While everyone was still fooling around, several figures hurried over from the distance. Before the leader even got close, his voice had already reached them:
"Lady Tsunade, my apologies—I had some matters to take care of, so I couldn't come greet you immediately… wait, you are—Lord Hoshiyomi?!"
Hearing the loud call, everyone present turned their heads. Among them, Itachi and little Sasuke reacted the strongest. Sasuke, lying on Itachi's back, suddenly perked up, stretched himself forward, and waved excitedly:
"Dad! I'm over here!"
Itachi flicked his brother's forehead to remind him that there were guests present and he needed to behave politely. Only then did Sasuke realize there were two strangers around. He silently shut his mouth—
but his cheeks puffed up in grievance, clearly upset about being flicked.
The man leading the group of Uchiha clan members was the current clan head—Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku's expression was calm as he approached. He had actually received the news a few minutes ago that Tsunade had arrived at the Uchiha compound.
When he confirmed Tsunade wasn't heading directly to the clan head's residence, he deliberately chose not to greet her immediately.
After all, Tsunade was the former Hokage, not the current one. And the Uchiha and Senju still had lingering tensions. Fugaku didn't want to lower his posture too much—he still needed to maintain the dignity of the Uchiha clan head.
Simply put, he had to act like an Uchiha—
to show that they still carried their pride, and were not reduced to mere vassals of their old rival clan.
However, when he finally arrived, taking his time… and saw the man standing beside Tsunade—
Fugaku's heart suddenly tightened, and he even felt a flicker of regret over his earlier decision.
Because the man beside Tsunade was Gekko Hoshiyomi—
a person whose words alone could reshape the balance between the Uchiha and Konoha.
When Fugaku previously heard rumors that Gekko Hoshiyomi had vanished for three years—and might even be dead—he had admittedly breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Although the Uchiha had escaped the "Night of the Uchiha Downfall" thanks to Hoshiyomi's favor, deep down, Fugaku still disliked the idea of someone so monstrously powerful existing above the entire clan.
Hoshiyomi's status in Konoha was simply too untouchable. And beyond unmatched strength, what was truly terrifying was this—
he was the adhesive binding all of Konoha's elites together.
In today's Leaf, if you list it out, Hoshiyomi was:
the disciple of the Third Hokage,
the husband of the Fourth,
the teacher of the Fifth,
the actual leader of the Senju,
the great benefactor of the Uzumaki,
best friends with the Sannin,
the spiritual pillar of Konoha's elites during the war,
and even the teacher of the Uchiha's strongest—Kuugetsu.
Without Hoshiyomi, these powerful individuals and factions might not all be aligned; they all had their own agendas, and some even held grudges among themselves.
If Fugaku wanted the Uchiha to maintain their former independence as Konoha's number one clan, with political maneuvering and alliances, two or three decades might be enough to achieve it.
But with Hoshiyomi present…
those loosely connected individuals and factions would immediately unite under his existence.
Konoha became a single, solid iron plate.
In such a situation, Fugaku—or the Uchiha—had no options left besides obedient submission.
If they dared maintain ideas of operating independently from Konoha…
It was no exaggeration to say:
With one sentence from Hoshiyomi, the entire Uchiha could be wiped out with a flick of a finger.
Facing such an overwhelmingly dangerous man, Fugaku neither wanted to offend him nor dared to offend him.
When Fugaku first saw Hoshiyomi standing beside Tsunade, he was worried—
worried that keeping Hoshiyomi waiting for so long might have displeased him.
But when he noticed both his sons were present, getting along harmoniously with Hoshiyomi and Tsunade, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In his heart, he gave both his sons a big mental thumbs-up.
With a face full of smiles, Fugaku walked quickly over, bowed to Hoshiyomi and Tsunade, and then deliberately took Sasuke from Itachi's back, speaking gently:
"Sasuke, have you greeted Lord Hoshiyomi and Lady Tsunade?"
While prompting Sasuke and Itachi to bow again, Fugaku skillfully redirected attention away from the fact that he had kept them waiting, and smoothly moved into introducing his children:
"This is my eldest son, Itachi—Lord Hoshiyomi and Lady Tsunade should have met him before.
And this is my younger son, Sasuke, born two years ago. This child is a bit more mischievous than Itachi. I hope he hasn't offended either of you."
Hoshiyomi and Tsunade didn't care about Fugaku's little maneuvers.
Neither of them was the type to fuss over status or etiquette, and their main purpose today was simply to check on Sasuke and Kuugetsu. They didn't bother thinking too deeply about Fugaku's concerns and just followed his lead, praising the two brothers.
Seeing that neither seemed bothered, Fugaku relaxed visibly and hurried to offer:
"Would the two of you honor my humble home and join us for a meal?
I've always wanted to properly thank you both—for helping the Uchiha escape that crisis three years ago."
But Hoshiyomi felt a headache coming on at Fugaku's overly cautious attitude.
He didn't dislike Fugaku—he even understood why Fugaku acted this way—but seeing him so careful always felt strangely oily.
So Hoshiyomi politely declined the meal, saying they had already eaten and had mainly come to visit Kuugetsu and inform Fugaku of his return.
Seeing Hoshiyomi's refusal, Fugaku didn't insist.
Sensing that Hoshiyomi held no displeasure toward him, he simply mentioned that Kuugetsu would likely return in about an hour, then tactfully took his leave.
He did not take Itachi and Sasuke with him—
likely wanting them to build more goodwill in front of Hoshiyomi.
Hoshiyomi didn't mind. Once Fugaku left, the atmosphere instantly became light again. He continued tossing little jokes at Obito and the others, or telling them stories from his past.
An hour passed quickly, and in that short time Hoshiyomi and Tsunade had raised Itachi and the others' affection for them even further.
Just as Hoshiyomi was telling the story of how he and Tsunade fought Hanzo of the Salamander during the Second Great Ninja War, a surprised cry rang out from not far away:
"Hoshiyomi-sensei?!"
Hoshiyomi turned his head—and saw a graceful figure rushing toward him.
He didn't worry about Tsunade getting jealous, and openly spread his arms to warmly embrace the little disciple he hadn't seen in three years.
"Long time no see, Kuugetsu."
...
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