Lin Yu walked through the streets, holding Xiao Nan's small hand. He didn't ask her any questions along the way, simply holding her gently and accompanying her.
At first, Xiao Nan felt a sense of unease and fear. However, as Lin Yu asked her nothing, and she gradually listened to the sound of the breeze and the gentle flow of water around them, her heart began to calm, her mind drifting with thoughts.
She suddenly realized how much she had changed. Ever since she met Lin Yu, she felt like she was no longer herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had acted spoiled, perhaps it was before the war reached their home.
She couldn't recall the last time she and Nagato and Yahiko had eaten a full meal together, it seemed like it had never happened.
She felt a sense of bewilderment. She knew all of this was real, but why? Why were they three the lucky ones?
Xiao Nan began to feel a little scared, afraid that Lin Yu's kindness to them had a hidden purpose.
Lin Yu felt a slight movement in his hand and looked down to see Xiao Nan's pale little face. He wondered what the little girl was thinking. In truth, even if he knew, he could only stare helplessly. He couldn't tell her that his goal in the Land of Rain was them, or that he knew the future plot and wanted to get acquainted so that the Akatsuki could give him face later when he was on missions.
Lin Yu felt a touch of helplessness, unsure of Xiao Nan's situation. He looked around and said, "Ah, found it."
Without waiting for Xiao Nan's reaction, he quickly pulled her to a street corner. It was a secluded spot with hardly any foot traffic, and Lin Yu had spent a great deal of effort to find it.
"This is... an origami shop?" Xiao Nan looked at the sign that read "Xiao Nan Origami Shop" and covered her mouth in surprise.
Lin Yu remained silent and pushed open the old wooden door with a creak. A scent of paper wafted towards them.
Xiao Nan looked around curiously. The shop was not large, only about thirty square meters, filled with all sorts of origami and paper flowers of various colors and types.
The entire interior was covered in origami and colored paper. The floor was very clean. To the left, by the window, there was a small bed and a small table and chairs, all new. It seemed that someone had replaced the old furniture.
Lin Yu had spent the past half month searching many places to find this origami shop. Its original name was "Yuan Fei Origami Shop." Lin Yu didn't know if it had any connection to the Yuan Fei clan of Konoha, but it didn't matter. He had bought it for ten times the price. The owner was overjoyed and packed his bags, also buying a new set of furniture as requested.
Xiao Nan curiously touched the various origami figures: paper cranes, dragonflies, butterflies... She also touched the paper flowers arranged in vases, her movements careful, as if she were afraid of damaging them.
Seeing this, Lin Yu smiled and walked up to her, saying softly, "You don't need to be so careful. The entire origami shop belongs to you."
Xiao Nan had guessed something when she saw the shop's name, and now that it was confirmed, a surge of immense joy welled up in her heart. Then, thinking of something, she suddenly burst into tears, her eyes instantly reddening. Her voice choked, "Why... why are you so good to me? I'm just a helpless orphan who doesn't know where her next meal will come from. Why are you so good to me!"
Without waiting for Lin Yu's reply, Xiao Nan threw herself into his arms, her small hands tightly gripping his waist. Her face flushed as she buried it in Lin Yu's chest, whispering, "If... if you really have any purpose, don't tell me. Just keep deceiving me like this. I'm easy to take care of."
Lin Yu scratched his head awkwardly, unsure where to put his hands. Not only was Xiao Nan very young, but he was also still a boy, feeling somewhat helpless.
"I don't have any purpose. If you must say so, then my purpose is you."
Xiao Nan felt her face was burning. She mumbled, "Then... why am I worthy of being your purpose?"
Suddenly, Xiao Nan noticed her blue-purple hair. She gathered her courage and lifted her head, her lips, now even redder, parted slightly. "Lin... Brother Lin Yu, what color do you like?"
"Me? Let me think. Blue-purple, perhaps." I also like red, gold, and black, Lin Yu added silently in his heart.
"Eek!" The precocious little girl didn't think too much. Xiao Nan felt her head was about to catch fire. She quickly covered her face with her cool little hands, only peeking out with half-closed eyes, her heart unable to calm down...
That evening, Lin Yu carried the sleeping Xiao Nan back to the small wooden house.
"Shh!" Lin Yu made a shushing gesture to Yahiko and the others, gently placing Xiao Nan on the prepared bed, helping her take off her shoes and socks, and then carefully walked out.
By the stream, the warm firelight pushed back the surrounding darkness, glowing brightly.
Yahiko asked nervously, "Is Xiao Nan okay?" Nagato also looked at Lin Yu with concern.
Lin Yu sat down beside the three of them, added some firewood, and shook his head. "She's fine, Xiao Nan is just a little tired."
Yahiko and Nagato breathed a sigh of relief. They immediately thought of their own situations and looked at Lin Yu with a hint of grievance.
'Could Teacher Lin Yu have used genjutsu on Xiao Nan too? No, that's too cruel!' thought Yahiko.
'Lin Yu... senpai wouldn't have given Xiao Nan some kind of test too, would he?' Nagato thought silently. He had always believed that Lin Yu's mention of the Rinnegan's power was a kind of test for him, to see if he could give up the Rinnegan and choose his companions. Yes, at least that's what he thought.
Lin Yu had no such intentions. He had no penchant for taking other people's eyes!
"Hey, hey, kids, why do you feel more world-weary than me, an adult, after a single day? Are you in love already?" Jiraiya, drinking sake he'd bought from somewhere, teased them with a flushed face.
"No way!" Yahiko and Nagato retorted simultaneously, then looked at each other, their little faces blushing.
"Ooh, something's going on here. You two little ones, could it be..." Jiraiya looked at Yahiko, then at Nagato, and suddenly put on an expression of having discovered the truth.
"It's nothing! Nagato, why were you looking at me with a blush just now!" Yahiko asked Nagato, pretending to be angry, his face stern.
"It's just that Yahiko, you were also..." Nagato felt a bit wronged. It wasn't just him who was blushing.
"Nagato! You're arguing with me again! You've really changed, you weren't like this before!"
"Yahiko, listen to me, I..."
"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it!"
"You two little ones are really amusing, hahaha."
Yahiko and Nagato looked at each other again, both grinning and letting out laughter. This feeling was truly wonderful, they liked it very much.
*Rustle!*
"Alright, it's time to sleep, or Xiao Nan will be woken up by you!"
"Ah! Teacher Lin Yu, wait a moment, my fish is still roasting."
"Yahiko, you're too slow, the fire has already gone out..."
"Nagato, you..."
The warm firelight was extinguished by Lin Yu, but the warmth in their hearts had already taken root and sprouted. The sleeping Xiao Nan in the room slowly curled her lips into a happy arc. With a creak, silence gradually descended...