Naka River (4)

Senju Hashirama had successfully skipped a stone and came running over excitedly to show off to him.

Uchiha Shin smiled and jumped down from the boulder, then gave Hashirama's shoulder another encouraging pat.

"I told you, you're actually pretty talented!"

"I believe in you!"

Hearing Uchiha Shin's encouragement, the smile on four-year-old Senju Hashirama's face grew even brighter.

Perhaps Senju Butsuma rarely praised Hashirama.

So it had taken only a little acting from Uchiha Shin to bring such a radiant smile to Hashirama's face.

This showed that deep down, four-year-old Hashirama had been longing for encouragement and praise from his father, Senju Butsuma.

Just as Senju Butsuma had been in the original Naruto, the only thing parents could do was raise their children to become independent shinobi.

It was like in Uchiha Shin's previous life. Most parents thought along these lines: "Look how well that other kid studies. Look how early that other kid got married. Look how good that other kid's job is, how successful they are. Why can't you do the same?"

"We've spent the money you needed and made all the sacrifices for you. Why can't you be as good as someone else's kid?"

Very few parents could sit down and have a proper heart-to-heart with their children, treat them like friends, and see them as equals.

Most parents in Uchiha Shin's previous life had been like that. Parents in this Warring States Period were even less likely to be any different.

Besides, if Uchiha Shin could be an actor, why couldn't Hashirama be one too?

First of all, Hashirama was Asura's reincarnation...

So Asura's subconscious would surely have influenced Hashirama's personality, little by little.

Only if Hashirama experienced something or met someone that brought him to a sudden realization and helped him break free of himself would things change.

Only by fully understanding himself could Hashirama completely escape the influence of Asura's subconscious.

Otherwise, as Hashirama grew up, he could only become another version of Asura.

Aside from lacking Asura's memories, Hashirama would by then have been much the same as Asura himself.

That could also be considered a different kind of rebirth for Asura.

Based on all these guesses, Uchiha Shin was certain that the Hashirama standing before him wasn't acting.

Of course, that wouldn't apply if Hashirama had also been a transmigrator.

After all, Uchiha Shin had transmigrated. It wasn't impossible that Hashirama had too.

Haha, transmigrators might not have a golden finger, a system, or an old man to guide them, but they absolutely had to be suspicious of everything!

"Grr..."

"Grr..."

Just then, Hashirama's stomach suddenly growled with hunger.

Looking at Uchiha Shin's smiling face, four-year-old Hashirama suddenly felt awkward and embarrassed.

"Hungry, huh..."

"Haha, no need to be embarrassed."

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death; eating and pooping."

"That's what makes us human!"

Uchiha Shin chuckled and waved a hand, telling him not to be embarrassed.

"I've got rice balls and water. If you don't mind, would you like some?"

Uchiha Shin smiled, then pulled a cloth bundle and a bamboo flask from inside his clothes as if by magic, and set them on the boulder beside him.

To show that the food was safe, Uchiha Shin first untied the bundle, grabbed a rice ball, and took a big bite.

After swallowing, he pulled the stopper from the bamboo flask and took several gulps of water.

Uchiha Shin had done this to test Hashirama, too.

Although he and Hashirama had been getting along well, it was their first time meeting. They didn't even know each other's names, surnames, or clans.

Uchiha Shin and Hashirama were complete strangers, and there was nothing wrong with saying so.

What if the other person had poisoned the food and water?

After all, this world was now filled with killing and chaos.

So it was only normal to remain cautious around strangers in the shinobi world.

Looking at the rice balls and water on the boulder, Hashirama hesitated at first.

But then he saw the warm, sunny smile on Uchiha Shin's face and the sincerity in his eyes.

They said the eyes were windows to the soul. An older brother with such sincere eyes and such a sunny smile surely wouldn't deceive him.

If I refuse, Big Brother will probably be sad.

With that thought, kindhearted little Hashirama no longer hesitated.

His stomach was hungry anyway. Might as well eat.

"Let's eat."

Hashirama first closed his eyes and brought his hands together, murmured the words, then picked up a rice ball from the boulder and took a big bite.

