"You're not planning on getting married?" Uzumaki Mito frowned slightly.
"If you don't marry, what will you do when you get old? When that time comes, there won't even be anyone by your side to bring you tea or fetch you water."
If he didn't marry, he wouldn't have children.
And without children, there would be no one to take care of Tobirama in his later years.
As the older sister-in-law, she naturally had to consider her brother-in-law's future.
Sure, Tobirama might be living freely and comfortably now, but when he grows old and can no longer walk properly, not having any children around would become a real problem.
As for Renya, he'd have to start his own family someday and would naturally move out.
It's impossible to expect him to come back just to take care of an aging, grumpy Tobirama forever, right?
Even if Renya were the most filial child alive, he couldn't be expected to serve Tobirama around the clock.
Having his own wife and children was simply better.
This would be good not only for Tobirama but also for Renya.
And even if Tobirama didn't want to have kids, surely he'd at least want a woman by his side, right?
With no mistress of the house, there was no one to cook or clean.
Even simple things, like sending over meals, always ended up falling on Renya.
If Mito hadn't come early today to clean up, Renya would have been stuck doing chores for half the day.
He already had to cook and clean.
If there were a mistress in the house, the boy would have it much easier.
After all, he was Tobirama's adopted son, not his personal servant.
Uzumaki Mito had always felt that two grown men living together couldn't take care of themselves properly.
What they really needed was a good, hardworking woman who could manage the household.
...
"Sister-in-law, there's no rush to talk about marriage," Senju Tobirama said with a serious expression.
"There's still so much to handle in the village."
He wasn't interested in marriage.
Using his busy workload as an excuse was the simplest way to fend off Mito for now.
It wasn't the first or second time his elder brother and sister-in-law had urged him to marry, and he had plenty of experience dodging the topic.
As for future matchmaking attempts… well, that could be dealt with when the time came.
...
"You're already in your forties and you're still not worried?" Uzumaki Mito rolled her eyes at him.
"What, do you plan to wait until you're seventy before you finally get married?"
By that age, what young woman would be willing to marry an old man?
She could tell Tobirama was just trying to dodge again.
This time, no matter what, she had to make him decide.
Senju Tobirama noticed his sister-in-law was serious, and he sighed helplessly.
"Sister-in-law, I really have no interest in marriage."
The truth was, he had no feelings for women at all — no desire, no curiosity, nothing.For him, staying single was the best decision.
Even if Mito kept pressuring him, he wouldn't agree to it.
Renya knew very well how stubborn the old man was.
Once Tobirama set his mind on something, no one could change it.
It seemed this old man really intended to remain single until death.
Perfect.
That's exactly what a true strong man should do!
A heart free of women…
And the blade swings naturally divine!
Women?
They'd only slow down the speed at which he draws his sword.
Renya silently decided to follow Tobirama's example and become a true powerhouse himself.
Coincidentally, he wasn't interested in women either.
Senju Tobirama noticed the "admiration" in Renya's gaze, and the corner of his lips curved ever so slightly.
Did this brat… actually agree with him?
Heh.
As expected of a child he personally raised!
The kid's personality was practically identical to his own.
Renya accidentally made eye contact with Tobirama and quickly lowered his head, focusing on shoveling rice into his mouth.
Wait… could the old man have figured out that he'd been using him as a shield all along?!
...
Forget it.
Better to just eat.
The last thing he needed was to get himself caught in the middle of this "matchmaking drama" and bring trouble onto himself.
...
"If you're not interested in marriage, then who's going to take care of you when you're old?!"
Uzumaki Mito's tone grew sharper, clearly irritated.
Tobirama really was impossibly stubborn.
With Hashirama out of the village, she couldn't even rely on him to help persuade his younger brother.
The atmosphere at the table suddenly grew quiet.
The only sounds were Renya and Tsunade's chopsticks clinking against their bowls as they ate.
Renya knew the plot had reached its climax.
Everything depended on how Tobirama handled this.
If he could resolve this matchmaking crisis smoothly, Renya would be able to follow his example whenever Mito-san tried to pressure him about marriage in the future.
After all, Tobirama wasn't married either.
No rush.
Absolutely no rush.
Even if Mito-san kept pushing, she'd always go after Tobirama first. Renya could just use the old man as his personal human shield.
Renya silently praised his own genius. He had practically solved the universal problem of elders nagging about marriage!
...
Just then, Renya noticed Tobirama's gaze landing faintly on him.
A bad premonition struck immediately.
That look… it was filled with something ominous, as though the old man was plotting something.
Renya lowered his head further, pretending not to notice, eating nothing but plain rice once his dishes were empty.
He didn't dare reach out to grab more food, trying to make his presence as small as possible.
You can't see me…
You can't see me…
...
"Sister-in-law, you've got it wrong."
Senju Tobirama paused for a moment, then spoke calmly:
"Isn't there still this kid?"
His crimson eyes shifted toward Renya, whose head was practically buried under the table by now.
"This kid is my adopted son. Naturally, when I'm old, he'll take care of me until the end."
Renya froze.
This bastard actually used him as a shield?!
How selfish can a man get?!
Fine, don't get married if you don't want to — but why drag him into this?!
Senju Tobirama… truly born evil!
The man would stop at nothing just to avoid getting married!
And now what about him, huh?
Was he supposed to adopt an orphan too, just to have someone take care of him when he's old?!
...
"Tobirama, you can't expect Renya to serve you for the rest of his life, right?" Uzumaki Mito frowned.
"This kid has to start his own family someday too."
Despite her words, she actually thought Tobirama's solution wasn't half bad.
She just didn't want to burden Renya with extra responsibilities, which was why she had been pushing Tobirama to marry and have children.
If Renya was willing, then fine.
If he agreed, she wouldn't meddle in Tobirama's personal affairs anymore.
But if Renya refused, she'd definitely arrange a marriage for Tobirama herself.
...
Mito turned her gaze toward Renya, softening her tone.
"Renya, would you be willing to take care of your Tobirama in the future?"
She'd already decided — if Renya said yes, she'd drop the marriage issue entirely.
If he said no, she'd immediately start matchmaking again.
After all, this man was so stubborn that even she and Hashirama had failed to persuade him in the past.
...
"Kid," Senju Tobirama narrowed his eyes, staring directly at Renya.
"You'll take care of me when I'm old… right?"
The threat in his tone was unmistakable.
If this brat dared say no, Tobirama would make sure he regretted it!
Renya felt Tobirama's sharp gaze piercing through him and instinctively swallowed hard.
"Yes… of course, I'll take care of you when you're old, Tobirama-san."
Honestly, he didn't have any issue with taking care of Tobirama later in life. He was his adopted son, after all — there was nothing strange about it.
What pissed him off was that the old man had used him as a shield to dodge marriage.Unforgivable!
Senju Tobirama nodded in satisfaction upon hearing his answer.
Turning back to Uzumaki Mito, his lips curled into a faint, triumphant smile.
"Sister-in-law, since this kid's willing to take care of me when I'm old, you really don't need to worry about my marriage anymore…"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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