When Reiji returned to the village, a faint white light was spreading across the horizon.
It was almost dawn.
As he looked at the rising sun, the gloom in his heart slowly faded.
Even though that old bastard Hiruzen had scammed him out of nearly 200,000, he still came out with over 400,000!
I don't need sleep, stamina isn't worth much, and I barely used any chakra. Only my clothes got ripped.
Damn, if I think about it, I basically got 400,000 for free?
With that thought, Reiji suddenly lit up with joy.
He'd made 400,000 in one night. Add that to the 400,000 he'd extorted from the Uchiha before, and that was 800,000!
Wasn't that a huge step closer to his beloved three-bedroom apartment?
"What a great guy! Hanzō-sama is such a great guy! He knew life's been hard for me, so he gifted me 400,000 for a house down payment—he's even better than my own dad!
"When I have a son, I'll name him Hanzo! No—Little Hanzo Jr.!"
Not far away, perched on a rooftop, Tsuchigami—sent to keep an eye on Reiji—had an extremely odd expression on his face.
That guy Reiji had been sulking all the way back, and in the blink of an eye, he was all smiles again.
The thought of having to write up his observation report made Tsuchigami instantly wear the mask of suffering.
Come on, I'm a normal guy! Why do I have to document someone this weird?
Reiji casually glanced toward a corner as he picked his nose leisurely.
Tsuchigami doesn't even get Saturdays off? ANBU really is the department for corporate slaves!
Since he wasn't the one paying Tsuchigami, Reiji just ignored him and strolled home at his own pace.
At six in the morning, Reiji pushed open his bedroom door.
Rie, dressed in bear-print pajamas, was kneeling sleepily on the tatami mat, yawning nonstop.
"You didn't sleep?"
"Mm!" Rie nodded firmly.
"I couldn't sleep because you didn't come home."
Hearing that, warmth filled Reiji's heart, and he smiled slightly.
"Then go get some sleep now. This afternoon, I'll take you out for barbecue—eat all you want."
At the mention of barbecue, the fatigue vanished from Rie's little face. Her big eyes sparkled.
"Eat all I want?"
"Eat all you want." Reiji affectionately patted her head.
"Yay!" Rie bounced up cheerfully.
"Then tell me a bedtime story!"
Reiji nodded, sat cross-legged by her futon, thought for a moment, and began softly.
"Once upon a time, there was a boy in Konohagakure who loved to lie. His name was Pinocchio.
Pinocchio had a strange power—every time he lied, his nose would grow longer.
One day, he met a beautiful girl in the village. Her name was Snow White.
At the time, Snow White was surrounded by three bad guys.
They wanted to kidnap her and use her to blackmail Konoha, but as a Genin, Pinocchio couldn't let that happen.
So he jumped out and blocked their way.
In the battle that followed, the weaker Pinocchio was knocked to the ground. Just as Snow White was about to be taken away, he made a split-second decision and yelled, 'Chinese football is the best in the world!'
The three bad guys were instantly enraged and shouted, "Motherf**ker, what kind of scam is that?!"
But right then, Pinocchio's nose suddenly stretched out and stabbed all three of them to death.
Next to him, Snow White's eyes lit up, and she instantly fell in love with the lying boy.
And so, they lived a happy and blissful life together."
When the story ended, Reiji looked at the peacefully sleeping Rie and smiled in contentment.
Time flew by, and soon the morning was gone.
By afternoon, Reiji swiftly pulled Rie out of bed, dressed the chubby little girl in no time, hoisted her onto his back, and walked out of the room.
"Let's go—barbecue time!"
Still groggy, Rie rubbed her eyes with one hand and wrapped her other arm around Reiji's neck, mumbling,
"Brother, let's buy Chakra Induction Paper strips first…"
Hearing that, Reiji's eyes lit up. He turned his head to look at the drowsy Rie.
"My little Rie's already refined chakra?"
Rie gave a weak nod.
Walking through the wooden corridor, Reiji carried Rie on his back and greeted Aunt Kyōko, who was watering flowers.
Kyōko put down the watering can and smiled warmly at the affectionate siblings.
"Reiji, Rie, good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Aunt Kyōko. Thank you so much for taking care of Rie lately—I really appreciate it!"
"No, no, I love spending time with Rie-chan~" Kyōko shook her head with a smile, then looked at Reiji curiously. "Heading out for something?"
