Back home, Izayoi didn't head straight to the kitchen or the bath.
He went to his room and emerged cradling a locked box.
From the solemn look on his face, the box clearly held something of great value.
Even the key was hidden in a secret compartment in the living room.
Opening it revealed not scrolls or weapons, but a red ceramic… piggy bank.
"Little pig… farewell forever."
Izayoi lifted the piggy bank, his hands and voice trembling slightly, his expression heavy with grief.
With that, he turned his head, squeezed his eyes shut, and smashed the piggy bank onto the floor.
The ceramic shattered instantly, spilling coins and bills across the ground.
Izayoi crouched down, picking up each coin and note, just as he had carefully tucked them into the piggy bank over the years.
This money came from scrimping off his monthly orphan stipend and the rewards from D-rank missions he'd taken lately.
As for his parents' inheritance, that was long gone.
After all, he wasn't just supporting himself—he had a big eater to feed too.
If not for the village's monthly stipend, which stopped once he became a genin, Izayoi might've been gnawing on tree bark or foraging wild grass.
He gathered the coins into a bag and tossed in the twenty-three thousand ryo he'd just earned.
Then, bag in hand, he headed out to a shop.
With a thud, Izayoi dropped the bag heavily on the counter, pointing at an item. "Boss, here's three hundred eighty-eight thousand three hundred ryo. I want that film camera. Use the rest to buy as many rolls of film and photo developing materials as it'll cover."
"You got it! Thanks for your business!"
The shopkeeper's enthusiastic voice rang out.
Before long, Izayoi walked out, a camera in hand.
"Finally got it. It's not too late."
Izayoi toyed with the camera fondly, murmuring to himself with a smile. "I couldn't capture mine and Hinata's childhood, but I can record Hanabi's growth. Worth it!"
"Broke now, and the stuff in the fridge is probably bad. Guess I'll hunt and grill tonight."
…
"Onii-chan, get up! The sun's roasting your butt!"
The next day, Izayoi, chronic oversleeper, was roused by his usual princess wake-up call.
This time, though, it wasn't the big princess—it was the little one.
His nose tickled. Izayoi opened his eyes, and through bleary vision, a delicate, adorable face came into focus.
Hanabi, dressed in a yellow-brown kimono, straddled his chest, leaning down to brush his nose and face with her bangs, tied into a braid.
"Naughty girl. Next time you're asleep, Onii-chan's gonna get you back," Izayoi teased, rubbing her cheeks with a grin.
"Hehe… Nee-chan told me to wake you, so blame her!" Hanabi nuzzled his hand, deftly passing the buck.
"…Go on out. Onii-chan needs to wash up."
"Okay!"
After tumbling around with Hanabi on the bed for a bit, Izayoi patted her lightly on the backside, signaling her to hop off.
Hanabi, in her white stockings, bounded off the bed and out the door, silent as a cat.
After a quick wash, Izayoi opened his desk drawer and took out the camera.
Stepping out of his room, he immediately spotted Hinata bustling in the kitchen.
She wasn't in her usual white jacket and black pants. Instead, she wore a white kimono, its belt, cuffs, and hem adorned with purple and white petal patterns.
Her long black hair was pinned up into a neat bun.
An apron tied around her front, she wielded a frying pan with practiced flips.
Hanabi, meanwhile, was at the dining table, wrapping rice balls with seaweed.
At the sight, Izayoi held his breath, tiptoeing with the camera to find the perfect angle with the light.
Click.
A photo froze the moment: two sisters, back-to-back, one standing, one kneeling, both in kimonos, absorbed in their tasks.
The camera's shutter caught their attention, and Hinata and Hanabi turned to look.
"A camera!"
Hanabi's eyes sparkled at the sight of Izayoi's camera. She peeled off her gloves and darted over, thrilled. "Onii-chan, when did you get this?"
"Yesterday."
"Onii-chan, let me see!"
"Careful now. This cost Onii-chan three hundred thousand ryo—every last bit of my savings and mission rewards," Izayoi said, handing it over.
Hanabi rubbed her hands vigorously on her expensive kimono—probably worth several cameras—before gingerly taking it.
"Onii-chan, how do I see the pictures?"
"You've gotta develop them. After breakfast, I'll show you how."
"Yay! Onii-chan, let's take one together!"
"No rush. Let's wait till your sister's done cooking, then we'll take one together. It'll mean more that way."
"Mhm!"
Watching Izayoi and Hanabi mess around, Hinata's lips curved into a contented smile.
Once Hinata finished breakfast and Izayoi and Hanabi wrapped the last rice balls, the three sat at the table, holding their seaweed-wrapped rice balls, beaming for their first group photo.
Izayoi sat in the middle, the sisters on either side.
The photographer? Izayoi's Shadow Clone.
Selfie sticks couldn't hold a candle to a Shadow Clone.
After breakfast, the trio holed up in Izayoi's room, drawing the blackout curtains to develop the photos.
"So pretty…"
Hanabi, at a loss for better words, could only gush over the evocative sister photo.
Hinata stared at the group shot, her eyes shimmering.
In that moment, she shared Izayoi's regret.
If only they'd had a camera when they were kids, they could've captured their growth together.
But… it wasn't too late.
For the rest of the day, Izayoi and the Hyuga sisters went on a photo spree.
They started at home—the living room, balcony, dojo, yard…
Then they ventured out to familiar spots like the abandoned training field and scenic waterfall areas, snapping solo shots, pairs, and trios.
Passing a large tree, Hinata, in a rare moment of boldness, tugged at the sleeve of Izayoi's freshly changed robe, her cheeks pink. "Izayoi-kun, could you use the Transformation Technique?"
Izayoi blinked, caught off guard.
Following her gaze to the tree, he understood and smiled, nodding. "Sure, let's do it together."
"Okay!"
Hinata nodded eagerly. After Izayoi summoned a Shadow Clone, they stood facing each other and formed hand signs in unison. "Transformation Technique!"
White smoke cleared, revealing two kids in plain clothes, chubby-cheeked, standing under the tree, grinning at each other.
They turned to Izayoi's Shadow Clone, flashing bright smiles.
Click.
The moment was preserved forever.
---
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