At dusk, snow suddenly began falling over Konoha. Passersby hurried home, breathing into their hands, while the students at the Ninja Academy excitedly ran onto the playground and shouted with joy.
"It's snowing, it's snowing!"
"It's so beautiful!"
"It feels a little cold."
"Want to build a snowman?"
Houka, Obito, and the others were also dragged outside by Kurenai Yuhi and Rin to admire the snow.
"What's so interesting about snow?" Houka said, his hands in his pockets. His breath turned into white droplets that hung in the cold air.
"Snow really isn't anything special, brat. If you don't want to look at it, get over here!" Tsunade appeared behind Houka like a ghost and hauled him off toward a corner.
Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred was no joke. Houka felt as if a train were dragging him along. He was completely helpless, with no strength to resist.
Obito and the others glanced over, then paid them no more attention. They had met Tsunade once before and knew she wasn't a bad person.
"Brat!" Tsunade dragged Houka beneath a small tree and stood there with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. Her eyes were fierce, and her chest was even fiercer!
"What do you want?" Houka replied irritably. He had been in a bad mood these past few days because of Danzo.
"Watch your tone. Do you even know who you're talking to?!" Tsunade punched him on the head.
"Ah!!!" Houka clutched his head, pain making stars dance before his eyes.
Only then was Tsunade satisfied. She folded her arms and snorted. "You're a Shadow Clone, aren't you? Go tell that brat right now to meet me at Kage Rock before sunset!"
"What?" Houka stared at her in confusion.
"If you heard me, hurry up and dispel the Shadow Clone!" Tsunade punched him again.
Houka's eye twitched. Seriously, were you really one of the famed Sannin of the Ninja World? How could you not tell a Shadow Clone from the real thing?
Ever since the incident with Uchiha Yeshing, Houka had been attending lessons in person these past few days, while his Shadow Clone practiced Hand Seals and ninjutsu at home.
"Hm?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at Houka. A moment later, she wore an expression that said she'd known it all along. "Haha, I knew this couldn't be a Shadow Clone!"
"..." That's not what you said just now!
"Brat, answer me this: as a ninja of Konoha, what do you think of the village?" Tsunade asked, without the slightest hint of embarrassment as she changed the subject.
In an instant, Houka's skin prickled all over. He nearly blurted out, I'm in!
Tsunade's approach was painfully obvious. She clearly wanted to recruit him, but couldn't be too direct, so she was taking a roundabout route and relying on every trick in the book.
Sure enough, it was the same in every world. Sincerity had never won anyone's heart; only a good scheme could do that!
Houka replied without hesitation, "The village is my home!"
"Hm?" Tsunade seemed dissatisfied with his answer. "Home? Isn't your home the Uchiha Clan?"
"I don't feel at home in the Uchiha Clan. But I do feel at home at the Ninja Academy, and Uncle Might Duy is family to me, too!" Houka shouted, suppressing his excitement. His eyes were full of theatrical emotion.
"What about the Uchiha Clan? Aren't they your kin?" Tsunade pressed. "Where does that leave them?"
Houka blinked twice, feeling like he couldn't follow her line of questioning.
If Tsunade was trying to recruit him, shouldn't she be badmouthing the Uchiha Clan as much as possible? Why had she brought them up again and again?
He couldn't make sense of it.
Well, maybe she was putting them down before raising them up. That was a decent strategy!
Houka replied, "A clan is made up of people bound together by the same bloodline. A home is made up of people brought together by shared ideals. To me, blood doesn't matter. A home is what I want."
Tsunade froze, apparently not expecting Houka to say something like that.
Damn it, this brat's hard to handle.
Tsunade gritted her teeth. She had intended to botch this assignment, but everything was going far too smoothly, and it put her in a foul mood!
"Brat, do you really mean that? You know, if your clansmen heard you say that, heh heh heh..." Tsunade threatened him fiercely.
Houka's eye twitched. Was Tsunade really here to recruit him? Or was she setting a trap for him and digging a pit for him to fall into?
"Um, I still don't know your name, miss. Hehe." Unable to read Tsunade's mind, Houka decided to act cute.
Miss?
Tsunade suddenly looked stricken.
Something about Houka's appearance reminded her of her younger brother, Nawaki Senju, who had died many years ago. Whenever Nawaki got into trouble as a child, he'd worn that same pitiful little face. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.
Tsunade slowly reached out and gently touched Houka's cheek. Her eyes lost focus as she saw the image of her younger brother from years ago.
"Nawaki..." Tsunade murmured.
"Huh?" Houka blinked twice. "Is your name Nawaki?"
Tsunade quickly came back to her senses, scowled fiercely, and punched Houka on the head. "Don't call me that, brat!"
Then Tsunade, flustered and furious, used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.
Houka breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a pang of sympathy. Tsunade had it rough. Her younger brother was dead, her lover was dead, and one clansman after another was useless. The whole Senju Clan rested on her shoulders.
After leaving the Ninja Academy, Tsunade walked silently along the streets of Konoha, her expression sorrowful. White snow danced around her like fluttering sprites, making her look like a figure in a painting.
It wasn't until sunset that Tsunade arrived at the Hokage Building.
"Tsunade, how did it go?" The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was still working. His temples had already begun to turn gray.
"Not bad." Tsunade recounted her conversation with Houka.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded repeatedly. "A clan is made up of people bound together by the same bloodline, while a home is made up of people brought together by shared ideals... A home is what matters most. Heh, this child has already gone beyond the constraints of a clan and is approaching the Will of Fire!"
As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi burst into hearty laughter.
Tsunade snorted. "Don't celebrate too soon. The brat's still young. Who knows what he'll turn into when he grows up?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "No, I think the exact opposite. I believe that when he grows up, he'll surely become a steadfast bearer of the Will of Fire!"
"Whatever you say. I have things to do, so I'm leaving." Tsunade waved and turned to go.
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze, then shook his head with a wry smile.
Afterward, he frowned and fell into thought. As for Uchiha Houka, Danzo had surely taken an interest in him too. It was just that...
Root was no place for a child like him to grow up!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk.
Night slowly deepened.
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