When Rinto returned to the village, a faint white light appeared in the sky.
It was getting light.
As he watched the rising sun, his frustration slowly faded.
Even though he had been swindled out of nearly 200,000 taels by the old man Sarutobi Hiruzen, he had still managed to earn more than 400,000 taels!
Considering he didn't need to sleep, his stamina was fine, and his chakra remained intact—only his clothes were torn—it was as if he had gained 400,000 taels for free.
Realizing this, Rinto suddenly felt cheerful.
"I made 400,000 in one night! Plus the 400,000 I extorted from the Uchiha, I now have 800,000 taels! Doesn't this mean I'm one step closer to my dream three-bedroom apartment?"
"What a great man! Hanzo-sama is such a generous person! He knows my life isn't easy, so he practically gifted me 400,000 as a down payment for my house. He's closer to me than my own father!
When I have a son, I'll name him Shuofang Chili Fish! No, no, no! I'll name him Shuofang Pickled Pepper Fish!"
On the rooftop nearby, an ANBU operative, Kaito Fujiwara, who had been assigned to monitor Rinto, wore a puzzled expression.
Rinto had been brooding the entire way, yet in an instant, he was grinning like an idiot.
Kaito thought about how he'd have to report this behavior and immediately felt a headache coming on.
"Come on, I'm a normal person! How am I supposed to write an observation report on someone this bizarre?!"
Rinto casually glanced at the corner where Kaito was hiding and nonchalantly scratched his nose.
Doesn't this guy get weekends off? ANBU really are workaholics!
Since Kaito wasn't paying him a salary, Rinto decided to pretend he hadn't seen him and headed home leisurely.
At six in the morning, Rinto opened the bedroom door.
Rie was kneeling on the tatami in teddy bear pajamas, yawning.
"Aren't you asleep?"
"Nope!" Rie nodded vigorously. "I couldn't sleep because my big brother wasn't back yet."
Hearing this, Rinto's heart warmed, and a soft smile appeared on his face.
"Then go to sleep for a bit. I'll take you to a barbecue feast this afternoon."
As soon as she heard the word "barbecue," the drowsiness on Rie's little face vanished, and her big eyes sparkled.
"Anything I want?"
"Anything you want." Rinto ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Yay!" Rie cheered, jumping up excitedly. "Then tell me a bedtime story!"
Rinto nodded, sat cross-legged by her bed, thought for a moment, and began:
"Once upon a time, in Konoha Village, there was a boy who loved to lie. His name was Pinocchio.
Pinocchio had a magical ability: whenever he told a lie, his nose grew longer.
One day, he met a beautiful girl named Snow White, who was being threatened by three bad guys.
The villains wanted to capture her to blackmail Konoha. As a proud Genin, Pinocchio couldn't allow that.
He bravely stood up to them, but after a tough fight, he was knocked down. Seeing Snow White about to be taken away, Pinocchio made a quick decision and shouted: 'Chinese football is the best in the world!'
The three bad guys immediately flew into a rage, shouting, 'RNM! Return the money!'
At that moment, Pinocchio's nose suddenly extended and impaled the three villains.
Snow White, watching from the side, was mesmerized. She fell in love with this lying boy at first sight.
And so, they lived happily ever after."
By the time Rinto finished, Rie was fast asleep. He smiled, feeling at ease.
Time flew, and soon morning was over.
In the afternoon, Rinto pulled Rie out of bed, dressed the chubby little girl quickly, slung her onto his back, and walked out of the house.
"Off to eat barbecue!"
Still half-asleep, Rie rubbed her eyes and clung to Rinto's neck. "Brother… let's buy some chakra test paper first."
Hearing this, Rinto's eyes brightened. He turned to the sleepy Rie. "Did my little Rie already extract chakra?"
Rie nodded weakly.
Walking along the wooden corridor, Rinto, with Rie on his back, greeted Aunt Anzi, who was watering flowers.
She put down the watering can and smiled at them. "Good afternoon, Rinto-kun, Rie-chan."
"Good afternoon, Auntie Anzi. Thank you for taking care of Rie."
"Oh, no, I love spending time with her!" Anzi beamed. "Are you going out?"
"Yes, to buy chakra test paper and then have some barbecue."
"What a great relationship you two have," Anzi said warmly. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Rie is very talented. She practices so hard! She'll definitely become an amazing kunoichi."
Rinto smiled awkwardly. He hadn't taught Rie chakra extraction so she could become a ninja. He just wanted her to have some ability to protect herself in this chaotic world.
Sensing his hesitation, Anzi smiled playfully. "Really! Rie's talent is on par with Wajian's."
"Wajian? Who's that? Your son with Uncle Ippongi?"
"No, Uncle Butsuma's son," she replied before catching herself and laughing. "I mean Senju Watama."
Oh!
Rinto's eyes gleamed. That was a lot of information!
Aunt Anzi's uncle was Senju Butsuma? Was she also from the Senju clan?
Curious, Rinto asked directly, "Auntie Anzi, are you from the Senju clan?"
"I used to be, but not anymore." Her smile turned slightly forced.
Rinto quickly put the pieces together. Since she married Uncle Ippongi, she must have taken his surname, Kato.
Anzi seemed to read his thoughts and shook her head slightly. "There's no such thing as the Senju clan anymore."
Rinto frowned slightly. "Why?"
She sighed. "Hashirama and Tobirama disbanded it."
"Why?" Rinto pressed.
"There were many reasons, but the most important was to ensure peace in the village. When Konoha was founded, many clans joined, but there were still deep-seated prejudices. To prevent division, Hashirama made the difficult choice to dissolve the Senju name. From then on, newborns could no longer carry it."
Her expression grew complicated. "I still remember what he told Uchiha Madara: 'Now that we have a village, let it replace the clan in protecting our bloodline.'
But Madara refused to accept Hashirama's vision."
"What about the Senju? Did they oppose it?"
"Yes," Anzi admitted. "Everyone had some resentment, but more than that, they understood. After all, Hashirama had sacrificed so much for peace. He nearly collapsed when Watama died in battle."
Rinto took a deep breath.
"Amazing.
The First Hokage was truly incredible.
The Senju clan, equally so.
It takes unimaginable courage to make such a decision."
Seeing Rinto's admiration, Anzi wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and smiled.
"It's good that you understand."
Rinto knew she had her own reasons for telling him all this, but he didn't mind. Actions spoke louder than words.
Senju Hashirama was indeed an extraordinary figure.
With a simple goodbye to the emotional Anzi, Rinto took Rie to the streets.
On a bustling Saturday, they found a ninja tool shop and bought chakra test strips.
"Alright, Rie, give it a try."
Excited, Rie closed her eyes, concentrating.
After a moment, her face turned red, and she suddenly shrieked, tossing the test paper away.
"Ahhh! Fire!"
The adorable outburst caught the attention of nearby pedestrians.
Rinto stroked his chin and chuckled. "Looks like it's 'Fire.'
What a coincidence."
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