While the few of them were discussing, Jiraiya's intelligence arrived.
Minato opened the letter and looked at it. "Hmm? Hanzo of the Salamander was killed?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a surprised expression when he heard that. "That powerful demigod was actually killed?"
"Yeah, apparently. According to Jiraiya's information, he was killed by an organization called Akatsuki..."
Minato said while looking at the report.
Sakumo Hatake frowned. "Akatsuki... I think I've heard of them..."
"Have Jiraiya investigate that Akatsuki."
Hiruzen Sarutobi suggested.
Minato nodded. "That was exactly what I had in mind."
———
In the blink of an eye, it was already the fourth year since the Nine-Tails incident.
Minato Namikaze had originally wanted to use the opportunity of postwar reconstruction to work hard and fully display his abilities as the Seventh Hokage, only to discover that the road ahead had already been paved flat and smooth.
From civilian repairs to diplomacy within the ninja world, from Anbu reorganization to village defenses, Arisu had already arranged everything that needed to be done and everything that could be done flawlessly.
As Hokage, all he had to do was sit steadily in the Hokage building, approve documents in order, and oversee the overall situation.
Only the hawkish faction of the Uchiha clan remained a sword hanging over Konoha's head.
Minato Namikaze maintained a gentle and conciliatory approach.
He focused on nurturing and winning over talented young people such as Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha, who cared about the village, hoping to slowly mend the growing rift between the Uchiha and Konoha through them.
———
[Inside The Courtyard Of Arisu's Residence]
Arisu leaned against a rattan chair and turned page after page of the neatly bound daily reports.
Although he had completely withdrawn from Konoha's core of power over the past few years and no longer interfered with any political affairs,
the White Zetsu spread throughout the ninja world still continuously brought him news of every development.
Then, through Kakuzu's hands, the information was categorized and systematically organized, finally becoming this daily report that was updated once a day.
Without leaving his home, he could understand every movement in the ninja world.
"The Uchiha problem has finally surfaced..."
Arisu's fingers paused, and his brows slightly furrowed.
Even with Minato Namikaze alive and Danzo having lost power, the Uchiha hawks still had not given up.
Not only did they not resent Danzo, who had pushed the clan into the eye of the storm, they even treated him like a god and secretly worked together, hoping to help him return to power.
In addition, the Uchiha's full support for Danzo's war policies back then had already caused public resentment in Konoha to boil over. Now the entire clan had been isolated to the edge of the village, and the conflict was growing worse.
"Father, what are you looking at? Why are you frowning so hard?"
A small figure quietly walked to his side and tugged at his sleeve.
It was his son, Yukio.
The little boy was cute and delicate, with red lips, white teeth, and a pair of bright and lively eyes that resembled Arisu's. At that moment, he tilted his head and looked at him curiously.
Arisu put on a gentle smile and rubbed his son's soft hair. "Nothing, just some trivial matters. How are your lessons today?"
Yukio immediately puffed out his little chest proudly. "I've learned everything! At first, those characters were so hard, all twisted and complicated, but after Father taught me pinyin, I learned really fast!"
"Really? That's impressive."
"Then read the sentence on this paper to Father."
Arisu smiled and picked up a sheet of rice paper from the side.
Yukio took the paper and pointed his little finger at the letters. Word by word, he read them out, "Raising my head, I gaze at the bright moon. Lowering my head, I think of my hometown."
"It's been so long... really so long..."
"Hey! What are you two sneaking around talking about in the yard?"
Tsunade's voice came from the corridor.
She walked out carrying a tray, still wearing an apron. It was obvious she had just finished working in the kitchen.
When she reached the two of them, she curiously leaned over to look at the paper in Yukio's hand, and immediately frowned.
"Huh? What kind of weird scribbles are these? Honey, why are you teaching Yukio these useless things?", Tsunade couldn't help asking.
Arisu came back to his senses, smiled, and put away the paper, explaining in Japanese, "These aren't weird scribbles. They're another kind of writing."
"They're two lines of poetry. It means, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, lowering your head makes you miss your hometown."
"Oh~"
Tsunade nodded, half understanding, then looked at Arisu with confusion again.
"Aren't you already in Konoha? What hometown is there for you to miss?"
Arisu laughed helplessly and reached out to lightly tap her nose.
"I just wrote it for fun. Alright, the food is ready, right? Let's go eat."
———
At the dining table, father and son switched back to Mandarin with perfect understanding and chatted while eating.
"Father, those things you told me about before, Honor of Kings, Naruto, and Peacekeeper Elite, what exactly are they like? Are they really that fun?"
Yukio held his bowl and asked with sparkling eyes.
Arisu picked up some vegetables and put them into his bowl, smiling.
"They're very fun games. They only exist in another world far, far away."
"Then when can I go to that world and play?", Yukio asked again.
Arisu's smile faded a little, and he gently patted his head.
"I'm afraid... that'll be very, very difficult."
Yukio nodded as if he understood, then wrinkled his little face and leaned close to Arisu's ear to complain in a whisper.
"But Mom's cooking tastes so bad..."
Arisu smiled. "Eat your food. If your mom finds out, she'll definitely beat you."
The two of them chatted back and forth happily, completely failing to notice that Tsunade's face across from them was becoming darker and darker.
Watching the father and son chatting enthusiastically she felt like an outsider who couldn't join in even a single sentence.
A burst of irritation suddenly shot up.
Bang!
Tsunade slammed the table, causing the bowls and dishes to rattle noisily.
"Arisu! Yukio!"
"At home, you're not allowed to speak about strange stuff I can't understand!", With her hands on her waist and brows raised, she shouted loudly.
"Wah!"
Yukio shuddered in fright, and the chopsticks in his hand fell to the floor with a clatter.
He had personally seen the power of his mother's fist smashing huge rocks into pieces, so he quickly shrank his neck and admitted his mistake in a small voice.
"Mom... I know I was wrong..."
Arisu sighed helplessly and stood up, putting down his chopsticks.
He gently wrapped his arms around Tsunade's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, and coaxed her softly.
"Alright, alright, don't be angry. I just wanted Yukio to learn about more things. You can never have too many skills."
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