Chance Encounter with Mito Uzumaki

The sun gradually climbed to its highest point, its scorching rays beating down on the ground and leaving people drenched in sweat.

As time passed, the Ninja Academy's tests quickly came to an end.

Once the proctors announced that the results were out, a large crowd noisily poured out of the testing grounds.

Hoshiryu Uchiha naturally was not in a rush. He only headed to the Ninja Academy's bulletin board after most people had dispersed.

By then, many people had already gathered around the board. Some wore excited expressions, while the children whose names had not made the list looked crestfallen.

Just as he had expected, his name was on Elite Class One's enrollment list.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had also entered Elite Class One. Only Might Duy had been assigned to an ordinary class.

The result matched his expectations. Although Jiraiya and Orochimaru did not come from shinobi clans, their talent was still exceptional.

There was no need to mention Orochimaru. Though Jiraiya had been a dead last before signing a contract with Mount Myoboku, he had still been the dead last of an elite class.

Moreover, he possessed an absurd amount of Chakra. Otherwise, he would never have qualified to cultivate Sage Mode.

Hoshiryu glanced at the sky. It was already noon, and it was too late to go home and prepare lunch.

He had received plenty of compensation from the clan today, so he decided to indulge himself with a good meal at Barbecue Q.

He hurried all the way to Barbecue Q, lifted the curtain at the entrance, and stepped inside.

The moment Hoshiryu entered, the owner approached with a smile to take his order.

The last time he had eaten here, he had spent more by himself than an entire group of customers. Naturally, the owner was delighted to see him.

Hoshiryu ordered calmly. After all, he was spending his own money. If he had been freeloading, then he would have had a smile on his face.

Barbecue Q was packed today, every table full. Most of the patrons had come to celebrate their children successfully entering the academy.

Just then, a young woman with crimson hair tied into a bun entered the restaurant with Tsunade.

"Grandma, I got into the best class! How are you going to reward me today?"

Tsunade skipped over to Mito Uzumaki's side, her delight impossible to miss.

Clearly, Tsunade's grandmother—the young woman with red hair—was none other than Mito Uzumaki.

Mito crouched down and gently stroked Tsunade's head.

Seeing that every nearby seat was occupied, she looked troubled for a moment.

Then her eyes lit up. She spotted Hoshiryu sitting alone and pointed at him.

"Then I'll introduce you to a handsome little boy."

Ignoring Tsunade's awkward expression, she took her hand and led her over to Hoshiryu's table.

"Handsome little boy, would you mind sharing a table? Everywhere else is full. How about I treat you to this meal?"

Hoshiryu, who had been watching the drama unfold, immediately went numb. The spectator had become part of the drama after all.

No wonder Tsunade and Kushina Uzumaki were so fiery in the future. They must have learned it from Mito Uzumaki...

However, the moment he heard Mito say she would pay, his gloomy expression instantly brightened, and he flashed a cheerful smile.

"Of course, pretty big sister and cute little sister."

Seeing Hoshiryu's smile, Mito felt that something was off, but she was very pleased that he had called her a pretty big sister.

So she did not dwell on such a minor detail. It was only one meal, after all. This entire street belonged to her, and she had no interest in money.

Pulling the unwilling Tsunade into the seat across from Hoshiryu, Mito asked with a hint of sympathy, "Handsome little boy, are you entering the academy this year too? Which class are you in?"

Hoshiryu looked so young, yet he had come here to eat all by himself.

Combined with the war that had just ended, there was a high chance that the child's parents had both died in battle.

Naturally, Mito would not touch upon such a sensitive subject. Having lived for decades, she possessed at least that much wisdom.

Hoshiryu was left full of question marks by Mito's gaze, but he still answered her question.

"I'm entering this year as well. I got into Elite Class One."

Tsunade was somewhat surprised. She had not expected Hoshiryu to be in the same class as her.

Although none of her little friends had gone to an ordinary class, they had all been placed in the relatively weaker Elite Class Two.

Still, she was a little unhappy. Pouting, she said to Mito, "Grandma, look at the Clan Crest on his clothes. He's from the Uchiha Clan."

Mito's expression immediately changed upon hearing that. She looked at Tsunade seriously and said, "You're wrong, Tsunade. I can understand that there are discordant voices within the clan, after fighting the Uchiha for so long."

"But you cannot be like that. You are Hashirama Senju's granddaughter. Everyone will be watching you."

"The Uchiha are also members of the village. You must set an example by accepting the Uchiha. Otherwise, wouldn't your Great Grandfather's lifelong wish be ruined?"

After saying that, Mito turned to Hoshiryu and apologized, "I'm sorry. Tsunade is still young, so she may not fully understand these principles yet."

"You seem to like this restaurant very much, so how about this? From now on, you won't have to pay whenever you eat here. Put everything on my tab."

Seeing Mito's stern expression, Tsunade did not fully understand the reasoning behind it, but she obediently apologized to Hoshiryu anyway.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive my mistake."

Seeing both the older and younger woman apologize to him, Hoshiryu hurriedly said, "It's all right. You don't need to be so serious."

Those words naturally did not make Hoshiryu angry. Setting aside the fact that he himself had practically been half-abandoned by the Uchiha Clan,

his sights would never be limited by a single clan. He simply had not expected Mito to possess such breadth of character.

The Uchiha appeared independent and aloof within Konoha, as though they were extremely exclusionary and unable to truly integrate into the village.

In truth, the opposite was the case. It was the village that could not tolerate the Uchiha, and that would eventually lead to a battle between the Uchiha and Konoha.

When Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha founded Konoha together, their original intention had been to let every child from every shinobi clan grow up safely.

Since Hashirama possessed such an ideal, he naturally would not reject the Uchiha. Under his influence, no one would reject the Uchiha Clan either.

But later, he and Madara Uchiha went their separate ways. Their battle left Hashirama gravely wounded beyond recovery, and he passed away not long afterward.

This directly left Konoha without the strength to suppress the Ninja World, indirectly bringing about the war.

Thus, Konoha's unconscious rejection of the Uchiha Clan was a powerless act of misplaced resentment, yet it was also an understandable part of human nature.

After all, so many people had died in the Great Shinobi War. The lovers, parents, and children of those who had died would naturally vent their resentment on others.

The resentment within the village, Tobirama Senju's open schemes, and the Uchiha's own arrogant nature had left the clan utterly out of place in the village.

Yet Mito Uzumaki, the person who should have resented the Uchiha most, had instead chosen to uphold the greater good. Her courage and magnanimity made Hoshiryu see her in a new light.