Return Journey

That night.

To celebrate the ceasefire among the clans, the daimyo held a banquet at the imperial palace that was even grander than the previous night's. The major shinobi clans of the Fire Country gathered together.

If he had a choice, Shusen would not have wanted to attend such a meaningless banquet.

He was eager to return home. The greatest gain from this trip to the imperial capital had been obtaining Hashirama's cells, and he could not wait to get back to the laboratory and conduct the eye-fusion experiment.

After several rounds of drinks, Ryū suddenly noticed something strange and asked Shusen beside him, "Why has Kaguya Wuzhan been staring at you?"

Shusen: "..."

He turned his head and, sure enough, saw Kaguya Wuzhan staring straight at him like a venomous snake choosing its prey.

"Because of Hyuga Rika."

Mito explained on behalf of her younger brother, "Kaguya Wuzhan likes Hyuga Rika. After learning that she had nearly married my second brother, he began holding a grudge against him. This morning, he came looking for trouble, but Hashirama and Tobirama forced him away in the end."

Ryū frowned, feeling deeply uneasy.

If it were an ordinary member of the Kaguya Clan holding a grudge against his son, it would not matter much. But Kaguya Wuzhan was the young clan leader of the Kaguya Clan. His hatred carried considerable weight.

"Useless brat!"

After pondering for a moment, he suddenly cursed, frustrated that his son had failed to live up to expectations. "If you had your sister's strength, what would there be to fear from him?!"

"..."

Shusen felt both depressed and wronged. Wasn't this trouble caused by Dad randomly trying to pair me off?

Not only is he doing nothing to help me solve it, he's even blaming me.

"For the next few years, stay in Whirlpool Village. Don't go anywhere until you become a jonin!" Ryū added.

Frustrated as he was, his concern for his son was genuine. Ryū knew full well that if Kaguya Wuzhan had set his sights on Shusen, his life could truly be in danger.

Shusen's eyes lit up at those words. He had not expected misfortune to turn into a blessing.

He had wanted to stay hidden in the village and quietly grow stronger anyway. He could not be bothered with high-profile things that put him in the spotlight.

Though delighted inside, he replied gloomily, "Yes."

"Oh, right. Last time, you said there was a girl you liked. Who is she?" Ryū suddenly remembered the matter. Recently, he had been holed up in the clan leader's building handling the affairs of founding the village, so busy that he was nearly dizzy with exhaustion.

"She's from our Uzumaki Clan too." Shusen's eyes shifted as he casually made something up.

"Everyone's been busy lately. I was thinking I'd bring her to meet you once Whirlpool Village is finished."

Ryū considered it briefly. "That's fine."

They truly had been far too busy lately.

Besides, his son was only sixteen. It would be about right for him to marry in another two years. In any case, the girl was in the Uzumaki Clan—she was not going anywhere.

Seeing that he had successfully placated his father, Shusen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But he had not expected his father to be easy to fool while his older sister was much harder to deal with.

After Ryū and the other clan leaders went to toast the daimyo, Mito's gossiping spirit flared up. She leaned close to Shusen and bombarded him with questions.

"What's the girl's name?"

"When did you meet?"

"How far have things progressed?"

"..."

Faced with his sister's fierce interrogation, Shusen acted like an innocent, bashful young boy and refused to reveal a single word about the girl. This behavior did not arouse Mito's suspicions.

Whenever Mito pressed him too hard, Shusen would launch a counterattack.

"Big Brother Hashirama, you're here!"

In the blink of an eye, Mito would sit up straight and properly, delicately sampling the fruit pastries on the table with graceful manners.

The banquet did not end until the latter half of the night, and all the guests left satisfied.

After returning to his room and barely dozing off for a moment, Shusen was awakened by his father. They were setting off for the village.

Ryū was actually more eager to return than Shusen. This was a critical period for the development of Whirlpool Village. If not for the daimyo's invitation, he truly would not have been able to leave even for a moment. Having spent two days at the imperial palace, he had no idea how much work had been delayed.

Before they departed, Hashirama and Tobirama came to see them off.

A true man's word was as good as his bond. Their sworn brotherhood was not just talk. The two genuinely regarded Shusen as their brother. As for Mito, her place in Hashirama's heart was even more complicated.

"Mito... don't tire yourself out too much. Remember to rest..." Hashirama spent ages working up to it before finally squeezing out that one sentence. He was every bit the hopeless oaf.

"Mhm, mhm. You should watch your safety too. The Uchiha Clan won't agree to a ceasefire so easily," Mito said with a smile as she adjusted her hair.

"I will!"

"See you next time."

"Se-see you!"

"..."

Even after Mito's figure vanished beyond his sight, Hashirama remained rooted in place, lost in thought.

Tobirama waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Big Brother, she's already gone."

Hashirama abruptly snapped back to his senses and said excitedly, "Tobirama, Mito and I became sworn siblings! Our relationship has taken another step forward!"

Watching his older brother grin foolishly like a man in his twenties, Tobirama let out a long sigh. "Big Brother, can you show a little ambition? You merely became sworn siblings, not husband and wife."

"Even if you and Mito once shared a life-and-death bond, with that tight-lipped personality of yours, marrying Mito in the end will be harder than reaching the heavens."

"Huh? Then what should I do?" Hashirama grew nervous.

"First, you need to be bolder. Talk to Mito as much as possible, find common topics. Second... stop acting like some creep and secretly peeking at her all the time!"

The journey back was terribly boring, so Shusen quietly tried to make conversation with his sister. "Sis, I think Big Brother Hashirama might be interested in you."

Mito became a little flustered and knowingly asked, "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. Haven't you noticed Big Brother Hashirama often sneaking looks at you?"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

"I'm serious. What do you think of Big Brother Hashirama?"

"...I look at him standing up."

"..."

"Tell me, how did you and Big Brother Hashirama meet?"

"There's nothing to tell. We just fought the Hagoromo Clan together."

"Tell me in detail."

"Shut up."

"Good sister, satisfy my curiosity. I really want to know."

"...Don't act cute. It's disgusting."

Shusen grabbed her arm and shook it.

"Ugh, you're so annoying!"

Mito finally understood what it felt like to be interrogated. Once he pestered her beyond her limit, she flung Shusen away. In any case, he could not keep up with her speed.

Ryū noticed the little exchange between his daughter and son, and his heart skipped a beat.

Could Mito really be interested in Hashirama?

He had a bad feeling about this. Mito was the most outstanding genius of the Uzumaki Clan and carried the banner of the younger generation. He had originally planned to find her a talented young man within the clan. Why let the family's fortune flow into another's hands?

If Mito married into another clan, it would not just be a pig rooting through his cabbage—it would be the entire vegetable garden getting dug up!

I need to find time to have a heart-to-heart with Mito. If possible, she'd better not marry outside the clan.

Ryū silently thought this. It had to be said that he was truly a neglectful father, busy with clan affairs all day and never caring about his children's physical or emotional well-being.