"You're sure the God of Shinobi is really here?" Byakuren asked his subordinates in disbelief.
He couldn't understand it—why would Senju Hashirama come to Kirigakure and not cause trouble right away, but instead... go eat?
Could it be... he wants to have a full meal before starting a fight?
Byakuren's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings as he gave orders to his subordinates.
"Seal off the area. Don't let anyone in."
After all, he was about to apologize. It wouldn't look good if too many people saw it...
With that, he walked tremblingly into the shop.
He, the mighty First Mizukage, had lifted the Land of Water into the ranks of the Five Great Nations with sheer strength.
A lifetime of wise leadership, yet now he was on the verge of losing all dignity in his old age.
As soon as he stepped into the shop, the surrounding patrons noticed him and stood up in unison.
"Mizukage-sama!"
Seeing this, Byakuren's mouth twitched. He hadn't realized the villagers had such good eyesight...
He forced out a strained smile and nodded back in response.
Renya and Hashirama naturally noticed the commotion at the entrance.
Renya was a bit puzzled—why had the First Mizukage shown up?
But he was quickly distracted by the brilliance in Byakuren's eyes.
Damn... he's not making eye contact at all...
No wonder he's the First Mizukage. His strength must be terrifying—he doesn't even look people in the eye!
Senju Hashirama waved enthusiastically toward the entrance.
"Mizukage! Over here!"
Seeing Hashirama beckoning, cold sweat immediately broke out on Byakuren's forehead.
"Damn it, he really did come for me!"
Thinking that, he forced out a flattering smile and cautiously approached Hashirama.
"Hashirama-sama, shouldn't you be handling affairs in your village? What brings you to Kirigakure?"
Hashirama warmly invited Byakuren to sit down, laughing.
"Haha, I heard the seafood here in the Land of Water is really good, so I came to try it out."
Hearing this, Byakuren instantly let out a breath of relief.
So, he had been overthinking it earlier. As expected of Senju Hashirama—how could a man with such a big heart travel all this way just to cause him trouble?
He was getting old, and just now he'd nearly peed himself in fear.
After all, with Hashirama's strength, if he really wanted to destroy Kirigakure, no one could stop him.
"Haha, as long as you're enjoying it." Byakuren replied with a smile.
Renya sat beside them, silently eating sashimi as the two men exchanged pleasantries.
Byakuren, of course, noticed Renya but didn't ask about him.
After exchanging formalities with Hashirama, he excused himself on the grounds of being busy and left the restaurant.
Once outside, Byakuren still felt shaken.
"Good thing it wasn't what I thought..."
He was too old to handle scares like that. Maybe it was time to start thinking about retirement.
...
After finishing their meal, Renya and Hashirama strolled around Kirigakure for half a day. Finding nothing particularly interesting, they left the Land of Water under cover of night.
This time, instead of taking a boat, they channeled chakra to their feet and ran across the surface of the sea.
"Hashirama-san, where are we going next?" Renya asked.
He had intended to act as a guide, but unfortunately, he didn't have the map.
Hashirama looked at the map and pondered for a moment.
"Let's head to the Land of Whirlpools."
"The Land of Whirlpools?" Renya blinked.
Of course he knew that country. It was the home of the Uzumaki Clan.
The Uzumaki were renowned across the shinobi world for their powerful sealing techniques.
But it was exactly because of this that they would eventually become the target of many nations, leading to their destruction...
"Yeah, the Land of Whirlpools," Hashirama said with a smile. "Before Mito married me, she was a princess of the Uzumaki Clan."
Renya nodded and said nothing.
He had little interest in political marriages.
During the Warring States period, the Senju and Uzumaki had formed an alliance through marriage to stand against the Uchiha.
As the heir of the Senju Clan, Hashirama's marriage partner naturally had to be a princess from the Uzumaki Clan...
————————
The night was pitch-black when the two arrived at the Land of Whirlpools, and they were immediately discovered.
A group of Uzumaki clansmen rushed over, torches in hand, surrounding them.
"Who are you? Why have you come to the Land of Whirlpools?!"
The Uzumaki had powerful sensory abilities—they had detected the intruders long ago.
Facing the tense crowd, Hashirama quickly announced himself.
"It's me, Senju Hashirama!"
At those words, the Uzumaki present looked at one another in surprise, stunned into silence.
Before long, they all stepped aside as an old man with white hair hobbled out, leaning on a cane.
He was the current clan head of the Uzumaki.
Upon seeing him, Hashirama waved and greeted him cheerfully.
"Chief Ashina! Long time no see!"
The elder's cloudy eyes widened.
"Hashirama, it's really you!"
He tossed aside his cane and rushed forward, gripping Hashirama's hands in excitement.
"Hashirama, how's my niece doing?"
"Chief Ashina, Mito is doing very well," Hashirama replied.
Hearing that, the old man smiled and nodded.
"As long as that girl's doing well, I can rest easy. When I pass on, I'll be able to face my brother."
Ever since Mito married into the Senju, she had rarely returned.
Before dying, Ashina's older brother had passed the position of clan head to him, and he'd always worried whether his niece was being treated well...
He'd wanted to visit her several times but had always canceled due to poor health.
"Chief Ashina, you're going to live a long life!" Hashirama said, patting the old man's hand comfortingly.
As soon as those words were spoken, the expressions on the surrounding Uzumaki's faces stiffened.
Renya noticed the odd atmosphere and wasn't sure what had just happened.
The old man gave a bitter smile.
"Hashirama, I'm ninety-eight this year."
"Ah... sorry, Chief Ashina." Hashirama scratched his head awkwardly.
"It's fine, it's fine. These old bones really don't have much left," the elder said, not taking offense.
Renya's mouth twitched.
Now he understood why everyone's expression had gone weird.
Hashirama-san basically just cursed the old man to die soon...
At that moment, Renya noticed the elder's gaze shift to him. He politely nodded in return.
The elder stared at Renya with a strange expression, opening his mouth but saying nothing.
If his sensing wasn't wrong, the child Hashirama brought with him... was from the Uchiha Clan, wasn't he?
Unbelievable.
Two clans that had fought for over a thousand years had really put down their weapons and were living in peace together.
The two stayed in the Land of Whirlpools for the night, and departed the next day.
Before leaving, Hashirama promised to bring Mito back for a visit sometime.
The elder was overjoyed, exclaiming, "These old bones will hold out until Mito returns…"
...
In the days that followed, Hashirama took Renya all around the shinobi world, practically visiting every corner of it.
...
Land of Wind, deep in the desert.
"Hashirama-san, when are we heading back?" Renya asked, wiping the sweat from his face.
This place was scorching hot...