Nawaki scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "No. Father's whereabouts are too hard to pin down. I'm still not sure what their situation is."
The last time Torifu had seen Senju Asa was during Nawaki's early childhood, when the couple had dumped Nawaki with Hashirama and run off. In all the years since, Torifu hadn't seen Asa once. He even suspected the couple had passed away, but Hashirama received a letter from them every year. It was these letters that had inspired Nawaki to search for his parents.
Otherwise, if the boy had just settled down and developed in the village, he would certainly be the head of some important department by now. But Torifu didn't feel he had done anything wrong. He had never met his parents since childhood, yet he constantly received letters from them. He had to go find them and ask them why, in order to resolve the knot of frustration in his heart.
Thus, while Nawaki claimed he was on a mission, he was actually searching for his parents. But now, it seemed he hadn't achieved any results.
"Do you still plan to look for them after this? You've been searching for so long, you must have covered the entire Shinobi World by now." Torifu said earnestly, "If they truly wanted you to find them, you wouldn't have needed this much time."
Nawaki understood the logic. Previously, he had been unable to give up, but this time, it seemed he had come to terms with it. "No. After I go back this time, I'm going to focus on protecting Konohagakure. I don't plan on looking for them anymore."
Torifu sighed and patted Nawaki's shoulder. "Big Brother Asa is a man who loves freedom. Perhaps your pursuit has become a burden for him, so it's best to look past it."
Nawaki nodded. "Master is right. I've come to understand that. From now on, I'll live a proper life in Konohagakure. This is my home."
Seeing the growth in his disciple's character, Torifu was naturally happy for him, but the atmosphere was getting heavy, so he decided to lighten it up with a joke.
"Have you considered becoming Hokage? If you have, you'll have some competition."
"Huh?" Nawaki was surprised. Was Master implying that the candidate for the Fourth Hokage was already decided? "I don't have any aspirations for Hokage. Someone as irresponsible as me, who hasn't contributed anything to Konohagakure even after training under you, how could I have any thoughts about the Hokage position?"
"But, has the Fourth Hokage already been decided? Who is it?"
Torifu gave a slight smile, and Minato, who was standing next to Nawaki, instinctively took a few steps back.
Torifu immediately pulled him back. "Right here. It's your junior brother. His Flying Thunder God speed is about to surpass your Great-Uncle Tobirama. Overcoming him will probably happen within the next few years."
Nawaki looked at Minato with an impressed expression. "I haven't seen you in so long, Minato, but you've grown tremendously. On the contrary, I, your Elder Brother, haven't made much progress. It looks like I'll be surpassed soon." Nawaki said with a touch of playful jest. Torifu could sense from his words that Nawaki had matured greatly. The old him, while not overly boastful, was still quite proud and sharp. His time traveling abroad had truly changed him a lot.
"Then, Master, when do you plan to pass down the Hokage title? Minato is still too young, isn't he?"
Torifu nodded. "It will have to wait until Minato is at least twenty years old. Otherwise, if he's too young, the villagers probably won't accept him."
Nawaki smirked playfully. "How so? Master, you became Hokage when you were only in your teens."
"Oh? Are you suggesting Minato go destroy a country? That certainly is one way to do it." Torifu pretended to consider the idea seriously. He then looked at Minato. "You, go wipe out Kusagakure."
Minato pointed an index finger at himself in disbelief. "Who? Me?" Minato desperately wanted to complain internally, You two nutjobs, why do you have to drag me into everything?
With that small joke, the heavy atmosphere completely vanished. Torifu pulled out several chairs, and the three sat down in the courtyard to chat. It was then that Torifu learned Nawaki had not gone straight to the Senju Clan compound upon returning to the village. Instead, he had come directly to the Kumotsuru Clan compound to find Torifu. Even Tsunade and the others didn't know yet; Torifu was the first to find out.
"Do you want me to go home with you later? Just to keep your grandfather from beating you up."
Nawaki was about to say no, but after being away for so long, his grandfather would inevitably have some resentment. Nawaki couldn't guarantee how strong that resentment would be, and having his Master come along would greatly help calm his grandparents. Weighing the pros and cons, Nawaki put aside the pleasantries. "Then I'll trouble you, Master. Please come home with me. Hehe."
Torifu waved a hand. "It's nothing. While you were traveling, did you meet any girls you liked?"
Nawaki shook his head at the question. "No. My mind wasn't focused on that, so I naturally didn't meet anyone." Torifu thought to himself that Nawaki was in for a rough few months. A full service of mandatory dates and matchmaking was likely in his future. Torifu mourned for him inwardly. When the time was right, he would undoubtedly become a member of the mandatory marriage brigade himself.
For the next hour or so, Nawaki recounted his journey and all the things he had seen to Torifu and Minato. Unsurprisingly, with so much ground covered, there was no shortage of stories. They were still talking when Naori returned from the market.
When Naori saw Nawaki, she was briefly stunned, then delighted. "Oh! Nawaki! When did you get back?"
"Hehe, Mistress, I just got back a little while ago. I've been chatting with Master. I was hoping to bum a meal here."
Naori immediately decided. "Bum? Nonsense! I'll personally cook a welcome feast for you!" Nawaki was someone Naori had watched grow up since childhood, so their bond was unusually strong—he was like a little brother to her. After being away from the village for so long, his return was definitely cause for celebration. And when Naori heard Torifu say that Nawaki wouldn't be leaving again, she was even more overjoyed. She immediately grabbed her groceries and headed to the kitchen.
"Haha, your Mistress hasn't changed a bit. You, on the other hand, have matured quite a bit. You're a man now."
