"Oh? Where's the bird?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and pretended not to see it, carrying his son towards the old locust tree.
"There! Right there!"
Asuma was a little anxious, his small hand directing the way. "Father, a little further, on that branch!"
Hiruzen complied and walked under the old locust tree.
This locust tree was older than him, passed down from the Sarutobi ancestors.
Its trunk was thick and its branches lush, like a giant green umbrella shielding this small courtyard from wind and rain.
He looked up, and sure enough, on a thick branch barely more than two meters off the ground, a bird's nest was securely built.
The nest wasn't big, and the workmanship was a bit rough, but it looked sturdy.
Several fuzzy, yellow little heads peeked out from the edge of the nest, opening their tender yellow beaks and chirping.
A slightly larger mother sparrow stood at the edge of the nest, holding a freshly caught green worm in her beak.
She carefully stuffed the worm into the mouths of each chick in turn.
The chicks scrambled to eat, enjoying themselves immensely.
These little guys seemed accustomed to the existence of this family. They showed no fear of the two "giants" that suddenly appeared under the tree, but focused on this feeding ritual concerning the inheritance of life.
Asuma watched intently, his little face filled with novelty and excitement.
This was his first time observing these small lives so closely.
"Father, what are they doing?"
Asuma asked in a whisper, afraid of disturbing the little guys on the tree.
"The mother bird is feeding her children."
Sarutobi Hiruzen also lowered his voice, explaining the heartwarming scene to his son in the simplest words.
He stroked his son's soft hair and said softly, "Look, just like Mom cooks for Asuma every day. The mother bird also has to fly very, very far every day to find worms for her children to eat. This way, her children can grow up quickly and fly into the sky themselves."
"Then... aren't they tired?"
Asuma looked up, asking in confusion.
"Of course they get tired."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. "But look at the mother bird, does she look tired?"
Following his father's words, Asuma looked at the mother sparrow again.
She finished feeding the last chick but didn't fly away immediately. Instead, she used her wings to gently groom the somewhat messy down on her children.
Her movements were very gentle, and her eyes were filled with something Asuma couldn't understand but could feel.
That thing was exactly the same as the look in his mother's eyes when she coaxed him to sleep every night.
"Not tired."
Asuma shook his head and said with certainty.
"That's right."
A hint of tenderness also appeared in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. "Because protecting what's important to you doesn't make you tired."
He held his son and just stood quietly under the tree.
Watching how the mother sparrow patiently taught her children to groom their feathers; watching how the chicks trembled and flapped their wings at the edge of the nest.
The setting sun shone through the gaps in the leaves onto the father and son, stretching their shadows very, very long.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart became incredibly peaceful at this moment.
He suddenly deeply understood another layer of meaning behind the four words "Will of Fire."
Protection.
What is protection?
Is it the grand concept of the village? Is it the heavy title of Hokage?
No.
It is each vivid, ordinary, yet infinitely precious life.
It is the bonds called home, formed by thousands of the most ordinary daily lives.
Protecting the village, in the final analysis, is to protect the ordinary yet precious vitality and hope under these countless eaves.
"Hiruzen, Asuma, dinner's ready!"
Just then, Biwako's gentle call came from inside the house, interrupting the father and son's contemplation.
"Coming!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen responded with a smile.
He carried his son and turned to walk towards the house.
Asuma lay on his father's broad shoulder, glanced back at the small bird's nest, and then looked at the door of the house, where his mother was smiling at them.
He seemed to understand something, yet seemed to understand nothing.
But he felt that the weather today was really nice.
Carrying his son back into the house, under the warm light, the food was already laid out on the low table.
The grilled saury, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, emitted an enticing aroma.
The miso soup stewed with kelp and radish was bubbling and steaming.
And a plate of cold cucumber salad freshly produced from Sakumo's farm looked crisp and refreshing.
The family of three sat around together.
"Itadakimasu."
Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his chopsticks, picked a piece of fish, carefully removed the bones, and put it into Asuma's small bowl.
"Thank you, Father."
Asuma looked up and said.
However, he didn't eat the piece of fish immediately. Instead, he suddenly opened his mouth wide, making an "ah—" sound, looking expectantly at Biwako.
"Hm?"
Biwako was stunned for a moment.
"Mom, feed me!"
Asuma opened his mouth while flapping his arms twice, imitating the chicks.
"Pfft—"
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Biwako couldn't help but laugh out loud seeing their son's comical appearance.
"You child, learning nothing good, but learning how baby birds eat."
Biwako still indulgently picked up a small piece of rice and carefully fed it into her son's mouth.
"Yummy!"
Asuma narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and said vaguely.
Watching this heartwarming scene, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt all the fatigue of the day vanish in this laughter.
"Thank you for your hard work, Biwako."
"What are you saying?"
Biwako rolled her eyes at him, but the smile at the corners of her eyes couldn't be hidden.
Outside the window, the night grew darker, and the moon rose high in the sky.
Inside the window, the candlelight was warm, and laughter filled the air.
The family of three sat together like this, enjoying this ordinary yet warm dinner time.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that this might be the most beautiful future he could imagine.
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