Higashino Makoto followed the two little ones into a booth at Yakiniku Q and saw his parents.
Also seated were a man and a woman. All four adults were about the same age, chatting happily over drinks. The main course hadn't been served yet, only a few appetizers to go with the alcohol.
As soon as Higashino Jiro saw the bright red faces of Hayate and Yugao, he asked, "Makoto, did you bully them?"
"You worry too much, Father. How could I possibly do something so rude?"
Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao lowered their heads, afraid to look at the adults, which made it seem like they were indeed bullied.
The adults didn't mind; it was normal for children to roughhouse.
"Good that you didn't. Come, let me introduce you. These two are your Uncle Uzuki Yuwa and Aunt Uzuki Sakura. They are old classmates of your mother and me. Your Uncle Yuwa is also my teammate, and we came back together this time."
So it was a "Sakura," but with purple hair.
Judging by the surname, they should be Uzuki Yugao's parents.
Higashino Makoto obediently bowed to the two adults sitting on the other side. "Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie. My name is Higashino Makoto. Nice to meet you, please take care of me."
Uzuki Sakura: "What a polite and beautiful child. Megumi, he really looks like you."
Higashino Megumi: "He does look a lot like me."
Uzuki Yuwa's hair color was similar to Higashino Makoto's. There were quite a few people with dark brown hair in Konoha Village; black was the most common, while various flashy hair colors were the minority.
He smiled very amiably, beckoning the three little ones to sit down while curiously sizing up Higashino Makoto. "Jiro, is this your and Megumi's child? He seems very steady and reliable."
"Steady is steady, but he's just too uncute."
Uzuki Yuwa laughed loudly. "Isn't being steady good? You don't have to worry so much. If you encountered one who was naughty and caused trouble outside all day, you'd know what trouble is."
"That's true. He really saves me and his mother a lot of worry. Makoto never causes trouble and rarely even goes out. That's also why I asked you to bring Yugao and Hayate today. I hope he can meet some friends his age."
Just then, the waiter started serving the dishes, and the grill on the table began to work.
The taste of Yakiniku Q was indeed good, making Higashino Makoto unable to stop eating. The adults took a few bites and then just drank, while he gorged himself on the side.
This made Gekko Hayate watch with envy. Because of his health, his appetite had never been strong.
Higashino Makoto was okay in his previous life, but now he was completely a carnivore. After all, if he wanted a strong body, meat, eggs, and milk were indispensable.
Promoting vegetarianism is either due to vested interests taking dirty money or pure cult behavior.
After a few cups of wine, Uzuki Yuwa looked at Higashino Makoto again. "This calm and composed temperament reminds me of a senior's child. It's a pity that child has become very unlikable now."
Higashino Megumi: "You're talking about Kakashi, right? He works very hard and often gets injured on missions. I've seen him several times in the hospital this year. his temperament is too cold."
Higashino Jiro: "That child, he really is a genius. He became a Chunin like me at age 6. Maybe that incident last year hit him too hard."
Uzuki Yuwa nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's a pity about Lord White Fang. I used to follow him on missions. He took good care of us juniors and even gave me pointers on swordsmanship. He was a respectable senior."
Speaking of this, perhaps due to the alcohol going to his head, he slammed his glass heavily on the table, his voice rising a few decibels. "I don't know what the higher-ups were thinking. If the mission failed, just punish him according to the regulations. How could they let those rumors spread in the village?
"That bastard who accused Senior White Fang too. The mission failed to save his life, yet he bit back. Good riddance that he committed suicide. If he hadn't, I definitely wouldn't have let him off."
Uzuki Sakura frowned slightly, looked up outside the booth, and then glared at her man, scolding, "Yuwa, watch your words. This matter is not for us to discuss."
Higashino Megumi also advised, "Yuwa, this matter has passed, and the village has issued a gag order. Don't bring trouble upon yourself.
"Besides, the children are here. Don't let them come into contact with these things too early."
The two men suddenly fell silent, then each sighed, clinked glasses, downed the wine in one gulp, and stopped talking about this topic.
Higashino Makoto listened to the adults' conversation while eating grilled meat.
He knew about Kakashi's experience; it happened in August last year. Rumors were rampant in the village during those days, causing debates among many people.
From the initial mission failure causing huge losses to the Land of Fire and Konoha Village, the debate shifted to which was more important: completing the mission or the lives of companions.
Both sides had supporters, and the discussion was endless and intensifying.
No one cared anymore about who started the rumors, but letting the argument continue would obviously shake the foundation of Konoha's existence.
You have to know that the core ideology of Konoha is the Will of Fire. Abandoning companions' lives for a mission obviously violates the Will of Fire.
But ninjas are born for missions, and the idea of "mission above all" is also deeply rooted in people's hearts.
The two are completely contradictory existences.
Which is more important? Without changing the overall ideology of the Ninja World, this is an unsolvable problem with no answer.
The final result was White Fang's suicide, and the village issued a gag order forbidding anyone from discussing the matter.
The matter was hastily concluded like this.
The surviving ninjas, apart from keeping their thoughts to themselves, continued to do what they had to do for a living. Only Kakashi seemed to have become a different person from then on. Everything was based on the mission; he became cold and ruthless, disregarding the lives of his companions, and thus became that unlikable existence.
After a few more cups of wine, dissipating the earlier indignation, Uzuki Yuwa suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Makoto and my Yugao will be 5 years old next year. Do you think they should enroll in school together with Hayate then?"
Higashino Megumi and Uzuki Sakura pondered upon hearing this. Both had confidence in their children's talents. Enrolling a year early wasn't impossible.
But Higashino Jiro expressed clear opposition: "Brother Yuwa, we both just came back from the border. Don't you know the current situation? Who knows when the war will break out?
"Enrolling a year early means getting involved a year early. They are all too young. Let them grow up properly. It's enough for us to be on the front lines."
"That's true too, haha. The fame of a genius is too great. Coming into contact with killing too early isn't a good thing either. Drink, drink."
Next, the two began to tell everyone some interesting stories from the border, no longer chatting about sensitive topics, until the gathering ended.
At the intersection, everyone waved goodbye and went home to sleep.
Uzuki Yugao suddenly asked, "Brother Makoto, where do you usually go to play?"
The little girl was born in November. Higashino Makoto, who was the same age, was more than 7 months older than her, so calling him brother was fine.
"I cultivate and study at home; I rarely go out."
"Then can Brother Hayate and I come to find you to play usually?"
Higashino Makoto looked at the expectant expressions of his parents and nodded. "Sure."
After getting a satisfactory answer, the adults of both families smiled and took their children home. It seemed they really hoped the friendship of the parents could continue to be passed down to the children.
On the way back, Higashino Makoto asked, "Were you classmates with Hayate's parents too?"
Higashino Jiro smiled and rubbed his son's head. "No, just friends. Senior Kumomi was two years ahead of us. However, the Gekko family and the Uzuki family are old friends; both are good at Konoha-style swordsmanship, and their relationship is very good. The younger generations of both families are also trained and cultivated together."
"Oh, but Hayate doesn't seem very healthy."
Higashino Megumi: "It's congenital, inherited from his late mother. It's a pity. I heard that child has great talent in swordsmanship, but he's completely dragged down by his body."
Higashino Jiro: "So, Makoto, a strong body is the foundation of everything. You must remember that."
"Okay, Father."
He knew this without needing a reminder.
A body is a ninja's capital, after all.