"I wonder if you two would be kind enough to point me toward the Uchiha Clan Compound? I've been out for so long, it's about time I went home..." Qile asked again, smiling warmly and speaking with sincerity.
At those words, Hiruzen first froze for a moment, then gave an awkward, slightly goofy smile. "Uh... haha, what a coincidence. You just have to turn around and look..." As he spoke, he pointed behind Qile.
Though puzzled, Qile did as he was told and turned to look in the direction Hiruzen had indicated.
There, on the wall behind him, was a clan crest unmistakably shaped like a ping-pong paddle.
The Uchiha Clan Compound was clearly right here. All Qile had to do was follow this wall, and he was sure to find the entrance eventually.
Seeing this, Qile quickly turned back to Hiruzen and Danzo. "Now that I've found the way home, would you two like to come visit the Uchiha Clan Compound with me? I'll give you a warm welcome..."
But before he could finish, he was astonished to see Danzo and Hiruzen shaking their heads as if under a spell, refusing with such speed that they looked like a pair of frantic rattles.
Faced with their resolute refusal, Qile scratched his head and thought for a moment before saying, "All right, if that's how it is, I won't insist. But to thank you for helping me get home, how about I treat you both to... uh... a meal tomorrow at noon?" He paused, an awkward look crossing his face.
After all, he had only just arrived and knew very little about what people in Konoha ate at this time.
"No need..." Danzo refused almost without hesitation, his tone exceptionally firm.
"Sure! We'll both wait for you here tomorrow at noon." Unlike Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted with delight, a bright smile on his face.
And so, two completely different replies rang out at the same time.
After speaking, they looked at each other in unison, and invisible sparks seemed to fly where their gazes met.
Seeing their reactions, Qile said no more and made the decision for them. "Then it's settled. Be here tomorrow at noon and wait for me! I'm off. See you tomorrow!" Before he had even finished speaking, Qile dashed away along the wall.
Watching Qile's retreating figure, Danzo was the first to break the silence. He lowered his voice and said to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Hiruzen, have you lost your mind? That guy's from the Uchiha Clan! Didn't your father ever tell you never to go out of your way to provoke those Uchiha?"
Faced with Danzo's questions and reproach, however, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed completely unconcerned.
He shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "But I didn't go out of my way to provoke them. I just wanted to make friends with him. Is that not allowed? Besides, we're all from the same village now. Did you forget?" With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen headed off in the opposite direction from Qile.
Seeing how unconcerned Hiruzen was, Danzo grew anxious. He hurried after him and reminded him, "Do you really not understand..." Halfway through, he warily glanced around. Only after confirming they were alone did he lower his voice and continue, "Don't you know who their clan leader is? When that man ran for Hokage, neither of our clans voted for him. Aren't you worried he'll find an excuse to get back at us?"
Hiruzen shook his head, unconvinced, and replied, "Even if he does want revenge, it'll come whether or not we go out of our way to provoke him. Since that's the case, we might as well stand tall and face it bravely. Why spend every day fretting and cowering?" As they spoke, the two gradually walked away...
Just then, a gentle breeze swept by, and Senju Tobirama quietly appeared.
As it turned out, he had been following Qile the whole time. The reason the passersby Qile encountered hadn't dared to stop was that Tobirama had been signaling to them from behind Qile...
He had planned to let Qile wander around Konoha a little longer, then show himself and escort him back to the clan compound.
After all, Qile had clearly become the focus of Madara Uchiha's attention, and Senju Tobirama didn't want anything to happen to him right now.
Otherwise, who knew what Madara Uchiha might do!
Yet the very thing Tobirama hadn't expected had happened anyway!
Qile had unexpectedly run into Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō. Those two were already on his list of candidates to evaluate, and if all went well, he would take them both as pupils...
Not only that, but the three had even formed a connection. This was far beyond anything he had anticipated.
Even so, deep down, he was glad to see the connection between the three of them.
If Qile could develop a deeper bond with the other two, it would undoubtedly be the best possible outcome.
What a pity that there was quite an age gap between them—seven years, to be exact. With a gulf like that, forming a close bond would likely prove difficult, unless...
He shook his head lightly, then turned his gaze once more to Qile, who was still searching desperately for the entrance as he followed the wall.
Qile stared intently ahead, completely unaware that he was getting farther and farther from the right direction.
Watching this, Tobirama couldn't help feeling helpless. Then he slowly turned his head and looked toward the other side of the wall...
As it turned out, the entrance to the Uchiha Clan Compound was right there!
Why wouldn't this child just turn around and take a look?
Could this be the stubborn streak shared by everyone in the Uchiha Clan? Once they set their sights on a direction, they kept at it to the bitter end and never looked back...
At that thought, he let out a wry chuckle and thought to himself, It seems Qile really is an Uchiha child. That stubborn streak is exactly the same as theirs.
Finally, Tobirama looked up at the sky and gave a slight smile. If nothing unexpected happened, by the time Qile had circled the Uchiha Clan Compound and found the entrance, it would probably be time for dinner...
Before you continue