Right after that, Rengoku led Ryuri, Kaori, Karin, and the others onto the road back to the clan grounds.
Along the way, Karin kept tightly holding onto Rengoku's arm, leaning her body against him, looking very intimate.
Seeing this, the other girls walking with them all covered their mouths and laughed softly.
At this moment, Sasuke's gaze stayed fixed on Rengoku and Karin, and the more he looked, the more something felt off.
When they reached a fork in the road, Rengoku spoke, "Sasuke, you and Ryuri and Kaori go back first. I'll walk Karin and the others home."
Sasuke's residence wasn't in the same direction as Karin's.
Within the clan grounds, a distance like this didn't need escorting at all. Logically speaking, Rengoku should have gone the same way as Sasuke.
After all, who would leave their own younger sister behind just to walk someone else home?
Faced with this situation, Sasuke was unwilling to just leave like that, so he made one last attempt and quickly said, "Shishou, didn't you say before that you'd explain training matters to me?"
Rengoku lightly pressed his hand down and replied with a smile, "No rush, Sasuke. We can talk about that tomorrow. For today, just go back and rest properly."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rengoku turned around and wrapped one arm around Karin's waist as they left together.
Seeing this, Sasuke could no longer deceive himself.
Watching the two of them act so close, he froze on the spot, completely at a loss.
After a long while, he finally came back to himself, muttering, "What exactly is going on here? Kaori-nee…"
Then, with a confused look, he turned to Ryuri and Kaori beside him, hoping to get a reasonable explanation.
Hearing this, Kaori couldn't help but let out a soft laugh and said gently, "Your Senpai is dating Rengoku."
Those words struck Sasuke like a bolt from the blue.
His face was full of disbelief as he stammered, "Dating? How is that okay?"
He stared at Kaori in utter shock, as if he simply couldn't accept it.
He had originally been thinking about taking back the title of senior brother from Rengoku, but now, not only was that impossible, in the future, he might even have to call Karin "Mistress"?
'What is this? This is a whole extra generation jump!'
Ryuri, standing to the side, couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing.
She blinked her bright eyes and explained playfully, "What's not okay about it? After my brother went to another dimension, five whole years passed here, but for him, only two short days went by."
"If you calculate it like that, he's only five years older than Karin."
After hearing that, Sasuke felt like his head was stuffed with a tangled mess, buzzing non-stop.
He let out a weak sigh, then muttered to himself, "Shishou is only twenty-one?"
However, he quickly realized it wasn't just about age. It was the impact of this complicated relationship that left him completely at a loss.
Sasuke opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he couldn't form a complete sentence.
At this moment, he subconsciously looked at Kaori again, "Isn't Kaori-nee Shishou's girlfriend?"
Sasuke had always thought that Kaori, who had grown up with his master, would be his future master's wife. He never expected that wasn't the case at all.
Hearing Sasuke's words, Ryuri giggled.
Then, like a light butterfly, she tiptoed forward and quickly planted a soft kiss on Kaori's rosy cheek.
After doing that, she turned back and asked Sasuke playfully, "So? Now you should know whose girlfriend Kaori-nee really is, right?"
This time, Sasuke's pupils truly trembled, and he suffered a massive shock.
"Kaori-nee… you… you two?"
Kaori, standing beside them, glared at Ryuri with mock annoyance and said, "What are you doing?"
But her tone didn't sound like a scolding at all. It felt more like teasing.
Ryuri giggled and said casually, "If you like someone, just be together. Being happy is what matters. Why bother with all those rules about what's allowed or not? Come on, let's go!"
Those words were like a sudden awakening, leaving Sasuke stunned.
He was still somewhat shaken inside, but in the end, he silently remembered what Ryuri said.
Other than having to call Karin "Mistress" in the future, it didn't seem to have much to do with him…
'Yeah right!'
'With Karin's personality, she will definitely use her status to mess with me!'
Sasuke suddenly felt his future go dark.
At the same time, on the other side, Rengoku had his arm around Karin's waist as they slowly walked forward.
Seeing this, Yakumo, Shion, and Hinata all revealed sly smiles at the same time.
Ajisai was a bit confused at first, but after a moment, she suddenly understood.
So the girls all tacitly quickened their pace and moved ahead, leaving quite a distance between themselves and the two behind.
Karin, who was usually lively and unable to stay still for even a moment, was unusually quiet and well-behaved today, like a gentle little lamb leaning against Rengoku.
"Clan head, we'll head off first," Before the words even fully fell, the other girls had already taken different paths at the fork and headed home.
Rengoku stayed by Karin's side, walking her all the way to her doorstep.
"Are you getting used to things?"
Rengoku lowered his head slightly and asked her softly.
At this moment, Karin slowly raised her head, her gaze meeting his.
But instead of answering his question, she asked something else, "Shishou… am I getting too chubby?"
It turned out that one of Rengoku's hands had been resting lightly on Karin's waist the whole time.
Karin's figure was a little on the fuller side, especially around her waist, where there was a bit of soft, cute chub.
Hearing her question, Rengoku looked at her for a few seconds.
Then he suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.
"No. I like you just the way you are."
In that instant, Karin's whole body stiffened, then quickly went soft.
"Shishou, I missed you so much."
Karin murmured softly like she was speaking in a dream, pressing herself closer into his embrace.
Even though her voice was extremely quiet, the deep longing in it was unmistakable.
Rengoku's heart softened completely.
He raised his hand and gently patted Karin's back.
"I'm back. And I'm not leaving again."
Rengoku said in a gentle voice.
After a brief pause, he added, "Go inside now. Tomorrow, we'll go out together and buy you some new clothes."
The clothes Karin was wearing were still the ones Rengoku had bought with her five years ago.
With her current financial situation, there was no way she couldn't afford new clothes.
After all, she had a stable job in the village's sealing team, earning a monthly salary, and her family also regularly gave her some spending money.
It was obvious that the reason she hadn't replaced those old clothes was because they carried beautiful memories related to Rengoku.
Karin leaned tightly into his warm embrace, as if she wanted to freeze this moment forever.
After quite a while, she finally, very reluctantly, let go, turning back to look at him with every step.
"Then… see you tomorrow, Shishou!"
Rengoku smiled and waved at her, saying softly, "Go on home. See you tomorrow."
Before his words had even fully faded, his figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished without a trace.
Karin stood there, staring in the direction he had left, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
Only when a gentle breeze passed by, lightly brushing the hair on her forehead, did she finally snap out of it like waking from a dream.
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