Kushina Uzumaki

The Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant in Konoha.

"Why are you two here?"

In a private room, Tsunade held a cup of sake and looked at Jiraiya and Orochimaru across from her with curiosity.

When she and Uchiha Gen had just entered the barbecue restaurant, they had spotted Jiraiya and Orochimaru arriving at the same time.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You actually got up this early? And instead of heading to the casino, you came here to spend money on barbecue?! Wait, do you even have money? Did you rob Nawaki again? Tsk, tsk, I really feel sorry for Nawaki~"

Jiraiya's opening words perfectly demonstrated why some people just couldn't keep their mouths shut.

The next moment, Jiraiya found himself kissing the wall of the private room.

"Idiot."

Orochimaru simply took a calm sip of his drink and watched Uchiha Gen grilling meat with curiosity. He was fascinated by this Uchiha who often showed up at the Senju Compound.

Jiraiya, used to getting beaten up, calmly climbed down from the wall and returned to the table. He picked up his cup and drained it in one gulp.

"What have you two been doing lately? I haven't seen either of you around, especially you. I haven't seen you in a whole year."

Tsunade glanced at the meat Uchiha Gen was grilling. It wasn't ready yet, so she turned to Orochimaru and asked.

It wasn't strange that she was curious about Orochimaru's whereabouts. Nawaki was Orochimaru's student, and with Orochimaru gone, he had no teacher to guide him. He was currently studying under a jonin she knew, whom she had asked to help.

An ordinary jonin certainly couldn't teach as well as Orochimaru. She had a great deal of faith in Orochimaru's abilities, even though she had never fought him.

"Friction between the villages has been growing worse lately, so I've been busy with missions. As for Nawaki... I'm sorry. I'll make it up to him."

Orochimaru understood why Tsunade had asked. He could only apologize. War was approaching, and the old man seemed intent on putting him through his paces, so he had been given a constant stream of missions.

Still, the results had been good. He had earned a decent reputation in the village.

"Heh, I'm different. I've been training Minato in all sorts of things. Little Xuan, maybe you wouldn't even be able to beat Minato now."

Jiraiya spoke with confidence.

The more he taught Minato, the more firmly Jiraiya believed that Minato Namikaze was probably the savior he had been searching for.

While teaching Minato, Jiraiya had seen what a true genius was like. He learned anything as soon as it was taught to him, and could even draw inferences and add his own insights.

It was Jiraiya's first time as a teacher, and especially as the teacher of a genius. He suddenly understood why the old man Sarutobi thought so highly of Orochimaru.

"I doubt someone like you could teach anyone worthwhile."

Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Hey, now, that's just wrong! Who do you think I am? I'm Jiraiya, the great—"

As Jiraiya and Tsunade bickered, Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen watched from the side.

The trio, reunited after so long, drank quite a lot. Since Uchiha Gen couldn't drink, once he'd eaten his fill, he went off by himself, closed his eyes, and quietly practiced cultivating his qi.

The gathering didn't end until late.

Supporting the drunken Tsunade all the way back to the Senju Compound, Uchiha Gen stepped inside and immediately spotted two red-haired figures, one tall and one small.

At the sight of the unfamiliar little redhead, Uchiha Gen stopped in his tracks and looked toward Mito Uzumaki, still supporting Tsunade.

Kushina Uzumaki's arrival also meant that the old woman's life had begun its final countdown.

"You're back. This is Kushina, a member of Grandma's clan. And this is my granddaughter, Tsunade. You can go to her whenever you need anything. This is Gen. He's your age, so I'm sure you'll become friends."

Seeing the two come in, Mito Uzumaki smiled and introduced them to Kushina, then introduced Kushina to them.

"Y-You... hello. I'm... Kushina. Kushina Uzumaki, dattebane."

At that, Kushina hurried over and bowed to them. She seemed so nervous that she stammered and slipped into her verbal tic.

Kushina realized she'd let her verbal tic slip, and her little face turned bright red in an instant. With her already vivid red hair, she looked like a little tomato.

"Mm. She's drunk. Grandma Mito, I'll take her to her room first."

Uchiha Gen gave Kushina a calm nod, then turned to Mito Uzumaki and spoke softly. Without waiting for a reply, he supported Tsunade and headed into the inner courtyard.

"This is the first time the child's willingly called me Grandma, isn't it? Haha. Don't worry about it, Kushina. Gen is just like that. Once you get to know each other, he'll be much easier to get along with."

Watching Uchiha Gen leave, Mito Uzumaki smiled. She looked down at the troubled Kushina and spoke gently.

"Mm."

Kushina only lowered her head and answered softly. She was terrified and uneasy in this unfamiliar place, and that nervousness grew worse after she had tried to be friendly with Uchiha Gen but hadn't received a warm response.

"Ah, I should have told you about Gen's personality beforehand."

Seeing her like that, Mito Uzumaki sighed helplessly and reached out to gently stroke Kushina's hair, as if trying to comfort her.

"Stop pretending. You can't fool your grandma."

In Tsunade's room, after laying her on the bed, Uchiha Gen rolled his eyes and spoke softly.

But the next second, the sharp smell of alcohol and a faint fragrance washed over him.

It was Tsunade. She had wrapped her arms around him in an instant.

"Don't move. Let me hold you for a while."

Tsunade clung tightly to Uchiha Gen, resting her head on his shoulder as she spoke in a muffled voice.

A damp warmth spread over his shoulder, but Uchiha Gen remained still.

Tsunade actually knew everything about why Kushina Uzumaki had come to Konoha.

"Those two children..."

In the courtyard, Mito Uzumaki stroked Kushina's head and suddenly looked up toward Uchiha Gen and Tsunade's room. Her eyes held both reluctance and acceptance as she gently shook her head.

"Hashirama, I've done everything I could. Soon, I'll be able to see you. I wonder if you'll even remember me, you fool."

Mito Uzumaki looked away and lifted her gaze to the full moon in the sky. Her clear eyes reflected a deep longing.