Uchiha Shin felt awkward staring at Hashirama while he ate.

So he turned and walked a few steps, heading to the very edge of the Naka River. He picked up a pebble and casually tossed it into the water.

As he watched the Naka River flow quietly by, Uchiha Shin stood there motionless. For some reason, he fell completely silent.

For some reason, looking at the quietly flowing river brought the theme song from Romance of the Three Kingdoms to mind.

The mighty river rolls eastward,

its waves washing away the heroes.

Right and wrong, victory and defeat, all vanish in a blink.

The green mountains remain,

while the sun sets, again and again.

White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the riverbank

have watched the autumn moon and spring breeze for ages.

A jug of wine brings old friends together.

So many affairs, past and present,

are all laughed away.

Heh. Thinking back on his previous life—school, work, buying a house, getting married—how much hardship had he endured just to live like a person?

Now he had transmigrated to the shinobi world. To survive, to live well, and to have control over his own fate someday, he had started competing ruthlessly within the Uchiha Clan, moved to get Madara disqualified from succession early, and then played a part to gain Hashirama's trust. Maybe he'd do many more bad things in the future.

"Ah...!"

Thinking of this, Uchiha Shin sighed softly. No matter what world you were in, living—really living—was hard.

After eating his fill, Hashirama wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then looked up at Uchiha Shin's back. A strange yet familiar feeling suddenly surfaced in his heart.

Why had he gotten along so well with this unfamiliar older brother?

Why had he let his guard down and eaten the food and drunk the water this stranger had offered him?

After thinking for a while, Hashirama finally understood what that strange yet familiar feeling was.

Perhaps this unfamiliar older brother was like his cousin, who had died in battle, in certain ways.

They both liked playing with him, cared about him, and treated him as an equal.

Hearing a sound behind him, Uchiha Shin first glanced up at the sky. It was getting late, and he should head back.

After all, trust took time to build.

That was enough for today. It was time to go back and see how Madara, Izuna, and Hana were doing with their training.

With that thought, Uchiha Shin turned around and smiled at Hashirama, ready to say goodbye.

"It's getting late. I'm going back."

"You should head home soon too, before your family starts worrying."

Uchiha Shin didn't ask Hashirama his name.

He knew that if Hashirama wanted to tell him, he would.

With that, Uchiha Shin turned away, waved over his shoulder, and prepared to use Water Walking to cross the river.

"Big Brother, my name is Hashirama."

"As for my surname..."

"It's a shinobi's rule not to tell people your surname."

Just as Uchiha Shin was about to leave, Hashirama called out to him, openly admitted he was a shinobi, and freely told him his name.

"My name is Shin."

"You can call me Big Brother Shin from now on."

"As for my surname?"

"It's a shinobi's rule not to tell people your surname."

Uchiha Shin looked back at Hashirama and told him his name as well.

"Big Brother Shin, will we get to skip stones together again sometime?"

Hashirama's eyes showed his reluctance to part.

"If we get the chance, as long as I'm still alive the next time we meet."

Uchiha Shin forced a bitter smile.

"I see..."

Hearing that answer, four-year-old Hashirama suddenly felt heavyhearted.

His cousin had just died in battle. Would this older brother he had only just met die in battle too?

For some reason, Hashirama hated war more and more.

"Hey, Big Brother Shin!"

"When will the war finally end?"

As they parted, four-year-old Hashirama asked the question without thinking.

Had Hashirama already started thinking about how to end the war?

Was it the butterfly effect?

Uchiha Shin decided to give Hashirama another dose of poisonous wisdom.

He pretended to ponder for a moment.

Then, keeping an exceptionally warm, sunny smile on his face, he looked Hashirama in the eyes and answered with complete sincerity, "Maybe all we have to do is fill the world with love!"

After saying this, Uchiha Shin walked away over the river.

"Fill the world with love?"

Hearing this, Hashirama, who had been heavyhearted just moments ago, suddenly lit up.

At that moment, four-year-old Hashirama finally understood what he wanted to do in the future.