"Are you sure the Ninja God is here?" Bailian asked his subordinates in disbelief.
He didn't understand why the first thing Senju Hashirama did after arriving at Hidden Mist Village wasn't to cause him trouble, but to go eat.
Could it be... he wanted to eat his fill before making a move?
Bailian's wise gaze swept around, and he instructed his subordinates, "Seal off the area. Don't let anyone in."
After all, he was going to apologize later, and it wouldn't look good if too many people saw it...
With that, he tremblingly walked into the shop.
To think that he, the esteemed First Mizukage, had, with his powerful leadership, elevated the Land of Water to the ranks of the Five Great Nations.
He had been brilliant his entire life, yet was about to lose his reputation in his later years.
As soon as he stepped into the shop, the surrounding diners saw Bailian and stood up one after another, "Lord Mizukage!"
Seeing this, Bailian's mouth twitched. He hadn't noticed the villagers' eyesight was so good normally...
He forced a smile and nodded in response to everyone.
Renye and Hashirama naturally noticed the commotion at the shop entrance.
Renye was a little puzzled. Why was the First Mizukage here?
However, he was quickly drawn in by Bailian's wise gaze.
Good gracious, he wasn't even looking at people properly...
Truly worthy of being the First Mizukage, his strength was terrifying, and he never looked at people directly!
Senju Hashirama saw Bailian at the entrance and enthusiastically waved, "Mizukage, over here!"
When Bailian saw Hashirama waving at him, beads of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead, and he thought to himself.
"Damn it, he really came for me!"
Thinking of this, he forced a fawning smile and came before Hashirama, tentatively asking, "Hokage, aren't you busy with official duties in the village? Why have you come to my Hidden Mist?"
Hashirama warmly invited Bailian to sit down and said with a smile, "Haha, I heard that the seafood in the Land of Water tastes good, so I came to try it."
Upon hearing this, Bailian immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed he had overthought things before. He just knew that with Senju Hashirama's magnanimity, how could he possibly travel thousands of miles just to cause him trouble?
He was already quite old and had almost wet himself just now.
After all, with Senju Hashirama's strength, no one could stop him if he wanted to destroy Hidden Mist Village.
"Haha, as long as Hokage likes it," Bailian responded with a smile.
Renye sat beside them, watching the two exchange pleasantries, silently eating sashimi.
Bailian naturally noticed Renye, but he had no intention of asking.
After exchanging pleasantries with Hashirama, he excused himself, citing busy affairs.
After walking out, Bailian said with some lingering fear, "It's a good thing things weren't as I thought..."
He was old and couldn't handle scares. It seemed it was time to consider retirement.
..........
Renye and Hashirama finished their meal and wandered around Hidden Mist Village for half a day, finding nothing fun, so they left the Land of Water under the cover of night.
However, this time they didn't take a boat, but instead attached Chakra to their feet and ran on the sea surface.
"Uncle Hashirama, where are we going next?" Renye asked.
He had intended to be the guide, but unfortunately, the map wasn't in his hands.
Hashirama looked at the map and pondered for a moment: "Let's go to the Land of Whirlpools."
"The Land of Whirlpools?" Renye was startled.
He certainly knew this country; it was the dwelling place of the Uzumaki Clan.
It was well-known that the Uzumaki Clan was famous throughout the Ninja World for its powerful sealing techniques.
However, it was precisely because of this reason that they would be coveted by various countries in the future, ultimately leading to their demise...
"That's right, the Land of Whirlpools," Hashirama said with a smile, "Your Aunt Mito was a princess of the Land of Whirlpools before she married me."
Renye nodded and said nothing.
He wasn't interested in such arranged marriages.
During the Warring States Period, the Senju and Uzumaki formed an alliance through marriage, intending to jointly resist the Uchiha.
As the young clan head of the Senju Clan, Senju Hashirama's arranged marriage partner was naturally the princess of the Uzumaki Clan...
----------
The night was as dark as ink, and the two were discovered as soon as they entered the Land of Whirlpools.
A group of Uzumaki clansmen holding torches rushed up to the two.
"Who are you? Why have you come to the Land of Whirlpools!"
The Uzumaki Clan's sensory abilities were very strong; they had already sensed the two approaching.
Facing the wary Uzumaki clansmen, Hashirama quickly stated his identity, "I am Senju Hashirama!"
Hearing this, the Uzumaki clansmen present looked at each other, all stunned in place for a moment.
Not long after, the Uzumaki clansmen present all moved aside, and a white-haired elder walked out, leaning on a cane.
The elder was the current clan head of the Uzumaki Clan.
Seeing the elder, Hashirama smiled and waved, "Clan Head Ashina, long time no see!"
The elder's cloudy eyes suddenly widened when he saw Hashirama, "Hashirama, it really is you!"
Saying that, the elder threw away his cane and stepped forward excitedly to grasp Hashirama's hand.
"Hashirama, how is my niece doing?"
"Clan Head Ashina, Mito is doing very well," Hashirama said.
The elder heard this and nodded with a smile, "If that girl is doing well, then I, her uncle, can rest assured. When I pass away, I can explain it to my elder brother."
Since Mito married into the Senju, she rarely came back.
His elder brother passed the position of clan head to him before his death, and he, as an uncle, had always worried that his niece was not doing well in the Senju...
Several times he wanted to go see his niece but canceled due to health reasons.
"Clan Head Ashina, you will surely live a long life!" Hashirama patted the elder's hand, comforting him.
As soon as these words came out, the expressions on the faces of the Uzumaki clansmen present immediately froze.
Renye noticed the atmosphere was off and didn't know what had happened.
Hearing this, the elder smiled bitterly, "Hashirama, I'm ninety-eight this year."
"Clan Head Ashina, I'm sorry," Hashirama scratched his head awkwardly.
"It's alright, it's alright, my old bones really aren't what they used to be," the elder wasn't angry about it.
Renye's mouth twitched. He finally understood why the people around them had such expressions on their faces.
Wasn't Uncle Hashirama basically cursing the old man to not have many years left to live?
At this moment, Renye noticed the elder's gaze fall on him, and he politely nodded towards the elder.
The elder stared at Renye with a strange expression, opened his mouth, but said nothing.
If he hadn't sensed wrong, this child Hashirama brought was from the Uchiha Clan, right?
It was truly unbelievable.
The two clans that had fought each other for thousands of years had actually ended the war and were living in peace.
The two stayed in the Land of Whirlpools for one night and then left the next day.
Before leaving, Hashirama said that he would bring Mito back to the Land of Whirlpools to visit relatives when he had time.
This made the elder so happy that he declared, "These old bones of mine will definitely hold out until Mito returns..."
For the next period of time, Hashirama took Renye traveling all over the Ninja World, almost visiting every corner of it.
..........
In the desert of the Land of Wind.
"Uncle Hashirama, when are we going back?"
Renye wiped the sweat from his face, thinking to himself that this place was really hot.
P.S.: Dear readers, it's not that I don't want to update more, but this cold is too miserable, and I'm simply not in the right state.
Originally, I didn't even want to write today, but I'll make up the two missing chapters by staying up late once I'm better!