Reiji nodded.
"We'll grab some Chakra Paper, and maybe take Rie out for some barbecue while we're at it."
"You two are so close~" Kyōko chuckled and covered her mouth, then praised sincerely, "Rie's really talented and trains so hard—she'll definitely grow into an amazing kunoichi~"
Hearing Aunt Kyōko praise Rie, Reiji gave an awkward smile.
He didn't teach Rie chakra extraction so she could become a ninja—too dangerous a profession—but just so she could have some way to protect herself in these chaotic times.
Seeing Reiji only scratch his head, Kyōko assumed he didn't believe her and pouted a little.
"Really, Rie's talent isn't any worse than Kawarama's~"
"Kawarama? Who? Is he your kid with Uncle Ippongi?" Reiji asked.
"No, he's from Uncle Butsuma's family," Kyōko replied without thinking, then smacked her forehead and laughed.
"I mean Kawarama Senju."
Whoa.
Reiji's eyes lit up—that was a lot to take in.
Aunt Kyōko's uncle was Butsuma Senju? Then… was she from the Senju clan too?
Thinking about Kyōko's identity and her subtle ties with Konoha's upper ranks, Reiji decided not to beat around the bush.
"Aunt Kyōko, are you from the Senju clan?"
"I was. Not anymore." Her smile tightened slightly.
Reiji immediately understood—after marrying Ippongi, she must've taken the Katō name.
But Kyōko, as if reading his thoughts, gently shook her head.
"There's no such thing as the Senju clan anymore."
Reiji's eyes narrowed slightly, his thoughts racing.
Why did the Senju clan disappear so suddenly? And why would Kyōko, someone with deep ties to Konoha's leadership, bring it up now?
Was she trying to pass on a message through him?
Or maybe it wasn't a secret to begin with?
His thoughts flashed in an instant. Reiji's smile faded, and he asked seriously, "Why?"
Kyōko let out a quiet sigh.
"Hashirama and Tobirama abolished the clan name."
"Why?" Reiji asked again.
"There were many reasons. But the most important one… was the peace of the village.
Back when Konoha was just founded, even though all the clans had joined, they still held deep prejudices. There was barely any communication between them.
So, to make sure the village wasn't just a name on paper, Hashirama made the bold decision to disband the Senju clan. From that moment on, no newborns were allowed to carry the Senju name."
As she spoke, Kyōko's expression turned complicated.
"I still remember what he told Madara Uchiha: 'Now that the village is formed, let the village take the place of the clan, and continue to protect our bloodline.'
But Madara Uchiha didn't accept it."
"What about you all? Was there any pushback from the Senju?"
"There was!" Kyōko nodded firmly. "People had doubts. But even more than that, they understood.
After all, Hashirama-sama sacrificed too much for that hard-won peace. Kawarama died in battle, and he nearly broke down.
The Senju were just as emotional as the Uchiha."
Reiji listened in silence, then drew in a sharp breath.
"Incredible.
The First Hokage was incredible.
The Senju clan was incredible.
It's hard to imagine how broad-minded and strong-willed someone had to be to make that kind of choice."
Hearing his heartfelt praise, Kyōko gave a bright smile and gently dabbed at the corner of her slightly teary eye.
"I'm so glad you understand."
Reiji figured Kyōko had her reasons for telling him all this—but he didn't mind.
Words can be dressed up, made pretty. But actions can't be faked.
Hashirama Senju—what an incredible person.
Behind all the smiles and jokes was an unshakable will carrying the entire village forward.
Compared to that... well, Madara Uchiha was pretty badass too. (The author is trembling.)
...
After parting with the still emotional Aunt Kyōko, Reiji took Rie and stepped out onto the street.
It was Saturday, and the streets of Konoha were full of people, bustling with life.
Reiji strolled with Rie into a random ninja tool shop and bought two chakra test strips.
"Alright, Rie, give it a shot." Crouching by the roadside, Reiji placed a strip in her hand.
Rie nodded eagerly, then slowly closed her eyes and began humming softly.
After a moment, her face turned bright red and she suddenly yelped, tossing the strip away.
"Ahhh! It's on fire!"
Her cute little voice instantly drew stares from the surrounding pedestrians.
Reiji stroked his chin and muttered, "Looks like it's 'fire.'
What a coincidence."