Seeing the "bandit" enter the room, Mito had no particular reaction. She simply covered Tsunade's eyes first, fearing she might be scared.
"Mito-sama, I'm here again. I'm really causing trouble."
Mito waved her hand: "It's fine. I suppose you've angered Miya again."
Sasuke scratched his head and said, "Heh heh, yeah, she beat both me and my son." Mito shook her head upon hearing this, gesturing for Sasuke to sit on a stool. Mito placed her hands on either side of Sasuke's head, performing a healing jutsu, her hands glowing with a shimmering green light. Sasuke could clearly feel the pain in his face gradually subsiding. It was a pity the Sarutobi clan had no ninja skilled in medical ninjutsu; otherwise, he wouldn't have to go through so much trouble to bother Mito.
After a while, Mito stopped the healing jutsu, and Sasuke's injuries were completely healed. Only then did he remove his hood and tuck it into his robe.
"The Hyūga and Uchiha probably won't befriend the Oyashirō clan; after all, they don't even associate with each other privately. Now that a third Dōjutsu clan has appeared, it's bound to be the same."
"As for the other clans, you should move among them more, so the Oyashirō can integrate into Konoha more quickly." Sasuke naturally agreed to Hashirama's request. After all, the Sarutobi clan had excellent relations within the village, befriending both smaller and larger clans.
The Ino-Shika-Chō clans, moreover, had established ties with the Sarutobi clan during the Warring States period. After the Ino-Shika-Chō clans designated their successors, a Sarutobi ninja would present earrings as a testament, symbolizing the three clans' eternal mutual watch. Without a strong foundation of trust, the Ino-Shika-Chō clans would never have allowed the Sarutobi clan to be their witness.
"Rest assured, Hashirama-sama, I'll do my best."
Hashirama patted Sasuke's shoulder. As the first clan to join Konoha after its founding, Hashirama had considerable trust in Sasuke. At this moment, he suddenly asked again, "How's the Four-Tails? Have you used it?" The Tailed Beasts had been distributed long ago, and apart from the Nine-Tails within Mito, this was the first time Hashirama had checked in on one.
"Oh, the Four-Tails' power is immense, and it even allows me to use Lava Release. It's just a shame I can only use it in Tailed Beast form."
"That's still very good. Keep reflecting on that feeling and the chakra manipulation; you might be able to develop Lava Release." Seeing Hashirama think so highly of him, Sasuke could only smile and say nothing. Honestly, as a middle-aged ninja like him, he had already reached the pinnacle of his life. Although he occasionally suffered a good beating, his family was still harmonious, and his wife was very virtuous, despite her temper. He was also a clan head, and his son was very promising, being the Nidaime Hokage's disciple and bodyguard. Even if his strength were to improve further, there wasn't much room for progress; he had already reached the peak an ordinary ninja could achieve. So, he didn't need to train in Lava Release. Sasuke even planned to hand over the Four-Tails to his son in a while. After all, his son was highly skilled in ninjutsu, and developing Lava Release would likely not be difficult for him. Right now, with Hashirama saying this, he certainly couldn't refuse outright. He would wait a few months before mentioning it.
After his injuries were healed, Sasuke chatted with Hashirama in the living room for a long time. Mito listened silently, never interrupting. She occasionally peeled an apple and handed it to Hashirama, the couple's unspoken understanding causing Sasuke a pang of bittersweetness.
"Hashirama-sama, Mito-sama, I have some clan matters to attend to, so I'll be heading back now."
Hearing this, Hashirama didn't press him to stay. He stood up, saw Sasuke to the door, and then turned back into the house. He had chatted with Sasuke for a long time, and it was now almost dinner time. He turned to see Tsunade standing by his leg, looking at the yard, seemingly wanting to go out and play. Hashirama, unable to refuse his granddaughter, immediately let Tsunade ride on his shoulders and played wildly in the yard for a while. They only returned when Mito called them for dinner.
Torifū awoke from his nap feeling utterly disoriented, as if the world had spun. He dreamt he was still on a mission in the Land of Lightning, only to wake up at home. This feeling left him sitting on his bed in a daze for over a minute before he regained his senses. Fortunately, he had just woken up from a nap, so his mental state was still good. Too lazy to go out and buy food, he just pulled out some random snacks from his spatial ring to tide him over.
He stepped outside and saw that Aokumo and Ryūfū weren't there. He asked Snowflake and learned they had gone to train. Torifū felt somewhat ashamed by this. Even his summoned beasts were so diligent, while he was still slacking off. He feared that by the time Aokumo and Ryūfū became Sage-level beings, he would only just be starting, or perhaps not even have started at all. Thinking this, Torifū felt quite embarrassed. He immediately ran to the forest in his backyard and began to attempt to train Sage Mode. He trained for an hour, barely able to sense natural energy, but overall, there was no significant progress.
And it was almost dark. The visibility in the forest was already very low. There was no other way; he would have to continue training tomorrow. He might as well seize this period of peacetime to quickly train Sage Mode.
Kumogakure's desire for war was not extinguished; they were constantly restless. Perhaps Sage Mode would come in handy at any moment. However, when Torifū first arrived, he had already walked around the forest, but he hadn't seen Aokumo and Ryūfū. They wouldn't lie to Snowflake, so perhaps they had found a more suitable training spot. He would ask them later; if it was close, he could consider going with them tomorrow.
Indeed, when Torifū returned to the front yard, Aokumo and Ryūfū had also returned home. As soon as they landed, they affectionately rubbed against Snowflake, like overgrown children.
"Aokumo, Ryūfū, where did you two go? Did you leave the village again?"
Aokumo nodded: "Yeah, yeah, Ryūfū and I found a really beautiful place. There's so much natural energy there, it feels like it's overflowing!"
"But it's strange, we didn't feel it when we went there a few days ago. Maybe it's because our training has improved, hehe."
Torifū didn't know the location Aokumo was talking about, as he had only just begun to sense natural energy. But he was very curious about this place. If it truly was as Aokumo said, then perhaps his training could progress even faster.
"Is that place in the Land of Fire?"
"Of course, but it's quite a distance from the village, near the border."
Ryūfū chimed in then: "Yes, yes, there's a very beautiful lake there, Torifū. You've definitely never been there."
"Hey, well, that's great! Take me there tomorrow, both of you. I want to see if this place is as mystical as you say." Aokumo and Ryūfū naturally agreed happily to Torifū's request. After all, being able to go out and play with Torifū made them the happiest, it was just a shame Torifū was usually so busy.