"So… Haku is a boy too?" Mirai asked with open curiosity.
No matter how she looked at that face, it didn't seem like it should belong to a boy. Of course, ever since she became self-aware, a certain someone at her side had been serving as a walking counterexample—but even compared to that certain someone, Haku seemed to go far beyond the norm.
Haku nodded, giving a quiet but firm confirmation.
At the moment, Mirai was holding Haku's hand, following closely behind Hagoromo step by step.
Hagoromo didn't interfere with children's interactions. They could play on their own. Before he realized it, he had already reached the age where he could be called an "uncle" without irony.
Finding Haku had been an accident—but also felt inevitable. And with that, Hagoromo found himself forming a new plan.
As for Haku, he now had a new name: Yuki Haku.
And he had also officially taken up a new post—
Newly appointed babysitter.
Following these two had been Haku's own decision.
After dispelling the genjutsu, Hagoromo gave him a choice. This involved Mirai, and Hagoromo didn't want any element of coercion that might later turn into hidden trouble.
The enemies chasing Haku had already been dealt with. He could leave on his own, or he could follow the two people before him.
Haku was afraid of the white-haired young man who smiled so gently.
When trapped in Hagoromo's genjutsu, Haku's consciousness had been completely clear—yet he had been utterly unable to resist. His body had moved against his will. The mere thought of it sent a chill through him.
And yet… he still chose to follow them.
Not out of fear. Not because he felt forced.
But because of a reason even Haku himself couldn't clearly explain.
That vague, indescribable feeling led him to step onto an unknown road with unknown companions.
In the end, these two were his lifesavers.
Often, the choices that determine a person's entire life are made under circumstances like this—without understanding why.
Because he had been fully conscious under the genjutsu, Haku knew they already understood what he was:
A high-output, low-consumption, eco-friendly Ice Release user.
But unlike his past experiences, they didn't react with disgust or fear. At the very least, he felt no revulsion from them.
Having suffered as he had, Haku was extremely sensitive to others' hatred.
And yet, these two didn't hate him.
That realization filled him with a strange mixture of fear and relief.
Someone was willing to treat him as a normal person.
For Haku, that had once been an unimaginable luxury.
He vaguely sensed that they were willing to take him along partly because of his ability—but that didn't matter.
For the first time, he wondered:
So… am I useful to someone?
Even if that usefulness came from an ability others despised, it was still something to be grateful for.
In the short span of time since meeting them, Haku had thought a great deal. But thoughts were still just guesses.
He was quiet by nature—but the little girl treated him with sincere warmth.
Mirai spoke to him naturally, held his hand without the slightest concern for how dirty he looked.
If he had been the one reaching out first, Haku wouldn't have dared. She was like a porcelain doll.
What Haku was feeling at that moment… even he couldn't put into words.
He didn't know that outside the Land of Water, Ice Release wouldn't make him a "monster" at all—it would be called talent.
Hagoromo had indeed noticed that talent at first.
He couldn't say exactly how powerful Ice Release truly was, but there were legends comparing it to Wood Release. That might be exaggerated, but it spoke volumes about the depth of the bloodline.
And even if Ice Release fell short of such legends, Haku still seemed perfectly suited to being Mirai's caretaker.
Hagoromo wasn't omniscient, but judging a child's character after brief contact wasn't difficult.
Growing up in the Land of Water, where bloodlines were openly hated, and having likely faced repeated attempts on his life—Haku's past could be imagined easily.
And yet, his eyes remained clear.
That alone spoke of his nature.
More than talent, this was what Hagoromo valued.
However—
"Such a coincidence. Hagoromo is also a boy."
Mirai's innocent remark nearly made Hagoromo cough up blood.
What coincidence was there in this?
Why did children like to speak nonsense so casually?
Haku was clearly the type who could be mistaken for a girl without effort—but him?
No.
Hagoromo was a manly man.
Haku was barefoot in the snow, wearing thin clothes. Of course he was cold.
Holding his hand, Mirai felt how icy it was—and noticed his slight trembling.
Cold…?
After thinking for a moment, she let go of his hand, took off the scarf around her own neck, and stood on tiptoe to wrap it around Haku's neck.
"Mi-Mirai-sama…" Haku froze, flustered. He was afraid of dirtying her things.
Hagoromo had already told him her name was Mirai—and that his role from now on was to take care of her and protect her.
"Mirai. Uzumaki Mirai," she corrected him seriously.
"Just call me Mirai. You don't need '-sama'."
Despite his hesitation, she carefully wrapped the scarf around his neck, layer by layer.
"This is my most important treasure. I'm not giving it to you—just lending it to you for now."
Mirai lending her scarf to Haku genuinely surprised Hagoromo.
Because that scarf really was her most important possession.
So… had she already mastered flirting techniques at such a young age?
Hagoromo's thought process, as usual, went somewhere strange.
No—this was kindness. Clearly kindness.
"Where are we going next, Hagoromo?"
After buffing Haku with a Warmth status effect, Mirai ran back and asked.
"Next?" Hagoromo replied.
"Let's get this kid some clothes."
Just like Lightning Release users feared lightning, Ice Release users feared cold.
To prevent their new babysitter from freezing to death on day one, Hagoromo decided to gear him up immediately.
"Hehe, Hagoromo is the best."
"..."
Lately, this kid seemed particularly fond of handing out Good Person Cards.
Hagoromo had originally come to the Land of Water to check on the Three-Tails, which was supposedly still roaming free.
But running into Haku sparked new ideas.
Three's a crowd… should I start assembling a team for Mirai's future already?
"Mirai, use your ability. See if there are any more 'special' chakra signatures around."
Hagoromo was already treating kekkei genkai like common goods.
"Roger!"
Mirai didn't know why, but she complied enthusiastically. To her, bloodline users were even more common.
Mirai's Mind's Eye of the Kagura was one of the strongest wide-area sensory techniques in the world. Its normal range exceeded ten kilometers, and if she focused on a specific chakra, it could extend beyond thirty.
If she used it to search for Hagoromo himself, she might be able to find him no matter where he was.
Finding a town was easy.
Cleaning up a filthy child and buying clothes wasn't difficult—especially when money wasn't an issue.
Even after five years without income, Hagoromo was not someone who lacked funds.
Thus, Yuki Haku received the full wash–cut–style package.
As a child who had just been picked up, and after such a short acquaintance, Haku didn't yet understand their personalities.
So he could only let Mirai do as she pleased.
She wasn't intentionally teasing him—but she did make decisions for others without hesitation.
According to some unwritten rule, people with faces like Hagoromo's or Haku's were destined, in childhood, to become someone's dress-up doll.
"Hagoromo, how is it? How is it?"
"…It looks great."
It really did.
But—who is this young lady?
Children tended to share the same preferences: above all else, things had to be cute.
And so—
Mirai had picked girls' clothes for Haku.
Well, children under ten didn't really count as male or female anyway. The primary objective was warmth—and that had been achieved. What was there to complain about?
For Haku, a wandering orphan, tears were best saved for himself.
Having clothes to wear was already a blessing.
And besides… there were signs he might be a natural crossdresser. Even without Mirai's push, he might have ended up on this irreversible path eventually.
In any case, Hagoromo didn't care.
Mirai was happy—that was enough.
It wasn't him in women's clothing, after all.
"Where to next?" Mirai asked again, curiosity overflowing.
"Rest for the night," Hagoromo said,
"then we'll go see the pet."
According to prior intelligence, the Three-Tails was still roaming freely.
If it had already been sealed into a new Jinchūriki, then this trip would be pointless.
After all—there was no way Hagoromo was about to take Mirai and storm Kirigakure.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789