Celebration

There was not a single moment of mourning for Minato, who had wanted to use the holiday to get ahead of the curve by secluding himself for training.

The ones about to attend the festival were Chiba Genichi and the three girls by his side.

These past two days, Konoha had been hosting a small festival; every household hung lanterns, and once night fell, people flooded the streets, making for a lively scene.

Genichi, who had been half-forced out of his home and away from his training, looked at the bustling scene before him and the three little girls by his side—one in black, one in white, and one in red, all wearing exquisite kimonos of different styles—and found the sight pleasing to the eye and refreshing to the spirit.

Taking a break every now and then wasn't bad; work and rest must be balanced.

"I want this."

"I want to eat this."

"These candied haws are delicious, buy them."

"This hat is nice, buy it."

"This scarf looks good, buy it."

Genichi, who didn't have much money left at home, was unceremonious and activated his "money power," with the night's expenses being footed by the little rich girl, Kushina.

Kushina had come to Konoha to serve as a jinchuriki, essentially dedicating herself to the village. Uzumaki Mito would never mistreat her own clanswoman; back then, she had waved her hand and gifted two streets under the Senju clan's name to Kushina, creating this number one little rich girl of the Ninja Academy.

Although Genichi couldn't earn money at the moment, he never worried about it. Ever since he learned the [Ninja Code] at the Ninja Academy—which stated, "Outside of missions, one must not harm nobles or seize the property of wealthy merchants unless necessary"—Genichi had adopted it as his personal truth.

The path to wealth lay within those very words.

Given the harsh environment of the Ninja World, how many of those wealthy merchants and nobles were actually good people?

Redistributing these social resources and handing the surplus supplies to those who needed them gave Genichi absolutely no psychological burden.

It wasn't as if someone who had transmigrated would actually run outside the village, sleep in the open, and risk their life against other ninjas for a mere hundred thousand ryo.

Still at the festival, inside an izakaya.

"Tsunade, are you able to drink even more than before?" Orochimaru said, looking at the empty bottles on the table one after another.

"Don't even mention it, it's all the fault of that damned, naturally evil brat, Genichi." Tsunade couldn't help but complain: "Ever since he started following Grandma Mito to learn sealing jutsu, I'm no longer Grandma's favorite granddaughter.

Grandma Mito used to only urge Nawaki to train, but now she has to manage my gambling and my drinking. Anyway, as long as I'm at home, she finds fault with everything I do."

Over the past year, under Grandma Mito's stern gaze, Tsunade had been forced to "willingly" organize medical books for Genichi. How was she supposed to find time to read medical books when she was learning sealing jutsu every day? That stinky brat, he clearly wasn't studying them, yet he kept asking for more. Was he crazy? Once she found the chance, she would definitely use her Super Strength to cure his bad habits.

"Speaking of Nawaki, do you want to be his instructor, Orochimaru? That kid has admired you since he was little. When I asked him, he also said he hoped to follow Big Brother Orochimaru to train in the future," Tsunade said seriously.

Because of her close relationship with Tsunade, Orochimaru and Nawaki had known each other for a long time.

Recalling the lively figure of the boy in his memory, Orochimaru couldn't help but extend his tongue to lick his upper lip: "Heh, no problem. At this point in time, is he graduating early?"

"No need, no need, just hang the title early."

"Speaking of taking on apprentices, I met a pretty good young man at the Ninja Academy recently," Jiraiya, who was half-drunk, interjected from the side.

"Minato Namikaze, a very outstanding and hardworking young man. He has talent, looks handsome, and his grades are good, just like I was when I was a kid," Jiraiya said, laughing heartily.

What did being handsome and having good grades have to do with you, Jiraiya? Tsunade rolled her eyes in silence: "Oh, I've heard of him. He's in the same class as the Chiba Genichi I mentioned, but he's only second."

As the alcohol kicked in, the image of Chiba Genichi as the "neighbor's kid" in Tsunade's mind vaguely overlapped with Orochimaru, the previous "neighbor's kid" in her memory; both were the type who thirsted for knowledge.

"Orochimaru, you and that kid Genichi give off a very similar feeling. Since you're going to take an apprentice anyway, why not go take a look?" Tsunade asked.

"Heh, we'll see." Orochimaru politely declined. He had only taken on Nawaki because of their close relationship; the current Orochimaru was determined to learn all the ninjutsu in the world and had no intention of finding someone to inherit his own ninja path or knowledge.

The festival ended, and Genichi was preparing to bid everyone farewell.

"Genichi, my grandfather said he wants to see you," Mikoto Uchiha issued a new round of invitations.

Genichi recalled his impression of Mikoto's grandfather, quickly sketching out the image of a classic Warring States-era old Uchiha who wanted to restore the glory of the Uchiha and encouraged his granddaughter to make more friends.

Oh no, he's coming for me.

"Your grandfather doesn't have any plans to help you unlock your two-tomoe Sharingan recently, does he?" Genichi asked uneasily.

"Huh? What are you thinking? Hurry up and come with me." Mikoto, who reacted a beat late, grabbed Genichi's hand and started walking toward the Uchiha compound.

Talking about unlocking the two-tomoe Sharingan—wasn't this implying that Genichi was very important to her? Mikoto, who was a beat late again, realized she was holding hands with Genichi.

Consequently, Mikoto's face turned bright red, and she lowered her head, too shy to speak.

Uchiha Kohaku was an Uchiha expert who, in his youth, could dance under blades and sing amidst flames; he now served as the Second Elder within the clan and was the acting clan head.

Kohaku was one of the few who noticed the rift between the Uchiha clan and Konoha. He hoped that the Uchiha clan could restore its former glory, but he also hoped that the clan could live in harmony with the village, and he hoped his granddaughter would grow up healthy and happy without having to endure the strange looks of others.

Not long after his granddaughter was born, her parents died in an accident, which made Kohaku especially concerned about Mikoto's growth.

Watching his granddaughter gradually grow up and reach the age to attend the Ninja Academy, Kohaku had repeatedly urged her to make more friends at school and have a happy childhood.

Until that day, when his granddaughter went out to play with her classmates happily during the holiday.

Kohaku, who had thought everything was smooth and peaceful, saw his granddaughter run home with a pair of Sharingan activated, his pupils shrinking.

"What's going on? She goes out, and her friend dies? Is this still Konoha?"

Kohaku, who had always thought that the awakening of the Sharingan was accompanied by sorrow, was still thinking about how to comfort his granddaughter when he heard her excitedly talking about strange things like "the Sharingan is a water cup," "I'm about to unlock the Mangekyo," and "the genjutsu awakening method."

After listening for a long time, Kohaku finally realized he had misunderstood.

"Chiba Genichi, is it? Let me see what this is all about."