Chapter 38 In Pairs
“You could say that,” the man replied, with a hint of self-mockery in his tone, as if to say that the word “often” was not enough to describe the number of times he came here.
Sasuke was not stupid, he knew that such an answer would mean great pain.
Only when you have experienced unbearable loss will you return to the same place again and again to seek comfort.
Sasuke had also experienced the pain of losing a loved one, although to a different degree, but he could still understand the heart-wrenching feeling.
He chose to fill the emptiness in his heart with anger, pain and desire for revenge, but the man in front of him chose to bear it all alone.
"They must be very important to you," Sasuke asked, and this time, there was a hint of certainty in his tone.
"Very important," the man replied, his tone flat, as if he was talking about an insignificant matter.
"What happened?"
"It was a mistake." The man said in a low voice. "A mistake I made because of my arrogance. I chose the wrong path, a path I thought was the right one. When I realized my mistake, it was too late."
He reached out his hand and gently touched one of the names. Sasuke suppressed his curiosity and did not turn his head to look. "He died to save me. I am such a fool. I didn't know how to cherish until I lost it."
******
When Kakashi arrived at Iruka's house, he saw Gang Zitetsu and Izumo rolling on the ground like two mad wild cats, screaming.
They knocked over the lamp and knocked the table over, and finally, two of them bumped heavily into Ibiki's legs and stopped.
Ibiki angrily kicked Tie and then kicked Izumo, separating the two of them.
Kakashi stood at the door, looking at the chaotic scene in front of him, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Iruka's apartment wasn't big, but it was packed with people.
Lei Tong sat in the corner, eating rice crackers and watching Tie and Izumo playing with interest.
Anko and Aoba were sitting at the table, and Anko was helping Aoba paint her nails.
Hayate and Asuma were playing Go on the other side.
Some of them were wearing casual clothes, some were just wrapped in bath towels, and looked very casual.
"Did I miss something?" Kakashi asked everyone in the room, although he knew that no one would answer him.
"You've been staying in your apartment all morning. Why didn't you come out?" As expected, only Lei Tong raised his head and glanced at him, with his mouth full of rice cakes.
Kakashi was stunned for a moment before he realized what had happened. He frowned and asked:
"Is the whole building like this?"
He looked around and realized that the people in the room all lived in the same apartment building as him, just across from the Hokage building.
"That's right." Aoba nodded, and stretched out his hand, allowing Hongdou to help him paint the nails of his other hand.
He was wearing a pair of loose sweatpants, his upper body was naked, and his wet hair hung messily in front of his forehead.
"The main water pump was damaged by lightning. Mr. Guangze has sent people to repair it, but they can't get close to the water pump until the weather improves." He shrugged helplessly. Hongdou kicked him lightly, and he immediately shut up obediently. "So, we can only take shelter here."
"You know you can take a shower at the backup water pump, right?" Kakashi said.
"Please, the water pressure is so low, I can't even wash my hair, okay?" Hongdou rolled her eyes at him and said while waving the nail polish brush in her hand.
She was wearing a set of clean clothes, which surprised Kakashi.
"Besides, the water temperature is unstable, sometimes hot and sometimes cold. Who can stand it?" She turned around and complained to Lei Tong, "By the way, when will your charming boyfriend finish his shower? I've been waiting for him for almost twenty minutes!"
"I don't know." Lei Tong said calmly, picking up a piece of rice cake and stuffing it into his mouth. "By the way, when can you complete the mission report you gave me last week?"
Hongdou's face froze and she complained a few words, then she pulled out a bottle of nail polish from her bag and started applying it.
Kakashi closed the window, walked to the corner of the room, put down the bag in his hand, and tried his best not to run into the fighting guys.
At this moment, Iruka's voice came from the kitchen.
"If you really have nothing to do, go and help me boil the water in the water heater!"
"It's not me!" Tiegang Zitie and Izumo said in unison, raising their hands at the same time as if to prove their innocence, and then they started wrestling again.
Finally, the two of them crashed into the wall together, knocking the murals on the wall crooked.
"A ninja can't evade responsibility." In the end, Gang Zitie was defeated. He covered his nose and muttered in dissatisfaction.
Ibiki sat aside, watching them with a smile on his face.
Iruka walked out of the kitchen with a dark face and veins bulging on his forehead. This was not a good sign.
"Everyone, come out and help! Now!"
When the two Chunins heard this, they immediately jumped up and ran into the kitchen at such an amazing speed that Kakashi even suspected that they were using the instant body movement technique.
Iruka turned around and his eyes fell on Kakashi.
Kakashi subconsciously raised the takeout bag in his hand as if it were a shield.
"Did I bring a tribute?" he asked tentatively.
Iruka didn't say anything, but walked forward, took the takeaway bag from him, and said in a serious tone:
"Please tell me you brought Ichiraku Ramen."
"Soy sauce ramen, with egg and green onions."
Kakashi's voice was not small, and everyone else in the room heard it. All pairs of eyes looked at the takeout bag in his hand.
"If you want to eat, go buy it yourself. Don't try to hit on me." Iruka said unhappily, then pulled Kakashi into the kitchen.
Hongdou was the only one left in the room. She fell asleep on the dining table with her arms under her head and a cup of cold tea next to her.
Kakashi originally thought that it was too unprofessional for a senior ninja to fall asleep in someone else's home, and in such a noisy environment.
But for some reason, he felt that Iruka's home had a magical power that allowed those ninjas who were usually nervous to relax and rest in peace.
Iruka lowered his voice and asked:
"Are you here to seek refuge as well, or do you have something to tell me?"
Kakashi took out some ramen from the bag and said:
"I met one of your students this morning."
"Who is it?" Iruka asked, handing a bowl of ramen to Kakashi.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
"Sasuke?" Iruka asked in surprise, "Why is he around here? His house isn't close to here."
"I guess he wants to leave that home," Kakashi said softly.
"That house really isn't a good place for him," Iruka muttered, eating his ramen.
"There are too many sad memories there," Kakashi chimed in. "But it won't be easy to get him to leave there."
"Is he okay?" Iruka asked.
"Not very good." Kakashi answered truthfully. "But we talked for a while, I don't know if he listened."
