A Pair (Part 1)

Listening to the child before him rattle off a string of words with the speed of a machine gun, Qile couldn't help but be stunned, unable to fully process what the other had said for a moment.

The next instant, by the time he finally managed to collect his thoughts, he discovered that the child had already turned around, ready to leave.

Seeing this, Qile felt a surge of anxiety and hurriedly called out, "Wait! Don't be in such a rush to leave!" At the same time, he covered the distance in two strides and grabbed the child by the sleeve.

The child, suddenly seized, was clearly startled, his body trembling involuntarily.

Qile took a deep breath, trying his best to appear more endearing, and then explained with a face full of sincerity, "I really just wanted to ask for directions. To be honest, I've never left the place where my clan resides, and I accidentally got lost after coming out this time; I truly don't know which way to go anymore."

Upon hearing Qile's explanation, the child's face revealed a look of sudden realization. He patted his chest lightly and said with lingering fear, "Ah~ so that's how it is! I thought you were someone sent specifically to catch us! In that case, which clan are you from? I'll help you find your way." As he spoke, he didn't forget to pat his companion, who was still perched on the wall.

"Shimura Danzō! Shimura Danzō! Look, look! Hehehe~"

"Tch! Stop looking, someone's coming! Someone's coming!"

"Hey! Don't pull me! You... wait? Why is someone here? Why didn't you call out sooner, Shimura Danzō! I'm not giving you my pocket money anymore!"

Qile's eyes widened, staring in utter astonishment at the two people tearing at each other before him.

He felt a buzzing in his head, as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning.

Good heavens!

He never imagined that he would run into the future Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the future Pot Kage—Shimura Danzō, right here!

Qile pondered to himself, his gaze involuntarily shifting to Sarutobi Hiruzen at his side. Judging by his current appearance, he was likely only ten years old or so.

At this, Qile couldn't help but shake his head, sighing inwardly: children in the Ninja World are indeed precocious; are they already starting to take an interest in such things at such a young age?

Just then, Qile steadied himself and raised an eyebrow. He allowed the corners of his mouth to curl up into a friendly smile and said in a clear voice, "Uh... hello, my name is Uchiha Qile! Nice to meet you." As he spoke, he bowed slightly.

Upon hearing Qile's introduction, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, who had been in the midst of a heated scuffle, first exchanged a glance. Then, as if realizing something, they quickly released each other and began tidying their disheveled clothes.

In no time, the two stood up straight, their expressions turning serious and solemn. Immediately after, they spoke in unison, "Sarutobi Hiruzen (Shimura Danzō), nice to meet you. Please take care of us."

From their words, it was evident that at this very moment, the two of them did not harbor any intense hostility toward the Uchiha Clan.

Clearly, they had not yet been poisoned by that white-haired man...

However, upon learning that Qile's surname was Uchiha, their expressions still betrayed an indescribable, complex emotion—perhaps it could be called... awe?

It must be said that during the time before or shortly after the founding of Konoha, the prestige and power of the Uchiha surname were simply staggering.

The Uchiha Clan of the present acted with extreme force and tyranny; if they said they were going to deal with you, they wouldn't hesitate to send people to do it directly.

They would issue a challenge in the morning, arrive at your clan's gate by noon, and by evening, your clan head would be offering them a toast.

Such overbearing methods naturally caused dissatisfaction among a large portion of the other clans, so they naturally gravitated toward another clan—the Senju—which was relatively more moderate but capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Uchiha Clan.

Sarutobi and Shimura were former allies of the Senju, so they naturally had some understanding of their former rivals.

"Uh... likewise, likewise. It's just that, I..." Qile had only managed to get halfway through his sentence.

Suddenly, an exceptionally sharp and piercing roar from a woman erupted from next door without warning.

At the same time, a tattered broom flew through the air like an arrow released from a bow, hurtling fiercely toward them.

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō exchanged a look, then, without hesitation, each reached out a hand to nimbly grab Qile by the left and right, hoisting him up.

Then, with wind at their heels, they took off running, carrying Qile with them.

Qile, who had already lost count of how many times he had fallen into a state of bewilderment today, stared with wide, astonished eyes at the two people who were tightly hauling him along as they sprinted.

After he finally regained his senses, he hurriedly turned his head to look behind them.

He saw a plump woman standing in place, looking fierce and imposing. She was wrapped only in a bath towel, clutching the broom she had used as a projectile, and shouting and cursing loudly at something...

Even though they were already some distance away, for some reason, Qile could vaguely hear her inquiring about someone's mother...

The two held onto Qile tightly, sprinting all the way until they dashed into a public training ground. Only then did they stop, gently setting Qile down on the ground.

Afterward, as if they had just survived a life-or-death escape, they reached out with lingering fear to wipe the beads of sweat from their foreheads, simultaneously letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Aunt Qitian's temper is still just like her..." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head with a mischievous smirk, muttering to himself. He seemed about to say something more, but before he could finish, Shimura Danzō reached out with lightning speed to cover his mouth.

Shimura Danzō widened his eyes, frantically signaling Qile with his gaze, hinting for Sarutobi Hiruzen not to speak nonsense.

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately understood what Shimura Danzō meant and hurriedly clamped his mouth shut, not daring to make another sound. He offered an awkward, sheepish grin, his hands rubbing together involuntarily.

Meanwhile, Qile raised a hand to nonchalantly rub his nose, then watched the two, who were still huddled together, with great interest. He teased, "Looking at you two, your relationship really is quite good..."

Hearing this, Shimura Danzō, who had been keeping his face tense, finally reacted and quickly pulled his hand away from Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth. He then tossed his head back, striking a haughty pose, and retorted loudly, "Who has a good relationship with him? Don't talk nonsense!"

Faced with their interaction, Qile merely smiled slightly and did not continue to tease them.

After all, for him at this moment, the most important thing was not to probe into the nature of their relationship, but to hurry back to the clan grounds and fill his stomach, which was already growling with hunger.