Fireworks Aftermath

Unlike over at Mito Uzumaki's place, Tsunade's side was filled with joy.

After Tsunade asked where the fireworks had come from, Hoshiryu Uchiha kept dodging the question.

But in the end, Tsunade was still the more skilled one.

Hoshiryu Uchiha looked helplessly at Tsunade, who was tightly clutching the corner of his clothes, then raised both hands in surrender.

"All right, all right, you win."

"I really can't tell you where the fireworks came from right now. It wouldn't do either of us any good."

"How about this? Let's make a promise."

Tsunade's eyes lit up at the mention of a promise. She had never made one with anyone before.

Now that Hoshiryu Uchiha had brought it up, she thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Seeing Tsunade nod, Hoshiryu Uchiha continued.

"Then if you still haven't figured out the secret of the fireworks by the time you graduate from the Ninja Academy, I'll tell you."

"As compensation, I'll take you to watch them once every year. How does that sound?"

When she heard that she would have to wait until graduation from the Ninja Academy to find out, Tsunade hesitated for a while.

But the moment Hoshiryu Uchiha said she could watch them once every year, she started nodding as fast as a chick pecking at grain.

Hoshiryu Uchiha could not help but laugh.

That laugh made Tsunade a little embarrassed, and she slowly stopped nodding.

Her gaze wandered for a moment before she softly said,

"Thank you, Hoshiryu."

Hoshiryu Uchiha did not ask Tsunade what she was thanking him for.

Even if he was a straight man, he knew better than to court death at a time like this.

He turned around and crouched down, signaling for Tsunade to climb onto his back. It was time to go home.

Tsunade's little face flushed red, but she obediently climbed on.

Along the way, neither of them spoke.

Or rather, everything that needed to be said was already in their hearts.

At that moment, the bond between them became unbreakable.

When they returned to the Senju Compound, Mito Uzumaki was sitting in the middle of the living room.

The moment Hoshiryu Uchiha saw her, he could not help shrinking back.

He had caused trouble without telling her beforehand, and the trouble he had caused was actually rather significant.

A massive amount of Chakra had gathered above Konoha. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought someone was attacking Konoha.

The reason he could return home safely now instead of ending up in an ANBU interrogation room—

Was most likely because Mito Uzumaki had pulled some strings.

Knowing that he had made a mistake, Hoshiryu Uchiha could only smile sheepishly.

Mito Uzumaki shot him an exasperated glance, then looked at Tsunade behind Hoshiryu Uchiha and could only let out a heavy sigh.

There was nothing she could do. One was her biological granddaughter, and the other was her adopted grandson.

They were both the apples of her eye. She simply could not bear to do anything to them.

Mito Uzumaki could only say earnestly,

"Hoshiryu, if you intend to do something like this again in the future, it would be better to tell this old woman beforehand."

"This old woman still has some standing in Konoha. Filing this sort of matter in advance would be easy enough."

"Just this once. No more next time, all right?"

At that moment, Hoshiryu Uchiha also turned into a little chick, nodding repeatedly.

But then he seemed to think of something.

After hesitating for a moment, he still spoke up.

"Then I'd like to file a request. From now on, I want to hold a fireworks display at this time every year."

Those words nearly made Mito Uzumaki lose her composure, but seeing Tsunade's expectant eyes beside him, she still agreed.

After that, she said nothing more and sent the two of them off to rest.

Mito Uzumaki actually wanted to know how Hoshiryu Uchiha had done it.

The level of Chakra above Konoha was far beyond what a child could possibly possess.

It was no less than her own Chakra.

What was more, the mastery of Fire Style revealed through those fireworks was even more beyond comparison.

Even Madara Uchiha from back then would have fallen far short compared to Hoshiryu Uchiha.

The fireworks formed from flames had different shapes and temperatures.

Such mastery was simply not something a human could achieve.

But since Hoshiryu Uchiha was unwilling to say anything himself, Mito Uzumaki would not press him. She would continue trusting him instead.

She took a broad view of things. Battles between ordinary ninja were battles of intelligence.

Hidan possessed an immortal body, and Asuma did not know his information, which led to him being ambushed and killed.

But once they had the information, Shikamaru directly turned the tables and killed him.

The intelligence Jiraiya had gathered allowed Naruto Uzumaki to fight Pain more effectively and ultimately achieve victory.

Of course, that was a confrontation between ordinary ninja.

People like Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju had mechs bigger than the other.

Even if you had their intelligence—

Could you deal with a Susanoo as tall as a mountain, or True Several Thousand Hands that could seize the Nine-Tails as easily as grabbing a chick?

Although Mito Uzumaki did not know exactly how strong Hoshiryu Uchiha was,

Keeping a ninja's ninjutsu secret was also a form of protection for that ninja.

And the best way to keep a secret was for only the person themselves to know it.

Therefore, as long as Hoshiryu Uchiha did not reveal it publicly, she would not interfere.

Mito Uzumaki's attitude also influenced Yosuke Senju, and he did not ask any further questions.

And so, the matter passed with much thunder but little rain.

Early the next morning, after the three of them finished breakfast, they headed to school together.

Once they arrived, they found that the classmates were all discussing last night's fireworks and guessing who had set them off.

Some even had sensory ninja in their families and were whispering about something among themselves.

Hoshiryu Uchiha and Tsunade exchanged a glance, both seeing the amusement in the other's eyes.

Yet with unspoken understanding, neither of them joined the others in discussing the fireworks.

A trace of puzzlement appeared on Orochimaru's pale face.

Did I miss something? Why does it feel like they're hiding something from me?

Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Jiraiya, ever the familiar type, ran over and quickly hit it off with Orochimaru.

Literally hit it off, because Orochimaru overreacted and gave Jiraiya an over-the-shoulder throw.

Then things developed into this:

Jiraiya issued a battle invitation, Jiraiya charged in, Jiraiya could not get back up.

Hoshiryu Uchiha and Tsunade laughed heartily from the side.

But after the two of them finished, Hoshiryu Uchiha stepped forward to mediate.

"All right, both of you were at fault, so stop making a fuss."

Orochimaru felt that Hoshiryu Uchiha was right. He had indeed overreacted and attacked Jiraiya.

He then apologized to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya had still been rather unwilling to accept it, but after hearing Orochimaru apologize first, he awkwardly apologized as well.

What had happened between the two of them made Hoshiryu Uchiha sigh inwardly.

If Madara Uchiha had not survived, and if neither of them possessed the bloodline of Otsutsuki descendants,

Then this generation's Asura and Indra might very well have been Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

Their relationship was extremely similar to that of Sasuke and Naruto in the future.

Fortunately, it was not them. Otherwise, would that not have ruined a scientific genius?

Yakushi Nonō had also arrived early. She sat in a relatively secluded spot, watching everything in the classroom.

But her eyes were unfocused, and her thoughts had long since drifted who knew where.

The liveliness belongs to them. I have nothing left.

Thinking this, Yakushi Nonō slowly closed her eyes.