When Izayoi got home, he didn't immediately start cooking or take a shower.
He went into his room and came back out carrying a locked box. Judging by his serious expression, whatever was in that box had to be precious. Even the key for the lock had been hidden in a secret compartment in the living room.
He opened the box, and inside wasn't a scroll or a weapon—but a red ceramic…piggy bank.
"Little Piggy… this is goodbye," he said quietly.
Izayoi lifted the piggy bank out, his hands and voice trembling, his face full of sorrow. Then he turned his head away, shut his eyes tight, and hurled the piggy bank onto the floor with force. The ceramic shattered into pieces, scattering coins across the ground.
He squatted down and picked up each coin and bill one by one, almost like how he'd stuffed them into the bank since childhood.
All of that money was what he'd saved from his monthly pension checks and, more recently, his D-rank mission rewards. As for the inheritance left by his parents, he'd used it all up long ago.
After all, he wasn't just supporting himself—he also had to feed a bottomless-pit "big eater."
If the village hadn't provided those monthly pension checks all the way until he became a Genin, Izayoi might have been out foraging tree bark and wild grasses to survive.
He stuffed the money into a bag, including the 23,000 ryō he'd just received, then carried it out of the house to a shop.
Bang. Izayoi dropped the bag onto the counter and pointed at something on display. "Boss, there's 388,300 ryō in here. I want to buy a film camera, and whatever's left, spend it all on film and photo-developing supplies."
"Sure thing—thanks for your patronage!" the shopkeeper replied cheerily.
A short while later, Izayoi walked out of the store holding a camera.
"Finally got it, and it's not too late yet," he said to himself, fiddling with the camera like it was a prized treasure. "I couldn't capture memories of me and Hinata growing up, but I can at least record Hanabi's childhood. Worth every coin."
"Now I'm flat broke. Probably can't eat whatever's left in the fridge. Guess I'll go hunting for a barbeque dinner tonight."
…
"Onii-chan, wake up! You're gonna sleep the whole day away!"
Next morning, Izayoi—who'd acquired a habit of sleeping in—again enjoyed the "princess alarm clock" treatment. Except this time, it wasn't the "big princess" waking him, but the little one.
He felt a tickle on his nose and opened his eyes blearily, gradually making out the face of a small, adorable girl. Hanabi, dressed in a yellow-brown kimono, was sitting on top of Izayoi, leaning over him, playfully using her braided bangs to brush his nose and cheeks.
"You rascal," Izayoi chuckled, rubbing Hanabi's soft cheeks. "Next time you're asleep, your Onii-chan will do the same to you."
"Hee-hee… It was Onee-chan who told me to come get you up, so blame her instead," Hanabi teased, snuggling against Izayoi's hand and shamelessly shifting the responsibility.
"…All right, out you go for now, I need to wash up."
"Okay!"
They messed around on the bed for a bit before Izayoi patted her butt, motioning for her to get off. She hopped down—wearing white knee-socks—and dashed out, so light-footed she barely made a sound.
After a quick wash, Izayoi opened a drawer in his desk and took out the camera he'd just bought. As soon as he left his room, the first thing he saw was Hinata, busy in the kitchen.
At the moment, Hinata wasn't wearing her usual white jacket and black pants. Instead, she wore a white kimono with purple-white petal patterns on the belt, cuffs, and hem. Her long black hair was pinned up in a bun at the back of her head. An apron tied around her waist, she skillfully handled a frying pan. Meanwhile, Hanabi was at the table wrapping rice balls in nori.
Izayoi held his breath at the sight, quietly tiptoeing around for the best lighting. Then:
Click.
He snapped a photo of their backs—one standing, one kneeling, both in kimono, each busy doing her own task. A timeless image, captured forever.
Hearing the camera shutter, Hinata and Hanabi turned around.
"A camera!" Hanabi exclaimed, eyes shining. She pulled off her gloves and ran over, delighted. "Onii-chan, when did you buy that?"
"Yesterday."
"Onii-chan, let me see it."
"Careful, it cost 300,000 ryō. Used all my savings plus my mission pay," Izayoi reminded her as he handed it over.
Startled, Hanabi immediately rubbed her hands vigorously on her expensive kimono—likely worth several cameras—before gingerly taking the camera.
"Onii-chan, how do we look at the pictures?"
"They have to be developed. After breakfast, I'll show you how to do it," Izayoi explained.
"Yay, great! Let's take one of us, too!" she said excitedly.
"No rush. Let your sister finish cooking. We'll get a photo of all three of us—that'll be more special."
"Mhm!"
Hinata glanced at them and smiled at their playful banter. Once she finished cooking and Izayoi and Hanabi wrapped the rice balls, they sat at the table and beamed for the camera, snapping their very first group photo.
Izayoi in the middle, the two sisters on either side. Operating the camera was one of Izayoi's shadow clones. Who needs a selfie stick when you have a clone?
After breakfast, the three gathered in Izayoi's room, closed the blackout curtains, and started developing photos.
"So pretty…"
Hanabi stared at the picture of the sisters in that serene pose, unable to find better words. Hinata, meanwhile, focused on the group shot, her eyes shining. In that moment, both she and Izayoi had the same twinge of regret: If only they'd had a camera when they were little, they could have recorded their whole childhood together. Still, it wasn't too late.
So the three spent the rest of the day taking pictures everywhere: in the living room, out on the balcony, in the dojo, in the courtyard… Then out around the old abandoned training ground they loved, and some scenic waterfalls—snapping solo, duo, and trio shots.
Passing a big tree, Hinata uncharacteristically took initiative. She tugged on the sleeve of Izayoi's fancy robe, blushing as she asked, "Izayoi-kun, can we use the Transformation Jutsu here?"
Izayoi paused, saw her gaze shift to the tree, and understood. He smiled. "Sure. Let's do it."
"Mm!"
Delighted, Hinata nodded. Once Izayoi created a shadow clone, she faced him, and together they formed the hand seals. "Transformation Jutsu!"
With a puff of white smoke, two chubby-faced children in ordinary clothes appeared, standing under the tree and smiling at each other. Then they turned to Izayoi's clone, beaming as the camera clicked—capturing that moment forever.
~~~
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