Ashina gave a forced smile and waved his hand. "I have a headache and want to go back to my room to rest. Just have Kushina bring me some rice later."
Hashirama was also a little worried. "How can you have a headache now? You were just fine a minute ago."
"Oh, it's an old problem. It doesn't hurt often, but when it does, it's unbearable." He then supported himself on the wall and slowly left the house. Kushina looked anxious but felt helpless. Hashirama patted her head. "Don't worry. I'll find a doctor to see if he can cure him."
Kushina nodded. Although her grandaunt and granduncle-in-law were very kind to her, the family affection her grandpa gave her was irreplaceable. It was just that after everything that had happened in the Land of Whirlpools, her grandpa seemed to have changed a lot. It must be because her eighth uncle's death had hit him too hard.
Not long after, Mito brought out the dishes one by one, and the aroma filled the entire room, making Torifu's mouth water. "Come on, everyone! Lunch is ready."
The dining table at Hashirama's house was very large, and it could easily accommodate a large group of people. After everyone was seated, Mito noticed that her brother was nowhere to be found. Hashirama saw his wife looking for him and immediately understood. He said, "Big Brother Ashina said his headache flared up, and he was in a lot of pain, so he went back to lie down for a while."
"A headache? It must be from all the stress he's been under these past few years. He really has given his all for his clan." Then Mito smiled and said, "Since he's not coming, let's start eating. Today is a celebration of Torifu's succession as the Third Hokage. Everyone, let's be happy."
When they heard this, everyone raised their glasses and took a sip. The sake was cold and smooth as it went down, and paired with the various delicious dishes Mito made, it was a blissful experience.
In a short while, half of the food was gone, and everyone began to chat. "After seeing Ashina this time, I feel like he's changed a lot. He's changed many of his old habits."
When Hashirama said this, Tobirama also agreed. "That's right. He used to love to talk big. This time, I didn't hear him talk big. I feel like something is missing, and I also feel like there's a distance between us."
Mito also said helplessly, "It's to be expected. After all, we haven't seen each other in more than thirty years. It's normal for habits to change."
Kushina, who was quietly eating next to Minato, was clearly not very happy. But because of her small size, she wasn't very noticeable at the table, so no one paid attention to her. However, Minato, who was sitting next to Kushina, noticed that she was a little down. So he quietly asked, "What's wrong, Kushina? Are you unhappy because Grandpa Ashina didn't come to eat?"
When Kushina saw that Minato had noticed her emotions, a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She also quietly said to Minato, "What they're saying is all wrong. What my grandaunt is saying is also wrong."
"What's wrong?" Minato asked in confusion.
"My grandpa's habits didn't change because of time. It's because of what happened this time. I suspect it's because of my eighth uncle's death that my grandpa's personality has changed so much."
Minato hadn't spent much time with Uzumaki Ashina. At most, he would just greet him. So he naturally didn't know about the personality changes the adults at the table were talking about. He also didn't really understand what Kushina was saying, but he still comforted her and wrote down everything she said in his heart, planning to tell his big brother about it when they got back.
"Don't worry. Your grandpa will return to his old self. My teacher also said that when a person experiences great sadness, their personality can easily change."
When she heard Minato's words, Kushina did feel a little better. She also hoped that her grandpa would quickly return to being the happy and cheerful grandpa he used to be, who would always come up with new ways to make her happy, instead of the lifeless grandpa he was now.
About half an hour later, the wine in the glasses was all gone, and there was nothing left on the table. When Kushina got up to leave, Mito came out of the kitchen with two small dishes and a bowl of rice.
"Take this back for your grandpa. When a person is sick, they need to replenish their strength."
Kushina nodded, then took the food and left the room. Torifu watched Kushina leave. Naori saw this and asked, "What's wrong, Torifu? Are you worried about Senior Ashina?"
Torifu nodded when he heard this. "Yeah. Senior Ashina saved me before, and we lived together for a while. He's a very interesting old man. Maybe he's not used to Konoha, and his son passed away."
"Then let's go see him later. We can see if your healing jutsu has any effect on him."
"Okay. We'll go after we're done here." Naori smiled slightly in agreement. She then began to help Mito clean up the mess on the table. Torifu also sent out a clone to help, and soon the dining table was clean and tidy again.
"Torifu, tomorrow is your first day on the job. Don't forget and oversleep. You have to set a good example for the ninjas," Hashirama said, leaning back on the sofa.
Torifu walked over and sat down next to Hashirama. "Of course, Sensei. I wake up very early every day."
Tobirama also chimed in, "That's right. Torifu is probably one of the first people in the village to wake up. He's up much earlier than you."
When Hashirama heard this, he was a little embarrassed. He coughed awkwardly to cover it up. Torifu also cooperated and didn't continue to pursue the topic.
At noon today, when Tobirama announced that Kumotsuru Torifu was the Third Hokage, the carving of Torifu's statue on the Hokage Rock had already begun. It was expected to take a month or even longer to complete. In the future, the villagers would be able to look up and see Torifu's statue, which would undoubtedly brand his image in the heart of every Konoha villager even more.
"By the way, Tobirama-sama, I'll still need your help tomorrow. After all, I've never been a Hokage secretary before, and I don't know much about this kind of thing. So I'll need you to guide me for a day."
Tobirama immediately agreed when he heard this. "It's no problem. Even if you didn't say anything, I would have gone. I can't just let you do whatever you want with Konoha's various expenses and affairs. I'll teach you for a few days, and then I'll gradually withdraw after you get the hang of it."
As for Tobirama's suggestion, Torifu could only say that it wasn't necessary at all. Torifu never planned to go in person. He was just going to send a smart puppet to learn everything. At that time, the puppet would handle all the government affairs, and he could just relax. And the puppet's efficiency would definitely be much higher than Torifu's, so Torifu's good image would be solidified.