Chapter 8

(recap)

In the end, I decided on a very simple strategy: to go with the golden rule—to treat them how they treated me.

Well, Obaasan did say I inherited my father's eyes, so there was little chance of them hating me when I reminded them of their son.

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I was looking in the mirror fixing my appearance to look presentable for my new grandparents.

In this world my appearance was very special. It was a mixture of all the three clans combined.

I had black hair sticking out behind in design Lila a nara, with trademark green eyes of yamanaka. To finish it off I wasn't quite fat at three year old, but a little chubby with a unique cheek mark which was defining charecteristic of an akimichi.

I would have been fat due to obasaan's feeding habit, but apparently because of my physical exercise, which I never stopped doing ever since I could do it, I was only 'chubby'. But I could tell I was gonna have above average looks in the future. For which I was quite grateful, for whoever put me here.

I looked my self in the mirror once more for any mistakes and became satisfied once I couldn't find any.

And went to the living room where we were waiting for their arrival. Both obaasan and jiji were also there sitting in the couch.

The clock struck noon, and there was a knock at the door. My heart raced as Obaasan went to answer it, her calm demeanor giving me some comfort. Jiji remained seated, his expression stern.

I glanced at him nervously before straightening up, determined to make a good impression.Obaasan opened the door to reveal an older couple who looked just as nervous as I felt.

My grandmother was the first to step inside. She was a tall woman with a graceful bearing and the same striking green eyes I inherited. My grandfather followed, his expression guarded. He had the air of someone who was used to command, a trait that made me feel a little smaller in comparison.

"Welcome," Obaasan greeted them warmly, though there was a hint of caution in her voice. "Please, come in."

"Thank you, Chiharu," my paternal grandmother replied, her voice soft but firm. They exchanged a polite nod, and then her eyes fell on me. She hesitated for a moment before giving me a small, tentative smile.

"You must be our grandson."

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, bowing slightly.

"My name is Itto."

My grandfather's gaze was intense as he studied me. For a moment, I feared he might say something harsh, but instead,his eyes softened a lot before smiling just a little and nodding and said.

"Itto. You have your father's eyes."

"Ahh I will take that as a compliment, thank you" I replied

The tension in the room was palpable as they took their seats across from Jiji who was glaring at them.

The silence stretched on, heavy and uncomfortable, until Obaasan broke it by offering tea.

"So, how have you been?" she asked them, trying to steer the conversation into safer waters.

"We've been well, considering everything," my grandmother replied, accepting the cup of tea. "We've thought a lot about this day."

Jiji's jaw tightened, and I could sense the brewing storm. "I'm sure you have," he said, his voice edged with bitterness. "It's been three years after all."

"Jiji," Obaasan warned softly, placing a hand on his arm to calm him.

"We needed time," my grandfather said, his tone defensive.

"Losing our son was...difficult. And we had our doubts."

"Doubts about our Itto?" Obaasan's voice was cool, but there was a steely edge to it.

"We were wrong," my grandmother interjected, looking directly at me.

"We were wrong to doubt. Seeing him now, it's clear he is a miracle."The room fell silent again. I could see the conflict in Jiji's eyes, torn between his protective nature and the reality of the situation. Finally, he sighed, the fight draining out of him.

"Yes, he is a miracle alright, at least you are right about that" he agreed grudgingly.

"But he's also our responsibility. We've raised him as best as we could."

"And we're grateful for that," my grandmother said sincerely.

"We'd like to be part of his life now. That is if you'll allow it."I felt a swell of emotions. The weight of their words, the history between our families, and the uncertainty of the future all pressed down on me. But amidst it all, there was a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, this could work out.

"We can start fresh," I said quietly, breaking the silence and smiling. "I'm willing to try if you are." I continued "After all you can never have enough family anyway" lightly joking

My grandmother's eyes filled with tears, and she nodded with a huge smile.

"Yes, Itto. We'd like that very much." grandpa replied with a surprisingly soft gaze and continued

"So in the light of this new event please refer to your grandma as 'sobo' and me 'ojiisan'. "

Jiji didn't say anything, but the tension in his shoulders eased slightly.

I also smiled and agreed without hesitation and called out sobo to grandma and ojiichan to grandpa.

Obaasan smiled, her warmth filling the room. "Then it's settled. Let's make the most of this second chance." and brought a soju bottle from inside and 5 cups where she filled four of them with soju and one with fruit juice and distributing them after which raised it and cheerid

"To new beginnings"

"To new beginnings" we all choruses and drank from our cup.

The rest of the afternoon passed more smoothly. We shared stories, laughed a little that is when I found out the complete story about how I was born.

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