Konoha Notes.

Chapter 19 Old Traces and New Forms of Maruko

After visiting Itachi's side, the next stop is Mitarashi Anko. She lives in the ninja apartment in the center of the village, which is a cheap rental provided by the village for the ninjas. It has one bedroom, one kitchen, and one bathroom, which is just right for one person.

Anko has no parents. Or rather, due to years of war, many ninjas of this generation, except for those from ninja clans, are orphans who were sent to the village's orphanage. When they reach the age for the Senior Ninja Academy, they leave the orphanage and live in apartments provided by the village. During their time at the Ninja Academy, the village does not charge rent, and the administration sends someone to their home every month to provide living expenses and check on their well-being.

For the past three years, the Ninja Apartment has been overcrowded.

"Thump! Thump!"

The knocking echoed in the rather empty corridor. After a long while, dragging footsteps and a muffled, weary voice came from inside:

"...Who is it...?"

The door was pulled open a crack. The girl behind it was completely different from the lively-eyed figure in the mission file photo. Fourteen-year-old Mitarashi Anko now appeared somewhat emaciated. Her signature purple hair was messily sticking up, and she wore a loose black mesh short-sleeved shirt and faded athletic shorts. The moment the door opened, a stench of rotting sweets, stale garbage, and the lingering stench of a long-sealed room rushed out.

She squinted, adjusting to the light in the corridor, and looked at the person standing outside the door. That handsome face seemed somewhat familiar, especially the slightly aloof features of his eyebrows and eyes, which instantly evoked memories of her time at the Ninja Academy.

"Shu...Shuji?" Hongdou called out the name uncertainly, her brows furrowed slightly, with a hint of obvious confusion. "You...something wrong?" The excellent student in her memory, who always had a cold expression and seemed to be carrying some kind of heavy mission, seemed to have an undeniable difference from the calm and peaceful person in front of her.

"The village should have sent you a notification," Shuji said calmly, looking at his former classmate who seemed to have all his energy drained away. "You've been transferred to my squad."

Hongdou scratched her messy hair, trying hard to recall, her eyes filled with the bewilderment of someone who had just escaped a long interrogation: "Ah... I think there was something like that." She stepped aside to let the doorway open, her movements casual and somewhat dejected. "Come in. But... don't get your hopes up, it's like this inside." She seemed too lazy to even try to hide it.

Shuji nodded and stepped into the entryway. His gaze quickly swept over the small space. There was absolutely no "girlishness" to speak of. Several empty instant noodle bowls were scattered on the tatami mats, next to which lay half-eaten, shriveled, and hardened mochi balls, and a few snack bags were carelessly discarded in a corner. Several empty cans of carbonated drinks lay askew beside the low table. It wasn't exactly a garbage dump of filth, but it was clear that the owner hadn't taken it seriously in a long time, and an air of careless despondency permeated the atmosphere.

Shuji's gaze fell on the broom leaning against the corner. He said nothing, walked straight over, rolled up his sleeves, picked up the broom and dustpan, and began silently sweeping up the trash on the ground. His movements were practiced and natural, as if he were doing the most ordinary chore.

Hongdou was taken aback by his sudden action, and then, seeing him about to devour the half-eaten skewer of meatballs, she hurriedly shouted, "Hey! Don't touch that! I... I haven't finished eating yet! Hey! No matter what, this is too impolite!"

"Go boil some water." Xiu Si didn't even look up, his tone flat but with an air of matter-of-fact. "When guests come, a cup of hot water is a must. Do you have any tea? Plain water will do too." He casually tossed a few empty beverage cans precisely into the trash can in the corner.

"You..." Hongdou choked for a moment, watching the other person begin tidying her room with such natural ease, a strong sense of unease welled up in her heart. How could the model student Xiuji, who always stood straight with sharp eyes in her memory, be... tidying up the room like a househusband? And so... naturally? She opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything, resignedly muttering "Okay, okay..." and turned to go to the kitchen to boil water.

The sound of a kettle being placed on the stove came from the kitchen. Shuji moved quickly, tidying up the trash on the floor and gathering the scattered dishes. He walked to the window, swiftly pulled back the tightly closed curtains, and opened the window, letting the sun-kissed breeze flow in, dispelling the stuffiness inside. Sunlight instantly filled half the room.

When Hongdou came out carrying two steaming cups, the room was much fresher and the air was circulating better. She placed one cup of water on the low table in front of Xiusi, took the other cup for herself, and sat cross-legged opposite him. Looking at the newly renovated space, her expression was somewhat complicated, a mixture of awkwardness at being taken care of and bewilderment at the huge change in the person in front of her.

"Here you go." Shuuji placed a paper bag on the table and pushed it in front of Ako. The bag was open, revealing several strings of translucent tricolor dumplings coated with fresh icing sugar, emitting an enticing sweet aroma.

Hongdou's eyes lit up for a moment, like a lit candle flame, but then dimmed again, looking at Xiu Si with a hint of wariness and complicated emotions: "...What? Trying to bribe me? You're... not quite the same as before." She couldn't help but voice her doubts.

"I bought it on the way." Shuji picked up a skewer of dumplings, took a bite, and a satisfied look appeared on his face as he savored it. "Mmm, soft, chewy, and sweet. Want to try some? It's much better than yours that have dried out and hardened." His tone was natural and casual, as if he were just sharing an ordinary food experience.

Looking at Xiu Si's undisguised expression of enjoyment, and then at the tempting dumplings, Hong Dou's stomach growled. She hesitated for a few seconds, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the sweets and her curiosity about this "unusual" treat. She reached out, picked up a skewer, and carefully took a small bite.

