บท 74: Chapter 74: Hot Spring
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Kushina and I first passed by my apartment, where I managed to sneak into my shower to wash off most of the blood in my shower, Kushina didn't care but I didn't really want to wash the blood off in the public baths.
Once I managed to wash off the blood that had started to solidify in my hair and turned into crusts over most of my body, we finally left for the public baths.
Kushina and I both remained silent, because we both knew I didn't want to talk. I just wanted to relax.
My mission had been mentally challenging, and emotionally challenging too, and the best way to recover from this was some calm.
Before long, we arrived at the public baths, where we both stripped, only keeping a small towel onto us.
Was it my old western mindset, I would feel embarrassed being naked next to Kushina, and even more so next to strangers, but I had grown into this world's culture, which was similar to Japan.
The Japanese do not consider it shameful because there is nothing sexual in taking a bath. Of course, that is under the limits of same gender baths. Homosexuality isn't really a matter that is much thought of.
By our very culture, sexuality is a very private matter, so we don't have anything remotely similar to the Gay Pride in Konoha (Not really the place to do that anyway), but no one really cares about the sexuality of others.
If you are interested in someone, you try to woo them, and that's about it. As far as I have seen, I never saw anyone shame a gay person because they tried to woo another of the same sex.
Although I guess I am a little biased. I have lived half of my life stuck in an orphanage, and the other half with ninjas, who are a bunch of special people.
Of course, people fall in love with each other, but for most of our career we search for relief. Not me, I'm 9, but that didn't stop me from observing others.
But I'm straying from what was happening. As we walked into the bath area, I felt several gazes land onto us, and someone said, "Kushina!"
My eyes trailed to the speaker, and I saw a black haired woman waving at us, or rather Kushina. She was a beautiful woman, and one I could recognize as Mikoto Uchiha, mother of Sasuke and Itachi, as well as wife of the Uchiha Clan Head. She also happened to be a Jonin.
Surrounding her were a few other women, all of whom I also recognized, for they were all family to my classmates back at the academy.
Yoshino Nara, mother of Shikamaru and a Chunin, Tsume Inuzuka, mother of Kiba and a Tokubetsu Jonin, and Hana Inuzuka, Kiba's sister, as well as a medical Chunin.
As I analysed them, I felt Kushina hang her arm around my shoulders, and looking up at her she grinned and introduced me, "Ladies, this is Sukaina!"
I heard a couple of gasps, and Mikoto say, "So that's the girl my boys won't stop talking about!"
The other three nodded in confirmation. Mikoto asked, "I swear, Itachi has been on tenter hooks for the past week because of the girl. I hope your mission went well."
I silently nodded, stepping into the hot water. I have to admit, it felt heavenly. Resting my head against a rock behind me, I heard Kushina say, "It didn't just go well, she completed her very first S Rank Mission! On her own!"
""""What?!""""
The other four women all exclaimed in shock, while I looked at Kushina in shock too. I couldn't help but ask, "Isn't that supposed to be confidential?"
But Kushina waved her hand like it didn't matter and replied, "Only the details are confidential."
But the other women weren't as calm as her as Tsume asked, "Aren't you the same age as Kiba?"
I nodded and replied, "9, yes."
"And you were given an S Rank Mission."
Again, I nodded. This time, they didn't ask anything else, but I could see they understood. There was only one way for a 9 year old Chunin to get an S Rank Mission, and that was Anbu.
After a moment of awkward silence, Mikoto said, "Well, in any case, I'm relieved. The boys at home have been a pain to deal with!"
I looked at her with curiosity, which made her grin as she shamelessly exposed my team leader, "Itachi's been brooding for the past week, which in turn affected Sasuke. As usual, the little one got what he wanted from his brother, and learned you were on a dangerous mission, earning me two brooding Uchihas."
I smiled, and the others laughed. Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother, massaged her temples and said, "You've been troubling more than one family girl."
I looked at her, and she said, "How I loved you when you were at the Academy. Shikamaru always liked playing with you, met someone who didn't bore him he said. But ever since you graduated, he has been on his father's and my back!"
Scratching my cheek, I said, "I'll try to come by and play with him."
Yoshino smiled, and Tsume said, "Well, at least you weren't the one to mess with my home. Kiba's got his nin-dog, a cute little thing called Akamaru. The kid still hasn't learned how to teach his dog where to pee."
I smiled, this reminded me of my cat in my past life. She took a while to understand that too.
Then, the five women turned to look at me, and Mikoto asked with a teasing smile, "So, how is little Sukaina's love life going? Anyone in your heart?"
A flash of Roka appeared in my brain as I heard her question. I didn't love him in any way, nor did I feel any kind of affection for that matters, but I felt a small pang of guilt towards the poor boy.
So I shook my head and said, "I don't see myself entering a relationship right now."
They all looked at my curiously, so I added, "The only boys my age I know are your sons, and we live in different worlds. When they have to worry about the next text, not having a playmate or adopting a pet, I'm getting hunted by S Rank Ninjas."
The smiles disappeared, not that they were angry, I could feel their guilt and sadness. I didn't mean to bring down the mood, so I added with a little smile, "As for the girls… well, look at me, how could they not hate me?"
This made them chuckle, swiping aside the bad mood. Mikoto joked, "You do have bad relationships with other girls. If I remember right, last time I saw you, you were beating a member of my clan."
I blushed at that, and explained, "That was my teammates, Izumi. I didn't mean any disrespect, I…"
Hana, Kiba's older sister, slapped my shoulder and laughed, "She's messing with you."
I looked at Mikoto, and saw her burst into laughter, followed by the other women. This felt… new. Usually, I was the one messing with people.
After a moment, I grumbled, "Well, for my current team, I don't have much hope either. They're pretty much all ten years older than me, except for my Team Leader. But I doubt I'll ever get as much love as his brother."
Mikoto didn't take offence and instead laughed harder. Kushina, who was laughing too, patted my shoulder and said, "I'm sure you will find someone."
I shrugged and replied, serious, "Maybe. But I don't plan on getting in a relationship anytime soon, I have more important things to do. And with the path the world is taking, I don't really feel like falling in love."
Their laughter gradually stopped, but they didn't look sad this time. Instead, Kushina hugged me with one arm and said, "You shouldn't close yourself to people in fear of losing them, because you can't face what's about to come alone."
Holding me tighter, she added, "You saw it last week, didn't you? How hard it is to be alone."
I nodded slightly, closing my eyes as I enjoyed her embrace.
However, as I was feeling all fuzzy, I felt a strange sensation. Ever since the end of my mission, my mind had entered a strange state of awareness, which had not only allowed me to pull off the Shunshin Slash several times in a row, but also have my senses become much more… well, sensitive.
And right now, I was feeling someone else was watching us. Opening my eyes, a cold light flashed through them as my eyes locked onto a small hole in the opposing wooden fence.
I immediately used the Body Flicker, disappearing from Kushina's hug, and moved faster than sound as I reached the fence in an instant.
As I moved extremely fast, I also easily moved my body to perform a flying kick. It was like a Shunshin Slash, but with a kick.
My foot broke right through the fence, and the person hiding behind the wall probably didn't even see me coming as my foot slammed into their face, sending the one I recognized as a white haired man flying.
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