bubblegum princess

chapter thirty four

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the end of the beginning:
A SPAR WITH THE SUCCESSOR !
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SEIREN HELD HER BREATH after she breathed out the heavy weight from her thoughts. She slowly looked around before listening to Shikadai's and Sarada's careful words about the slight history of the Hidden Mist and their seven swordsmen. With words carefully uttered, Seiren knew how important it was to maintain such a position at such a young age, she knew that Boruto and Kagura had some similar situations but in different positions. 

Boruto is the honorable child of the Seventh Hokage, who is also one of the greatest heroes who fought during the Fourth Great Ninja War. At the same time, Kagura was chosen as a successor of the current Mizukage and one of the nation's seventh swordsmen. Both children had some burden weighing down on their shoulders and Seiren couldn't help but feel bad. 

Seiren didn't know why how her skin crawled at the sudden mention of the seven swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. It might be something from her recollection of reading from her father's journal about his writings during the fourth ninja war, before it, and the aftermath of it. She recalled reading it during her slow days on the weekends of the academy, she was just in her room with a warm blanket tucked around her with a worn-out thick journal in her hands. Seiren wasn't a nosy child but it must be in her nature to be curious. So, she went to Konoha's Public Library. Scrolls, textbooks, and ancient readings were present in the oaken walls of the library.

The librarian did not know what she sought during her detour in the hidden Mist section. She only pulled out a rather thin page of a book that contained so little of the history between the Hidden Mist and Hidden Leaf. Yet, it led her to a realization and a conclusion that during the dark age, her father's generation, the Hidden Mist was a nation that you shouldn't mess with. While she reads it in a secluded area, her blank façade hides the horrors and terror of what she feels.

She was screaming in the back of her mind.

The swordsmen of the Hidden Mist are people that she should fear due to the reputation that they have and hearing that Kagura is one of them makes her rethink if the swordsmen are really that scary to begin with.

She felt a small tap on her shoulder that led her back to the lounge room of the hotel, Inojin smiled behind her as he smiled happily "It's done!" he exclaimed rather loudly. Seiren blinked a couple of times before smiling softly "Arigato." ChoCho scooches over towards them and hands over a freshly picked out strand flower, an iris ensata. Inojin and Seiren tilted their head in sync "Oi, Chubs, where did you get that?" Inojin asked.

ChoCho smirks, flipping her hair sassily "Why do you like to know?"

Shikadai looked at her weirdly "You didn't steal that, right?" Seiren shoots him a look and he immediately raises his hands in the air, jokingly gesturing a surrender "What? Just asking?" he smiled. She then looked at ChoCho, muttering soft gratitude before Inojin took it from her hands, and now fixing some strands of her hair on her front, before tucking the stem of the flower on her ear "Ta-Da~" Sarada smiled as she watched Seiren cooing on her reflection when ChoCho led her on the waterfall to look at her reflection before leaving her to watch her reflection.

As she gazed over the fountain, a sudden weight landed on her head, causing her to turn abruptly. To her surprise, she saw Kagura, who grinned sheepishly. Onlookers nearby couldn't help but coo at the stark height contrast between the two, noting that Seiren barely reached the boy's shoulder. Kagura slightly turned away, trying to hide the red hues spreading over his cheeks, and coughed a bit to regain some senses.