Renya had just finished breakfast and, for once, was enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
Normally, he'd head to the training ground to practice.
But with the battlefield looming in just a few days, there was no need to exhaust himself now.
After three months of fighting, he definitely deserved a break.
Might as well enjoy this hard-won vacation...
Soon enough, he'd be back on the battlefield, fighting for his life.
Renya pulled over a chair and sat in the courtyard, leisurely basking in the morning sun.
The sun had only just risen, and the temperature was perfect.
He shifted his neck uncomfortably and murmured softly,
"Why do I feel so sore?"
It wasn't just his neck—his entire body ached.
His waist and back throbbed, his legs felt weak.
It was like he'd done some sort of extreme training yesterday.
But he clearly remembered doing no such thing...
After returning to the village, all he did was cook and eat—no physical training at all.
The only possible exertion was the journey back from the front lines.
But that kind of travel was barely worth mentioning. It shouldn't have caused this.
He'd run across half the Shinobi World on missions before without ever feeling this bad.
Renya frowned, deep in thought, but couldn't figure out the reason.
"Forget it, it's not important."
Maybe after leaving the battlefield, the constant tension in his nerves had finally relaxed, and that caused the fatigue.
He'd recover soon enough.
Renya sat on the chair, letting the sunlight warm his body, when suddenly, the image of Senju Hashirama surfaced in his mind. He muttered to himself,
"I wonder if Hashirama-san has found Uchiha Madara yet?"
Logically speaking, with Uchiha Madara in hiding, it would be very difficult for Senju Hashirama to find him.
But who could say for sure?
After all, the chakra of Indra and Asura had reincarnated and been drawn to each other for over a thousand years—maybe it wasn't impossible.
Maybe Hashirama could really find Madara just by instinct.
That would be something to see.
Two men who faked their deaths meeting again—that would be too wild to imagine.
Uchiha Madara: "Hashirama, you're not dead?!"
Senju Hashirama: "Madara, aren't you the same?"
...
Thinking about it, Renya actually looked forward to that scene.
It'd definitely be interesting—pity he couldn't witness it himself.
But soon, another thought came to him.
"If Hashirama-san finds Madara, will he still return to Konoha?"
Renya was the only one who knew about Hashirama's faked death.
If he found Madara and chose not to return...
Renya's expression turned strange.
"Hashirama-san wouldn't be that kind of person, right?"
From what he knew of Hashirama, he wouldn't abandon the village just for Madara.
Yeah, probably not...
Still, Hashirama had it easy.
He faked his death, left a huge mess behind, and ran off to find his best friend.
"Hashirama-san really is something..." Renya sighed, rubbing his forehead.
That guy left behind his wife, child, and granddaughter just to find Madara.
Renya suddenly remembered he hadn't visited Mito-san and Tsunade in a long time.
The last time he visited them was three months ago.
"Guess I should go see them."
Renya stood up and left the courtyard.
He had nothing else to do right now—might as well pay them a visit.
Besides, this was something Hashirama had specifically asked of him.
Hashirama wanted Renya to visit Mito and Tsunade often, and cook for them.
Renya had no reason to refuse.
Mito-san had always treated him well.
Whenever he had free time, he would go visit them and cook a meal.
It seemed to ease a bit of the guilt he felt over hiding the truth about Hashirama's death.
...
At the Senju residence.
As soon as Renya entered the courtyard, he saw Tsunade playing with Tanihana.
Tanihana squinted her eyes in contentment, clearly enjoying the attention.
"Tsunade, long time no see," Renya waved.
Tsunade saw Renya and, overjoyed, tossed Tanihana to the ground.
"Meow—!"
Tanihana landed with a thud, her cat face full of confusion, clearly not expecting to be thrown.
Tsunade ignored Tanihana's cries, ran over on her short legs, and wrapped her chubby arms around Renya's thigh.
"Renya-san!"
She looked up, her round cheeks beaming with joy.
"You're finally back!"
She had tried to look for Renya before, but couldn't find him.
So she went to her Second Grandpa to ask where he'd gone.
That's when she found out he'd gone to the battlefield.
Worried that something might happen to him, she begged her Second Grandpa to bring him back.
But Senju Tobirama rejected her without a second thought.
He couldn't possibly pull Renya from the front lines just because of one little girl's request.
No matter how much she cried, yelled, or threw tantrums, it didn't work.
It only ended when Mito came to the office and took her away.
Now that she saw Renya return safely, Tsunade was beyond happy.
If Renya-san had died in battle, who would make her delicious food?
Renya playfully pinched her round cheeks.
"Did you miss me these past few months?"
"Of course I did!" Tsunade answered loudly.
She'd been craving Renya's cooking for a long time.
She had been constantly worried he wouldn't come back—and then who would cook for her?
Just thinking about all that delicious food made Tsunade swallow unconsciously.
"Renya-san, did you come back to make food for me?" she asked expectantly.
Renya's smile froze.
This girl didn't miss him—she missed his cooking!
"Renya-san, I want candied sweet potatoes, tri-color dumplings, sweet and sour ribs..."
Tsunade began listing dishes fluently, drooling as she spoke.
She'd been dreaming about these meals for three months!
Just waiting for Renya to come back and cook them.
"Alright, alright, I'll make them for you at lunch," Renya agreed.
"Yay!" Tsunade jumped for joy.
"Delicious food is back on the menu!"
Renya realized he hadn't seen Uzumaki Mito yet.
"Tsunade, isn't your grandma home?"
"Renya-san, Grandma went out early this morning," Tsunade explained.
"Do you know where she went?" Renya asked.
"I'm not sure," Tsunade shook her head.
"But... I think I can guess."
"Where?"
"To where Grandpa is buried."
Renya fell silent.
"Grandma's been going out every morning these days and doesn't come back until noon," Tsunade said softly.
"Every time she comes back, she looks really sad. I think... she misses Grandpa."
As she spoke, the little girl's eyes began to turn red.
Renya gently ruffled her hair.
"You stay here at home. I'll go find your grandma. When we're both back, I'll cook lunch for you."
"Okay." Tsunade nodded obediently.
Seeing her like this made Renya's heart ache a little.
...
At the Senju clan's ancestral burial site.
When Renya arrived, he saw Uzumaki Mito standing with her back to him, facing Hashirama's grave.
"Mito-san."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo