Mito Uzumaki's Trust

"Uchiha... Hoshiryu?"

Standing outside the door, Uchiha Chiri listened to the genius her grandfather and father were discussing and muttered to herself.

Then she cast an unwilling glance at the door, as if she could see through it and glimpse the two men inside.

A tomoe slowly surfaced in Uchiha Chiri's eyes, then faded away.

Whether it was because she lacked Chakra or because her emotional surge had not reached the necessary threshold, no one knew.

This time, her Sharingan did not awaken.

But that only proved that Uchiha Chiri was an undeniable genius.

However, Uchiha Chiri's little commotion alerted the two people inside.

The moment Uchiha Sen opened the door, he saw Uchiha Chiri standing there with her lips pursed and her eyes red-rimmed.

He did not need to think to know that his little princess had overheard their conversation and gotten jealous.

Seeing this, Uchiha Ang quickly rose and scooped Uchiha Chiri into his arms.

"What's wrong with my little darling? Who made you unhappy? Tell Grandpa, and I'll show him what happens."

Uchiha Ang placed great importance on profit, but there was one exception: his granddaughter, Uchiha Chiri.

Uchiha Chiri had lost her mother at a young age. To make up for that missing love, the entire family treated her like a princess.

It was no exaggeration to say that she had been given whatever she wanted since childhood. Most children raised that way would have become utterly spoiled.

Yet Uchiha Chiri remained levelheaded, neither arrogant nor impatient, which put everyone at ease.

She was also polite and well-mannered in her dealings with others, appearing practically flawless before outsiders.

But the seemingly perfect Uchiha Chiri had one flaw: she was easily jealous, a little jar of vinegar.

Perhaps it was because Uchiha Ang and Uchiha Sen cared for her too much. Their excessive love made Uchiha Chiri especially possessive of them.

Uchiha Chiri buried her head in Uchiha Ang's chest and asked in a muffled voice,

"Is that Uchiha Hoshiryu really that amazing? Is he even better than me?"

Hearing that, Uchiha Ang shot Uchiha Sen a look, telling him to come up with something quickly.

Uchiha Sen gave a bitter smile in response, having no idea how to smooth things over.

Fortunately, Uchiha Chiri's jealousy came quickly and went just as quickly.

Before either her grandfather or father could answer, she wriggled free and jumped out of Uchiha Ang's arms.

Unlike her tear-streaked face from moments ago, her face was now brimming with determination.

"Uchiha Hoshiryu may be stronger right now, but I'll definitely surpass him someday!"

"I'm going to train. Call me when it's time to eat."

Without waiting for either of them to say anything, she dashed away in the blink of an eye.

The two men were left standing there, their faces full of pride.

As expected of my daughter (granddaughter)!

Meanwhile, Mito Uzumaki completed the paperwork with Hoshiryu Uchiha and officially adopted him.

News of her adopting an Uchiha would spread throughout Konoha within a few days.

Mito Uzumaki held Hoshiryu Uchiha's hand as they slowly made their way home.

Hoshiryu Uchiha seemed hesitant to speak, unable to understand why Mito had not asked him anything.

They walked for a long while. Hoshiryu Uchiha could already see the Senju Clan Compound, yet Mito Uzumaki had still not asked him a single question.

Unable to hold it in any longer, he let go of her hand and asked the Mito Uzumaki who had stopped walking,

"Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

Mito Uzumaki turned to look at the boy before her. Gazing into his clear eyes, she slowly said,

"Everyone has secrets they do not want others to know. If you want to tell me something, you'll naturally tell me."

With that, she smiled faintly and flicked Hoshiryu Uchiha on the forehead.

Seeing him wince and clutch his forehead, she smiled even more brightly.

Only after a while did Mito Uzumaki stop laughing and continue,

"Do you know what Hashirama regretted most?"

Hoshiryu Uchiha heard this and recalled Hashirama Senju's life from the Hokage story.

He had witnessed the cruelty of the Warring States, where children under ten slaughtered one another and Hell stretched as far as the eye could see.

He had met Madara Uchiha. They came together because they shared the same ideals, then parted ways because their dreams differed.

He founded Konoha and distributed the tailed beasts, hoping to balance the Five Great Nations and bring lasting peace to that shattered continent.

Hashirama Senju had far too many regrets. His brothers had never been able to grow up healthy, falling forever in the Warring States.

He had wanted peace, yet personally handed weapons to others.

His closest friend, Madara Uchiha, had fallen by his own hand merely because they chose different paths and ideals.

For a moment, Hoshiryu Uchiha could not tell which regret she meant.

Before Hoshiryu Uchiha could answer, Mito Uzumaki began telling the story on her own.

"Hashirama once told me that the thing he regretted most in his life was failing to pull his closest friend back onto the right path."

"I still remember that day, the day Hashirama personally buried an Uchiha."

"That day, when Hashirama returned, he collapsed into my arms. He was covered in wounds, wounds that even his ability to heal without hand seals could not mend."

"It was the first time I had ever seen him so heartbroken. He cried and told me, 'If I had let Madara become Hokage from the beginning, things would never have come to this.'"

"He also said things like Madara was right, and that he had strayed from his original intentions."

"Honestly, Hashirama never cared that much about me. Thinking about it makes me a little angry."

As she spoke, Mito Uzumaki puffed out her cheeks in irritation, but then she fell silent.

Hoshiryu Uchiha did not disturb Mito Uzumaki. He knew she had remembered something painful.

Mito Uzumaki recovered after a moment. She stroked Hoshiryu Uchiha's head and continued,

"After that, although Hashirama's physical wounds healed, his Chakra became lifeless."

"It gave me a bad feeling. Although Hashirama seemed no different from before, I already knew what the outcome would be."

"Sure enough, Hashirama left before Little Tsunade could grow up, leaving this old woman all alone."

"Afterward, I came to understand something: when you trust someone, the person you trust also hopes you can hold on to that original intention and continue trusting them."

At that, Mito Uzumaki looked into Hoshiryu Uchiha's clear eyes and asked sincerely,

"Child, can I trust you?"

Hoshiryu Uchiha had never encountered such sincere emotion and words in either of his lives.

That genuine feeling undoubtedly moved him, striking deep within his heart.

"Of course. You can trust me forever! As long as Sister Mito trusts me, I will never betray my original intentions."

At that moment, Hoshiryu Uchiha truly accepted Mito Uzumaki in his heart.

Though there were many details of the story that Mito Uzumaki herself did not know, her unconditional trust in him was unquestionably real.

And the only fitting response to such feelings was trust of equal measure.