Upon arriving at the Senju compound, Hoshiyomi and Tsunade first greeted Mito.
Mito smiled and nodded warmly. She now saw Hoshiyomi as practically a grandson-in-law and treated him with even more affection than before.
Just as Hoshiyomi's voice rang out, the nearby sliding door suddenly rattled open, and a small red-haired girl burst out, darting straight into Mito's embrace. Nestled against Mito, she looked up with her bright, glistening eyes and said to Hoshiyomi:
"Big Brother Hoshiyomi, you finally came to see me!"
That little girl was none other than Kushina—now a new member of the Senju household.
Kushina looked up at Mito and gave her an exaggerated, pleading blink. Mito gently ruffled her glossy red hair, indulgently saying, "Go on."
Only then did Kushina skip over cheerfully, grabbing Hoshiyomi's hand and swinging it playfully as she giggled.
Ever since she learned that the members of the Uzumaki clan were safe and would be living in Konoha with her, Kushina had been especially happy. Unlike in the original story, she no longer needed Mito's guidance to adjust to village life.
Her personality had become much more outgoing and energetic.
Standing off to the side, Tsunade felt a little sour. Wasn't this the kind of treatment she used to enjoy as a child? How had it all shifted to Kushina now? But being eighteen already, she couldn't very well admit she was jealous of how pampered Kushina was.
Even so, she couldn't help but reach over and scoop Kushina into her arms, cutting off the girl's attempt to cling to Hoshiyomi.
"What's this? You only remember big brother Hoshiyomi and not me anymore?"
Kushina didn't pout or throw a tantrum. Instead, she simply nestled into Tsunade's—already well-developed—chest and replied sweetly, "Of course I remember you too, Tsunade-nee."
Tsunade smiled broadly and gave her cheek a playful pinch. "That's more like it."
Seeing the affection Kushina was enjoying now, it was Hoshiyomi's turn to feel a little envious. If not for the looming threat of Tsunade's superhuman strength, he too might've wanted to snuggle in.
Though Kushina lay in Tsunade's arms, it was clear she still wanted to talk with Hoshiyomi. With her around, the room was filled with laughter and joy among the four of them.
Even Mito, now in her twilight years, wore a genuine smile today. This — this was the kind of peaceful life she had long dreamed of.
Sadly, she didn't have much time left to enjoy it.
Her body had grown extremely frail. The once-brilliant red hair she shared with Kushina had turned snow white, and even her Yin Seal could no longer preserve her youthful appearance.
In truth, she only had three to five years of life remaining. If not for this reality, Kushina wouldn't have been brought into the village so early.
Mito had already made arrangements with Hiruzen and Ashina. In just half a month, they would begin the transfer of the Nine-Tails — passing the beast sealed within her into a new jinchūriki. Once the fox was passed on, perhaps then she could finally enjoy the peaceful retirement she deserved.
Just as Mito was lost in thought, the sound of a door opening echoed in from the distance, followed by a wailing voice:
"Grandma, I'm home!"
It was Nawaki, already a student at the Ninja Academy — currently in his third year.
After Hoshiyomi and the others had graduated, the Academy revised its system due to the end of the First Great Ninja War and reparations from Kumogakure. It had been changed to the six-year system seen in the original series. So Nawaki still had three more years until graduation.
Though he still had a ways to go, Nawaki wasn't weak by any means. The problem was, he didn't have any exceptional peers to push him forward. And in these peaceful times, his growth simply couldn't match Tsunade's pace.
Still, he had already learned a good number of ninjutsu. If judged purely as a ranged attacker, his output was higher than that of an average genin. But lacking strong rivals to grow with, his real combat experience was sorely lacking.
His lack of field experience, combined with a sense of arrogance built up from always being top of his class, were likely the main reasons he died so quickly in the original timeline — beyond any of the more dubious conspiracy theories.
But Hoshiyomi planned to start training him. With proper guidance, Nawaki wouldn't have to die so senselessly.
After all, he was Tsunade's little brother. Despite his noisy personality, he wasn't a bad kid. Hoshiyomi didn't want to see him die meaninglessly and plunge Tsunade into that deep despair.
...
Upon hearing Nawaki's voice, Mito's smile deepened. But little Kushina, on the other hand, scowled.
She didn't like Nawaki very much.
He always took advantage of being a few years older to insist Kushina call him "big brother." But with her naturally mischievous, impish personality, there was no way Kushina would acknowledge this goofy kid as her elder.
Nawaki, being a typical stubborn boy at that age, was unusually persistent. Their interactions were often prickly, and the two didn't get along very well.
Still, it was just childhood bickering — nothing that wouldn't pass with time. It was likely they'd get along fine in the long run.
As Nawaki slid open the door, he spotted Tsunade and Hoshiyomi — and, of course, Kushina in Tsunade's lap. But he didn't seem to care about her. His eyes instantly locked on Hoshiyomi.
"Ohohohohoh! Big Brother Hoshiyomi!"
He dashed forward and grabbed Hoshiyomi's hand, eyes gleaming as he burst out:
"Big Brother Hoshiyomi, you're finally back! Hurry and teach me that technique you used last time! That jutsu was amazing! I wanna learn it, I wanna learn it, I wanna learn it!"
…Okay, so Kushina's dislike of Nawaki wasn't just childish rivalry. He really was kind of a handful.
Hoshiyomi, now getting a bit of a headache, raised a hand and held the squirming Nawaki still. He promised to teach him the Body Flicker Technique once he became a Chūnin, and Flash step once he reached Jōnin.
Meanwhile, Tsunade looked down at the adorable little Kushina in her lap, then over at the noisy Nawaki clinging to Hoshiyomi.
The difference was like night and day.
She sighed inwardly — Why couldn't Mom have given me a little sister instead? Then, without warning, she knocked a fist on Nawaki's head.
"Calm down, you're being way too loud."
"Ow ow ow!" Nawaki cried, clutching the bump on his head. At last, he quieted down, while Kushina giggled from the sidelines.
Seeing Kushina laugh, Nawaki's face turned even darker. But under the shadow of his sister's terrifying authority, he didn't dare act out. He could only sit there sulking.
Still, the kid's moods came and went quickly. A few topics later, and he was back to his lively, cheerful self.
Unfortunately, Nawaki's death-seeking personality seemed to be hardwired into him. Before long, he was teasing again — this time poking fun at Tsunade and Hoshiyomi's relationship. That finally pushed Tsunade over the edge, and she angrily kicked him out to train.
Kushina was thrilled. She felt like she had finally figured out how to deal with Nawaki.
While Hoshiyomi enjoyed a cheerful, heartwarming visit at the Senju compound, his name was rapidly spreading across the major shinobi villages — like wildfire.