"Tobirama! Keep your temper in check. Can't you see there's still a child in the room?"
At Hashirama's calm rebuke, Tobirama Senju finally noticed the white-haired boy quietly standing at the side.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and gave Yun Zhong Qufeng a quick look. Qufeng caught the unspoken message in his gaze and responded accordingly.
He stepped forward, respectfully accepted the envelope from Hashirama, and carefully placed it inside his robes. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. Tobirama-sama. I'll be taking my leave now."
Hashirama smiled warmly. "Go on. Carry your father's will with you, and grow into the man he hoped you'd become."
Qufeng nodded silently, turned around, and left the Hokage's office.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, a loud argument exploded from inside.
"Uncle," Qufeng asked a guard outside, "do you know why Tobirama-sama was so angry?"
The Senju clansman scratched his head. "I think one of his plans failed... something about a spy. But that's way above our heads. We're just guards."
Qufeng's expression twitched.
So that scheming old bastard was the one behind the spy plan? And he had the nerve to shoot me a look like we were comrades in crime? Please.
He maintained a harmless smile on the outside and politely bowed. "Thank you, Uncle. I'll be heading home then."
Once he stepped away from the Hokage Tower, he finally allowed himself to explode.
"Damn you, Second Hokage! Just wait another thirty years. I'll make sure the village kids gang up on you when you're old and feeble!"
"Of course, now's not the time to mess with him. That man could use Water Style: Hidden Mop Technique and drown me in the sewage system."
He snorted at the thought. Anyone who could summon water on dry land like Tobirama wasn't to be taken lightly.
"I better go home first. Let's see what this will is all about."
With a low grumble, he began walking back toward the Yun Zhong clan estate.
…
"Big Brother!" Tobirama barked from within the office. "My plan failed! The spy was killed on the way to the village. It must've been those damn Uchiha!"
Hashirama sighed deeply, rubbing the space between his eyebrows. "What does that have to do with the Uchiha? Tobirama, this attitude of yours doesn't help the peace we're trying to build."
"Hmph! I'm preparing for every possibility. The Hidden Cloud sent the spy, not me. I just planned to make the best use of it — but someone got in the way. If I find out who it was…"
Tobirama had discovered the Hidden Cloud's covert operation and intended to apprehend their agent as he entered the village to extract information. Now that plan was in ruins.
Hashirama watched his younger brother rant with full intensity but only replied with quiet resignation.
"If that's how it is, then do what you think is necessary. I trust your judgment."
That seemed to calm Tobirama down.
Hashirama was too idealistic. The current peace existed only because of Konoha's overwhelming strength. If something ever happened to Hashirama, the other ninja villages would pounce like wolves.
"By the way," Tobirama added, "that white-haired boy just now — what clan is he from?"
"He's from the Yun Zhong Clan," Hashirama replied. "I noticed he's already refined chakra. His reserves are even higher than most adult ninja."
Tobirama nodded. He had also examined Qufeng the moment he entered the room. Despite his small stature, the boy's chakra was potent, well-developed beyond his age.
With proper training, he could become one of Konoha's greatest assets.
"Looks like the Yun Zhong Clan may rise again."
"Yes," Hashirama said, his voice serious. "If Yun Zhong Shan had ever mastered their clan's secret technique, I doubt the Yun Zhong would've even considered joining Konoha."
"That's the problem with techniques passed through a single bloodline. Do you have plans for the boy?"
Hashirama paused, deep in thought. "His talent is impressive. I'm considering taking him as my student. But I want to observe his temperament first."
"Very well. If his talent and character are both exceptional, we'll accept him."
...
"Ah-choo!" Qufeng sneezed mid-step, his ears suddenly tingling with warmth.
"Someone must be talking about me. Could it be the Hokage?"
He had no idea what was being said inside the office, but he didn't doubt for a moment that the First Hokage had sensed the chakra within him. That was precisely his goal.
If he wanted to live peacefully in Konoha, then having the title of the Hokage's disciple was the best possible protection.
Just look at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado — those two ancient relics.
Sure, they were senile, and they helped ruin the village over the years, but they had no ambition. They simply lacked ability. And yet they still lived peacefully all the way into the Boruto timeline.
Even the heads of prestigious clans had to bow their heads and call them "Elder."
That was why Qufeng had subtly shown off in front of Hashirama earlier.
Though entrusting the village to incapable hands was clearly one of Tobirama's regrettable compromises.
Young Hiruzen Sarutobi might have been worthy of the title "Hero of the Shinobi," but the elderly Hiruzen... not so much.
Muttering to himself, Qufeng soon arrived at a massive estate.
Elegant carvings of white cranes soaring through drifting clouds adorned every building.
This was the Yun Zhong Clan's crest — the Cloud Crane.
The estate was huge, supposedly secured by Qufeng's grandfather before his death in the village's third year.
But without any servants or clan members, the estate felt empty and cold. Qufeng had grown used to it. Even when his parents were alive, the household had never been more than three people.
Nothing had changed.
He walked inside, sat down cross-legged on the wooden floor, and pulled out the envelope.
He was curious. What could be so important that it had to wait until he turned six?
He slowly unfolded the letter.
The first lines were filled with heartfelt hopes and quiet apologies.
"Qufeng, you're six now. Have you grown a little taller? I'm sorry I can only speak to you this way."
...
As Qufeng read the letter, he didn't see a single word like "love," yet he felt his father's affection in every single line.
"Old man, you were never good with words, yet you wrote all this. Must've been hard on you."
In Qufeng's memories, Yun Zhong Shan had always been a quiet man — reserved, cold even. He rarely spoke, neither to his wife nor to his son.
This letter revealed a side of him Qufeng had never seen before. He read quickly but carefully.
His father may have been silent, but his love had been real and strong.
Suddenly, the tone of the letter shifted.
The final lines made Qufeng blink. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. But the words were still there.
"Qufeng, there's a hidden door in my room."
"Remove the hanging scroll, and you'll see it. Behind that door lies the Yun Zhong Clan's most treasured secret — our unique jutsu: Cloud Release."
"If you can master it, the Yun Zhong Clan will rise again."
Qufeng froze in place.
What...?
"Our clan has its own jutsu? Cloud Release?"
"Weren't we just a rich side character family? Was I wrong this whole time?"