"Home"

Atop the unfinished Kage Rock, Tobirama suddenly appeared, carrying Qile by the scruff of his neck.

Without changing expression, Tobirama casually flung him onto the hard ground.

Then, with the poise of a transcendent sage, Tobirama leisurely folded his arms across his chest and looked down at Qile, who was cursing as he scrambled to his feet.

"Damn you, evil White-Hair freak! Ptooey, ptooey!" Qile muttered curses under his breath, spitting out the dirt and dust he'd accidentally gotten in his mouth when he fell.

But Tobirama acted as though he hadn't heard Qile's complaints. He didn't even lift an eyelid.

Instead, he asked in a cold, unquestionable tone, "You're the brat named Qile, aren't you?"

Qile had managed to get back up, though he was in a sorry state. First, he brushed the dust and grass off his clothes, then looked up at Tobirama.

He showed not the slightest surprise that the other man knew his name.

He'd be surprised if this guy didn't know his name. Who knew how many spies he'd planted around Konoha by now?

In response to Tobirama's question, Qile dropped his earlier sarcasm and answered with complete sincerity, "That's right. I'm Uchiha Qile!"

Qile didn't want to give the White-Hair in front of him any leverage over something so trivial, so "sincerity" was his only option!

Tobirama studied the little boy before him, who had raised his face and looked utterly sincere. Even with his usually calm and perceptive eyes, Tobirama had to admit the boy had a remarkably deceptive face.

He was acting so sincere that it was almost too convincing!

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

And yet, that only made Tobirama all the more curious.

This Uchiha brat... was truly different from the rest!!!

Standing atop the not-yet-completed Kage Rock, Tobirama looked down over the village. His gaze settled on the many people busy building Konoha, and he slowly asked, "So, what do you think of Konoha as it is now?"

Qile quickly followed Tobirama's gaze. From up high, he could see Konoha taking shape. Many buildings were still under construction, but the village's overall layout was already clear, and he could make out the resemblance to the place depicted in the original story set in the future.

Looking around, he could also see that the two best areas in Konoha were occupied by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan.

The territories of these two great clans bordered one another and were close together.

Perplexed by Tobirama's sudden question, Qile thought for a moment before answering cautiously, "Well... it seems pretty good. I haven't seen anywhere else besides Konoha, after all. If I get the chance, I'll go and take a good look around."

Hearing Qile's answer, Tobirama didn't respond immediately. He turned his gaze from the distance back to Qile, then asked in a gentle yet meaningful tone, "So, do you truly love Konoha?"

Qile answered without the slightest hesitation. "Of course I do! This is my home!"

Compared with other countries and shinobi villages, Konoha was unquestionably an excellent place.

Even ordinary people living in Konoha had a pretty good life. At the very least, they were afforded the basic dignity of human beings.

So, in a way, Qile was actually quite glad he'd been reborn in Konoha.

If he'd been unlucky enough to be reborn somewhere like Kirigakure, with its harsh environment, complicated situation, and constant dangers, it would've been like the sky falling in. His life might have ended almost as soon as it began...

Just imagining it made Qile shudder.

"Home?" Tobirama murmured, his voice tinged with confusion and uncertainty. Then, as if suddenly coming back to himself, he fixed his gaze on Qile and pressed on. "If you say Konoha is your home, why are you leaving with your clan leader?"

Qile, who had been looking around at the scenery, suddenly turned back and stared straight at Tobirama. He looked at him as if he were a hopeless idiot, silently holding his gaze for a long time without saying a word.

The seconds ticked by. Even Tobirama began to feel at a loss under that silent, piercing stare. At last, Qile broke the silence.

But the words he spoke were so casual and offhand. "If your father decided to take you and move somewhere else, would you go along with him? Would you abandon your father just because you couldn't bear to leave a house behind? To me, Konoha is that house, and the clan leader is like my father."

"When a father chooses to leave, the place you once knew no longer feels like home. So no matter where the clan leader goes, I'll follow him without hesitation!"

At that, Qile noticed Tobirama seemed about to interrupt, but he had no intention of giving him the chance.

After a brief pause, he went on without waiting for a response. "Besides, compared to the clan leader, certain outsiders are harder to trust! And that outsider has a family of his own. I don't believe anyone could truly be so selfless as to help others without considering their own interests."

"Isn't that right, Vice Clan Leader of the Senju Clan?"

When Qile finished, Tobirama stood as if frozen, staring blankly at him. For a moment, he couldn't collect himself.

He'd never imagined that the child beside him could refute him so sharply and so logically.

Qile's every word echoed in Tobirama's mind, each one striking his heart like a heavy hammer.

What shocked Tobirama even more was that, though he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't find a suitable response.

Because deep down, Tobirama had thoughts much like Qile's.

Yes, everyone belonged to a different clan, and the tangled interests between clans made it difficult for people to truly set everything aside and treat one another wholeheartedly as family.

This helpless reality was like an invisible chasm stretching between them, impossible to cross.