The warm aroma of home-cooked meals drifted through the Uzumaki household as Elric pushed open the front door. Just moments ago, he had dropped Kushina off at her home to rest after their training session. All he wanted now was to sneak into the kitchen and grab some early snacks before dinner—a simple pleasure that had become increasingly rare in recent months.
Just a peaceful afternoon, he thought, inhaling the familiar scent of his mother's cooking. Is that too much to ask?
But fate, it seemed, had other plans.
"Young Patriarch!" A voice called out from behind him before he could even take a step toward the kitchen. "People from Konoha have arrived. The clan elder is requesting your presence—you know, in your father's absence."
Elric's shoulders sagged as he let out a long, weary sigh. The simple joy of stolen snacks evaporated like morning mist. He turned to face the Uzumaki clansman, his expression a perfect mask of contained annoyance.
"What is it now?" he asked.
Not again, he groaned internally. I just want to eat, play, and sleep like any normal kid. Is that really impossible?
Ever since that fateful encounter with Ishiki three months ago, his life had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. What had once been a comfortable existence filled with lazy afternoons and carefree days had transformed into an endless parade of responsibilities and expectations. The clan elders, having witnessed his strength and wisdom that far exceeded his age, had become increasingly dependent on his judgment.
At first, it had been flattering. Having a whole Clan seek his opinion on major clan decisions made him feel important, respected. But recently, they had begun consulting him on even the most trivial matters. No decision, no matter how small, seemed to escape their need for the "Young Patriarch's wisdom."
He had declined their requests multiple times, hoping they would get the hint and leave him in peace. But the clan elders seemed immune to subtlety, continuing to summon him to meeting after meeting, discussion after discussion. Some days, he found himself attending clan meetings several times, dealing with matters that any competent adult should have been able to handle independently.
They probably expect me to solve this too, he thought grimly. Whatever 'this' is.
"Konoha, you said?" Elric's interest piqued slightly despite his irritation. This was definitely more intriguing than the usual clan disputes over fishing rights or trade negotiations. "Alright, let's go."
His father departed yesterday for the Water Country—they requested help sealing the Three-Tails."
As they approached the imposing structure of the Uzumaki clan building, Elric's steps slowed. What he saw before him was far from the casual diplomatic visit he had expected.
More than ten ANBU operatives stood in formation, their animal masks gleaming in the afternoon sun. Several members of the Senju clan flanked them, their postures formal and alert. This was not the work of some minor envoy or routine diplomatic mission.
This is official, Elric realized, his mind immediately shifting into analytical mode. Very official. And they have a clear purpose.
He had initially expected to see perhaps a single envoy or maybe a few Senju clan members—such visits were not uncommon between allied clans. But this level of official presence suggested something far more significant was at stake.
Elder Mitsuki, one of the three most senior members of the clan council, was engaged in what appeared to be a tense conversation with the Senju representatives when he noticed Elric's arrival. His weathered face immediately brightened with unmistakable relief.
"Elric! You came at just the right time," Mitsuki called out, his cheerful voice carrying across the courtyard.
The effect was immediate and dramatic. Every conversation ceased. Every head turned. The ANBU operatives, who had been standing in casual positions just moments before, snapped to rigid attention as they focused their masked gazes on the newcomer.
Here we go, Elric thought as he felt the weight of their scrutiny. Time to meet the legendary monster they've all heard about.
The ANBU began to observe him carefully, no doubt trying to reconcile the stories they had heard with the reality of a thirteen-year-old boy walking calmly across the courtyard. Their body language spoke of warriors assessing a potential threat, even as their logical minds struggled with the incongruity of the situation.
But it wasn't the ANBU who captured Elric's attention. Among the assembled ninja stood a blonde female figure that made his breath catch slightly. Even from a distance, even though she appeared to be the same age as she had been in the original timeline, he had no trouble recognizing her distinctive features and bearing.
Tsunade Senju. One of the legendary Sannin.
As their eyes met across the courtyard. She was studying him just as intently as he was studying her, and he could see the moment when realization dawned in her expression.
This can't be right.
Tsunade stared at the young man walking toward them with measured, confident steps. This was supposed to be Elric—the same cheerful little boy she had played with during her visits to Uzumaki Village years ago. The same child who used to laugh at her jokes, beg her to show him simple jutsu techniques, and follow her around with bright, curious eyes.
This wasn't the first time she had met Elric. She had come to Uzumaki Village several times before, naturally meeting him and even playing with him on multiple occasions. That had been before she became an official ninja, back when she was still young herself. Even then, there had been no trouble recognizing him as just a cute and smart little guy.
So when news had reached Konoha about how this thirteen-year-old had single-handedly defeated the combined forces of four ninja villages, her first reaction had been complete disbelief.
Absolute bullshit, she had thought at the time. There's no way that cute little kid could do something like that.
But as the reports were officially confirmed and verified through multiple sources, her curiosity had grown. When the mission to visit the Uzumaki Village was announced, she had volunteered without hesitation, eager to see her old playmate again.