Nawaki looked a bit embarrassed. "If I were truly mature, I wouldn't have stayed away from the village for so long. For the sake of finding my father, I've been a bit slack in my training over the years, so I need to work much harder now."
Torifu was pleased to hear Nawaki say that. Although Konohagakure was relatively stable now and didn't lack manpower, Nawaki's return would boost the village's high-level fighting force and help manage various emergency situations.
Naori went into the kitchen to cook, leaving Akihara with Torifu. The boy, Akihara, was relatively unfamiliar with Nawaki. He hadn't seen him many times and wasn't sure who this older brother was. After Torifu's introduction, he learned that he was Grandpa Hashirama's grandson, which meant he should call him 'Big Brother.'
Speaking of which, the seniority of Torifu and Hashirama's family was completely jumbled. Logically, Torifu was in the same generation as Asa, yet Tsunade called Torifu 'Big Brother.' Nawaki also used to call Torifu 'Big Brother,' but now called him 'Master.' Torifu sometimes just gave up on the issue and let them call him whatever felt comfortable. He was a bit confused by the whole concept of seniority himself, so he just went with what felt natural.
Akihara chatted with Nawaki for a while, but found that he wasn't interested in many of the things Nawaki talked about—it was all very dry. He soon left Torifu's embrace and went off to find someone else to play with. Although Minato was right nearby, Akihara knew they were talking and didn't bother him.
"Haha, Akihara thinks I'm too boring. What can I do? I've been gone so long that I've forgotten how to interact with children."
Torifu waved his hand, smiling. "It's fine. Once you settle back into the village, you'll naturally reconnect."
The three—master and two students—sat in the courtyard chatting. Eventually, the topic turned to the situation in the Amegakure region. Nawaki had participated in the war in the Amegakure region years ago, and he had been completely unaware of the current events while he was away. It wasn't until he returned to the village and saw the shinobi shouting about 'forming teams' that he asked Minato about it. Only then did he learn that the Amegakure region was having trouble again.
"Master, do you need me to go? My strength is much greater now. I estimate I can stand toe-to-toe with Big Brother Hiruzen."
Torifu nodded at this. He estimated Nawaki's strength was indeed at that level. It was a shame. If the boy hadn't run off to find his father, his strength might have been able to challenge Tobirama by now.
"If you want to go, that's certainly for the best. Your three juniors also need the experience, and you can go with them to strengthen your bonds."
Nawaki agreed. "Good. Then I'll leave with Minato. I can look out for them on the way."
"Haha, the team Minato joined will likely reach a thousand people by the time they leave. It'll be quite a spectacle when they travel. You should head home this afternoon and sign up with Minato."
Nawaki had already briefly understood the concept of 'forming teams,' so he wasn't confused. He just nodded. "Good. Master, come home with me this afternoon. I'm really afraid that… hehe."
Torifu knew what the boy was afraid of: a severe beating from his grandfather. If Torifu was present, he could greatly reduce the damage and help Hashirama calm down quickly.
"Alright. Since I watched you grow up, I can't just watch you get a beating."
In truth, Hashirama might not actually hit Nawaki. His grandson hadn't been home for so long, so he would definitely want to greet him warmly. Moreover, Mito was there, and she was very fond of Nawaki.
Speaking of the couple, Hashirama's spoiling had turned Tsunade into a spoiled rich girl, though she gradually corrected that after meeting Dan. And Mito's pampering had indulged Nawaki, who was now in his twenties but still wouldn't stay home. Clearly, the couple's parenting philosophy wasn't particularly sound. However, their skills in training disciples were quite good, having mentored the two excellent shinobi, Torifu and Naori. This, at least, salvaged their reputation somewhat.
The master and two students continued chatting in the courtyard. It didn't take long for Naori to finish making the food. Yahiko and Konan, who were training in the backyard, returned right on time, carrying Akihara. Seeing them, Torifu told them to call the others. Yahiko and Konan had met Nawaki before. However, soon after they arrived in Konohagakure, Nawaki had started running off every few days. He used to come back once every month or two, but eventually, he became more and more reckless, staying away for entire years. Thus, Yahiko and Konan naturally didn't have much affection for Nawaki; they just knew they had a Elder Brother.
When Akihara went to the backyard to find them, he had told Yahiko and Konan, but they felt awkward and hadn't come to find Nawaki. Now that it was dinnertime, and they were starving from a morning of training, they couldn't possibly skip the meal. That's why they were in the front yard.
Torifu understood their feelings and simply asked them to call the others, without making any further demands. However, for the sake of his disciples' relationship and his own reputation, Torifu offered a reminder.
"Your Elder Brother Nawaki's mission is complete, and he'll be staying in Konohagakure from now on. He won't be leaving on such long journeys anymore, so you should all get to know each other quickly."
It wasn't a difficult request. Yahiko and Konan nodded, then dutifully called out to their Elder several times. Both sides were very pleased.
"Alright, alright, stop chatting and come inside to eat quickly!" Naori called out. The food was ready, and it would soon get cold if they didn't eat it while it was hot.
"By the way, where is Amado?" Naori suddenly realized someone was missing and asked.
Torifu scratched his head. "I left him at the office to help me with the documents. I don't know if he'll be back by noon."
Naori understood, thinking, Aha, creating more alone time, are we? Well done!
"Then we'll go inside and eat first. If Amado comes back and wants something to eat, we can figure it out then."
Saying this, the group entered the house. They had just sat down and were about to pick up their chopsticks when a voice called from outside: "I'm back! I'm absolutely exhausted!"