Nawaki was the child she had raised since he was little; he had never experienced any hardship, truly a noble young master from a prominent clan. But now he had become like this; how could Mito not feel heartbroken?
"Grandma, I'm fine. I'm already over twenty, not a child anymore." He then scratched his head. "And this isn't really hardship. Although I didn't find Father and Mother, I learned a lot along the way and gained a lot of insight."
"I'll tell you all about it later."
Mito smiled and nodded. "Alright, alright, alright, tell Grandma about it."
Just as Nawaki secretly rejoiced in his heart, thinking he had overcome the difficult situation so smoothly, Hashirama once again made his move.
"You brat, don't think your grandma is easy to appease and that you can just gloss over this matter!"
Half of the joy in Nawaki's heart immediately chilled, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. He frequently shot glances at Torifu and Tsunade, hoping for help.
Torifu understood implicitly and immediately said, "Master, Nawaki is exhausted from his journey. Let him rest inside for a while first. Once you've decided how to punish him, he can carry it out then. The weather outside is still too cold; it wouldn't be good if he got sick."
Although Hashirama's words were tough, he still felt sorry for his grandson in his heart. It was just that his recent words had put him in a high position, making it difficult to back down. With Torifu providing him this opening, he naturally took it.
Hashirama awkwardly said, "W-well, alright then. Everyone come inside first. It is indeed a bit cold outside."
Nawaki was overjoyed. With one sentence from Master, his grandfather agreed to let him come inside. This was already a monumental success. Tsunade, standing nearby, couldn't help but give Torifu a thumbs-up.
In truth, Torifu understood Hashirama too well. After so many years as master and disciple, Hashirama had always been a person who appeared serious on the surface but was very kind-hearted deep down.
After everyone had entered the house, Tobirama, who had been napping next door, also walked over. He had been sleeping soundly but was woken up, and was full of anger. But upon hearing that Nawaki had returned, all his sleepiness vanished instantly, and his anger subsided.
"Nawaki, you brat, when did you get back?"
"Grandpa Tobirama, I came back at noon, had a meal at Master's house, and then came home."
Tobirama nodded after hearing this, and then said nothing more. Nawaki was still waiting to continue chatting, but Tobirama simply clammed up, which annoyed him a little. He had been hoping Tobirama would divert some of the 'firepower' for him, but Tobirama clearly guessed the kid's intentions, so he just kept quiet, giving him no opportunity.
"Nawaki, tell us, what did you experience along the way? Did you not see your father even once?"
Hashirama actually felt indebted to this son of his, so for all these years, he never sent anyone to look for him, precisely to give him a peaceful life. Hashirama didn't even know his son's current situation, nor whether his life was prosperous or impoverished. Aside from still remembering the name, Senju Asa seemed to have completely left his life. With his abilities, finding his son would certainly be effortless, but he didn't do so, because it would put more pressure on his son and make him feel unfree. Since he wanted freedom and disliked being restrained, then everything should be as he wished.
"No, I didn't see Father and Mother even once. Many times I found information about them, even their dwelling places, but each time I was a step too late."
"Finally, I thought about Father and Mother being older, and having to move and hide so frequently just to avoid him; I couldn't bear for them to suffer, so I stopped searching."
Hashirama sighed after hearing this. "This is why I didn't want you to look for them. They, as a couple, are probably living quite happily, but your arrival would break their peace."
Nawaki now understood this principle. Father and Mother didn't need him, and he, it seemed, didn't need Father and Mother either. After coming to terms with this, Nawaki decided to return to Konohagakure and would no longer search from then on.
Tobirama also shook his head at this point and said, "Regarding Asa leaving home, we actually all bear some responsibility. If we had paid more attention to him when he was little, instead of focusing all our efforts on war, perhaps everything would be different now."
The atmosphere in the room gradually grew heavy. Except for Torifu and Tsunade, everyone else's mood was somewhat low. Torifu wasn't overly affected because he wasn't very familiar with Asa. Although he could empathize with Master and Mistress, it didn't overly impact his emotions. As for Tsunade, she had completely come to terms with it. Her concept of Father and Mother only remained from her childhood. She didn't dwell on what happened afterward, nor did she hope for anything. That was why she could remain so calm now.
After about a minute or two of heaviness, Mito spoke up. She forced a smile and rallied everyone. "Alright, everything is fated. Heaven already made its arrangements long ago. Don't be so gloomy. So many years have passed; what else is there to not accept?"
"Living your own lives well is the most important thing. Now that Nawaki has returned, our family is reunited once more."
Hashirama and Tobirama also smiled after hearing this. "Indeed, you're right. Living our lives well is the most important."
Nawaki seized the opportunity, found a good entry point, and began to shift the topic to his experiences on the journey. And he chose only the more interesting stories, the kind that would make people laugh. Soon, bursts of laughter echoed through the room. Some anecdotes, even if Torifu had heard them before, still made him laugh out loud.
"You kid, your journey wasn't for nothing. Having experienced so many things, they will all become precious memories for you in the future."
Hashirama actually wasn't against Nawaki going out to gain experience. When he was young, he had traveled the entire ninja world several times over. His main concern was that Nawaki would repeatedly disturb Asa and his wife. Now that Nawaki had come to terms with it, it was naturally a joyous occasion for everyone. Asa had once sent Hashirama a text message on New Year's Day. He talked about his current situation and such, and also mentioned that Nawaki had given up searching for them.
At that time, Hashirama knew Nawaki might be returning, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. Only one message a year, and it only contained this much. Although Hashirama was quite annoyed, he had gradually accepted it. Perhaps he and Asa were fated to only have a brief father-son connection, starting from the moment Asa left the Senju clan compound. Their lives had already ceased to intersect. Hashirama had slowly come to accept this point as well.