I'll upload another chapter if we hit 55 powestones.
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"What letter?" Hidetada asked, looking at her with genuine curiosity. Mito withdrew her hand from his cheek to snatch a folded parchment out of one of the many hidden pockets in her robes. Once it was in her hand, she slid it across the table toward him.
Grabbing it, he looked at the sender's name on the outer surface. It was... Raising an eyebrow, the Senju tore the wax seal with ease and removed the paper from inside.
His eyes moved rapidly through the lines of text for a few minutes before he finally paused to look at the woman in front of him, narrowing his eyes in deep thought.
"What does it say?" Mito asked him, her own curiosity piqued as she raised an eyebrow. Hidetada looked up from the paper and set it aside on the table. "The Hokage wants me to attend a peace treaty conference with the delegation of shinobi from Kumogakure as his personal guard."
His tongue flicked out to moisten his lips as Hidetada fell back into his thoughts. Why was a peace treaty being signed between Konoha and Kumo at such an early stage of the war? Had his meta-knowledge been wrong? It was a distinct possibility, though everything until now had played out exactly as he had remembered from his previous life.
Maybe they had just grown terrified of what he could do if he were finally allowed on the battlefield?
With a shake of his head at that amusing thought, he focused back on the issue at hand.
This seemed too good to be true, but then again, maybe it was just his senses tingling for no particular reason at all.
"He says that the ninja will be arriving in our village for the talks," Hidetada informed her, shaking off the weight of his contemplation. Mito pursed her red lips in thought before nodding. "I trust you enough to know that no random assassin from the Village Hidden in the Clouds would be able to harm you."
"Thanks for stating the obvious, grandma."
With a lean back, he managed to avoid her hand as it came up to pinch his cheeks.
Smirking at her challengingly, Hidetada stood up while she shot him an exasperated look. "The talks will take place tonight."
After informing her of that tidbit of knowledge, he waved her goodbye before exiting the room.
Humming to himself as he closed the door behind him with a soft click, Hidetada began to make his way through the various hallways, locking onto the distinct chakra of Kushina. Maybe God had finally blessed him and decided to end the war early to reduce his worries? It was a comical thought, and he couldn't help but snort. Still, things were starting to look good finally, even as a lingering suspicion stayed in the back of his mind. But it was not like the shinobi could do anything if they tried to attack him; that was ignoring the fact that the Hokage himself would be present.
Though it did make him wonder if he was finally going to meet some relevant characters from other villages. There were not many important people that he could remember from this era, though. Wasn't there a Raikage who had fought against a ten thousand ninja and the Eight-Tailed Beast at the same time? While he doubted that a Kage would be coming to their village for simple peace talks, it would be interesting if he actually did.
'Hmm, who else from Kumogakure is alive at this point?' Hidetada couldn't help but wonder as his bare feet clicked rhythmically against the polished wooden floorboards. Would A and Killer B be alive at this point in time? Probably, but they should be quite young in right now, so it definitely wouldn't be them.
Who else was alive from Kumo at this point in time? He couldn't remember anyone truly important. Maybe Darui? Perhaps, but he still was not sure if that man would be old enough to come with the delegation.
The rhythmic thump of his feet stopped as he gazed at the garden in front of him.
Kushina was sitting at the edge of the koi pond, staring down at the water as the bright sunlight reflected off her long, vivid red hair that was draped across her back.
"They are quite pretty, no?"
The girl became startled and almost fell into the pond as he appeared beside her. He bent at the waist with his hands on his hips to look at the fish swirling around each other in the crystal-clear water. Kushina's eye twitched as she glanced at the direction of his tall figure. Because he stood directly between her and the sun, he loomed over her like a monolithic shadow, his silhouette rimmed with a blinding, golden corona that made it impossible to see his features. The garden, which had been bright and airy a moment ago, suddenly felt draped in the cool shade of his presence, while the water in front of them shimmered with reflected highlights of orange and gold.
"You can't just appear next to people like that!" she growled out before standing up.
Even then, she had to crane her neck back to see his obscured face—why was he so freaking tall? It was totally unfair—even in the shadows, Kushina could still tell that he had a smirk on his handsome face.
Letting his hands fall to his sides as he stood up straight, Hidetada glanced at her with a grin and reminded her in an annoyingly calm voice, "A kunoichi should always be aware of her surroundings—" she tried to interrupt him by saying that it did not count because she was in the safety of the compound, but, as if reading her thoughts, he continued without pausing, "—no matter what situation or place they are in."
A sigh escaped her lips before Kushina folded her arms with a pout, a few silky strands of her bright hair falling over her face. "How do you manage to guess what I am thinking?"
Hidetada hummed as he walked forward, gently tucking her hair behind her ears and tapping her temple with a finger as they stood almost side-by-side. "I always know what you are thinking."
Kushina could feel her cheeks flushing red without her control as he moved past her, beckoning her to follow.
Why was he so good at reducing her to a flustered mess? Within a few seconds, she had managed to regain control of her emotions as they walked past the large gates of the clan compound.
Looking up at him, she asked with a tilt of her head, "Where are we going?"
With his hands folded behind the back of his long, flowing robes, Hidetada answered her question. "I am showing you around the village, as you will be living here from now on. Pay attention and try to memorize the streets."
The Uzumaki girl nodded as she fell into step beside him. Glancing around, Kushina took in her surroundings. The walls and the buildings were colored in a spectrum of tones, ranging from orange and brown to red and blue. Their brightness seemed to increase as the summer sun reflected against the painted wood.
