The Candy You Owe Me

The meeting was over.

The clan heads left the main hall in twos and threes, clasping hands as they bid one another farewell.

Hashirama was the last to leave. He made small talk as he unfastened the button at his collar.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the Hagoromo Clan Head about to take his leave and called out casually.

"Clan Head Hagoromo, don't you have a little boy too? Did he come?"

The Hagoromo Clan Head turned back. "Kaede? He came. I told him to wait in the courtyard."

"The courtyard?" Hashirama thought for a moment. "Little Tsunade was over there just now, too."

He rubbed his chin, a peculiar expression creeping onto his face.

"How old is your son?"

"Four."

"Then he's probably getting bullied." Hashirama said it as if it were nothing. "My granddaughter tries to pick fights with everyone. Last time, she climbed on a seven-year-old and beat him up. His father came to complain, so I had to pay him off with three boxes of sweets."

The Hagoromo Clan Head laughed and said, "They're just children," but his pace quickened despite himself.

No matter how clever Kaede was, he was only four. Who knew what might happen when he crossed paths with the First's granddaughter?

The two passed through a covered walkway and rounded a low wall.

The scene in the pavilion made Hashirama slow down.

The little troublemaker who had "climbed on a seven-year-old and beaten him up" was sitting primly on the steps.

Her little legs were together, her back straight, and a dice cup sat in front of her.

Beside her sat the four-year-old boy, Hagoromo Kaede.

He reached out and nudged Tsunade's wrist.

"You're holding it too tightly. Loosen up a little."

"Like this?"

"When you turn it, lead with this part."

"Oh."

Tsunade lowered her head and did as he showed her.

The dice rattled inside the cup, sounding steadier than before.

"That's it."

The corners of Tsunade's mouth lifted, but she quickly forced them back down and continued practicing.

Hashirama watched from behind the low wall for a few seconds.

He didn't say a word.

The Hagoromo Clan Head stole a glance at Hashirama's face.

He was still smiling, but his eyes had narrowed.

The Hagoromo Clan Head knew that expression all too well.

Whenever someone said something inappropriate during a meeting with the village leadership, Hashirama gave them that same look.

Hashirama walked over, his footsteps neither heavy nor light.

The two children in the pavilion looked up at the same time.

When Tsunade saw Hashirama, she grinned and was about to call out—then suddenly hid the dice cup behind her back, as if she were afraid he'd confiscate it.

"Grandpa! You're done with the meeting?"

Her voice was bright with delight, but she didn't move from her seat.

Hashirama crouched down.

His gaze first fell on Tsunade's face, and he reached out to rub her cheek.

"Have you been crying?"

Tears still marked Tsunade's face. She tilted her head away from his hand.

"No, I haven't."

Hashirama didn't press her. Instead, he turned his gaze to Kitahara Kaede.

The four-year-old sat properly, his expression calm.

There was no ingratiating smile, no nervousness, and no deliberate show of respect.

He simply sat there as naturally as could be, as if the person crouching opposite him weren't the First.

"Lord Hashirama."

Not "Lord Hokage," but "Lord Hashirama."

He'd used Hashirama's name, not his title.

Hashirama's brows twitched, but he didn't call attention to it.

He glanced at the pile of candy in the pavilion, then at the dice cup hidden behind Tsunade's back.

"Did you teach her?"

"She wanted to learn."

Tsunade cut in. "I asked him to teach me!"

Hashirama didn't respond to that.

He picked up a die, spun it once on his fingertip, then set it down.

"You're only four, yet you can control the dice with your hands."

He said it lightly, as if praising Kaede, though it also sounded like he was sizing him up.

Kitahara Kaede neither denied it nor offered any unnecessary modesty.

Hashirama watched him, then suddenly chuckled.

He pulled the dice cup in front of him and set it down.

"Let's play a round."

The First wanted to play dice with a four-year-old.

Hashirama had seen the way Tsunade had obediently listened to Kaede. Any grandfather would understand the look on his face.

You've only been here a little while. What, a few hours?

I've looked after her for three years, and she makes a fuss with everyone. But she listens to whatever you say.

Kitahara Kaede didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned to look at Tsunade.

"Should she play?"

Hashirama froze for a moment.