The warm, chewy glutinous rice balls, coated in sweet icing, melted in her mouth. The long-lost delightful taste made her squint her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.

"...It tastes pretty good," Red Bean mumbled, eating the dumplings while secretly glancing at Shuuji.

The boy in front of her, calmly eating dumplings and covered in dust from cleaning the room, seemed both unfamiliar and strange to her.

"Is this all you've been living on lately?" Xiu Si pointed with his chin at the instant noodle bowl and snack bag on the ground. There was no accusation in his tone; it was more like an affirmation of his current living situation.

"Otherwise what?" Hongdou chewed on a meatball, her voice a little muffled, with a hint of resignation. "There aren't any tasks to do. Eating out isn't cheap, and I'm too lazy to go out..." What she didn't say was that she didn't really want to go out and face those gazes that were either sympathetic, inquisitive, or wary.

"The border conflict has temporarily subsided, but there's a backlog of trade route missions." Shuuji swallowed the food in his mouth. "Clearing out wandering ninjas, escorting caravans, border patrols... both C-rank and D-rank are available. Didn't the village assign you any?"

Hongdou paused, her eyes flickering slightly as she stared down at the greasy bamboo skewer in her hand: "They assigned me tasks like finding pets and weeding. I don't want to take them."

Her voice trailed off, "...It's boring."

"Is it that you're feeling listless, or do you just feel...unmotivated?" Shuuji's gaze fell on her hand, which was tightly gripping the bamboo skewer and whose knuckles were slightly white, but his tone remained calm.

Hongdou suddenly raised her head, a flash of annoyance at being exposed crossing her eyes, but more so a deep weariness and confusion: "What difference does it make whether I can get motivated or not? Anyway... it's all the same."

She turned her face away, looking at the sunlight streaming in through the window. "When I was with... before, I always felt I had a goal: to become stronger, to learn stronger techniques. Now..." She gave a self-deprecating smile, revealing a bitter expression. "It feels like my bones have been removed. I can't muster the energy to do anything. Orochimaru... teacher... why..." She swallowed the rest of her words, letting out a heavy sigh filled with intense hatred and resentment.

Shuji listened quietly, without interrupting or trying to comfort or console him.

He simply picked up another skewer of meatballs and ate them slowly, as if giving her time to compose herself. Only Hongdou's slightly rapid breathing and the occasional birdsong from outside the window remained in the room.

His attitude of not rushing to express his opinion and simply listening quietly made Hongdou feel less pressured.

"Anger and hatred are normal." Once Hongdou's emotions had calmed down a bit, Xiu Si spoke slowly, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather. "But life goes on. Locking yourself up here to rot, filling your stomach with instant noodles and leftover meatballs—what good will that do besides making you worse?"

He put down the empty bamboo skewer, looked directly at the red bean, and said bluntly, "No matter how boring the tasks the village assigned before were, the reward was enough for you to eat a fresh, hot meal and buy the meatballs you wanted. On a task, at least your mind wouldn't have time to think about anything else, and your body could still move around. It's better than wasting your time here."

Hongdou stared at him blankly. If someone else had said these words, she might have thought it was easy for them to talk without understanding the situation. But coming from the mouth of Shuji, who had become pragmatic, even a little "worldly," and who had just cleaned her room and brought her fresh dumplings, it had a strange persuasive power.

There was no feigned sympathy, no condescending preaching, only the simple truth that "life goes on."

"Your way of speaking... has changed a lot." Hongdou pouted, her tone complex, but the deathly stillness in her eyes seemed to ease a little. She looked down at the half-eaten dumpling in her hand, the fresh frosting glistening enticingly in the sunlight. Yes, fresh dumplings are indeed much tastier than dried ones.

She shoved the remaining meatballs into her mouth and chewed them vigorously, as if she were trying to chew up and swallow some kind of emotion along with them.

"However, you're right." She swallowed her food, wiped the sugar frosting from the corner of her mouth, and looked up. Although weariness and pain remained in her eyes, a faint glimmer of light had been forcibly ignited within them. "We have to keep moving. It's really pointless to rot here." She looked at Xiu Si, her eyes filled with inquiry, but also with a hint of resignation. "Captain, when is the next mission? A C-rank or a B-rank?"

Shuji looked at Anko, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips. "I won't let you be idle. Specific tasks will be announced later. These next few days..." He stood up, glancing around the room, which, despite his efforts, still felt empty and shabby. "I'll give this place a thorough cleaning. At least, next time I come," he gestured to the bright, clean windows and tidy floor, "I hope it'll remain like this. And, hot tea."

"Hey! You're so demanding! Fine, I know!" Hongdou grumbled, but strangely, there wasn't much real resistance in her complaining tone as she watched Xiuji walk towards the door. Just as Xiuji opened the door to leave, she suddenly called out to him, "Hey, Xiuji!"

Xiu Si turned around.

"...Thank you." Hongdou's voice lowered, her gaze shifting elsewhere. She paused, then added, "...the dumplings and the cleaning."

Shuji nodded, said nothing more, and closed the door.

The moment the door closed, Hongdou sat alone in the suddenly quiet room. The air seemed to still hold the sweet scent of freshly made dumplings and the smell of sunshine. She looked down at her empty hands, then glanced up at the clean, tidy room and the open window. Sunlight streamed in unobstructed, casting bright, warm patches of light on the floor. She took a deep breath of the fresh, grassy air blowing in from the window, then slowly, slowly exhaled, as if trying to release all the pent-up frustration from her chest.

She stood up, walked to the corner, and picked up the broom that Xiu Si had just used. This time, she gripped it tightly and began to actively clean up the trash that Xiu Si had gathered to one side.