The tale of Mayumi

Bonus Chapter - A Long Overdue

The world had changed over the years—peaceful, bright, and almost unrecognizable compared to the chaos they had all grown up in. Konoha thrived under Naruto's leadership, children trained without fear of war, and the once-constant tension in the air had faded into something warm and familiar.

For Kakashi, retirement was sweet.
Or... it would've been, if not for Mayumi occasionally dragging him into bizarre, chaotic missions that had no business being classified as "A-rank."

But despite everything, life was good. Predictable, even.

Until today.

⸻

Mayumi & Hikaru's Mission — Mayumi's Mood

It had been a week. One long, miserable week.
Hikaru walked beside Mayumi on the forest path, trying not to flinch at how moody she'd gotten.

"Can you please stop walking like the ground owes you money?" Hikaru groaned.

"Can you please stop breathing like it's your full-time job?" Mayumi snapped.

He threw his hands up. "Unbelievable. I swear, you're one tantrum away from throwing a tree at me."

"I could," she said with a scowl. "Wouldn't even break a sweat."

He tightened his jaw. "You know what? Maybe you shouldn't be making big decisions right now. You're so emotional you—"

She spun on him so fast he stumbled.
"What did you say?"

"I said—"

"No, no, you listen," she interrupted, jabbing a finger at his chest. "You don't get to lecture me about decisions when you can't even hold down a proper relationship!"

Hikaru gaped. "Excuse me?!"

"Oh please," Mayumi scoffed. "You run at the first sign of commitment. The last girl you dated dumped you because you forgot your anniversary—twice."

"That was one time!"

"And you broke up with her the second time," Mayumi added.

Hikaru sputtered. "Well at least I'm not stuck in the same relationship for years and doing absolutely nothing about it!"

Mayumi froze.

Hikaru didn't.
He was too emotional, too irritated, and—frankly—too stupid in that moment.

"You two have been engaged forever," he barreled on. "Everyone thought by now you'd have— I don't know—seventeen kids or something!"

Mayumi's face went blank.

Not angry. Not hurt.
Just... blank.

"...Let's just go home," she said quietly.

"Mayumi—"

"No. Let's go."

And she walked.
Didn't say another word.
Didn't look at him once.

Hikaru felt sick the entire way back.

Every time he worked up the nerve to apologize, he glanced at her expression— distant, unreadable, like she was balancing the world's heaviest thought on her shoulders—and the words died in his throat.

By the time Konoha's gates appeared, Hikaru was sweating.

They stepped inside.

"I need to do something," she murmured abruptly.
Then she turned and left him standing completely alone.

Hikaru swallowed hard.

"...I messed up."

⸻

Hikaru's POV – Guilt