"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!"
Right on time, Amado knew it was time to eat, so he walked straight into the dining room. As soon as he entered, he saw a full table of people and no place for him. He looked at Torifu, and Torifu looked back at him.
"Should I leave?"
Torifu laughed heartily. "Why would you leave? We'll just add a chair. Nawaki just got back, that's why your spot was taken." With that, Torifu took a wooden chair from his ring and placed it next to himself.
Amado scratched his head and smiled. "Ah, I knew today wasn't an ordinary day! I never expected Nawaki to be back!" Amado and Nawaki were old acquaintances with a strong bond, but this was certainly not the best time to catch up. So, Amado just walked over and hugged Nawaki briefly, then returned to his seat to eat.
Everyone quickly began eating. Taking advantage of a moment when Nawaki was talking to Naori, Torifu asked quietly, "Did you finish the work at the office?"
At the thought of it, Amado shot Torifu a reproachful look. "Yes, I finished all of it! I'm totally exhausted!"
Torifu didn't care about the work; he only wanted to know how things went with Amado and Anka. "Did Anka leave work? Did you see her off?"
Sure enough, when Anka was mentioned, Amado's attitude immediately improved. "T-That was a given! How could I not see a lady home? I saw she had too much work to finish anytime soon, so I helped her with some of it."
Torifu nodded with satisfaction. His younger brother was smart and not a fool. This might also be due to the atmosphere of the Kumotsuru Clan that had shaped Amado's personality. Regardless, these small gestures would certainly improve Anka's impression of him. A simple hint was enough; asking too many questions would be suspicious. Torifu planned to ask Anka the rest of the questions anyway. Since they had been alone in the same room, it didn't matter who he asked.
Having gotten the information he wanted, Torifu was ready to eat, but Amado continued to ask, "When did Nawaki get back? There was no warning at all. I didn't prepare anything!"
Torifu took a sip of water. "He just got back. He caught me by surprise, too. I only found out after I got back from the office."
"So, when is he leaving?"
A question mark appeared over Torifu's head. Leaving? Why would he leave?
Seeing Torifu's confusion, Amado explained, "Didn't he go looking for Senju Asa? He obviously didn't find him, so he must be heading out again."
"Unless he's staying?"
Torifu nodded. "Yes, he's staying. The child has perhaps come to terms with things, or maybe he was hurt by his parents, but he's decided not to continue searching."
Amado sighed, barely audible. "That's probably for the best, too. It saves him the trouble of running around the world and getting all sun-tanned."
After that, the two stopped their whispered conversation.
The meal was eaten relatively slowly, mainly because Nawaki was back, and everyone had things they wanted to say to him. He shared his travel experiences along the way, and everyone listened with great interest. Come to think of it, Torifu and Naori hadn't traveled to as many places as Nawaki. The furthest Torifu had gone was the Land of Hot Water overseas, while Naori had only reached the Land of Whirlpools. Nawaki had circled every country over the past few years, showing true perseverance. Unfortunately, the final goal remained unmet.
After the meal, Nawaki helped Naori clear the dishes, and Yahiko and Konan joined in to help, leaving everything for Minato to wash. Everyone had their assigned tasks, except for Torifu and Amado, who were lying in the rocking chairs in the courtyard, swaying leisurely.
"When will he go back to see Hashirama-sama? Didn't anyone send a message back?"
Torifu shook his head. "No. Nawaki probably needs to prepare himself mentally. After being gone for so long and not sending any letters, he's afraid my Master will give him a good beating."
Amado scratched his head. There was indeed that risk, but he couldn't just not go back. "Why don't we call Tsunade over? If Tsunade takes Nawaki back, Hashirama-sama might not be so angry."
Torifu snapped his fingers, approving of Amado's idea. He immediately dialed Tsunade's number.
Tsunade had just finished lunch and was getting ready for a nap. The phone call, however, completely robbed her of her sleepiness.
"What! Nawaki is back!"
Dan, who was next to her, was also extremely excited. Tsunade had worried about the boy for so long, and he was finally back!
"I'm coming right away!"
With that, Tsunade immediately hung up the phone, put on her outer robe, and prepared to go to the Kumotsuru Clan compound. Dan quickly followed behind her.
"Don't be in such a hurry. Nawaki is at Big Brother's house; he won't run away."
Tsunade's hands were already clenched into fists. "No way! I'm afraid that boy will get the news and run off immediately!" As she walked, Tsunade gnashed her teeth. "Good, good, he's finally decided to come back, has he? He's been gone so long and hasn't even sent a letter to let us know how he is. I thought you had died out there!"
Tsunade's fists were audibly cracking. Dan felt that the situation was not good; Tsunade was furious. Hitting Nawaki wasn't the main issue—even Dan wanted to give the boy a talking-to. But with Tsunade's monstrous strength, if one punch tore down the Kumotsuru Clan compound, wouldn't that be a disaster?
"Tsunade, calm down! That's the Kumotsuru Clan compound! Don't you dare demolish Big Brother's house!"
Tsunade was angry, but she hadn't lost her mind. "It's fine. Big Brother can definitely fix it. What you should be worrying about is whether that boy will get any shorter, because right now, I really want to break his legs."
Mamiko, who was taking out the trash, saw her daughter-in-law stomping furiously in the direction of the Kumotsuru Clan compound, with her son trying to calm her down from behind. She was momentarily confused, wondering if Tsunade had quarreled with someone. She tried to call out to Dan, but they were already at the Kumotsuru Clan gate. Worried, she could only follow them herself, hoping that no conflict would break out.