While Seiki secretly plotted his next move, two girls who hadn't gone home yet met by chance in another part of town.
"Kurenai, earlier you signaled for me not to go back yet, right?" Shizune asked in confusion when she saw Kurenai approaching from the opposite direction.
"Mm." Kurenai nodded. "We've known each other for years, and we've never really had a proper conversation before!"
"Mm," Shizune bit her lip. "I also wanted to talk with you!"
"How about we go to the park?"
"Alright, your choice."
With the war over and most people celebrating at home, the park—usually buzzing with life—was eerily quiet.
The two women walked along the path covered in fallen leaves, enjoying the gentle breeze and this rare moment of peace.
After a brief silence, Kurenai turned her head and asked, "Shizune, you also like Seiki, don't you?"
Although it was an obvious fact, having it spoken so openly under the sun was something new, causing Shizune some embarrassment, but she still firmly nodded. "Yes, Kurenai, you feel the same way too, right?"
Kurenai folded her hands behind her back, glancing sideways. "Of course I do."
After breaking the ice, Shizune's shyness eased significantly, and she curiously asked, "Can you tell me how you fell for Seiki?"
Kurenai gently tapped her chin as she recalled, "At first, it was because of his kindness and gentleness. He's like a beam of light that draws people toward him without even trying!"
"Then it was because of his hard work!" As she spoke, Kurenai showed some indignation. "Everyone likes to label Seiki as a 'prodigy,' taking everything he does for granted!"
"But what's the reality? While others were playing around, Seiki was working part-time at the hospital to support himself. When others were resting, Seiki was training in Ninjutsu relentlessly, forgetting to eat and sleep!"
"I know better than anyone how hardworking Seiki is! They praise Guy as a natural talent born from effort, but in my opinion, Seiki's dedication is no less than Guy's!"
"You know, I just love how kind, gentle, diligent, and serious Seiki is!" A faint blush colored Kurenai's face, but her tone was brimming with pride and admiration. "Shizune, what about you?"
"We're the same." Shizune also reminisced. "The first time I was truly impressed by Seiki was when he fearlessly berated Tsunade-sama over Mizuki's incident. At that time, I thought this guy was incredibly brave, making all the other boys seem childish and ridiculous in comparison!"
"Afterward, Seiki trained under Tsunade-sama's guidance in Medical Ninjutsu. He attended classes during the day, practiced Genjutsu under your father in the evening, studied Medical Ninjutsu late into the night, and worked at the hospital on weekends."
"That level of training load is absolutely grueling. I even asked Tsunade-sama about it once, but she said there was no need to worry. According to her, Seiki possesses inner strength and conviction greater than anyone else!" Shizune waved her hand excitedly while saying, "I love watching Seiki work seriously—he's most handsome when he's focused!"
"Mmhm, I feel the same," Kurenai nodded enthusiastically, "Seiki looks especially impressive when he practices Genjutsu seriously!"
"Hehe, right?" Shizune smiled, "Though nothing beats how amazing he looks when leading surgery!"
"No, it's Genjutsu!"
"Surgery looks cooler!"
"Genjutsu... right."
As he spoke, both of them burst into laughter.
A moment later, Kurenai said with some concern, "Actually, I've always felt a bit anxious deep down."
Shizune tilted her head in confusion. "Anxious about what?"
"Before, I thought I was the special one. Seiki helped protect me, and I believed it was because he liked me!" Kurenai sighed wistfully. "But later on, I gradually realized that Seiki is kind to everyone—he always selflessly helps every single one of us!"
"Just like this time when he killed the Mizukage for your revenge. Of course, I know that if it had been us who died, Seiki would have done exactly the same thing." Kurenai exhaled deeply. "But I still worry—worry that maybe Seiki sees us only as ordinary friends."
"There actually has always been something special, you know!" Shizune giggled behind her hand.
"What is it? What is it? Tell me quickly!" Kurenai asked excitedly.
"Don't you remember how we used to fend off people trying to get close to Seiki back then?" Shizune replied shyly with a smile. "Would someone as strong-willed as Seiki tolerate our meddling like that if he hadn't really accepted us deep down?"
Kurenai also felt slightly embarrassed by her past possessive actions but became excited again immediately. "So that means... we really are special?"
"Mm-hmm!" Shizune teased. "Why don't you go ask Seiki yourself to confirm?"
"Haha, no thanks!" Kurenai laughed nervously while hurriedly changing the subject. "I almost forgot why I came here today—I actually wanted to talk to you about something serious."
Shizune asked, "What's going on?"
"Seiki is just too gentle—he's always helping others. But even the strongest people must have their fragile moments, right?" Kurenai's voice carried a note of sadness. "We still have our families, but all Seiki has is us!"
"You mean… he pretends to be strong to hide his inner vulnerability?" Shizune couldn't help asking.
"When a woman loves someone, it means accepting everything about them—the good and the bad. I really want to see the real Seiki! However..." Kurenai lowered her tone, "I can't do that. Men tend to be stubborn about showing weakness—even Seiki wouldn't want to reveal his fragility in front of us."
"No one is truly flawless, but Seiki feels he must appear perfect because he's everyone's leader. Only by staying strong can he continue to help others!" There was both pride and compassion in Shizune's voice. "That's just who he is—a man striving constantly to be perfect for everyone else!"
"So, we shouldn't become a burden to him either!" Kurenai looked intensely at Shizune. "Let's fill the emptiness inside Seiki's heart!"
"Filling his emptiness... uh..." Shizune stammered, blushing furiously like steam was about to burst out of her ears.
"What do you mean, 'too fast'?" Kurenai gave her an odd look. "I simply meant that we should cook him a nice warm meal tonight—to show we care!"
"Oh! Is that what you meant?" Shizune started fanning herself frantically with her hand near her ears.
"Didn't you notice already?"
"Today when everyone was talking about going home to celebrate, Seiki seemed a bit down," Kurenai said seriously. "It must be because everyone else has family to celebrate with, while Seiki has nobody to spend it with!"
"I, I just zoned out back then!" Shizune felt somewhat embarrassed, as she had misunderstood Kurenai's hint at the time, worrying that Kurenai might have been trying to challenge her over who should be the one to stay by Seiki's side.
Kurenai didn't think much about it and happily replied, "Anyway, I already told you this. If you don't come along later, don't blame me for sneaking away!"
Shizune widened her eyes in shock. "You're saying something so scary so casually! Tch, I'll definitely be there!"
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