Senju Tobirama's Thoughts

Senju Kyogawa knew that Senju Tobirama was quite gifted and well-versed in the study of ninjutsu, but he still hadn't expected Tobirama to identify the source of his problem so quickly.

After all, Tobirama didn't have X-ray vision, nor could he see his chakra pathways.

Consequently, in Senju Kyogawa's mind, Tobirama's status as a "scientist" was elevated by yet another significant margin.

He couldn't wait to ask Tobirama what the reason was, not even bothering to step out of the water he was soaking in.

In truth, Senju Tobirama wasn't quite that divine; he had simply noticed that the chakra beneath Kyogawa's feet was flickering with instability. Combining that with his previous assessment of Kyogawa's inability to utilize chakra, he understood exactly where the issue lay.

A brilliant, confident light shimmered in Tobirama's red eyes, and it was clear he was quite certain of his hypothesis—he was, after all, the man who would be known in the future as the "man who is a walking arsenal of forbidden jutsu."

He said:

"Kyogawa, you can try using 'flame' to open up another pathway for your chakra. In other words—"

"It means not relying on your own meridians and cells to transport chakra. Use the 'flame' to forge a new channel to ensure the stability of the chakra."

Senju Kyogawa's control over "flame" was already masterful—he hadn't worn the gloves used to seal his "flame" in a long time, yet he could still control it. Thus, Kyogawa easily followed Tobirama's suggestion and forged a pathway of flame.

He channeled his chakra through the flame to the soles of his feet and stepped onto the surface of the water.

One step, two steps, three steps...

It worked!

Senju Kyogawa successfully crossed the river and reached the opposite bank.

Senju Kyogawa jumped up in delight, nearly leaping three feet high.

He cheered loudly:

"Brother Tobirama—you are my god—"

The birds were startled by Kyogawa's voice and left the trees they had been perched in, scattering with a chorus of chirps as they flew off in different directions.

Senju Tobirama pressed a fist to his lips and gave a light cough, signaling for Kyogawa to stop shouting.

"Little brother, you did very well this time. However... perhaps you could retract the flame and not let it show beneath your feet along with the chakra?" Tobirama suggested.

Just now, when Kyogawa was walking on water, the flame and chakra had been wrapped together beneath his feet. Even while passing over the water, the flame hadn't been extinguished—and honestly, you couldn't deny that while the scene was a bit bizarre, it looked somewhat cool after a while.

Senju Kyogawa quite liked the look of flames erupting from beneath his feet; he thought it looked incredibly stylish, but...

Senju Kyogawa took a few steps back and saw that the flames on his feet had scorched two small footprints into the grass on the bank...

Hmm... that was hard to justify.

For a ninja, the goal should be to hide one's tracks, but Kyogawa had just exposed his position completely—it was hard to say whether an enemy might interpret it as a provocation.

Thinking about it carefully, while it looked cool, it didn't seem suitable for the battlefield. Senju Kyogawa silently retracted the flames beneath his feet.

He walked on the water once more to return to Senju Tobirama's side.

During both attempts at water-walking, Kyogawa had been very steady. Although he didn't know the reason why, it didn't stop him from continuing to worship Tobirama.

On the way back, Senju Kyogawa clung to Tobirama's hand, showering him with praise until Tobirama felt embarrassed, his face turning a shade of red.

That evening, having solved the major problem that had plagued him for days, Senju Kyogawa was in a fantastic mood and started cooking early.

Senju Tobirama also helped Kyogawa with the prep work while they cooked that evening.

Truth be told, Tobirama could cook as well, and his control over heat and timing was quite good—he was a ninja, after all. But Kyogawa was still the best cook in their household, and since Kyogawa didn't want to mistreat his own stomach, he took charge of all three meals.

Tobirama and the others hadn't originally cared much about what they ate, but Kyogawa's skills were so excellent that, over time, their palates had become refined. If they were forced to eat Tobirama's cooking now, they might find it hard to swallow.

With Tobirama's help, Kyogawa finished dinner quickly, and it was as sumptuous as ever. Now, the two of them just waited for Senju Hashirama and Senju Butsuma to return home for the meal.

Senju Butsuma returned around seven o'clock that evening, as he usually found time to do.

But strangely enough, it was quite a while after Butsuma returned that Hashirama finally arrived home, looking as disheveled as if he had been in a fight.

His clothes were covered in dust, his exposed skin had several scrapes, and his face looked rather exhausted.

Seeing Hashirama's travel-worn appearance, Senju Butsuma couldn't help but frown.

Since Tobirama and Hashirama had only returned from a mission the previous night, Butsuma hadn't forced them to train today, essentially giving them a day off to rest properly.

And although it was midsummer and the sun set late, it was nearing nightfall by the time Hashirama returned.

Considering that Hashirama had left the house at the crack of dawn...

Hashirama had been out for nearly fourteen hours!

Senju Kyogawa and Senju Tobirama were now very curious about what their eldest brother, Hashirama, had been doing all day, especially since he seemed to be in a bad mood.

Senju Butsuma kept a stern face and asked in a cold, sharp tone:

"Where have you been fooling around today? Coming back so late!"

Senju Hashirama looked troubled and cast a glance toward Senju Kyogawa.

Kyogawa realized what was happening immediately. He smiled, ran over to Hashirama, took his hand to help him out of the situation, and turned to explain to Butsuma:

"Father, Brother Hashirama went to help me farm today, so please don't give him a hard time~ Brother Hashirama is already very tired~"

"I'll take Brother Hashirama to change his clothes first; you and Brother Tobirama go ahead and eat..."

Senju Kyogawa pulled Senju Hashirama into the room and snuck a glance at Senju Butsuma's expression. Seeing that Senju Butsuma didn't seem to intend on pursuing the matter further, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

He closed the door, found some clean clothes to hand to Senju Hashirama, and then asked in a low voice:

"Brother Hashirama, what were you doing today? You came back so late... It's a good thing Father didn't press the issue, otherwise..."

Senju Hashirama no longer hid his exhaustion when facing Senju Kyogawa. As he changed his clothes, he explained:

"I went to spar with Madara... He was injured, and from what he told me, he only has one younger brother left now..."

"He wasn't in a very good mood... I..."

Hearing Hashirama say this, Senju Kyogawa's heart grew heavy as well. Now he understood why Hashirama looked so down; perhaps he was thinking of the departed Kawarama and Itama...

He had only heard that the Uchiha Clan had been at war with other ninja clans recently. Now it seemed that, as expected, the war had claimed many young lives once again...

"Kyogawa, I... I want to build a village to protect you and Tobirama..." Senju Hashirama looked somewhat fragile; he truly did not want to lose another younger brother.

Senju Kyogawa bit his lip, offering no reply.

Peace was not so easily attained...

However, he still curved his eyes slightly and smiled:

"Brother Hashirama, you're so lame. A village is so tacky..."

"If you're going to build something, build a ninja nation!"

A short while later, Senju Kyogawa and Senju Hashirama emerged.

By this time, Senju Hashirama had changed into clean, neat clothes, and his expression looked much more relaxed.

Senju Hashirama devoured his meal, praising Senju Kyogawa's cooking skills as he ate.

Senju Kyogawa laughed, telling him to slow down.

Senju Butsuma's expression was also relaxed, clearly no longer bothered by what had happened earlier.

Senju Tobirama, however, carefully observed his eldest brother and younger brother, his eyes darting as he wore a thoughtful expression.