The whispers of the villagers in the Hidden Leaf Village made Kushina feel uncomfortable for a moment. Her calmed emotions became tense again. After all, she was a little girl who had just arrived in a completely unfamiliar village, and everyone was talking about her. Anyone would feel awkward in that situation.
Torifu sighed when he saw this and snapped his fingers. His, Minato's, and Kushina's presences suddenly disappeared. The shinobi around them acted as if they had never seen the three people, and they weren't sure why they had been talking about an Uzumaki girl in the first place.
"What was that?" Minato and Kushina were both intrigued. The people around them seemed to have stopped noticing them entirely.
"It was just a Concealment Jutsu. I created a modified version of it myself. They won't notice us anymore."
Kushina nodded, thinking that this Nii-san was truly a good person. He even noticed small details like this.
Before long, Torifu brought the two of them to the Senju Clan grounds. Kushina stood at the entrance, hesitant to go in. "Nii-san, do you think my great-aunt and great-uncle will like me?"
Torifu thought for a moment. "Of course, they will. Your great-aunt loves children."
"Nii-san, Nii-san, what about me? Will Grand-sensei and Grand-sensei's wife like me?"
Torifu patted Minato's spiky head again. "Of course. You're my disciple. What are you afraid of? Be brave!"
Torifu played with the two kids at the entrance for a while until they had completely relaxed before entering the Senju clan grounds. By now, even a Jōnin couldn't easily detect Torifu's Concealment Jutsu. That was why no one had come to stop them when they were shouting loudly at the gate of the Senju Clan.
However, this little trick couldn't fool Hashirama. Hashirama sat in front of his house, drinking sake. "I noticed you as soon as you arrived at the gate. What are you doing here today?"
Torifu deactivated his jutsu and pointed at Kushina. "This is the princess of the Uzumaki Clan. She's here to see Mito-sama."
"And this one, he's my disciple, Namikaze Minato, a boy who will one day become Hokage."
Hashirama hadn't felt much when his little brother told him about this, but today, hearing Torifu say it, he was a little surprised. After all, the boy was only six years old; it was a long way to become Hokage. And becoming Hokage wasn't as simple as just wanting to be one! But Hashirama still liked this child. He looked very bright. With a Sensei like Torifu, his future would be very promising.
Mito heard the voices outside and came out of the house. The first person she saw was Uzumaki Kushina, and she immediately went to her.
"You must be Kushina?"
Kushina nodded. "I am, great-aunt."
Kushina also saw Mito right away. Her first thought was how young and beautiful she looked. Her grandfather's teeth were almost all gone, but her great-aunt was still so youthful. She must have used some rejuvenation jutsu.
Mito touched Kushina's long hair. "You must have had a tough journey. It's your grandfather's fault. Why would he send you away when everything was fine?"
Kushina smiled. "My grandfather said it was too dangerous at home, so he sent me here."
Mito was a little confused. Her home, the Land of Whirlpools, was dangerous? What kind of danger? And why did they send a girl like Kushina to the Hidden Leaf?
Mito said kindly, "You'll live here from now on. If you live alone in the Uzumaki residence, it would be very lonely and not very safe."
"Thank you, great-aunt. I will be sure to study ninjutsu well."
Mito touched Kushina's head with a look of contentment. Although it was the first time they had met, the bond of blood could not be severed.
"By the way, Mito-sama," Torifu said suddenly.
"What is it?"
"This morning, I was with Minato outside the village when we found this little girl. She was being surrounded by a group of shinobi."
"It seemed like they wanted to capture or kill her."
Mito's eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"
Torifu nodded. "Of course. How could I lie to my Sensei's wife? I killed those shinobi on the spot, and there isn't even a body left."
Mito thought for a moment, then said softly to Kushina, "Kushina, can you guess the motive of those people who attacked you?"
Kushina shook her head. "Great-aunt, I can't. I haven't made any enemies along the way, and my bodyguard and I have been very low-key."
This made things a little difficult. There hadn't been any conflict along the way, so it would be hard to find clues. And since the bodies were turned into mist by Torifu, not a single trace was left. With the clues gone, it was hard to know where to start looking.
Mito sighed. "In that case, we'll just put a pin in it for now. I'll send someone out to investigate later."
Kushina nodded. "Okay, great-aunt. I'm not in a hurry."
Hashirama sat on the side, unable to get a word in. He tried to speak several times, but was always interrupted.
"What if I send the Anbu to investigate? An assassination attempt so close to the Hidden Leaf Village is an insult to us."
Mito waved her hand. "That's a good idea, but you should let Tobirama handle it. He's the Hokage now, and it's not appropriate for you to dispatch the Anbu."
Hashirama nodded. What Mito said was right. Even though he was the First Hokage, the Hidden Leaf Village was now being governed by the Second Hokage. But it would soon be governed by the Third Hokage, his own disciple. Even though he liked to be lazy, his contributions to the Hidden Leaf Village were second to none.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. We can gather here again tomorrow. For now, I'm going to give Kushina a bath. She must be tired from all that traveling."
After Mito finished speaking, she led Kushina into the house, and Hashirama continued to sit at the entrance.
"Your Grand-sensei's wife is too worried about Kushina, so she kind of ignored you. Don't worry about it, Minato."
Minato shook his head. "It's fine, Grand-sensei. I understand. I'm just happy to be able to meet you and Grand-sensei's wife today."
Hashirama took a sip of his sake and laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, you're a good boy. You have to teach him well, Torifu, just like how I taught you."
Torifu walked over and sat next to Hashirama, pouring himself a cup of sake. "You don't have to doubt my teaching abilities. Nawaki is a very good example."
Hashirama gave Torifu a look. "You're getting ahead of yourself. You have no shame. Nawaki has my blood running through his veins, so his talent is naturally good."
Torifu was so angry that he wanted to argue with the old man! Back when he was teaching Nawaki, he had traded many exotic flowers and plants from the system to feed him. That was how he was able to improve his talent. Otherwise, would Nawaki have the abilities he has today?
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Chapter end
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T/N: Shoutout to Victor for the Patreon pledge! The goal is getting closer, thanks to you all! 🎉
PS: The hidden free link is still undiscovered! Hint: Check the author notes of a chapter with a... suspicious title. Let the hunt continue!