So Sarada and her friends were off pretty early this morning, I guess they wanted to get started as soon as possible, no surprise, fishing is... hard to say the least, it can take hours to catch something... or nothing at all. I'm still trying to work out how a couple of kids are going to real in a fish about three times there size but I mean they could always hope.

I was out by the river again, looking over the water. I've always like nature, it seemed to be more interesting to me than friends when I was younger, that's probably why my Mangekyou Sharingan is similar.

"Hey! Big Brother Ukie!" I turned my head, watching the young brunette girl I've grown to care for run up to me with a big smile.

"Hey Mino, what are you doing here?" I ask kneeling before her.

"I was coming to train on my own but now that you're here!" She closed her eyes and smiled, clapping her hands.

"Uh... actually Mino, I'm not in the mood to train right now," I tell the little girl, scratching the back of my neck.

"Oh?" She looked up at me.

"Well what's wrong?" She asked.

"It's nothing," I smiled at the younger ninja.

"Mama says you should talk about things that bother you, that maybe the person you tell can help so... maybe I could help." Mino told me.

~"You sure? My mom always says if I feel sad, I should always talk to someone, maybe they could help. Maybe I can help you."~

I took a breath, a vision of Minka as a young child sitting next to Mino, telling me the exact same thing flashed in front of my eyes.

"I miss your parents," I say softly.

"Mama and papa? What for?" Mino asked.

"We were like family, and one day, I moved away without saying good bye, and your mother didn't like that, so, she doesn't want to see me." I add.

"Yeah she does," Mino smiled.

"In fact, Mama talks about you all the time, ever since we first met you at the market the other day," She adds.

"Really?" I look up at the young girl.

"Uh ha, she and papa tell me stories about how you trained together and stuff. They say those were the best times of their lives,"

"..." I stared at Mino.

"You know, if you want, I could talk to Mama," She smiled.

"Oh no, that's quiet alright," I pat her head.

"Papa then, I know Papa wants to see you, even if mama won't," Mino grins.

"Maybe some other time, didn't you want to train?" I change the subject.

"Actually... do you think you could tell me the story of how you and mama and Papa met?" Mino asked jumping up and down.

I watched the small child, watching her jump all around with a gleam in her wide brown eyes.

"Sure," I smiled at her.

"Yay!" She jumped into me, hugging my neck tightly.

"Come on! Let's go sit in the shade by the water!" She jumped away, pulling me along.

I chuckled, following the small girl as she pulled me toward the large willow tree Yuto, Minka and I used to sit under afer a hard day of training. She pointed at the floor where I should sit, and once I had, she excitedly say in front of me, just before the lake.

"Ok, ready?" I ask Mino.

"Ready!" She smiled, staring at me.

"Ok, so, the very first time I met your mother was a day like this...

I was very young, younger than you, and my mother had brought me to the lake with her when she came to meet up with her friend, Lady Hinata. They set up our picnic site while I wondered off to the lake edge. I was looking down at my reflection in the water when i saw two butterflies fly past. Excitedly, I followed after the two, watching them land on a flower. I managed to catch one, the male I think, he had beautiful blue wings with white and green strokes over them. He fluttered his soft wings on my hands and I couldn't believe how fragile that creature in my hands was. I placed him back next to his mate before watching them both fly away, into the trees. I was going to head back to my mother before I heard a young girl giggle, and that's when I first saw your mother, she was running after the butterflies in the forest next to the lake. She caught one, like I did, and showed it to her father. He knelt down and pointed at it to explain to his daughter about his colors and size. Telling her why he was coloured so and why his partner was attracted to him. I then watched your mom let the butterfly go, watching it fly away before she saw me. She had short brown hair like yours, tied and tucked behind her ears. Big brown eyes and rosey cheeks, and she just stood there staring at me, watching me before turning and running away." I chuckle, looking over Mino before out over the water.

"Mama was afraid of you?" Mino asked.

"No not exactly," I smile, tucking a piece of Mino's hair behind her ear.

"She was alot shyer back then than she is now." I add.

"What happened next?" Mino asked me, crawling to sit between my legs.

I smiled, watching the small girl before picking her up, crossing my legs and placing her back on my legs.

"Later that day, I went swimming, and it just so happened your mother did too. It was a little harder for her to run away from me in the water, so I managed to talk to her. She was so shy, practically hid half her face in the water before I got a name from her," I recalled.

"Really!? Mama says you were to shy to give her your name," Mino asked.

"Oh that's not true," I laughed.

"As I recall, I swam up to your mother and introduced myself strongly, your mother blew bubbles in the river as she tried to tell me her name." I tickled Mino.

"Ahhh haaa that~ that tickles!" Mino laughed, fidgeting in my hold.

"And that, little one, is how I met your mother." I tell her.

"Thanks for telling me Big Brother," Mino smiled up at me with closed eyes.

"Hmm... never grow up Mino," I ruffle her hair.