The Young Master Brought a Girl

The enormous gate of Konohagakure bore two massive characters: "A" and "Un."

"A" was the word of beginnings, and "Un" was the word of endings.

The characters, carved from the words "A" and "Un," which governed beginnings and endings, carried the hope that those who went out on missions would return safely, as well as the wishes for "the village to prosper" and "conflict to end."

The words of the Sages, passed down through generations, had been a clever touch by Hashirama, who was well versed in senjutsu.

Diejian and the other members of Team Six returned from their mission and looked up at the enormous gate and its somewhat silly-looking characters. They couldn't help but feel relieved.

"We finally made it..."

"Juri, the mission isn't over until we get home safely."

"Teacher, don't make it sound like we're on a field trip. You'll just make everyone let their guard down."

Team Six had been active for some time now, and the members had completed a fair number of missions.

A cool breeze carrying the crisp chill of winter swept away the warmth from their tired bodies.

After passing through the gate and stepping over the threshold, Juri set her enormous backpack down on the ground.

Kagami disapproved of Juri's slack attitude and admonished her, while Diejian couldn't help but snort with laughter.

Unlike the two who looked exhausted, Sakumo stood beside Kagami with a calm expression. He looked at Juri, sitting with her hands on her knees, and Diejian, standing next to her, then shrugged helplessly.

"Doing the same thing over and over every day would wear anyone down—even me. Not physically, but mentally."

Juri lifted her head lazily, and Sakumo tilted his head as if he couldn't deal with her.

It wasn't clear whether he meant to say he understood her, or to tell her to stop complaining.

Meanwhile, Diejian raised one eyebrow awkwardly at Juri's words. Seeing this, Kagami spoke up.

"This is a long-term contract, so there's no helping it. Besides, I think it's a good job."

"Lord Hokage assigned it directly, and the pay is good. I'd say it's a pretty sweet deal."

Sakumo echoed Kagami. Juri replied vaguely, "I know that..."

At the moment, Team Six was carrying out a long-term mission.

It was the project Diejian and Tobirama had discussed before: building enormous statues of Hashirama and Madara at the Valley of the End.

When they first received the mission, Juri had been full of enthusiasm at the chance to help create a statue of the strongest man in the Uchiha Clan. But now she was like this.

There was a reason for it.

"But, Hatake Sakumo, don't you think this job lacks a little elegance?"

"Well, lately all we've been doing is delivering boxed lunches to the craftsmen."

When the mission began, the site—the Waterfall of the End—had been left in the same state as when Hashirama and Madara fought there. It was desolate.

A vast lake lay at the heart of the forest, with a gorge running through it as though it had split the lake in two.

The gorge was so immense that it seemed to stretch from one end of the land to the other. It was the scar left behind by the deadly battle between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.

Once a perilous, bottomless ravine that seemed to symbolize the abyss of Uchiha Madara, it had become a river over the long years.

But it had never been paved or repaired, so it was prone to flooding.

The same was true of the area near the waterfall, where the statues were to be carved. Even the craftsmen who had once carved the Hokage Face Rock couldn't start work right away.

So Team Six's first assignment had been to prepare a site where the craftsmen could work safely.

Diejian, who couldn't use Earth Release, and Juri, who had never learned it in the first place, used wheelbarrows to haul the soil and sand from the work done by Sakumo and Kagami to a dumping ground.

Sakumo, Diejian, and Kagami even used Shadow Clones to improve their efficiency. But it took more than half a year to prepare the river from the lake to the waterfall, and the craftsmen had only recently begun carving.

Once the carving work began, the team had to stay at the site to protect the craftsmen and remain on standby in case of an emergency.

Near midday every day, two members of Team Six hurried back to the village to bring hot boxed lunches.

After the meal, they collected the empty lunch boxes from the many workers, washed them downstream, and packed them into their large backpacks. Then they waited until work ended for the day.

Even Diejian, who had volunteered for the mission, wanted to say, "I didn't expect it to be like this." But the Team Six shinobi were complete amateurs at carving, and there was no way they could take part in creating the two enormous statues, which were meant to demonstrate the village's power.

"We miscalculated" was what Diejian and Juri said. "Of course we did" was what Sakumo and Kagami said.

"Well, tomorrow's our first day off in ages. We should all go out to eat together as Team Six, right?"

"Why should I have to spend my precious day off with a Senju?"

Spring, summer, and autumn had passed, and winter had arrived, but Juri's attitude toward Diejian hadn't changed much.

Kagami had told Diejian, "She's probably just putting on a brave front. Could you give her a little more time?" Diejian had shown the patience of an adult.

