"Tobirama! Calm down! Don't you see there's a child here?"
At Hashirama's words, Tobirama finally noticed the white-haired boy standing in the room.
He shot a glance at Torifū, who immediately understood Tobirama's silent cue.
He immediately stepped forward to take the envelope handed over by Hashirama Senju and put it away, "Hokage-sama, Tobirama-sama, then I'll take my leave."
Hashirama smiled warmly. "Go on, then. Carry your father's will with you and grow strong."
Torifū nodded before turning and exiting the Hokage's office. The moment he shut the door behind him, an explosion of voices erupted from within.
"Uncle, do you know why Tobirama-sama is so furious?"
The Senju clansman scratched his head and said, "Seems like one of Tobirama-sama's plans failed. But the details? No idea. Not something we should pry into."
???
'So, it was you, old man, pulling the strings behind the scenes? And now you're giving me side-eyes? Heh!'
Although he found the culprit, he still had to endure it, with an innocent smile on his face, "Thank you, uncle, I'll be heading back now."
After leaving the Hokage Building, he could finally let loose, "You damn Second Hokage! Wait another thirty years, and I'll show you what it means to be bullied by the children of the village when you're old and weak!"
"Of course, now's not the time for that. With his Water Release, he'd probably flood the streets and send me straight into the sewers."
Joking aside, not everyone could conjure water out of thin air.
"Better head home and see what exactly my father left in his will."
With that, he set off toward the Kumotsuru Clan's estate.
...
"Big Brother! My plan failed! The spy died on the way! It must have been done by one of those vile Uchihas!" Tobirama said fiercely in the Hokage's office.
Hashirama sighed, rubbing his forehead. "What does this have to do with the Uchiha? Tobirama, this isn't conductive to peace."
"Humph! I'm just preparing for a rainy day, and it was Kumo who sent the spy. I just took advantage of the situation. I never expected someone would interfere! If I find them, they'll regret it!"
Tobirama had accidentally learned that Cloud Village had sent a spy to Konoha and wanted to capture him when he entered Konoha and interrogate him for Kumo's information, but ultimately the plan failed.
Looking at his brother at full power, Hashirama could only say helplessly, "In that case, go ahead and do what you must. I trust your judgement."
Hearing his brother's approval, Tobirama's anger finally subsided.
His brother's ideas were too naive. The current peace was just because the major ninja villages were afraid of Konoha's strength. Once his brother had an accident, they would be attacked by a group and the entire village would be in danger!
"By the way, that white-haired child—what clan is he from? "
"Oh, him? He's from the Kumotsuru Clan. I've observed him—he's already refining chakra, and he has more of it than most trained ninjas."
Tobirama nodded in agreement. He had carefully observed the boy earlier and noticed the sheer amount of chakra packed into that small frame. Given proper training, he could become a pillar of Konoha's future.
"It seems that the Kumotsuru clan is about to rise again."
"Indeed." Hashirama's voice carried a rare seriousness. "If Kumotsuru Yama hadn't failed to learn their clan's secret ninjutsu, the Kumotsuru clan wouldn't have joined Konoha at all."
"This is the disadvantage of one-line inheritance. Brother, do you have any plans for this child?"
Hashirama Senju pondered for a long time, "He has good talent. I intend to take him as a disciple, but I still need to observe his character."
"Then let's do that. If he proves himself in both talent and character, we'll take him in."
…
"Ah-choo!" Torifū sneezed as he walked home, rubbing his ears. "Who's talking about me? Could it be the Hokage?"
Torifū naturally knew nothing about the conversation in the office, but he didn't think the First Hokage would fail to see through that he already had chakra in his body. On the contrary, that was his purpose.
To live peacefully in Konoha, there was no better title than a Hokage's disciple.
Look at the two old extras, Koharu and Homura. Sure, they were senile and mismanaged Konoha into chaos, had no ambition, lacked ability. And yet, they lived peacefully all the way to Boruto's era.
Even the heads of prestigious clans had to bow and call them 'Elder.' That's why he had chosen to show off a little bit in front of Hashirama.
Still, leaving Konoha in the hands of such incompetent people—definitely one of Tobirama's biggest mistakes. Hiruzen Sarutobi was a fine shinobi in his youth, but as an old man? Not so much.
While walking and complaining, he soon arrived at a large manor. The buildings in the manor were engraved with a white crane flying in the clouds. This was the Kumotsuru clan's emblem, Kumotsuruin.
The estate was large, a legacy of his grandfather's efforts. But the old man had passed away in Konoha's third year.
Without servants, the grand mansion felt eerily quiet. But Torifū was used to it—his family had always been just three people, even when his parents were alive. Nothing had really changed.
After entering the house and finding a place to sit, Torifū opened his father's will. He was very curious about what was written and why he was specially told to read it only when he was six years old.
Gently unfolding the letter, he first saw his father's expectations for his son's future, as well as greetings and apologies.
"Torifū, you are six years old this year. Have you grown taller? Forgive your father for only being able to talk to you in this way."
...
Reading his father's final words, Torifū didn't see the word 'love' anywhere, yet he could feel it deeply between the lines.
"Old man, for someone so bad with words, writing this much must have been tough on you."
In his memories, Kumotsuru Yama was always a man of few words. He wasn't talkative with his wife or son, but his love had never wavered.
His eyes skimmed through the lines quickly—this was the first time he realized how sentimental his father truly was. Though quiet, his love for his family was unwavering.
Suddenly, the words of advice stopped abruptly, and the last paragraph made Torifū rub his eyes uncertainly, but it was still clearly written.
"Torifū, there is a secret door in my room. You can see it by removing the calligraphy painting that covers it. Inside is hidden the secret ninjutsu of our Kumotsuru clan that we are most proud of - Cloud Release! If you can learn it, the Kumotsuru clan will rise again!"
Torifū, who was sure that he was not mistaken, was stunned for a moment.
"Huh???"
"Kumotsuru clan's ninjutsu? Cloud Release? Aren't we just a family of extras with a little money? Is it not what I think?"
[T/N: I am thinking of doing a TL for this work, haven't committed to it yet because don't know if someone has already done it or is doing it. Do let me know. Then I will continue it. If not, I will prolly delete it.]