Kaede paid no attention to his expression and continued, "She's just learned. It's a good chance to try it out."

He lowered his gaze to Tsunade.

"Remember how I taught you?"

"...I remember." Tsunade tightened her grip on the dice cup.

"That's all you need."

He paused.

"Win on your own."

It was only three words, but Tsunade understood.

She bit her lip, then slammed the dice cup onto the ground.

"Bring it on!"

Looking at the little girl's fierce determination, Hashirama felt something he couldn't quite put into words.

His granddaughter.

The girl he'd raised since she was little.

She'd begged, cried, and thrown tantrums in front of him, but he'd never seen this expression on her face.

Hashirama picked up the dice cup and gave it a couple of casual shakes.

He'd planned to play seriously.

But when he saw Tsunade clutching her cup, her little face scrunched up in concentration, he instinctively held back a little.

Not enough to let her win—just a little restraint.

He controlled the dice to land on a four and a five.

Nine points—not too high, not too low.

It was Tsunade's turn.

She copied Kaede's movements, gripping the cup and turning her wrist inward.

Her movements were still clumsy. The arc was a little too wide, and she paused as she brought it back, but the dice didn't go flying.

She set the cup down.

She took a breath and lifted it.

A six and a five.

Eleven points.

Tsunade herself froze.

Kitahara Kaede nudged her shoulder.

"You won."

Tsunade came to her senses.

She sprang up, her little ponytail bouncing—

"I won!"

She rushed up to Hashirama.

"Grandpa! I really won this time! You didn't let me win!"

Hashirama stayed where he was.

He'd rolled a nine, which wasn't low.

Not many people could get more than ten with a casual shake.

She was only three, and she'd learned how to do it after practicing for such a short time.

His gaze passed over Tsunade and settled on Kitahara Kaede.

The boy sat quietly where he was. He didn't look as if he were taking credit, nor did he have the expression of someone thinking, Look how well I taught her.

He simply sat there in silence.

Hashirama was quiet for two seconds.

"Kid."

Kitahara Kaede looked up.

"You can come visit little Tsunade and play with her whenever you like."

Tsunade pricked up her ears, her eyes lighting up.

"Really?!"

"Really."

Tsunade turned to look at Kitahara Kaede, lifting her chin.

Her expression said it all: Did you hear that?

Kitahara Kaede stood and bowed slightly.

"Thank you, Lord Hashirama."

Hashirama nodded and took Tsunade's hand as he started back.

After a couple of steps, Tsunade suddenly pulled her hand free and ran back a few paces.

"Hey!"

Kitahara Kaede looked over.

"What's your name?"

They'd been playing for ages, and she still hadn't asked.

"Hagoromo Kaede."

Tsunade moved her lips, silently repeating it once.

"Kaede—next time you come, bring more candy. You still owe me."

"Didn't I already pay you back?"

"That was candy you gave me. That's different from the candy you owe me. You still owe me double!"

Kitahara Kaede opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Hashirama listened from the side.

The four-year-old who hadn't so much as blinked when facing him was now at a loss for words as his granddaughter hounded him over candy.

Hashirama snorted.

He felt a little better.

Just a little.

On the way back.

The Hagoromo Clan Head walked in silence for a long time, several times seeming about to speak before stopping himself.

In the end, he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Kaede... Lord First said you could go visit Princess Tsunade and play with her whenever you like."

"Mm."

He wanted to say something else, but when he glanced at his son's calm profile, he swallowed his words.

Kitahara Kaede walked behind him, his gaze level with the path ahead.

A screen of light appeared in his mind.

[Side Quest: First Meeting—Complete.]

[Final Evaluation: S-Rank.]

[Evaluation Details: You successfully made a strong first impression on your target. Not only did you earn his favor and trust, but you also won the approval of the key figure, Senju Hashirama. The dual personas of "genius" and "reliable companion" have begun to take shape.]

[Reward: Chakra extraction efficiency permanently increased by 5%.]

[Note: This reward is a percentage bonus and will increase in tandem with the host's total chakra.]

Kitahara Kaede's gaze lingered for a moment on the words "percentage bonus."

It wasn't a fixed amount.

At present, an extra 5% barely made a difference.

But in the future, when his chakra reserves were ten times, a hundred times greater—

that 5% would grow right along with them.