Though Takeshi had truthfully revealed the current year, considering that the girl before him had been sealed away since the Warring States period, she naturally couldn't understand what "Konoha" was.
"What is Konoha?"
As expected, the girl frowned in confusion, exactly as Takeshi had anticipated.
"The Warring States era is already over. Now is the era of the Hidden Villages. The ones who created this new era were Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara..."
Takeshi shared all the knowledge he had, not holding anything back, even telling her that Hashirama and Madara had once been close friends.
When she heard that the Village of Konoha was founded jointly by the Senju and Uchiha clans, the anger that had already faded from the girl's expression reignited.
Sensing the change in her aura, Takeshi quietly pulled back a little further from her.
"Now the Senju clan has completely integrated into Konoha, and the Uchiha clan has also reconciled with the village. Both sides live together in Konoha..."
Still, Takeshi forced himself to continue explaining, hoping that these words might ease some of her fury.
But things obviously went in the opposite direction of what he had hoped.
When the girl heard that the Uchiha clan was actually living peacefully in Konoha, her rage finally boiled over. A powerful aura burst from her small frame, accompanied by a thunderous sound.
"Guu~"
Just as Takeshi was preparing himself to go full power, he rubbed his ears in disbelief at the unexpected noise.
Had he heard wrong? Why did it sound like… her stomach growling?
The girl's cheeks flushed red. Before the Uzumaki clan sealed her away, she had already burned through almost all her stamina. After the seal was undone, she hadn't had a chance to replenish her energy, and she had even used her Mangekyō Sharingan to fight Takeshi.
By now, she could barely keep her body standing.
"Um… I've got some rations here. I can give you some, but you have to promise not to hurt me, and you're not allowed to attack Konoha."
Takeshi cautiously suggested, trying to strike a deal.
"Impossible..."
Clenching her teeth, the girl rejected him, forcing herself to stay rational.
But the sound from her stomach only grew louder.
"Is that so?"
Hearing her refusal, Takeshi deliberately pulled out a meat pie sealed by Kushina herself inside a scroll. He took a bite right in front of her.
As the crust broke, the rich aroma of meat spread into the air and drifted right into the girl's nose.
Now it wasn't just her stomach rumbling—her mouth was nearly watering.
"I can… refrain from striking you..." she struggled, clinging to the last of her pride.
"Is that so..."
Takeshi, feigning indifference, swallowed the whole pie in one bite, then pulled out a second one.
Watching helplessly as he ate two meat pies in front of her, the girl finally couldn't hold on anymore. Closing her eyes, she used the very last of her strength to compromise.
"Fine. I promise. I won't lay a hand on you or that so-called Konoha anymore!"
...
Sitting on the ground with his knees pulled up, Takeshi tilted his head to study the girl who had just eaten five meat pies.
Her clothes were still scorched and torn, showing traces of fire release burns and cuts from weapons—clear signs she had been sealed away forcibly after a fierce battle.
Did the Uchiha clan really have someone this powerful?
Just as Takeshi was wondering about her true identity, the girl swallowed the last bite of food and suddenly turned her head to look at him.
"You promised not to attack me." Takeshi stared back warily.
But to his surprise, she didn't make a move. Instead, she kept pounding her chest with her fist, mumbling words he didn't understand.
It took Takeshi's sharp eyes to realize what was happening—she had eaten too quickly and was choking. He quickly offered her his water flask.
"Huuh... I almost died." For the first time, the girl had come so close to the face of death. She let out a long, trembling breath, still shaken.
She handed the flask back politely. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Takeshi accepted it, wiped the mouth of the flask with his sleeve, screwed the cap back on, and tucked it away.
"You..."
Her gratitude evaporated instantly at his blatant display of distaste. She really should've just killed this annoying brat in front of her.
"Men and women shouldn't touch casually."
Takeshi's face radiated upright righteousness.
And then the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Two people who had been fighting for their lives moments ago were now silently staring at each other, with no idea what to say.
Takeshi was especially torn.
If he let her leave, and she decided to join Madara's faction, wouldn't that spell disaster for his side?
But if he tried to follow her around, and she got annoyed enough to cast Amaterasu on him and roast him like a fish, that might be even worse.
"So troublesome."
Takeshi finally understood the Nara clan's famous catchphrase.
"Can you tell me… the story of Konoha?"
After a long silence, the girl finally spoke first, breaking the stillness.
"The story of Konoha? I can tell it... but you'll have to introduce yourself first. After all, I still don't know your name."
Seeing her willingness to talk, Takeshi's eyes lit up. This was a perfect opportunity. He quickly asked for her name.
"My name? I don't have such a thing. My clan called me Nanashi."
"Eh, Nanashi, huh? My name is Shimura Takeshi. I'm the acting Hokage of Konoha."
Seeing that she was calmer now compared to when she was first unsealed, Takeshi tentatively extended his hand.
Nanashi stared blankly at his pale hand, then after a long pause, realized what he meant. Hesitantly, she reached out and shook it.
"Alright then. Let me, a top student in history class, properly tell you the story of Konoha's past and present."
His words were full of confidence, but anyone who knew Takeshi would know that his history grades had only ever been a B.
That didn't stop him from trying to bluff the little girl in front of him, who knew nothing of history.
With some artistic embellishment, he recounted the story of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara's bond, conflict, and parting. By the time he finished, Nanashi was still shaken by how open the modern shinobi world had become.
Acquaintance, friendship, separation, reunion, shared ideals, and finally parting ways due to differences.
Was that really the fate of the Senju and Uchiha clans in later generations?
Lying on the ground, Nanashi turned her head to glance at the already sleeping Takeshi. For the first time, a thought stirred in her heart—a desire to see Konoha with her own eyes.
The Senju and Uchiha he described didn't resemble the clans she had once known at all.
Maybe, just maybe, the shinobi world really had changed?
Looking at Takeshi's sloppy sleeping posture, Nanashi closed her eyes with a mix of feelings.