During the entire journey—several days of travel through various terrains—she had maintained the same mental image of him. The bright, innocent child who used to play with her. The sweet little boy who would bombard her with questions about ninja techniques and village life, hanging on her every word with rapt attention.
But now, as their gazes locked across the courtyard, that comforting illusion shattered like glass against stone.
The cold reality forced her to wake up from her nostalgic dreams. His eyes were incredibly cold, analytical, ancient. They swept over her entire form with the clinical detachment of a predator evaluating prey, sizing her up to determine her value, her capabilities, her potential threat level.
And that indifference, she was all too familiar with those eyes. It was the same look she had seen when powerful ninja regarded weak civilians—that unconscious arrogance, that casual indifference. The implicit understanding that he could kill them all without breaking a sweat, and their only hope would be to pray for a quick death.
The recognition hit her like a physical blow, forcefully reminding her of the vast gulf that had opened between the child she remembered and the person standing before her now.
He's not that child anymore, she realized with a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. He hasn't been for a long time.
She quickly abandoned all her previous ideas about who Elric was. The innocent little boy she had played with was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous and unpredictable. Forcing herself to push aside her shock and confusion, Tsunade quickly adjusted her mental framework.
Focus, she told herself sternly. Remember why you're here.
This mission wasn't just about finding a suitable jinchūriki candidate—it was about gauging Elric's personality, his motivations, his intentions. If possible, she needed to leave a positive impression and gather as much intelligence as she could about this new player in the ninja world's power structure.
After the incident three months ago, all the ninja villages had done their best to gather as much information about Elric as possible. Unfortunately, their efforts had not been particularly fruitful. The main obstacle was that he was just thirteen years old and had never left Uzumaki Village, which severely limited the available sources of information.
After three months of intensive intelligence gathering, they had only managed to establish the most basic personality traits: calm beyond his age, absolutely logical in his actions, and incredibly dangerous. But without direct interaction, it remained largely speculation—and that was just what Konoha had managed to piece together.
She had heard that other villages' with just a little bit of interaction, they construct surprisingly detailed personality profiles. But Konoha hadn't been included in those assessments, so this mission represented their first real opportunity to learn about him firsthand.
Time to find out who you really are, Elric, she thought as she prepared to approach him.
"Elric! Long time no see," Tsunade called out as she walked toward him, her voice carrying what she hoped was the right balance of casual friendliness and genuine warmth.
For a moment, Elric looked genuinely confused, his brow furrowing slightly as he studied her face. With all the memories from his previous life constantly mixing and overlapping with his current experiences, accessing his fuzzy childhood recollections sometimes proved challenging. The faces and voices from so long ago often seemed distant and unclear.
Do I know her? he wondered, searching through the tangled web of his memories.
Almost as if she could see his confusion written across his features, Tsunade tried again, this time with a hint of playful sadness coloring her tone. "You seem to have forgotten about me. How sad."
Her voice sounded casual and joking on the surface, but the subtle tension in her body language—the way she held her shoulders, the slight stiffness in her posture—told Elric that she was nowhere near as relaxed as she was pretending to be. Every instinct he had developed over the past few months was telling him that this was a person on high alert, carefully controlling every aspect of her presentation.
Interesting, he thought. She's nervous. Why?
After a moment of consideration, he smiled—a warm, genuine expression that seemed to light up his entire face and briefly chase away the cold calculation that had been there moments before. "Yeah, how could I forget such a beautiful girl? Tsunade Senju."
A look of surprise flickered across Tsunade's features, followed quickly by what appeared to be genuine pleasure. Whether her reaction was due to the compliment itself or simply relief that he had remembered her after all, Elric couldn't be entirely sure. But the momentary softening of her expression suggested that his words had had the desired effect.
"Why don't you come with me?" he suggested, gesturing toward his family's section of the compound with an easy, casual motion. "Mom would be happy to see you. Let's let the adults talk among themselves."
Tsunade, who had been growing increasingly bored with the formal diplomatic proceedings and the tension-filled atmosphere of the official meeting, quickly agreed to his suggestion. The prospect of escaping the stuffy political discussions was appealing, and it would give her the opportunity to speak with Elric in a more relaxed setting.
"Okay, let's go," she said with what seemed like genuine enthusiasm. "I haven't seen Aunt in ages. I should also visit Grandpa later."
The relationship between the Uzumaki and Senju clans had always been complex, built on layers of history, marriage alliances, and shifting political loyalties. Mito Uzumaki had been the daughter of an Uzumaki elder before marrying Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, creating a powerful bond between the two clans. For many years, their relationship had been strong and mutually beneficial.
However, since Sarutobi Hiruzen had become the Third Hokage, their relationship had undergone a subtle but noticeable change. While not openly hostile, it had grown considerably more distant, marked by increased formality and decreased personal interaction between clan members.
[ I AM CHANGING HIS AGE TO 13 ]