When Terumi Mei saw this, she couldn't help but click her tongue, "Such shameless boasting, little man. Let's go inside and talk."
She paused for a moment, then as if something came to mind, she suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Kakashi, since this counts as my home, doesn't that make you the man coming home with me?"
Three black lines instantly appeared on Kakashi's forehead.
Though Terumi Mei had indeed stirred some interest in him, it was only a little, no more than that.
So impatient, wanting to claim him already?
Women really were just as Icha Icha Paradise said. Frightening creatures with an overwhelming sense of possessiveness. Jiraiya-sama's summary was truly on point.
He turned his head a little unnaturally and snorted.
Terumi Mei, seeing Kakashi put on his cold act again, pouted, "Little man, I helped you such a big favor, and you really won't even say a single thank you?"
Kakashi immediately felt guilty.
It was true. With Terumi Mei's help, not only had he shaken off what might have been endless pursuit, but he had also directly gained a foothold in Kirigakure.
That also made it easier for him to get in touch with that spy.
Thinking about it, he realized he really should give thanks. His lips moved slightly, and he whispered softly, "Thanks."
Terumi Mei revealed a charming smile, "Come on, let's go home."
After saying that, she prepared to bring Kakashi inside.
At this moment, from a house not far away, a woman who looked about fifty or sixty came out carrying a basket.
She immediately spotted Kakashi and Terumi Mei, and called out with a greeting, "Oh, Mei, it's been so long, you've finally come back."
Terumi Mei, seeing someone familiar, also smiled, "Ah, Auntie Yukimura, just heading out to buy groceries?"
Auntie Yukimura replied, "Yes. Prices have gone up again lately, and I figure they'll just keep getting higher. I'm planning to buy extra and stock up."
After saying this, she looked curiously at Kakashi beside Terumi Mei, "Mei, and this young man with you is?"
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, 'Terumi Mei won't expose any information about me, would she?'
Thankfully, Terumi Mei already seemed to have a cover prepared, "Auntie Yukimura, this is the little boyfriend I picked up. He's just a commoner from a small village near Kirigakure. I thought he looked handsome, so I brought him back, planning to see how things develop between us."
"Anyway, this house was sitting empty, so I'll just let him live here. As for his real name… it sounds too awful, no need to mention it. You can just call him Mr. Handsome."
Auntie Yukimura froze, carefully looking over the disguised Kakashi.
Look closely, this man is called Mr. Handsome.
Although after disguising, Mr. Handsome looked very ordinary in every way. After all, he was on an infiltration mission and couldn't attract attention. Still, in Kirigakure, as long as your features were normal and not freakish, you could basically be called a handsome guy.
Auntie Yukimura nodded and said to Kakashi, "Truly a pretty handsome little boy."
"Mr. Handsome, look at how good Mei is to you, bringing you here, even giving you a house. Many men would beg for such treatment and never get it. So from now on, you should treat Mei well, understand?"
Cold sweat poured from Kakashi, 'Since when did I become Mr. Handsome? Since when did I become Mei's boyfriend?'
But to keep his cover, he could only swallow the bitterness and follow Terumi Mei's story.
He nodded woodenly and said in a voice that even he found shameful,n"Okay."
Auntie Yukimura was very satisfied, and said to Terumi Mei, "Seems like an honest boy. Having him as a live-in husband is indeed not bad."
"But Mei, you've got a bright future now. You could actually find someone better. Auntie suggests, keep this one hidden away at home, and go find another outside."
The sweat on Kakashi's forehead ran even harder. As expected, once women reached a certain age, they became extremely fierce. Jiraiya-sama was absolutely right.
Terumi Mei, seeing Kakashi's expression, found it amusing, but after thinking it over, decided she shouldn't scare off this handsome guy. She smiled gently, "Auntie Yukimura, I'll handle my marriage myself. I'll just go inside with Mr. Handsome now, you go on with your errands."
Quickly, Terumi Mei dragged Kakashi into her house.
Auntie Yukimura, watching them go, couldn't help but sigh, "Mei still cares too much about marriage. Ah… well, can't blame her entirely."
She shook her head, carried her basket, and went off to buy groceries.
———
Here, once Kakashi and Terumi Mei entered the house, they immediately saw a memorial portrait placed in the center.
In the picture was a young pair of male and female ninja wearing Kirigakure headbands.
They leaned close together, faces radiating happiness and joy.
Kakashi immediately felt a strange sense stir in him.
After all, his own home was like this too. His living room also had a memorial portrait of Sakumo.
He couldn't help but ask, "Terumi Mei, are these your father and mother?"
Looking at the portrait, Terumi Mei's emotions were unusually calm, even tinged with sarcasm, "Yes. Don't they look so loving? Sickeningly loving."
Kakashi frowned and asked, "You seem… to hold some resentment toward them? But they were your parents after all. Now that they've passed, no matter what happened before, shouldn't you try to understand them more?"
Having also lost both his father and mother, Kakashi naturally projected his own feelings into this.
But Terumi Mei raised her voice, "If you don't understand, then don't spout judgments! I'm sick of you Konoha ninja, all of you love holding others to ridiculously high moral standards."
Saying this, her voice softened, carrying a faint trace of loneliness.
"Maybe you're right too. But… they only loved each other, not me. Maybe… my existence in their eyes was just a mistake."
At that, Kakashi's frown deepened, "Why? What parents wouldn't love their daughter?"
Terumi Mei gave a bitter smile, "They did love me. I never said they didn't love me at all."
"But because I wasn't a boy, deep in their subconscious they believed that when I grew up, I couldn't shoulder the family burdens. So they looked down on me, often ignored my feelings."
Kakashi had never encountered such a situation before and found it hard to understand.
"What's wrong with being a girl? Why can't a girl share her family's burdens?"
Terumi Mei looked at Kakashi and said, "Your life has been too good, Kakashi. Have you ever thought about this: genin in Kirigakure hold the lowest status in the entire Land of Water, far lower than in Konoha, maybe even worse than the dogs of rich families."
"They live in extreme poverty, in constant hardship, every day is torment. So, after marriage, they naturally hope for a boy."
"That way, they can put their burdens on him, make the boy do the things they themselves couldn't accomplish, make the boy fulfill the wishes they themselves couldn't achieve."
Kakashi felt such parents were going too far, yet still couldn't fully understand, "That really isn't right. But what does it have to do with gender? There are plenty of strong kunoichi, like Lady Tsunade, like Rin… and like you. Among all the shinobi I've met, you're also extremely outstanding."
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