Seisui spoke calmly, his expression unwavering. The explanation he'd just given had been carefully prepared in his mind long ago.
When he finally said it aloud, there wasn't a flicker of emotion—his tone as steady as if it were a simple truth.
Uzumaki Mito gave him a peculiar look.
Foolish child, she thought, you may be calm, but your little girlfriend certainly isn't.
Shaking her head, she decided not to expose his lie.
Of course, Mito recognized the Gunbai Uchiwa.
After all, it had once belonged to her rival—Uchiha Madara.
But Madara was long dead, and the fan had vanished with him.
Now that it had resurfaced, she had no intention of taking it back.
"This is the Gunbai Uchiwa," Mito explained to Haru, her voice gentle yet steady. "It's a treasured heirloom of your clan."
"It has the ability to absorb both impact and ninjutsu attacks," she continued, "and it can convert the absorbed chakra or force into a powerful wind to blow back at the enemy."
"This weapon disappeared along with Madara's death. I didn't expect it to turn up again."
"But I suppose it's fitting—it's found its way back to the Uchiha."
Her tone carried a hint of nostalgia as she added softly, "Some things are destined by fate."
Haru gave a polite but slightly awkward smile in return.
"Use that fan well," Mito said at last. "It's a divine weapon."
Her gaze lingered briefly on the handle, where a faint pattern of a handprint was carved.
Seeing it, she simply smiled and said nothing.
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen approached.
He had already seen Seisui's arrival through his crystal ball the moment the boy entered Konoha.
Originally, he had planned to wait in the Hokage's office for Seisui to report in.
But when he sensed Mito's chakra appear at the gates, he couldn't just sit still.
After all, when Mito-sama herself arrived, how could the Hokage not show up?
Even though he now held the title of Hokage, Mito's prestige still far outshone his own.
It was she who had helped him secure that position in the first place.
"Mito-sama," Hiruzen greeted respectfully.
Mito nodded in acknowledgment.
"Grandpa Third—Hokage-sama," Seisui and Haru both greeted him politely.
"Hahaha!"
"Seisui, you've really surprised me this time!" Hiruzen laughed heartily, glancing toward Uzumaki Mina near the gate.
The kid had gone on one mission and somehow managed to bring back Jiraiya's three other disciples and a survivor of the Uzumaki clan.
He was beginning to wonder if he should send Seisui out more often.
One trip, four recruits—two of them Uzumaki, all of them exceptionally talented.
And one even possessed the legendary Rinnegan!
If Nagato were to settle down in Konoha one day, the village might just end up with the three great dojutsu clans all together.
The thought made Hiruzen's eyes gleam with satisfaction as he looked at Seisui.
Under his leadership, Konoha was becoming stronger and stronger.
Sensei, I haven't failed your teachings, he thought proudly.
With the Hokage's arrival, the atmosphere shifted; conversation dwindled.
Mito spoke with him briefly before taking Mina and Kushina with her and leaving.
Hiruzen didn't stop her.
They had already discussed this arrangement before—any Uzumaki survivors found would live in the old Senju compound.
That way, they wouldn't encroach on any other clan's territory, and the Senju lands wouldn't be left abandoned.
As for the few elderly Senju still living there, most had long blended into the civilian population of Konoha anyway.
No one opposed the idea—why would they? The Uzumaki and Senju had always been allies, even distant relatives by blood.
Back when Mito had first brought it up, Hiruzen had indeed been a little surprised.
Once Mito and her group departed, Hiruzen turned back to Seisui and his team.
"You've all done well," he said warmly.
"Jiraiya already reported to me—you three successfully escorted Uzumaki Mina back, so this mission will be counted as a B-rank."
Hearing that, Minato's eyes lit up with excitement.
This was his first B-rank mission—a major step toward his dream of becoming Hokage!
Of course, missions required formal debriefing.
On the way back, Seisui had already instructed Minato and Haru: skip over the incident involving Uchiha Madara and report only the rest.
Minato didn't understand why, but his trust in Seisui was absolute, so he agreed without question.
As for Haru, she'd never oppose anything Seisui said.
After listening to their concise report, Hiruzen was silent for a moment.
