Mika's newly rented place was an ordinary apartment on the second floor, with residents living both above and below.
Mika unlocked the door. The room had a bed and some furniture, but no household items at all—not even sheets or bedding.
"We'll have to make do for now. It's too late to go out and buy anything."
She looked a little helpless. She hadn't expected the Uchiha Clan to be so ruthless, kicking her and her son out in such a hurry.
After a whole night of tossing and turning, they were both exhausted. They rinsed off with tap water, found somewhere to lie down, and soon fell into a heavy sleep.
When he got up in the morning, Makoto found that his mother had already bought breakfast.
As he ate, he chatted with his mother.
"Mom, I'm not part of the Uchiha Clan anymore, and I don't even have a surname now. So what should my name be? I can't just go by Makoto, can I? Should I take the Senju name?"
"I'd forgotten about that!" Mika said with a smile. "Since you don't have a surname anymore, you can take your mother's! But not Senju—it'll be Ito."
Ito. Ito Makoto.
Makoto suddenly felt a sense of danger rise within him. That name seemed to carry a terrible burden of fate. Somehow, it felt as if a cleaver from across time and space was trained on him.
So I really am Makoto.
"Mom, aren't you descended from the Senju Clan? Why are you suddenly changing your name to Ito?"
Makoto gave his mother a plaintive look. His mom was seriously going to get him into trouble, leading him straight into a pit without even realizing it.
"The Senju Clan disbanded way back when your grandfather was alive," Mika said calmly. "Apparently, the First and Second Hokage hoped that the Senju Clan would blend into the village, so they disbanded it. The clan members changed their surnames, too, and assimilated into the village."
So that was it. Ito Makoto had never heard his mother talk about the Senju Clan before. No wonder she'd never mentioned them, even when people in the Uchiha Clan bullied her.
The First and Second Hokage had wanted the clan members to blend into the village. They hadn't been wrong to do so. With the Senju Clan's strength, they would have become a privileged clan far more powerful than the Uchiha. In time, the village would inevitably have become a state within a state.
Things might have been fine while the First and Second Hokage were around, but what if they weren't? Would the village obey the orders of a Senju clan leader or the Hokage? The Hokage's authority would inevitably face a serious challenge, and Konoha Hidden Village might even fall into division and infighting.
Dispersing the clan members had been good for the village, but it had taken away the ordinary Senju members' greatest source of support. When people like his mother were bullied by the Uchiha, there was no one to stand up for them.
A speck of dust from an era could become a mountain when it landed on an ordinary person. A minor event that wasn't even mentioned in the original manga had brought such terrible consequences down on the mother and son.
"Mom, why have you never told me about Grandpa? What kind of person was he?"
Seeing how heavy the mood had become, Ito Makoto tried to change the subject.
"Your grandfather was a very powerful Jonin. The Earth Spear you use was his signature jutsu, and he invented it himself. On the battlefield, that jutsu helped him avoid getting hurt most of the time."
Mika smiled as she spoke about her father. But then her voice grew sad again.
"Your grandfather died in battle when I was very young. His teammates brought his body back, but his heart was nowhere to be found. I didn't know him very well."
Earth Spear. A missing heart. Put together, the clues pointed to one person: the strange man with five hearts—Kakuzu.
So the Earth Country heart Kakuzu had belonged to my grandfather? Ito Makoto felt like all the pieces had fallen into place.
You bastard. He made a note of Kakuzu's name. Once I got stronger, if Naruto Uzumaki didn't take you out, I'd do it myself.
"Mom, don't worry. When I grow up, I'll personally kill the person who murdered Grandpa."
Ito Makoto puffed out his chest as he tried to comfort her.
"You little rascal, all you do is sweet-talk me," Mika said with a laugh, feeling a little better. "It's been so many years. The killer might already be dead of old age. You don't need to avenge anyone. I'll be grateful if you grow up safe and sound and become a Chunin."
After breakfast, Mika took Ito Makoto to visit their neighbor on the third floor, Haruno Mebuki—the friend who had helped Mika rent the place.
They bought a small gift first, then headed up to the third floor. Unlike on Earth, the stairs and hallways in the Naruto world were outside the buildings.
They knocked. The door opened, and a young woman with yellow hair appeared.
When she saw them, she said happily,
"Oh, it's you, Mika! Come on in."
The mother and son were welcomed inside.
"Thanks for helping me earlier, Mebuki. If you hadn't found this place for us in advance, my son and I might have ended up homeless," Mika said.
"Don't mention it. It was no trouble at all. There happened to be a place for rent downstairs, so I gave the landlord a heads-up."
Haruno Mebuki smiled, then turned to Ito Makoto.
"Is this your son? He's so cute. How old is he now?"
"Aunt Mebuki, I'm three," Ito Makoto said, deliberately acting younger.
"What a good boy. My daughter is the same age as you. I'll go get her."
Haruno Mebuki stood and went into another room. She came back with a little girl.
The girl had pink hair, fair skin, and neat clothes. She looked like a porcelain doll, timidly hiding behind her mother.
"This is my daughter, Haruno Sakura. She's a little shy around people," Haruno Mebuki said, bringing the girl forward.
"Sakura, come and meet Aunt Mebuki's friend Mika and her son, Brother Xiao Cheng."
"Hello, Aunt Mebuki. Hello, Brother Xiao Cheng," the girl said timidly, then hid behind her mother again.
Ito Makoto felt like his eyes had been opened. Was this really Sakura? The mighty Sakura who could pull mountains down with her strength? She was so shy—he almost felt like Hinata had possessed her.
"Sakura, take Brother Xiao Cheng to your room to play. I'll chat with Aunt Mika."
Mika gave Ito Makoto a gentle push, sending him off with Sakura.
Ito Makoto followed Sakura into a room. The place was full of girlish touches: pink walls, a pink desk, and all sorts of dolls.
Ito Makoto found a chair and sat down. Sakura stood quietly, not saying a word. The room was strangely silent.
He immediately felt incredibly awkward and kept scratching his head.
He wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything.
How was he supposed to interact with a shy little girl? It was a world-class problem as far as he was concerned. He'd rather wrestle a bear than face this situation. At least with ninjutsu, he had a decent chance of beating one.
Fortunately, it didn't last long. Once his mother finished chatting, he'd be able to leave.
After a while, the door opened. Haruno Mebuki and Mika appeared in the doorway, and Mebuki spoke to Sakura.
"Sakura, Aunt Mika and I are going shopping. You and Xiao Cheng stay home and keep an eye on things."
Mika added,
"Xiao Cheng, look after Sakura."
"Mom, why don't we all go shopping together?" Ito Makoto cut in. He really didn't want to stay there any longer.
"No," Mika said, shaking her head. "You still have a task to do."
"While I was chatting with Aunt Mebuki, I learned that Sakura is studying chakra training to prepare for the Ninja Academy entrance exam. Your Aunt Mebuki and her husband are both ordinary people, so they don't know anything about chakra.
"This is the perfect chance for you to teach Sakura how to train her chakra."
Chakra training? That simple stuff? That should be fine. It probably wouldn't take long.
Ito Makoto nodded and agreed.
Mika smiled.
"Teach her well. If you do, Mom will reward you!"
Before you continue