This village was a sharp contrast to her own home, where everything was the same red and white of marble and paint. Despite it all, as Kushina walked beside him, she realized that this place had a distinct charm to it.
But it was still not as good as Uzushiogakure.
"Why is it so hot?" she couldn't help but mutter under her breath at the sheer heat. Glancing at the people around her, the Uzumaki realized that she was the only one sweating so profusely.
Hidetada glanced at her from the corner of his eye before replying casually, "It's probably because of your clothes." Raising an eyebrow at that, Kushina touched the material of her own clothes and stared at his to compare them.
"The fabric used in Uzushio is a lot thicker, as it is colder there despite it being summer. You will have to get a new set of clothes for everything," he informed her, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair as she glanced at him cutely. "Do not worry, I will inform grandmother about this issue. She will get you some new, quality clothes."
Kushina hummed to herself, waving her hand at her own face to stave off the heat.
After walking for a few more minutes, during which Hidetada pointed out various shops for her, they finally reached one of the main destinations: the Academy. Glancing at her, he spoke. "This is the Academy, where all the kids aspiring to be ninja study until they pass the graduation exam at the age of roughly thirteen. It is probably where you will be enrolled for the next few months until graduation day."
Gazing up at the building, Kushina wrinkled her nose in distaste and announced her issues to the world. "Bleh- I already hate it."
Hidetada smirked in her direction before ruffling her hair as she scowled at him. "It is pretty trash in my opinion as well."
She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his statement, having fully expected him to defend the Academy. Seeing her expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"What? You expected me to defend everything? I love my village, but I can admit its faults."
Snorting at what he had said, even though she had expected him to defend evrything, Kushina began walking as he motioned her to, taking a final glance at the building with derision.
Soon, they were walking through the streets of Konoha again, with Hidetada introducing her to the various shops and landmarks. As they walked together, she observed that more and more people seemed to be glancing at him or even outright greeting him with deep respect. He always returned their greetings with courtesy, and it made her wonder. "Uh, Hidetada, are you famous?"
"What do you mean?" He furrowed his brows as he glanced at her questioningly. Kushina quickly hurried to explain. "I mean, why are so many people wishing you good morning and all that?"
The Senju almost stumbled in his walk as he turned his face fully toward her and spoke in a stunned tone. "Don't tell me you have not realized that I am the grandson of the First Hokage?"
It was Kushina's turn to almost trip over her own legs. "You are the grandson of Hashirama Senju?"
"You're telling me you did not realize that until now?" His voice gained a higher pitch as he stared at her unbelievingly; this was the first time he was experiencing such genuine shock. Kushina waved her hands embarrassedly in random directions before speaking. "Look! I mean, you look similar to the First Hokage and you are a Senju, but I didn't think that you were his grandson, dattebane!"
The only thing he could do was massage his forehead.
"So, you thought I was just calling Mito Uzumaki 'grandmother' for no reason?" With a mortified smile, Kushina rubbed the back of her neck before replying sheepishly as she felt the heat around them increase. "I just thought you were calling her that because she is old!"
"Why–" Hidetada cut himself off, letting out a sigh at the whole conversation. Maybe it had been his fault for not informing her of that, even if it was just a trivial matter.
Nonetheless, he was still shocked at her pure air-headedness; how had she not been able to connect the dots? He took a glance at her to confirm whether she was entirely alright in her head or not. Currently, she was waving her hands at her face to alleviate the heat, her hair bouncing behind her.
She looked perfectly normal.
'So how the fuck is she so stupid?' Maybe he was being too harsh on her?
Maybe everything was his fault to begin with.
Another sigh escaped him as he began to speak. "This is the military district of Konoha," he motioned around himself with his hand. "You will find every piece of equipment needed for a mission over here."
As they stepped deeper into the district, the buildings changed. This wasn't the colorful, commercial hub they had just left; here, the architecture was utilitarian and grim, consisting of rows of plain, blocky stone buildings that seemed designed to withstand anything thrown at them. The air was thick and heavy, vibrating with a constant, low-frequency hum that seemed to rattle the teeth.
Kushina wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, looking at the neat rows of forge-houses. Hidetada's voice drew her back out of her thoughts. "The reason you are feeling so hot is because multiple furnaces are running in each of these buildings. They are the heart of the village's industry, constantly smelting and tempering the kunai, shuriken, and specialized armor needed to supply the war effort."
The streets here were wider to accommodate heavy carts, but they felt narrower because of the soot-stained walls and the sheer intensity of the heat radiating from the open vents. Blacksmiths with corded muscles could be seen through open doorways, their hammers falling in a relentless, synchronized rhythm against glowing orange steel. The scent of ozone, burnt oil, and hot iron was overwhelming,
"Usually, you would be able to buy or commission anything that you desire here," Hidetada explained, "but due to the war, the prices for ninja who are not currently deployed have increased significantly." He rubbed his chin in thought before adding, "Give it a few more months and if the war worsens, then you probably won't even be able to buy anything from here; everything will be seized for the front lines."
With a huff at the heat, she nodded at the statement, the logic behind it making sense. He was also the grandson of the First Hokage, so everything coming out of his mouth related to war should be true, according to her.
Taking note of her discomfort at the heat, Hidetada massaged his jaw absent-mindedly before saying,
"How about I show you my favorite place in the village?
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Word Count: 2371