Normally, the completion of a mission required verification, but their statements matched the intelligence he already had.
There was no need for further confirmation.
"Mission confirmed," he said with a nod. "You may all take a few days to rest."
Smiling kindly, he dismissed them and left.
Had Seisui's team been the only ones returning, Hiruzen might not have come personally—but since Mito had appeared, he had needed to handle Mina's placement himself.
Now that Mito had taken care of it, all he had to do was approve the report.
When the Hokage finally left, the three young ninja exchanged glances.
"Let's call it a day," Seisui said. "Everyone head home and get some rest."
"Mm." Haru nodded—she wanted to ask her grandfather about her Sharingan anyway.
Seeing her agree, Seisui turned to Minato with a teasing grin.
"Now you can go spend time with Kushina," he said. "You've been apart for days—you must be so lonely."
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Minato groaned, eyebrows twitching.
"Seriously, you always say weird things!"
Muttering under his breath, he dashed off toward Kushina's place.
Seisui and Haru exchanged a look and shared a quiet laugh before parting ways themselves.
Compared to Minato, the two of them were far more composed.
"Man…" the gate guard, who had witnessed the whole scene, rubbed his head in awe. "Both the Hokage and Mito-sama came in person…"
"Those kids are something else."
His eyes gleamed with envy.
Same rank, but such a huge gap.
Look at them—smart, talented, good-looking… and then there's me, stuck guarding a gate.
Even among chunin, the difference is like heaven and earth.
Meanwhile, Seisui returned home—only to freeze at the sight of three doorplates next to his own, each engraved with frogs.
Three frogs.
That could only mean one thing.
Rubbing his temple, he muttered, "Don't tell me they arranged those three next door…"
"What happened to my old neighbor?!"
He wasn't Naruto—his neighbors actually existed!
After a moment of silent exasperation, he shook his head. "Whatever. Not my problem."
He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Next door, Konan sat quietly at her desk, folding paper cranes.
Her mind was occupied with a single problem: how to make paper resistant to water and fire.
She hadn't forgotten what Seisui had taught her.
If she could solve that weakness, her Paper Release would finally become a true combat technique.
Right now, all her paper shuriken and kunai could be rendered useless by a single Fire or Water Style jutsu.
Even her Paper Clone technique suffered from the same flaw.
(My wife with white stockings…)
"I can't figure it out…" Konan murmured, staring at the scattered paper models on her desk.
"If Seisui-senpai were here, he'd definitely know what to do…"
As for Yahiko and Nagato? She didn't even consider asking them.
One was a reckless hothead, the other a socially anxious hermit.
Relying on them was pointless.
If Seisui could have heard her thoughts, he would've given her a thumbs-up in approval.
Failed hot-blooded idiot: Yahiko.
Corrupted hot-blooded idiot: Obito.
Successful hot-blooded idiot: Naruto.
All three shared one trait—hot-blooded and brainless.
Just as Konan was deep in thought, a burst of noise came from the next room.
"Finish up quick and we'll feast!"
"Move faster!"
"Let's gooo!"
The racket made Konan frown slightly in irritation.
"Yahiko's so loud," she muttered. "Why's he shouting like that again?"
But a moment later, she realized—it wasn't coming from Yahiko's room.
It was coming from Seisui's.
He's back!
Konan's eyes lit up with joy. She was just about to go ask him about her paper problem when—
Inside, Seisui stared at the thick layer of dust on his furniture, sighing helplessly as he sat down on a stool.
He really didn't want to move.
Cleaning was such a pain.
After a moment's thought, he smacked his forehead.
Then, forming a quick hand sign, three panda-like summons appeared before him—each about his height.
These were young pandas, freshly past their cub stage.
Seeing themselves suddenly summoned, one of them scratched its head in confusion.
"Seisui-sama, why did you summon us?" it asked. "We're still growing… we're not strong yet. What can we even do?"
Seisui's lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"Do you three want something tasty?"
The moment they heard food, all three pandas nodded furiously.
He'd chosen the perfect bait.
"I'm heading out to buy some," Seisui said, smiling slyly. "But first, this place needs cleaning."
"That's why I summoned you."