"Home"

On the unfinished Hokage Rock, Tobirama appeared abruptly, carrying Uchiha Qile in his hand.

Tobirama expressionlessly gave a casual flick of his wrist, tossing Uchiha Qile onto the hard ground.

Immediately following this, Tobirama assumed an otherworldly, master-like posture, arms crossed over his chest with effortless ease, looking down from on high at Uchiha Qile as he scrambled up from the ground, cursing under his breath.

"Damn it, you evil white-haired freak! Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" Uchiha Qile muttered curses while busily spitting out the dirt and grit he had accidentally swallowed during the fall.

Yet, faced with Uchiha Qile's complaints, Tobirama acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, not even batting an eyelid.

Instead, he spoke in a cold, unquestionable tone: "You are that brat named Uchiha Qile, aren't you?"

By now, Uchiha Qile had scrambled to his feet in a disheveled mess. He first brushed the dust and grass clippings from his body with force, then raised his head to look at Tobirama.

Hearing the other party call his name accurately, not a hint of surprise appeared on Uchiha Qile's face.

If this guy didn't know his name, that would be the real surprise; who knew how many eyes and ears this guy had planted throughout Konoha these days!

Facing Tobirama's inquiry, Uchiha Qile dropped his previous complaining demeanor and responded with great sincerity: "That's right, I am Uchiha Qile!"

Uchiha Qile didn't want to give this white-haired man in front of him any leverage over such a trivial matter, so 'sincerity' was his only tool!

Tobirama stared at Uchiha Qile, who was looking up with a sincere face. Even with his typically calm and sharp judgment, he had to admit that this brat was born with a face that was incredibly deceptive.

That 'sincerity' was acted too well!

Anyone who didn't know better could easily be fooled by this brat!

Yet, precisely because of this, it only stirred up more curiosity deep within him.

This Uchiha brat... is truly too different!!!

At this moment, Tobirama stood on the unfinished Hokage Rock, overlooking the scene below. His gaze swept over the many people busy building Konoha, and he asked slowly: "Then, in your opinion, how is Konoha today?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Qile hurriedly followed Tobirama's gaze. Looking down from the heights, he saw that Konoha was already taking shape. Although many buildings were still under construction and not yet completed, the general layout of the village was clearly visible, and one could vaguely discern similarities to the scenes depicted in the original work of later generations.

Beyond that, as he scanned the area, he could clearly see that the two best zones within Konoha were firmly occupied by the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan, respectively.

Furthermore, the territories of these two great clans were adjacent, not far apart at all.

Confused by Tobirama's sudden question, Uchiha Qile thought for a moment before responding cautiously: "Hmm... it's pretty good. After all, I haven't seen any other places besides Konoha. If I have the chance, I'll go take a good look."

Hearing Uchiha Qile's answer, Tobirama didn't reply immediately, instead withdrawing his gaze from the distance and letting it fall on Uchiha Qile once more. Then, he asked in a soft, yet meaningful tone: "Then, do you truly love Konoha?"

Facing Tobirama's question, Uchiha Qile blurted out without the slightest hesitation: "Of course I do! This is my home!"

One had to realize that compared to other countries and ninja villages, Konoha was undoubtedly an exceptionally superior place.

Even the ordinary civilians living in Konoha had a decent life, at least able to enjoy the basic dignity of being human.

Therefore, from a certain perspective, Uchiha Qile was actually quite fortunate deep down to have been reborn in a place like Konoha.

If he had unfortunately been reborn in a place like Kirigakure, with its harsh environment, complex situation, and constant danger, it would have been like the sky collapsing—a fate ending the moment he started...

Just imagining such a scenario made Uchiha Qile shudder.

"Home, you say?" Tobirama murmured softly, his tone tinged with a trace of doubt and confusion. Then, as if he had suddenly snapped back to reality, he stared intently at Uchiha Qile and pressed on: "Since you say Konoha is your home, why would you follow your clan leader and leave?"

The moment the words fell, Uchiha Qile, who had been looking at the scenery, turned his head sharply, his gaze shooting straight at Tobirama. That look was as if he were staring at a complete fool, and he remained silent for a long time.

As time ticked by, even Tobirama felt a bit flustered under that silent, piercing gaze, and finally, Uchiha Qile broke the silence.

However, the words that tumbled from his mouth were nonchalant and dismissive: "If your father decided to move you to another place to live, would you follow his arrangements? Would you abandon your father just because you couldn't bear to leave a house? To me, Konoha is that house, and the clan leader is like my father."

"When a father chooses to leave, this once-familiar place no longer holds the meaning of 'home.' So, no matter where the clan leader goes, I will follow him without hesitation!"

As he said this, Uchiha Qile noticed Tobirama seemed to want to interject, but he had no intention of giving the man the chance.

After a brief pause, he continued on his own: "Besides, compared to the clan leader, it's certain outsiders who are harder to trust! What's more, that outsider also has a clan of his own. I don't believe there is such a selfless person in this world who can help others without the slightest regard for their own interests."

"Right, Deputy Clan Leader of the Senju clan!"

When Uchiha Qile finished those words, Tobirama stood as if frozen, his eyes fixed squarely on Uchiha Qile, unable to collect his thoughts for a moment.

He could never have imagined that this child standing beside him could refute him so sharply and with such clear logic.

At this moment, every word Uchiha Qile had just spoken echoed in Tobirama's mind, those words striking his heart like heavy hammers, one after another.

What shocked Tobirama even more was that, although he didn't want to admit it deep down, he found that he couldn't find a suitable argument to strike back.

Because deep in Tobirama's heart, he actually harbored thoughts similar to Uchiha Qile's.

Yes, everyone belonged to their own respective clans, and the intricate web of interests between clans made it difficult for people to truly cast everything aside and wholeheartedly view each other as one family.

This helplessness of reality was like an invisible chasm lying between them, difficult to cross.