Sakumo had also continued watching Juri challenge Diejian only to be effortlessly brushed aside. From the little details in her behavior, he seemed to have noticed something beneath the foolishness that appeared to be part of Juri's nature. The tension he'd felt at first had quietly faded.

"Sorry, Diejian. I have plans tomorrow too, though not like Juri."

"Is that so? Teacher Kagami, you..."

"I have something to take care of too."

"I see..."

In the end, everyone turned him down, and Diejian looked a little dejected. Juri, meanwhile, laughed, "Wuhahahahaha!" Her exhaustion vanished, and she looked delighted.

As Juri laughed with a choking "Wuh, wuh, wuh," Diejian gave her a light smack on the back of the head. It landed with a crisp "pa."

"What was that for?!"

Ignoring Juri as she clutched her head, face flushed red, Diejian went to file the mission report. Kagami and Sakumo followed behind him with wry smiles.

"Senju!"

Diejian dodged Juri's flying kick by leaning aside without even looking back, then continued on as if nothing had happened.

Over the past six months, Diejian seemed to have figured out how to deal with Juri. He was getting better at judging the right balance between being friendly and bantering with her.

It was an oddly hard-to-describe friendship, but Diejian figured that slowly getting closer was fine.

Diejian had always laughed off Juri's words and actions, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Compromising to get along wasn't always wrong, but if something bothered him, then it bothered him.

Unlike his naturally optimistic and loving Grandfather, Diejian couldn't truly laugh off everything Juri did.

Rather than quietly grumbling later and letting the stress build up, perhaps they could form a better relationship by getting angry when they needed to and letting their feelings clash.

It was different from his friendship with Sakumo and his relationship with Ina. Was this what you called friends who fought? Diejian thought there was nothing wrong with that kind of relationship.

"Well, I'll be off first."

After filing that day's mission report and returning the backpack full of lunch boxes to the person in charge, Sakumo hurried off home first.

"Hmm? Is he in a hurry for something?"

"He probably has all sorts of things to do. Don't worry about it."

"Hmm..."

Diejian gave a wry smile as he tried to reassure Juri, who was tilting her head and watching Sakumo leave.

Juri's attitude was still the same, but working together as a team had brought about some small changes.

She had started taking an interest in what her teammates were doing, and something like possessiveness had begun to sprout.

Diejian thought it was a good sign. Still, to think that was where it started... He found it amusing in hindsight.

After spending time with Juri, his impression of her was that she was like a pure-hearted child.

The mask she'd put on to protect herself had become stubborn and difficult to remove, but beneath it, he could also see a desire to show her honest self.

In that way, she was a little like me too... Diejian felt slightly embarrassed, but he also smiled wryly at how difficult it was to get closer to Juri.

He couldn't help admiring how remarkably Hashirama and Ina had managed to "win him over."

"I have a meeting with Lord Hokage later. Juri, you can head home first."

"You don't have to tell me. I was going home anyway!"

"Right, right. Diejian, sorry to trouble you, but could you walk Juri home?"

Beside Diejian, who nodded, Juri's eyes widened with a sharp "Gah," and she glared fiercely.

"I don't need that!"

"That's how things stand. I'm counting on you, Diejian."

"I said I don't need it!"

Kagami suddenly pulled a wallet from his pocket, took out a few bills, and pressed them into Diejian's hand.

"I'll probably be tied up until late. I hope you two will eat dinner out. This should be enough for both you and Diejian."

"Is that okay, Teacher?"

It was a generous amount for a single dinner. Diejian's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why don't you give it to me?!"

Kagami answered Juri's loud protest bluntly. "You'd only spend it on snacks!" Then, as if scolding her, he rubbed her soft cheeks between his hands.

Seeing Juri's face, even her forehead flushed red with embarrassment and indignation, Diejian thought, I should try that with Tsunade too...

"Why do I have to eat with a Senju... and just the two of us?!"

"Otherwise, would you rather eat with Lord Hokage and me?"

"Come on, Senju! Stop dawdling!"

Ever since the Genin promotion exam, Juri had been deeply traumatized by Tobirama. She reacted at once.

She spun around and hurried down the corridor, her footsteps pattering away.

"Sorry. She's just not very honest."

"I understand."

Diejian smiled at the crestfallen Kagami, bowed, said, "Excuse me," and went after Juri.

"So, what are we eating?"

On the road at dusk,

Diejian and Juri walked side by side, passing people coming and going.

At the edge of his vision, Juri's twin tails bounced and swayed. He suppressed the urge to tug on them, a feat of self-control he owed to the "lessons" Ina and Tsunade had given him after becoming his victims.

