As the two walked side by side, Motoya Tako gathered her courage and spoke.
"Orion… what do you think about Ino Yamanaka?"
Orion paused, a little puzzled by the sudden question.
"What do you mean?"
Tako's face turned red, almost like she had a fever, but she still asked what was on her mind.
"I mean… do you think she's pretty? She's from the Yamanaka Clan too… boys usually like girls like that, right?"
In truth, Tako herself was even more attractive than Ino, and her gentle personality was the kind many boys preferred.
But Orion didn't understand why she was asking.
He thought for a moment and answered honestly, "Ino is definitely pretty."
Tako's expression tensed.
"Then… do you like her?"
Orion blinked. "We're friends, so of course I like her."
"I don't mean that kind of like!" Tako said quickly, clearly nervous. "I mean… do you like her in that way?"
Orion shook his head. "No. We only met today. Why are you asking?"
Hearing that, Tako finally relaxed and smiled.
"I just feel like she treats you differently from other boys. It seems like she might like you."
Orion chuckled. "You're overthinking it. Ino acts like that with any good-looking guy."
Tako froze for a second, then lightly tapped his shoulder.
"So you think you're good-looking, huh?"
Orion smiled back. "Am I not?"
"…You are," Tako admitted with a soft laugh.
The two exchanged a glance and laughed together.
Under the streetlights, their interaction looked intimate enough to easily be misunderstood.
At that moment, the distance between them had clearly shortened.
To Orion, Tako had become someone he could joke with.
To Tako, she had discovered a different side of him—he wasn't as distant and unapproachable as he first seemed.
Before long, they arrived at Tako's home.
Orion looked at the grand estate in front of him and teased, "This really is a wealthy household. Looks like Jumoku wasn't exaggerating—you're seriously rich."
In the center of Konohagakure, where land was incredibly valuable, having a residence this large was far beyond ordinary wealth.
The village wasn't made up of ninjas alone. Many civilians lived here too, supporting daily life. Some wealthy individuals and nobles from the Land of Fire even chose to reside in Konoha for safety.
Tako suddenly grew nervous. She grabbed Orion's hand without thinking.
"You… you won't dislike me because of my family, right?"
Orion glanced at her hand—soft and warm—and was briefly distracted. Then he smiled.
"Why would I?"
"Having a rich teammate sounds like a good thing to me. Why would I dislike you for that?"
Tako let out a relieved breath.
"Before… when people found out about my family, they stopped wanting to get close to me."
"The older I got, the worse it became. They were all afraid of hurting me."
"Since entering the Academy… only Jumoku was willing to spend time with me."
Her voice grew quieter.
Orion gently patted her shoulder.
"Then from today on, you have another friend."
"We're teammates now. I want to be able to trust you with my back."
Hearing that, Tako nodded firmly, her eyes shining.
"I won't hold you back, Orion."
She knew her talent wasn't exceptional. But if Orion was as strong as he seemed, then she wanted to work harder—so she wouldn't become a burden.
Orion smiled. "You won't. You and Jumoku are both great."
"I'll head back now. It's late—go inside."
Tako nodded, already considering Orion someone very important to her.
After Orion left, she stood at the gate, watching his figure disappear into the distance.
"That's your new teammate?"
A voice suddenly sounded behind her.
Tako jumped and turned around.
"Mom! Why didn't you make any noise?"
Her mother stood there calmly.
Her name was Senju Mei.
She bore a resemblance to Tako—tall, with long golden hair tied into a ponytail. Though nearly forty, she looked no older than her twenties. Her demeanor was elegant, and her beauty was striking.
Most importantly—
Her surname was Senju.
If Orion had been there, he would have been shocked.
In his understanding, the Senju Clan had never been seen openly in the village.
But he didn't believe they had gone extinct. A clan that powerful, with such prestige, couldn't simply disappear within a few decades. If it had, it would be as widely discussed as the fall of the Uchiha Clan.
Since he had never heard much about the Senju, Orion had assumed they had simply blended into the village.
And that assumption was largely correct.
After the era of Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, the clan no longer produced many figures of their caliber.
Many members abandoned the Senju surname and integrated into village society, while others retained it and continued to exist quietly within Konoha's various institutions.
The reason Orion hadn't noticed them was simple—he rarely interacted with people outside his small circle.
It was similar to the Sarutobi Clan. Aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi and Asuma, he had barely encountered anyone with that name.
Yet during major events like the Fourth Great Ninja War, countless clan members would appear.
Konoha wasn't a small village—it was a massive settlement with tens of thousands of residents, both ninja and civilians.
It was only natural that most people remained unseen in everyday life.
As for Senju Mei—
Although she inherited the Senju name, she herself was not a ninja.