"Renya, come by my place and sit for a while when you have time."
Senju Hashirama couldn't find the answers he wanted from Renya, so he could only leave, dejected and dispirited.
Back then, he had accidentally exposed his identity, which made Madara unwilling to pay him any attention.
But he believed Madara would forgive him sooner or later.
If it really came down to it, next time he would just secretly follow Renya and find Madara's hiding place that way.
He wondered if Madara was living alone in some cave.
Senju Hashirama suddenly missed the days when he and his close friend lived in a cave, secluded from the world.
Those were his lost years of youth!
Unfortunately, they were gone forever.
...
The Senju residence.
"Hashirama, did you manage to find out where Madara is?"
Seeing her husband looking downcast, Uzumaki Mito guessed that he hadn't obtained any information from Renya.
Although she disliked how her husband was always chasing after Madara, seeing him so upset still made her feel sorry for him.
"No. Renya didn't want to tell me," Senju Hashirama said with a bitter smile.
"Believe me, Renya will tell you Madara's location sooner or later," Uzumaki Mito said gently as she held her husband's hand in comfort.
"Thank you, Mito..." Senju Hashirama said, his face full of emotion.
All those years, it had always been his wife silently supporting him from behind. Otherwise, there was no way he could have spent decades getting along with Madara.
Now that he had finally returned to the village, he was still making his wife worry.
To be honest, he felt guilty about it. He really wasn't a good husband.
"Hashirama, take a look at this," Uzumaki Mito said as she took a letter out of her sleeve.
Senju Hashirama took the letter and read it carefully.
The contents were simple—matters regarding education in the Land of Whirlpools.
Konoha was currently the strongest ninja village in the ninja world, and its education system was among the best.
The ninja school had produced countless outstanding ninja.
The Uzumaki clan head had taken a liking to Konoha's educational resources and wanted the Uzumaki clan's children to come to Konoha to study.
They hoped she, Uzumaki Mito, could mention this matter to the Hokage.
However, since the issue was significant, she didn't dare make the decision on her own and could only ask her husband for his opinion.
Although the Uzumaki clan didn't have many members, there were at least close to a hundred children of appropriate age.
Arranging education for so many people at once made her worry that it would trouble Danzo.
"This is a good thing!" Senju Hashirama said cheerfully.
As early as when Konoha was first founded, he had invited the Uzumaki clan to move into Konoha.
It was just that the Uzumaki clan head had refused at the time.
Now that the new generation of the Uzumaki clan wanted to come to Konoha to study, there was no way he would refuse.
Forget nearly a hundred students—even nearly a thousand wouldn't be a problem!
"Leave this to me. I'll go tell Tobirama tonight," Senju Hashirama agreed without hesitation.
Whenever he ran into issues, he usually went to Tobirama first, then had Tobirama go to Danzo, or had Renya go to Danzo.
...
Nighttime, at Senju Tobirama's residence.
"What brings you here?"
Senju Tobirama was a little surprised by their sudden visit.
It happened to be mealtime, so their timing couldn't have been better.
"You came at just the right time. Come inside and eat."
As he spoke, he called out to a busy figure in the kitchen.
"Kid, make a couple more dishes!"
"Got it."
Before long, Renya brought a table full of sumptuous dishes.
"Haha, it's been a long time since I tasted Renya's cooking," Senju Hashirama said, looking at the spread of food and sighing with emotion.
He couldn't help but recall the days he spent with Madara in the cave.
Back then, they occasionally got to eat the food Renya prepared.
But most of the time, Madara handled their three meals a day.
Although Madara only knew how to make grilled fish, the taste wasn't exactly great.
While Senju Hashirama was still reminiscing, Senju Tobirama had already picked up food several times.
Big brother and sister-in-law really came at the perfect time—four dishes and a soup had turned into eight dishes and a soup.
Tonight, he could finally have a proper feast.
"Renya's cooking is as delicious as ever," Uzumaki Mito said with a smile.
"Mito-san, why don't I see that kid Nawaki?"
"Nawaki went out on a mission."
Senju Hashirama explained vaguely as he ate.
For certain reasons, Nawaki's team leader wasn't Orochimaru.
Instead, it was an old veteran jōnin from the Senju clan.
Speaking of which, Renya knew him as well—it was the very team leader the three of them had dismissed back then.
The pleasant dinner soon came to an end.
"Tobirama, can I discuss something with you?" Senju Hashirama asked with an ingratiating smile.
Hearing this, Senju Tobirama frowned slightly.
Every time his big brother said something like that, nothing good usually followed.
Fortunately, this time was an exception.
Senju Hashirama took out the letter sent by the Uzumaki clan head.
After reading it, the tightly furrowed brows on Senju Tobirama's face finally relaxed.
"This is a good thing."
The Uzumaki clan was originally an ally of Konoha and also had a good relationship with the Senju clan.
When the war first began, the Uzumaki clan head had wanted to send troops to the Land of Rain to support Konoha.
It was just that Danzo had rejected the proposal.
There was naturally no reason for Senju Tobirama to refuse the Uzumaki clan head's request.
"Kid, deliver this letter to Danzo."
Renya, who had just finished eating: "..."
This old guy was really getting better and better at ordering people around!
"Remember to tell Danzo to make sure these students are properly settled."
"Got it."
The unlucky Renya could only head to the Hokage's office late at night.
...
"Renya, what brings you here?"
Shimura Danzo, who was miserably buried under piles of documents, couldn't help but ask in confusion when he saw his good brother visiting late at night.
At this hour, shouldn't this guy be lying in his courtyard enjoying the breeze?
Why did he come all this way?!
"In a while, the Uzumaki clan's children will be coming to Konoha to study. The old man wants you to arrange their enrollment," Renya said, briefly explaining his purpose.
"I understand," Shimura Danzo said, nodding slightly.
Arranging student enrollment wasn't a big deal and could be handled easily.
"Renya, about how many students are there?"
"About a hundred or so."
Renya had heard Mito-san and Senju Tobirama mention it at the dinner table.
This number really wasn't that large—about three or four classes at most.
"Alright, I'll make the arrangements right away."
As Konoha's birth rate continued to rise, more and more children with ninja talent were being born.
The ninja school had already been expanded countless times.
Accommodating a few hundred new Uzumaki students was more than easy.
Uzumaki Mito wrote back to inform the Uzumaki clan head of the village's situation.
Not only that, Danzo also dispatched ninja to protect the students along the way.
A few days later, under the escort of Konoha ninja, the Uzumaki clan's children of appropriate age arrived safely in Konoha.
The streets were filled with red-haired children, drawing crowds of onlookers to stop and watch.
By Renya's estimate, there were about a hundred of them, roughly matching what Mito-san had expected.
He wondered if Naruto's mother was among them.
Normally speaking, Uzumaki Kushina should be within this group of children.
If she wasn't, then Naruto probably wouldn't exist.
To be safe, he would have to go check the school personally later.
To be honest, he really didn't want to go back to school.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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