Tsunade's daughter (A Naruto original fanfiction)

Chapter Fifty: The New Chūnin Exams

Ever since her mother's revelation, Mai had been avoiding Kakashi at all costs. To tell the truth she didn't feel like facing him about his feelings. It was too sudden, too unexpected. She wasn't ready for this yet. She needed time to reflect. She didn't know how she should behave  if she were to meet him. Maybe it would have been easier for her if Kakashi had told her directly. Or maybe not. 

But, how could her mother know this in the first place? Was it that obvious? 

Perhaps that was just her who had been too oblivious. 

But Kakashi used to be Rin's love. Her only love. She couldn't do that to her. Or could she? 

Mai remembered her mother's words. She had never considered love as an important part of her life. All she had been focused on during all those years was to become stronger to protect her loved ones and now her main priority was to protect the village. Now that she thought about it she didn't even know how her parents had fallen in love. When her mother was her age she already had her. Mai found she had still been a bit too young to have her. But if her mother hadn't got pregnant at that age, she would never have had her. That's the kind of thought that makes you really reflect. Still, supposing that Mai married this year and that she had her child the following year, her mother would become a grandmother at only fifty-four years old. Mai found it was too young to be a grand-mother. For her sixty years old was the minimum age. 

Mai thought about all the moments she had had with Kakashi until the last time they had talked. It's true that the man had always been reserved. She tried to look for clues showing that he had feelings for her, but were her memories really reliable? 

The more Mai thought about their moments together, the more she became confused. She thought that Kakashi being nice to her was in a friendly way only. 

What a fool... She must have hurt him in some way... 

But then Mai couldn't help remembering the words Kushina had once told her.

I'm sure you and Obito would make a great couple, 'ttebane!

Do mothers have a sixth sense or what? Wait, Kushina wasn't even a mother back then. 

But he's in love with Rin.

And so what? You know I didn't love Minato at first, but when I realized he wasn't the boy I thought he was I ended up falling in love with him. So, Obito hasn't probably figured out yet that you're the one for him. 

But why would I be the one and not Rin? 

Well, that's something you just can't control or decide, you see. 

No, she hadn't seen at all what Kushina meant. 

But what if Kushina had actually been wrong? 

She had probably said that because of the old Kakashi. But he changed after Obito's and Rin's death, Mai saw him in a totally different light. And Obito was dead. So, after all maybe Kakashi was the real one for her. 

Anyway, Mai would have more time to think about all of that. She was to leave to go to Suna for the new Chūnin Exams. And Kakashi wouldn't be there, to her great relief. 

------

Mai, Yamato, Akira and the rest of the ANBU had finally arrived in Suna. It was just the day before the first stage of the Exams. Tsunade and Shizune had preferred to remain in Konoha. 

"Hokage-Sama, welcome back to Suna." 

Temari was agin the one to welcome them. 

"Thank you, Temari."