"Someone's coming."
"Lord Hokage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand. "Go and find out what happened with Tsunade and Uchiha Chiba."
"Yes."
After receiving the order from Sarutobi Hiruzen, Anbu disappeared immediately.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a bit uneasy. He hadn't expected to see Uchiha Chiba in the Senju tribe today. Though he knew the bond between the Senju and Uchiha clans was strong, it was just a normal friendship between classmates and allies. He was glad to see Uchiha Chiba integrating into the village.
However, when he heard Uchiha Chiba call Tsunade "sister," he felt a wave of discomfort.
What is going on here? Could Senju be dissatisfied with his Hokage leadership and be conspiring with Uchiha to sideline him?
Soon, Anbu handed him a report.
After reading it, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed in relief. It turned out that he had been overthinking. The relationship between Uchiha Chiba and Tsunade was purely a misunderstanding. According to Nara Shikaku's report, Tsunade only recognized Uchiha Chiba as a "younger brother" because she was fond of his cooking.
Upon realizing this, Hiruzen regretted not accepting Tsunade's invitation earlier. Now he was curious about how good Uchiha Chiba's cooking really was.
Bang
"Hiruzen, I don't have enough manpower at the base. You need to send me some people."
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and looked at the speaker with displeasure.
Does Danzo take me seriously? Why does he always demand things so bluntly?
Hiruzen scolded him sternly: "Danzo, what are your hands for? Can't you handle things properly? And you should be careful; Mito-sama already knows about your 'Root.'"
Danzo was taken aback by Hiruzen's tone. It had been a long time since Hiruzen had spoken to him like that. The mention of Uzumaki Mito only made him more nervous.
"How would Mito-sama know? Didn't I tell those families to keep quiet?"
Shimura Danzo's face showed signs of dissatisfaction. After all, he was a Hokage assistant, but it seemed his orders were being ignored.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was disappointed. This old friend of his was reckless. "Do you realize how much resentment you've caused among those families? And now you're asking me for people? I can't help you."
Danzo, choked by Sarutobi's words, thought for a moment before replying, "I'll release the ninjas, but what about the civilians? There's a kid named Namikaze Minato at the academy—he's talented and an orphan. Could you give him to me, Hiruzen?"
Before this, Danzo had already investigated the most outstanding students. The most famous one was the troublesome Uchiha Chiba, who he really wanted to recruit into his Root. But the Uchiha clan was notorious for revenge, and Danzo didn't want to risk offending them. Moreover, he didn't get along with the Uchiha clan; he had inherited Senju Tobirama's beliefs that the Uchiha shouldn't exist in Konoha.
Other promising children, however, were from the core ninja families, and Danzo didn't want to act hastily.
"No, Minato is the successor of the Will of Fire and Jiraiya's prized disciple. I won't give him to you," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied firmly, taking a puff of his pipe.
Danzo's anger flared. "This won't work, that won't work. Hiruzen, remember, you approved of the creation of the Root."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes sharpened. "Danzo, the creation of the Root was your initiative. I advised against it, but you went ahead. Now you want to turn the blame on me?"
Danzo, taken aback by the intensity of Hiruzen's gaze, grew furious. "So, Hiruzen, when you allowed me to establish the Root, you were silent. Now, because of Mito-sama, you want to distance yourself from it and put the blame on me?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled coldly. "Danzo, I am Hokage. I've been the Hokage for over ten years, and I won't let you threaten me."
Danzo, unable to accept this, stormed off angrily. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Danzo leave, then murmured, "Danzo, I am the Hokage."
Back at the Senju clan.
"Mito-sama, here's the food I made. Please try it and see if it suits your taste."
Uzumaki Mito was surprised by the variety of dishes laid out before her. They all looked delicious, but she wondered if Uchiha Chiba could really cook so much.
But then she thought, it was a child's kindness, and she couldn't turn it down.
"Grandma, try it! It's really delicious!" Senju Nawaki urged excitedly.
"Alright, I'll try," Uzumaki Mito chuckled. She picked up a lion head from the table, used her chopsticks to take a small piece, and tasted it carefully.
"How is it, Grandma?" Senju Nawaki asked, eagerly watching her.
Mito smiled warmly. "It's delicious."
"Great, let's all eat!" Kushina and Tsunade picked up their chopsticks.
Everyone began eating, and Mito was amazed by Uchiha Chiba's appetite. She didn't expect someone outside the Akamichi clan to eat so much.
After the meal, Uchiha Chiba bid farewell to Mito and Tsunade, and Senju Nawaki escorted him out.
Once he was gone, Uzumaki Mito turned to Tsunade, who was sprawled out on the tatami, indifferent to her image.
"Little Tsuna, what do you think of Chiba?"
"Huh? Grandma, why do you ask?" Tsunade seemed confused at first but thought for a moment before answering. "Well... the food he cooked was great, and he's not as arrogant as other Uchiha. He seems like a good kid."
Mito narrowed her eyes slightly, a mysterious smile appearing on her face. "Hmm, I noticed something. The way that child looked at you was a bit unusual. Don't you feel anything?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "What's unusual? He's just a pervy brat." She didn't take it seriously. She was used to attracting attention because of her looks, but most people didn't stare at her openly like Uchiha Chiba did.
Mito shook her head. "Little Tsuna, you're too slow when it comes to matters of the heart."
She didn't say more, though. Tsunade was still young, and there was a ten-year age difference between her and Uchiha Chiba. Besides, Uchiha Chiba was an Uchiha, which made things even more complicated.
Mito couldn't help but worry about Tsunade's emotional well-being. After all, she was already 20 years old in a world where the average life expectancy was around 40 or 50. She was considered quite old for a woman in this world.
Though Mito might have hoped for Tsunade to find someone, she was cautious about Uchiha Chiba.
Her thoughts drifted to Jiraiya, the white-haired man who had been Tsunade's classmate and had pursued her for years. Mito could never accept him as Tsunade's partner. After all, peeping into a women's bathhouse wasn't something a disciple of the Hokage should do.
If Tsunade's family had chosen such a man as a son-in-law, the entire ninja world would likely have laughed at them.