Chapter 58: Chapter 56: Arriving in Konoha
"I thought for a moment. Going back to Kirigakure was not an option. I already knew how they treated failed ninjas. I also had nowhere else to go. However, the debt of gratitude to your parents made me feel that I had to repay their kindness."
"I will go with you," I finally replied, even though deep down I was still hiding my true identity.
"Upon arriving in Konoha, I was questioned about my identity. I tried my best to provide safe answers, but your father and mother assured me without hesitation. Thanks to them, I was able to enter the village."
"Days passed, and slowly, I began to get used to life in Konoha. The relationship between me and your parents grew closer. Eventually, your mother became my best friend. With her, I could laugh, talk, and feel safe. Something I hadn't felt in years."
"One night, with a heart full of fear, I revealed my true identity. I was a ninja from Kirigakure. I was afraid they would be angry, feel betrayed, and perhaps report me to the Hokage."
"But what happened next surprised me."
"We don't care where you come from," your father said calmly. "You have become part of our family."
"I stared at them, confused and in disbelief."
"Your mother smiled gently, her eyes filled with affection. 'It doesn't matter who you were before. What matters is who you are now.'"
"Their words touched my heart so deeply. There was no sense of betrayal or anger. They accepted me completely."
"And for the first time in a long while, I cried again. But this time, I cried not out of sadness. Rather, it was out of happiness. That even though I had lost my identity as a ninja, I had found something more valuable—family."
"When your parents got married, Aoki, I felt joy and happiness. Seeing them united, I felt blessed to be a part of their lives. The wedding was filled with joy, smiles, and laughter. At that moment, I knew that meeting them was one of the greatest blessings of my life."
"But that happiness did not last long. After hiding my condition for so long, I finally realized that the strange illness I suffered from was worsening my health. This illness arose from my damaged Chakra Core, causing my body to slowly weaken day by day."
"Your father and mother were very sad when they learned about my condition, but strangely, I did not feel too down. For me, being alive until that moment, meeting your parents, was already an extraordinary thing. The happiness I felt when I was with them made the pain I experienced easier to bear."
"Three months after their wedding, good news came: your mother was pregnant. We all cheered and laughed joyfully. For the next nine months, we talked about the future and how our lives would change with your arrival."
"Then, you were born, Aoki. Seeing you for the first time brought immense joy. You were a new hope that illuminated our lives. Even though you were born with little Chakra, neither I, your father, nor your mother minded. What mattered was the love and happiness we shared."
"However, just like the happiness I once felt, fate snatched that joy away again. Your parents were killed while on a mission. The news shattered my heart. Not only because they had become part of my life, but also because you, who had just been born, would grow up without their love."
"I tried my best to take care of you, Aoki. Even though my condition was worsening, I wanted to be someone you could rely on. You grew faster than I imagined, with thoughts far more mature than your age."
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