Don't Try to Guess Tsunade's Thoughts

At dusk, snow suddenly began to fall over Konoha. Pedestrians on the street hurried home while puffing out clouds of breath, but the students at the Ninja Academy ran excitedly to the playground, shouting with joy.

"It's snowing! It's snowing!"

"How beautiful."

"It feels a bit cold, though."

"Shall we build a snowman?"

Houka, Obito, and the others were also dragged out by Kurenai Yuhi, Rin, and the girls to see the snowy scenery.

"What's so good about snow?" Houka shoved his hands into his pockets, his breath turning into white droplets suspended in the cold air.

"There really isn't anything good about snow. Kid, if you don't want to look at the snow, get over here!" Tsunade appeared behind Houka like a ghost, grabbed him, and dragged him toward a corner.

Tsunade's super strength was no joke; Houka felt as if he were being dragged along by a train, completely unable to resist or exert any force against her.

Obito and the others glanced over but stopped paying attention; they had seen Tsunade once before and knew she wasn't a bad person.

"Kid!" Tsunade dragged Houka under a small tree and stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. Her eyes were fierce, and her chest was fierce—very, very fierce!

"What do you want?" Houka replied irritably. His mood had been poor for the past few days because of Danzo.

"Watch your tone. Who do you think you're standing in front of?!" Tsunade slammed a fist onto Houka's head.

"Ah!!!" Houka clutched his head, seeing stars from the pain.

Tsunade was finally satisfied. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, "You're a Shadow Clone, right? Tell that brat to meet me at the Hokage Rock before sunset!"

"Nani?" Houka was stunned.

"If you heard me, hurry up and dispel the Shadow Clone!" Tsunade slammed another fist into him.

Houka's eye twitched. Please, are you really one of the legendary Sannin? How can you not tell the difference between a Shadow Clone and the real body?!

Ever since the incident with Uchiha Yeshing, Houka had been attending classes in his real body for the past few days, while his Shadow Clone stayed home to practice hand seals and ninjutsu.

"Hmm?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, looking at Houka. After a long moment, she revealed an expression that said 'as I thought,' "Haha, I knew this body couldn't be a Shadow Clone!"

"..." You didn't say that just a moment ago, hey!

"Kid, let me ask you: as a ninja of Konoha, how do you view the village?" Tsunade changed the subject without a hint of hesitation or a blush.

In an instant, goosebumps broke out all over Houka's body; he almost blurted out, 'I do.'

Tsunade's approach was truly too cliché. It was obvious she wanted to recruit him, but she couldn't be too blatant about it, so she took a roundabout path, using every trick in the book.

Sure enough, it was the same in every world: ancient sincerity never lasts, only schemes win hearts!

Houka answered without hesitation: "The village is my home!"

"Hmm?" Tsunade seemed dissatisfied with this answer. "Home? Isn't your home the Uchiha clan?"

"I've never felt the warmth of a home within the Uchiha clan. Instead, I feel it here at the Ninja Academy, and Uncle Might Duy is also my family!" Houka shouted, suppressing the excitement in his heart. His eyes were full of acting.

"Then what about the Uchiha clan? Aren't they your kin?" Tsunade asked, unwilling to give up. "Where do you place them?"

Houka blinked twice, feeling like he couldn't quite grasp this tactic.

If Tsunade was here to recruit him, shouldn't she be bad-mouthing the Uchiha clan to death? Why did she keep mentioning them over and over?

He didn't get it.

Well, it could be a 'praise after criticism' strategy. That's a good tactic!

Houka replied: "A clan is just people with the same bloodline gathered together, but a home is people with shared ideals bonded together. To me, bloodlines and such aren't important; a home is what I truly want."

Tsunade was stunned, as if she hadn't expected Houka to say something like that.

Damn it, this kid is hard to deal with.

Tsunade gritted her teeth. Her original intention was to botch this errand, but everything was going too smoothly, which put her in a very bad mood!

"Kid, is this really your honest opinion? You should know, if your clansmen heard these words, hehehehe..." Tsunade threatened him viciously.

Houka's eye twitched. Is Tsunade really here to recruit me? Or is this a 'sting operation' to dig a giant hole for herself?

"Um, I still don't know your name, big sister. Hehe." Unable to guess Tsunade's intentions, Houka decided to play cute.

Big sister?

Tsunade suddenly revealed a strange expression.

Houka's current appearance inexplicably reminded her of her younger brother, Nawaki Senju, who had died many years ago. She remembered that whenever Nawaki made a mistake as a child, he would have this same pitiful look. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.

Tsunade slowly reached out and gently touched Houka's cheek. Her eyes seemed to lose focus as she saw her brother from many years ago.

"Nawaki..." Tsunade whispered softly.

"Huh?" Houka blinked twice. "Is your name Nawaki, big sister?"

Tsunade quickly snapped back to reality, put on a fierce expression, and slammed a fist onto Houka's head: "Don't call me big sister, you brat!"

Then, the exasperated Tsunade used the Body Flicker Technique and left.

While Houka breathed a sigh of relief, he also sighed with pity. Tsunade didn't have it easy either; her brother was dead, her lover was dead, and the clansmen were one more useless than the next. The massive Senju clan rested entirely on her shoulders alone.

After Tsunade left the Ninja Academy, she walked quietly through the streets of Konoha with a sorrowful expression. The white snow in the air danced around her like little sprites, beautiful as a painting.

It was not until sunset that Tsunade arrived at the Hokage Building.

"Tsunade, how did it go?" The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was still working at his desk, his temples already showing streaks of gray.

"Hmm, not bad." Tsunade recounted her conversation with Uchiha Houka.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded repeatedly: "A clan is people with the same bloodline gathered together, while a family is people with shared ideals gathered together... Family is what matters most. Heh, this child has already transcended the shackles of a clan and is approaching the Will of Fire!"

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi burst into laughter.

Tsunade huffed: "Don't get happy too soon. The brat is still young; who knows what he will become when he grows up."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head: "No, I think exactly the opposite of you. I believe that when he grows up, he will surely become a steadfast successor of the Will of Fire!"

"Suit yourself. I have things to do, I'm leaving." Tsunade waved her hand and turned to leave.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Afterward, he frowned in deep thought. Regarding Uchiha Houka, besides himself, Danzo must have taken an interest as well, but...

Root was certainly not a suitable place for this child's growth!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk.

The night gradually deepened.