The forest blossoms fade, spring slips away too quickly.
Helpless against the morning chill and evening winds.
Rouge-stained tears, hearts intoxicated—when will we meet again?
Such is life's endless sorrow, like the river flowing east.
Morning arrived, the sun just rising.
The two lay entwined, gazing at each other—the delicate oval face tinged with shy charm, the clear eyes filled with affection, and that figure her friends had praised as "easy to bear children."
In a single night, they had clashed several times.
And when they grew tired, they whispered softly, sharing their feelings in fragments.
Yukino's eyes brimmed with tears.
During missions, it was you who raised your kunai and struck down the enemy ninja, saving me.
I was weak, looked down upon by my teacher and teammates—but you taught me your ninjutsu without hesitation.
In the half year you were gone, every day and night I regretted why I got injured back then… why I couldn't go with you…
Now, I won't hesitate anymore!
…
At noon, the sun burned fiercely.
Sasuke came by, originally intending to inform Uchiha Kuro about school matters, but instead found Yukino sitting beside him, her face flushed with shyness. Her posture was slightly off, and from time to time, a faint trace of pain mixed with affection flickered across her brows.
Although Sasuke was young, the ninja world matured early, and the Ninja Academy didn't shy away from teaching certain adult matters.
He understood immediately!
And was greatly impressed.
"As expected of Brother Uchiha Kuro! You've already begun the great undertaking of reviving the Uchiha clan so quickly!"
Uchiha Sasuke sighed inwardly.
Then, in his role as "family," he carefully examined Yukino, asking questions that might seem childish to adults, but were extremely important in Sasuke's mind.
"What do you think about polygamy?"
"What are your thoughts on having children?"
"Are you willing to contribute to the revival of the Uchiha clan?"
Yukino's face turned red, but she answered without hesitation.
And then—
"Good! This is what a proper Uchiha daughter-in-law should be like!" Sasuke gave a thumbs-up excitedly. "Greetings, Sister-in-law! You must work hard together with Brother Uchiha Kuro from now on!"
Yukino nodded, her face flushed.
So this meant she had gained the approval of her "little brother-in-law"?
Even if that "little brother-in-law" was a bit too young…
…
Uchiha Kuro, of course, wouldn't neglect proper etiquette toward such a beauty.
He quickly began preparing the wedding.
After the marriage, according to custom, his wife was renamed Uchiha Yukino. She became even gentler, and her life grew happier.
Perhaps her friends' evaluation of her being "easy to bear children" was indeed accurate.
One and a half months later—
Yukino became pregnant.
"Dear… I think I'm pregnant."
"Hahaha, good! That's wonderful! Yukino, you've worked hard!"
Uchiha Kuro burst into laughter. Yukino, however, couldn't help but roll her eyes at him playfully.
Day and night of effort—of course it was hard work!
Both of them were overjoyed.
But the happiest of all… was Sasuke!
"Our Uchiha… will have a new clan member?"
Tears welled up in Sasuke's eyes. He was even more excited than Uchiha Kuro, who was about to become a father.
Ignoring their attempts to stop him, he dragged Uchiha Kuro and Yukino out to the streets, buying a large number of pregnancy and baby supplies.
Even when Yukino, half-laughing and half-crying, told him it was too early and unnecessary—
He didn't care at all.
Better prepared early than worried later!
He almost even said—
"Everything today is on me, Second Young Master Sasuke!"
Yukino couldn't help but laugh.
But watching Uchiha Kuro inquire with acquaintances about which obstetric doctor at Konoha Hospital was the best, her heart filled with sweetness.
…
A large pile of maternal and baby products.
Specialists from Konoha Hospital brought in for examinations.
All kinds of delicacies suitable for pregnant women, purchased at any cost…
It was the very definition of lavish spending!
After all that, the three of them were a bit tired.
They sat down to rest at a dango shop.
Suddenly, Uchiha Kuro looked up.
"Hm? Anko, you're here too?"
"Uchiha Kuro? You guys are eating?"
A woman walked over—wearing the standard mesh undershirt of a mature, sexy female ninja, yet with a youthful, doll-like face.
Mitarashi Anko!
At this time, she wasn't yet the special jōnin who would serve as a Chūnin Exam proctor. She was still just a Chūnin of Konoha, roughly the same generation as Uchiha Kuro.
"Yeah, we got tired from shopping, so we came to rest." Uchiha Kuro smiled. "How about it? Want to join us?"
Anko glanced at the skewers of dango on the table and swallowed unconsciously.
This was her favorite!
"Sure." She readily accepted.
They chatted casually, but Uchiha Kuro couldn't help glancing at Anko a few more times.
She seemed… a bit poor?
A ninja's financial situation could often be judged by their tools—her kunai weren't low quality, but they were very ordinary, the kind commonly used by civilian ninjas.
And although it wasn't obvious at first glance, the speed at which she was chewing the dango was noticeably faster than normal. Before long, a pile of empty sticks had accumulated.
As if she hadn't eaten this in quite some time…
"That's strange," Uchiha Kuro thought. "The Mitarashi clan is an established Konoha clan. Not particularly famous or powerful, and without any standout figures like the 'Mitarashi Shishō' from fan works, but still decent enough."
"Anko is a Chūnin, and with her clan's support, she shouldn't be… no, actually, it makes sense."
As a ninja closely tied to Orochimaru, the Mitarashi clan had naturally been investigated when Orochimaru defected.
Pressure, suppression, and internal purges were unavoidable.
The more prestigious Anko had been as Orochimaru's disciple back then, the worse her situation became afterward.
Although she was innocent and wouldn't be deliberately oppressed, she also couldn't expect support from her clan—they had to keep their distance to avoid suspicion from Konoha's higher-ups.
Considering that Anko's main techniques relied on the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, which demanded significant resources—
With just a Chūnin's income, she really did have to "tighten her belt."
Of course, this situation was temporary. As time passed, the need to "keep distance" would fade, and her clan's support would return.
She herself would eventually become a special jōnin and even serve as a Chūnin Exam proctor—proof that she would be fully accepted by Konoha.
Having pieced together Anko's situation, Uchiha Kuro didn't think much of it anymore.
However, Yukino narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Uchiha Kuro, then at Anko's well-proportioned, graceful figure, deep in thought.
After Anko left—
Yukino suddenly spoke.
"What do you think of Anko?"