"I only went on two dates with Madara's sister. And getting thrown into the Uzumaki clan for twelve years? Hashirama was definitely part of that scheme too, so why am I the only one being punished?"
"Right, because Hashirama's the clan heir and I'm just some nephew."
Qianxing tucked away a scroll detailing how to balance the Senju and Uchiha clans after establishing the village, then gazed up at the bright moon with a heavy sigh.
"Day 4,444 since I last saw Sister Ban. God, I miss her."
Lost in his thoughts, he completely missed the shadow creeping up behind him.
When Qianxing still didn't notice, the figure made their move, covering his eyes with soft hands.
"Hey there, Brother Qianxing~ Guess who?"
The deliberately sultry voice made Qianxing's eye twitch. Only one person had the guts to sneak into his room this late at night.
"Mito, cut it out!"
He gently tapped the hands over his eyes. The moment he felt that silky smooth skin, he knew his guess was spot on.
Sure enough, when the hands pulled away, there was Mito with her gorgeous red hair and that mischievous smile.
"Hehe..."
"Don't 'hehe' me."
Qianxing flicked her forehead without mercy.
"Ow!"
Mito clutched her head dramatically, giving him those puppy dog eyes like he'd committed murder.
But Qianxing was immune to her tactics by now.
"Oh please, I barely touched you. Quit the drama."
"Hmph!"
The next second, Mito wiped away her fake tears and was all smiles again.
Seeing her quick recovery, Qianxing felt a headache coming on. This was entirely his fault for spoiling her rotten.
"She's nothing like the serious Mito from the original series. Poor Hashirama has no idea what's coming."
After a resigned sigh, Qianxing put on his stern face.
"Didn't I tell you that young ladies shouldn't be sneaking into men's bedrooms?"
But Mito just pouted at his lecture.
"You're not just any man."
She even tried to grab his arm for a hug.
"Stop right there!"
Knowing exactly what she was up to, Qianxing pressed his palm against her forehead, keeping her at arm's length.
"You obviously need something. Spill it, or I'm going to bed."
"Oh! Right!"
Mito suddenly perked up. "My father wants to see you."
"Why didn't you lead with that?"
"I forgot the moment I saw you!"
She looked down bashfully, then peeked up to see if he was mad.
"I should've seen this coming."
Thinking about how he'd dragged Mito everywhere while learning the Uzumaki sealing techniques, ultimately corrupting this innocent girl, he couldn't even stay angry.
"Fine, let's go."
Seeing that Qianxing wasn't upset, Mito's face lit up again.
"Yay!"
"Act like a proper lady."
"Okay..."
...
Even though the Senju and Uzumaki clans were longtime allies, Qianxing never dared wander their territory at night without permission.
This was the Warring States period, after all. Even though the Uzumaki clan stayed behind the front lines, they never dropped their guard.
On the way to Mito's family compound, Qianxing spotted at least five hidden sentries. Without Mito leading the way, he'd probably be surrounded and interrogated the moment he set foot on their grounds.
But with the Uzumaki clan's little princess as his guide, all obstacles melted away.
After passing three guard posts and walking through two corridors, Qianxing and Mito reached her father, Uzumaki Yusuke.
"Ah, little Qianxing, there you are."
"Master Yusuke!"
He bowed respectfully. Despite their familiarity, proper etiquette was non-negotiable in this era.
"Please, sit."
Yusuke welcomed Qianxing warmly. He genuinely liked this young man from the Senju clan—smart, polite, and incredibly talented.
He still remembered when battlefield reports came in for analysis. Eight-year-old Qianxing had glanced at them and immediately predicted the outcomes, then suggested better tactical approaches on the spot.
Later, Qianxing proposed a revolutionary three-man team combat system that completely replaced their old legion-style operations. It was a game-changer that left Yusuke, who usually got headaches from military strategy, absolutely amazed.
And the kid was only eight years old.
That's when Yusuke knew Qianxing's potential was limitless. Since the Senju and Uzumaki clans would intermarry anyway, he didn't mind Qianxing's relationship with Mito.
After all, even if Qianxing had corrupted his daughter a bit, that was the Senju clan's problem now. The Uzumaki clan certainly wasn't losing out on this deal.
Otherwise, with all those crazy ideas about "love" and "freedom" that Qianxing had been filling Mito's head with, Yusuke would've broken the boy's legs long ago.
So seeing Mito—who could usually demolish a house—acting like a perfect lady around Qianxing, Yusuke nodded approvingly and pulled out a letter from his sleeve.
"This urgent message came from the Senju clan. Take a look."
"New developments in the war?"
Qianxing opened the letter curiously.
After reading just a few lines, his face went pale with shock.
"What?! Hashirama's getting married?"
The letter was brief—some pleasantries, an invitation for the Uzumaki clan to attend Hashirama's wedding, and a request for Qianxing to return to the Senju clan.
But Qianxing couldn't focus on anything else. Looking at young Mito beside him, rage boiled up inside him as he slammed the letter on the table.
"How can you marry Mito off to Hashirama already?"
His outburst confused both Uzumaki Yusuke and Mito. After all, what did Hashirama's marriage have to do with Mito?
"Who said Hashirama was marrying Mito?"