Bonds

"Amamiya Maki, come here a second!"

Senju Nawaki appeared at the classroom's back door, leaning halfway inside and waving vigorously toward the window seats in the back row.

He wore a dark blue short-sleeved shirt that day, with the Senju Clan's crest pinned to his collar.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki looked up at the same time, their gazes landing on Nawaki from either side.

Nawaki clearly hadn't noticed these details.

Or perhaps he had noticed but didn't care.

His mind was filled with the task Master Orochimaru had given him, and even his steps carried the eager bounce of someone about to complete his mission.

Amamiya Maki rose from his seat and walked to the back door, escorted by the two gazes on either side.

Lately, he had felt that Minato, that little ray of sunshine, was growing a bit darker.

Like when he saw Nawaki come looking for him, or when he saw Kushina monopolizing the seat beside him.

Still, being dragged away by Nawaki would at least give him a brief moment of peace.

"Amamiya Maki, we can finally get started on that thing Master promised me-taking you as his apprentice!"

Nawaki kept his voice very low, but there was no hiding his excitement.

Every word seemed to spring off a coil.

They rang out with conviction.

He rubbed his fingers back and forth against his trouser leg, his usual nervous habit.

"Master said he had something to deal with a while back, so it got delayed. You know how Master Orochimaru's been researching a new jutsu lately.

He's always like this when he's working on something new. He doesn't eat or sleep. He stayed up three nights straight before finishing that experiment with the chakra-conducting material.

But today's perfect. There's a family dinner, so we can settle this while we're there."

Amamiya Maki was a little surprised. Apparently, Orochimaru hadn't told Nawaki about their last meeting at the waterfall.

That day beneath the waterfall, Orochimaru had stood before him, the light of the Rasengan in his palm reflected in Orochimaru's slit pupils, and asked whether he wanted to become his apprentice.

He hadn't agreed immediately because he needed to weigh the risks.

Orochimaru had evidently treated it as a secret between the two of them and told no one, not even Nawaki, who had recommended him.

Was it because having his offer turned down on the spot had embarrassed him?

Surely not. Orochimaru didn't seem like someone who would care about that sort of thing.

Most likely, he had felt no need to mention it, or hadn't wanted Nawaki to know he had already conducted an "interview" beneath the waterfall.

Orochimaru did things at his own pace and didn't like others interfering.

There was also something in Nawaki's words worth examining.

He had used the term "family dinner."

Amamiya Maki had assumed it meant a Senju Clan family dinner, but when they arrived, he discovered it was at Hiruzen Sarutobi's dining table.

It wasn't large, but seating four people around it didn't feel cramped.

The table was covered with egg dishes. The Tamagoyaki had been cut into neat, even rectangles, each with lightly browned edges and a tender, glistening center.

The surface of the Chawanmushi was smooth enough to reflect a face, with a single red goji berry on top.

Beside the sashimi, apple slices had been arranged in an overlapping fan, spreading out like its ribs.

The reason for all this painstaking preparation was that these were all Orochimaru's favorite foods.

Amamiya Maki remembered that Nawaki had eaten egg dishes at the Third's house last time, too.

The old man remembered his student's tastes better than his own son's.

No, to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru was far more familiar than his own son.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the table and cheerfully invited Amamiya Maki to sit.

He wasn't wearing his Hokage Robe that day, having changed into dark gray casual clothes, but his eyes remained as sharp as ever.

His gaze lingered on Amamiya Maki's face for a moment.

His eyes were full of approval, as though saying, Yes, just as I thought.

"That child Kushina must have caused you quite a bit of trouble."

"Not at all. Kushina's adorable. I'm happy to spend time with her."

The Third let out a deep, hearty laugh.

He was well aware of how Kushina Uzumaki was doing at school.

It wasn't as though everyone had fully accepted her.

At the very least, one could say she had been ostracized by everyone.

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't believe his polite words.

Still, he could tell from them that the boy was very cooperative.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats.

The nickname Red-Hot Habanero had already spread throughout the Ninja Academy.

She had beaten up everyone in one class, then everyone in the neighboring class. Now even the older students instinctively took a detour when they saw her.

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't believe Amamiya Maki's polite words.

Still, he could tell from them that the boy was very cooperative, and not in a fawning, ingratiating way.

He was clever enough to know what answer the Hokage needed and give it to him.

This child was far more mature than his peers.

He was practically a boy with a Hokage's mindset!

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats.

Amamiya Maki thought of Asuma Sarutobi. He had probably long since grown used to his father being closer to Orochimaru, an "outsider," than to him.

Orochimaru seemed more like the son of this household instead.

He had grown up under the Third's guidance and knew his way around the Hokage's home better than his own. He even knew exactly which seasonings were kept in each kitchen drawer.

The last time Jiraiya had come over to mooch a meal, he had searched three cupboards for salt without finding it.

Leaning against the doorframe, Orochimaru had said without even turning his head, "Second drawer on the left. Don't take the jar on top. That's sugar."

Half skeptical, Jiraiya had opened it to check. The salt jar was indeed in the second drawer on the left, and the jar on top did indeed contain sugar.

He had sulked over it for three whole days.

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his chopsticks and spoke slowly. "Amamiya Maki, I invited you here today because there's something I'd like to ask of you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi softened his tone as much as possible so Amamiya Maki wouldn't feel he was being ordered.

There weren't many people in Konoha whom the Hokage would "ask a favor" of.

Not the routine "please lend your assistance" found in official documents.

This was a sincere request, carrying hope and trust.

"Your concerns are my concerns, Lord Hokage!" Amamiya Maki rested his chopsticks on the rim of his bowl and sat up straight.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, his face full of approval. "Don't worry. This isn't anything particularly difficult."

Then Hiruzen Sarutobi began by discussing Kushina Uzumaki's behavior at school.

He, too, seemed rather helpless over Kushina Uzumaki's habit of displaying violence all over the school.

It was exactly the same helplessness he had felt when Orochimaru accidentally let his pet snakes escape as a child, leaving the Anbu chasing snakes through the Hokage Building for three days.

After all, Kushina was only a child. She still needed someone to set an example for her and look after her a little.

Only after a lengthy preamble did Hiruzen Sarutobi reach the main point.

"Kushina Uzumaki is the next jinchūriki the village brought here from the Land of Whirlpools."

"Tailed beasts are dangerous, but the human heart is even more dangerous."

"Being a jinchūriki invites fear. Fear turns into rejection, rejection turns into isolation, and isolation turns into hatred."

"Once she begins to hate the village, the tailed beast will have an opening."

"Her heart needs to be filled with something else."

"Not fear, not hatred. It's something complicated to explain, but I believe you can understand it."

"Bonds, right?" Amamiya Maki answered after a brief moment of thought.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded approvingly.

"Yes, bonds!"