Diejian wasn't a cat, but he did have a habit of wanting to tug at anything that moved.

What a bad habit... he thought, reflecting on himself. Still, whenever something moved slightly in his peripheral vision, he couldn't help being drawn to it and distracted.

"Can't you even decide something like this? You have to rely on a woman? You're so pathetic!"

"I'm only asking what you think. Why do you have to go that far?"

The two of them weren't on a date, nor were they in that kind of relationship.

It made no sense to accuse him of being unable to take the lead or of not acting like a man.

Diejian looked over with a mix of exasperation and amusement. Pretending not to notice the slight smile on Juri's lips, he turned his gaze to the restaurants lining the street.

When he spotted a sign that read "Konoha Set Meal Shop," Diejian stopped and said to Juri, "Let's go here..."

It was a place with delicious mushroom rice. Diejian loved their mushroom rice, and the little-known restaurant had been serving customers since Hashirama's time.

"Excuse us..."

"Oh, welcome... Well, if it isn't the young master!"

"Long time no see, proprietress."

At Diejian's voice, a lazy reply came from inside the shop.

A moment later, the curtain was lifted, revealing a plump, middle-aged woman.

She was the proprietress of the Konoha Set Meal Shop.

"Do you still have the usual mushroom rice?"

"Of course. It's our signature dish. But... young master, who's this beside you?"

"This is Uchiha Juri, a girl from my Genin class. Her family's out working tonight, so I brought her along."

"My, my! I thought you only ever brought Ina-chan. You're quite the catch, young master! Hey, old man! Old man!! The young master brought a girl!!!"

"Huh? Ina-chan comes here all the time... What!? Diejian, you little rascal, you're quite the catch!"

The owner of the set meal shop poked his head out from behind the curtain. Seeing Juri, he looked delighted, as if this were his own family's good news.

To the couple, who had known Diejian since he was a child clinging to Hashirama, it felt like watching their son bring a girl home.

"Come, come, this way."

"U-uh, um?"

The proprietress took Juri by the arm. Blinking at the sudden turn of events, Juri was led away without putting up a fight.

Diejian remembered that things had gone the same way the first time he brought Ina here. He recalled Ina being led away just like this, and smiled at the shop owners' familiar antics.

Juri was seated at the very back, in the fanciest spot. Diejian sat opposite her, folding his legs on the tatami.

He told Juri, who was staring at the menu, that they could make pretty much any home-style dish, so she could order whatever she liked.

"They could probably make salmon rice balls if you ask."

"Really? Then I'll have three!"

"Proprietress, I'll have the mushroom rice set meal and three salmon rice ball set meals, please."

"Coming right up!"

After ordering from the proprietress, who brought them damp towels, Diejian wiped his hands with the warm towels to heat them.

Juri, unusually, didn't complain. But she'd probably start saying obnoxious things again after a while.

It was warm here... Diejian glanced at Juri, who was still staring at the menu, his eyes tinged with nostalgia, and waited for the food to arrive.

A while later, freshly made, steaming-hot simmered dishes and stir-fries were brought out.

Diejian said there was too much food and worried they might not have enough money, but the proprietress smiled and said it was on the house.

She seemed to like Juri's twin tails and was especially attentive to her.

Juri was bewildered, going "ah-woo, ah-woo," her face flushed, but she still let the proprietress fuss over her.

The older, the wiser... Feeling a little defeated by a warmth he couldn't match, Diejian sipped his piping-hot miso soup.

After the meal, when they left the shop, Juri lowered her head and looked reluctant to go.

Diejian and the proprietress waited without rushing the hesitant Juri. At last, her cheeks flushed, and she said shyly in a soft voice, "...Thank you for the meal."

The proprietress smiled happily and gave Juri a piece of hard candy, telling her, "Come again next time."

Watching Juri obediently nod and say, "Okay," Diejian couldn't help wondering, Who is this girl? But he was glad to have seen a new side of her.

An indescribable fatherly affection and brotherly fondness welled up in him. Just as he did with his younger sister Tsunade, Diejian gave Juri's head an impudent, gentle pat.

After apologizing to Juri, who had returned to her usual "Don't touch me without asking!" attitude, Diejian urged her to head home.

Juri's back as she started walking away looked a little lonely...

When Diejian said, "Let's come eat here together again sometime," Juri gave an unhappy snort.

But when she shouted over her shoulder, "If I'm coming with you, I'd rather come by myself!" Diejian couldn't help noticing how hot her ears had turned.