thank you, you are a good person."
Sora's mouth twitched. "Don't hand out 'good person cards' so casually, hey!"
Kurenai was confused. "What's a 'good person card'?"
"It's nothing..." Sora facepalmed. "Hurry back inside, it's cold out."
Kurenai nodded, turned and ran towards her house, then suddenly turned back and shouted, "Sora! Tomorrow... can I still come find you to play tomorrow?"
Under the glow of the streetlight, the little girl's expectant expression touched a soft spot in Sora's heart. He waved his hand. "You're welcome anytime. But remember to come during the day next time, it's not safe at night."
Watching Kurenai safely enter her home, Sora let out a long sigh of relief.
"Kurenai... in the original story, she later became Asuma's wife, right? But now, with my involvement in this world, who knows what the future will become..."
Sora shook his head and smiled self deprecatingly. 'What am I thinking? She's just a child now, and I'm mentally almost thirty. I can't be a weird uncle.'
However, building a good relationship with a future genjutsu master would definitely be beneficial, not harmful, for his survival in Konoha.
Moreover, Kurenai's father was a jonin. One must know that in Konoha, just after the Second Shinobi World War, there were only about ten thousand ninja, and fewer than two hundred jonin.
"And... this girl is quite cute." Sora remembered Kurenai's wine red eyes and couldn't help but smile. "I'll just think of her as another little sister."
The snow was falling heavier. Sora quickened his pace, but his heart felt inexplicably much lighter.
Perhaps, in this unfamiliar world, he wasn't completely alone.
...
When he returned to the orphanage, the sky was completely dark, the streetlights dim and hazy.
But it didn't affect Sora much. The Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon had greatly enhanced his eyesight; seeing at night was no different from daytime.
Although it couldn't compare to professional Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan or Byakugan, Sora was already very satisfied with this enhancement.
Returning to the orphanage, Sora quietly climbed over the wall. Just as he was about to sneak back to his room, a gentle voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Back so late? Did you go training again?"
Sora's whole body stiffened. He slowly turned around to see Nonō Yakushi standing in the shadows of the corridor, her eyes behind black framed glasses filled with concern and a trace of helplessness.
"Sister, you're not asleep yet?" Sora scratched his head, showing an awkward yet polite smile.
That's right! Mentally almost thirty year old Sora calling the 11 year old Nonō 'sister' made Sora feel a little bit awkward~
But truth be told, Sora, who grew up in the sunlight, might not necessarily be more mature than Nonō, so calling her "sister" wasn't entirely unjustified.
"Waiting for you." Nonō walked forward and gently patted the snow off Sora's shoulders. "I saved dinner for you, it's in the pot in the kitchen."
Sora felt a warmth in his heart. Nonō could be said to be the closest person to him in this world. Her meticulous care over the past six months had allowed him, an orphan in both lives, to feel the warmth of "home" for the first time.
"Thank you, sister!" Sora grinned, and then his stomach cooperatively rumbled "gurgle."
Nonō couldn't hold back a laugh. "Go eat quickly. Rest early after you finish. There are new children to settle tomorrow, you need to help."