Naori gave a soft sigh. "Okay, tomorrow I'll come with my brother. But you don't need to take me home. You still have to go to Sensei's place, and I can go back by myself."
"No way. No mission is more important than taking you home."
Naori gave a gentle smile. "Alright then, I'll have to trouble the Kumotsuru Clan Head to escort this little lady home."
Torifu immediately played along. "It is my honor to escort Miss Naori home. After you."
They looked at each other, and in the end, they both couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"I'm really not used to being so pretentious."
Torifu nodded. "Me neither."
Afterward, Naori took Torifu's arm, and they walked away from the Kumotsuru Clan grounds together. After spending so many years together, they had a great sense of understanding. All it took was a single look to know what the other was thinking.
"I still remember the first time I went on a mission with my brother and the others. I was just following behind, like a burden, unable to do anything. But this time, I'm going to shine!"
Torifu tilted his head and gently bumped Naori's head with his. "Of course. This time, we'll make sure they all see Naori's strength!"
Torifu then added, "But I never thought of you as a burden. You're always so meticulous about helping everyone with the little things. Only you can handle those details. Even Koharu Nee-san can't."
Naori turned to look at Torifu and saw that he was also looking at her. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. It seemed Torifu hadn't been lying. This was quite touching for Naori because he had been paying attention to her all along. He hadn't ignored her just because what she did were small things. She really hadn't been wrong about him.
They walked and talked and soon arrived at the Uchiha Clan grounds. Reaching their destination so quickly made Torifu feel a little reluctant to part. But when he remembered that they would be able to see each other tomorrow and during the mission, he felt much better.
"See you tomorrow, Naori."
Naori waved. "See you tomorrow." She then went back into the clan grounds.
The guard at the gate nodded at Torifu, and Torifu returned the gesture before leaving the Uchiha Clan grounds. He strolled around the streets for a bit, and when he saw that it was getting late, he headed straight for the Senju Clan grounds. Torifu walked very quickly. When the villagers saw this, they knew he was busy and didn't greet him, for fear of delaying him. This unspoken understanding was something Torifu and the villagers had built over the years.
"Torifu-sama, what brings you here?"
Torifu waved his hand. "I came to see Mito-sama about something. She should be home, right?"
The guard smiled and nodded. "Yes, she is. Please come in. You might even be able to get a meal out of it."
Torifu patted the guard's shoulder. "Great, I'll head in then." With that, he walked into the clan grounds.
When he arrived at Hashirama's house, Torifu knocked on the door and then walked in. "Sensei, Mito-sama, I've come to mooch a meal."
When Mito heard Torifu's voice, she got up and went to the door. "It's Torifu. Tobirama's guess was right. You really came."
Torifu put on a fake smile. "Did Tobirama-sama tell you why I came?"
Mito thought about it. "He didn't, actually. Do you have something important to talk about?"
Torifu nodded. "Mito-sama, let's talk inside. I haven't had dinner yet, and I'm starving."
"Alright, alright. I'll get you a pair of chopsticks and a bowl."
In the living room, Hashirama and Tobirama were drinking. Tsunade was sitting nearby, lost in her thoughts. What surprised Torifu the most was that Nawaki was back.
He immediately went over and grabbed Nawaki by the ear. "You little brat, you came back without telling me? Do you not have a sensei anymore?"
Nawaki grabbed Torifu's hand and said in pain, "Sensei, it hurts, it hurts! Please let go! I just got back!"
Tsunade's eyes lit up when she saw Torifu. "Torifu Nii-san, don't listen to his nonsense! He came back this morning!"
When Torifu heard this, he tightened his grip. "Oh, is that right?"
"Sensei, I'm sorry! Please let go! It really hurts!"
Seeing this, Torifu let go, and Nawaki immediately rubbed his ear. There were even tears in his eyes. Torifu waved his hand, and a green light flowed to Nawaki's ear, making the pain disappear immediately.
"This is a lesson for you. The first thing you do when you return to the village after a mission is report to me."
Nawaki pouted and mumbled, "Yes, I understand."
At this moment, Hashirama sighed and said to Mito, "You see, there's always someone to keep someone else in line. This brat is only afraid of Torifu."
Mito smiled. "You're right. He's been completely spoiled by me. It's a good thing Torifu is here to keep him in check."
The old couple was a perfect match. Back then, Hashirama had taught Tsunade so badly that she almost lost the Senju Clan, so Mito decided to personally teach Nawaki to avoid a repeat. But she found that it didn't make much difference. Although he didn't gamble, he was still very mischievous because she spoiled him. But she couldn't help it; he was her precious grandson, and she couldn't bring herself to hit or scold him. So she just spoiled him, and in the end, he was completely spoiled. Luckily, Torifu wanted to take on a disciple at the time, and the old couple decided to just hand Nawaki over to him.
"Alright, alright, you've already lectured him. Everyone, sit down and eat."
Torifu nodded and took a seat next to Mito. Tsunade, on the other hand, had Nawaki sit next to Torifu. This made him so nervous that he didn't even dare to eat with large movements.
From the moment Torifu entered the house until he finished lecturing Nawaki and sat down to eat, Tobirama hadn't said a word or looked directly at Torifu. He probably felt a little embarrassed about throwing this troublesome mission at Torifu!
"Nawaki."
Nawaki, who was eating seriously, was suddenly called out. He immediately sat up straight. "Sensei, what's wrong?" The moment he heard his name, he quickly went through a mental checklist of all the things he might have done wrong. But after a quick check, he didn't seem to have made any mistakes, so his tone became a little more confident. But if Torifu had known what he was thinking, he would have just thought he was overthinking.
"I'm going on a long-distance mission in two days. I've taken on two new disciples, and as their senior, you need to take care of them."
Nawaki was a little surprised. What? Were two more miserable people going to be added to the Hidden Leaf Village? He was no longer the only one in the entire shinobi world!
He immediately patted his chest. "Don't worry, Sensei! You can go on your mission without a worry. I'll take good care of my junior brothers."
He just didn't know if he would still have the same reaction when Nawaki heard about Minato's living conditions.
...
chapter end
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Spare stones, your grace? A crumb of power stones? twitches This humble translator is but a starving artist...