Mito

Qile slowly woke up once again, only to find himself in an unfamiliar place. He instinctively rubbed his still sore and swollen right wrist with his left hand, then slowly sat up.

Looking at the completely unfamiliar room and its furnishings, Qile couldn't help frowning slightly.

This obviously wasn't Madara's house...

Just as Qile was racking his brains, trying to figure out where he was, he suddenly heard a gentle voice behind him. "Little guy, you're awake?"

At the sound, Qile whipped around and saw a beautiful woman with striking features standing there with a smile.

She wore a simple, elegant kimono and had an extraordinary air about her. Most eye-catching of all was her dazzling red hair.

With just one glance, Qile guessed who she was. In Konoha, who else could have such distinctive hair besides Hashirama Senju's famous wife?

"What is it? Is there something wrong with me?" Seeing Qile stare at her, the woman couldn't help covering her lips with one hand and giggling.

"Uh..." Qile immediately came to his senses and realized he'd been staring. He hurriedly got out of bed, bowed to the woman, and said respectfully, "Hello!"

"Oh? You don't know who I am? Hehehe... But I suppose that's understandable. With Madara's awful temper, how would he ever introduce me to you little ones?" Mito said with a soft laugh, her beautiful eyes curving into crescents.

Though she still looked young and vibrant, everything about her—from her graceful gestures to the elegant air she gave off—made her seem like a noblewoman.

Qile quietly studied Mito. When his gaze fell on the distinct purple diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, everything became clear to him.

Obviously, Mito had already begun using the Yin Seal to preserve her appearance.

Just as Qile was about to say something else, a loud, carefree voice suddenly called in from outside. "Mito! Is the little guy awake yet?"

As the voice rang out, a head poked in through the nearby window.

The moment its owner spotted Qile awake, his eyes visibly lit up.

"Lord Hokage..." Qile greeted Hashirama, who had suddenly appeared before him.

Even now, it all still felt like a dream. He could hardly believe that after passing out, he'd been brought to the Senju Clan's home!

"Don't be so formal!" Hashirama waved a hand nonchalantly, then stepped back a few paces and charged toward the window, preparing to flip into the room with a flourish.

But before he could complete the move, Qile felt a chill, as if an icy wind were blowing straight at his back. He shivered and cautiously turned around to look.

The moment he saw her, Qile froze.

Mito's face had turned frighteningly dark. Her expression was colder than the snow in the depths of winter, enough to make anyone shrink back.

She no longer seemed warm and welcoming at all...

Qile wasn't the only one who sensed this. Even Hashirama, halfway through climbing in the window, realized something was wrong.

He paused for a moment, then seemed to get spooked and hurriedly pulled the leg he'd already stuck inside back out.

Qile was well versed in the art of placating women. His eyes shifted, and he immediately came up with a plan.

He turned back to Mito without hesitation, put on an ingratiating smile, and said, "Lord Hokage, may I ask who this beautiful young lady is to you?"

At first, that might have sounded a little disrespectful toward Mito. But somehow, perhaps because women were naturally sensitive to compliments, she didn't get angry. Instead, the intimidating aura around her vanished at once.

"Oh~ Hehehe~ Young lady~" Mito giggled, covering her mouth lightly as she looked at Qile with smiling eyes. Then she said softly, "You little smooth talker. Go ahead and chat with Hashirama. I'll go prepare some tasty food for you." With that, Mito turned and glided toward the door.

Watching Mito leave, Qile and Hashirama, still standing outside the window, both let out long sighs of relief, as if they'd been holding their breath.

"Lord Hokage, you owe me big for that!" As soon as Mito was gone, Qile turned to Hashirama, who was getting ready to climb through the window again, and spoke eagerly.

"I know, I know. But come to think of it, you really didn't know who she was?" Hashirama asked curiously as he nimbly flipped into the room.

"Judging by how she treated you, along with that bright red hair, it wasn't hard to guess she was Lady Mito." Qile pursed his lips and looked at Hashirama as if he were an idiot.

Hashirama paid no attention to Qile's disdainful look. Instead, he spread his hands and grinned. "So that's how it is. Heh heh, then how about we play a fascinating game of dice? Mito will take a while to prepare the food anyway."

As he spoke, he somehow already had a few dice in his hand.

Qile glanced at the dice. Hashirama's gambling addiction really was something else!

But Qile didn't want to lose his temper first thing in the morning!

"Instead of playing dice, I'd rather figure out why I ended up at your house out of nowhere."

"Oh, that's all?" Seeing how uninterested Qile looked, Hashirama shrugged helplessly and, somewhat reluctantly, put the dice back in his robe.

"After you passed out last night, Madara brought you here. You probably know that your Uchiha Clan barely has anyone who can use Medical Ninjutsu."

Qile finally understood. He hurriedly asked, "So, did you treat me last night?"

Hashirama waved his hand and smiled. "Not me. It was actually Mito who treated you. I'm very busy, you know. As Hokage, I have a pile of things to—"

But before Hashirama could finish, his body suddenly shuddered, and the next instant, he vanished from the spot as if he'd never been there.

Qile was stunned. He was still confused by Hashirama's behavior when—

A White-Hair suddenly appeared at the window!

He shot Qile a cold, expressionless glance, the corner of his mouth curling with undisguised contempt and disdain. Then he snorted. "Hmph! Naturally evil Uchiha brat!"

Qile certainly wasn't about to let that slide. "Tch~ What an obnoxious White-Hair."