Chapter 6 - The Gears Begin to Turn
The day passed quickly, and soon the sun had set, with the moon taking its place among the stars.
At home, Mirai set the dishes on the table while occasionally glancing at the door, worried about how late Sato was. Ever since his father's death just over two months ago, he had been going out to train alone, but he always came back before dinner.
"Could something have happened? He wouldn't be this late for no reason, right?" Mirai finished setting the table, and seeing that Sato still hadn't arrived, she decided to go look for him.
"Excuse me, is anyone home?" While Mirai was deep in worry, a voice called from outside, prompting her to quickly go check.
When she opened the door, she saw a beautiful woman with long purple hair, though she paid her little attention. Her eyes immediately focused on the child behind her.
"SATO!" Mirai shouted upon seeing her son resting on the woman's back, visibly worn out and with his eyes bandaged.
"Hey, Mom," the boy replied with a tense smile.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Mirai rushed over and took Sato from the woman, her eyes quickly turning red as her Sharingan began spinning rapidly.
"He's alright," the woman said calmly. "He just overused his Sharingan, which caused an adverse reaction. He'll be fine as long as he rests his eyes for a while."
Mirai remained silent, her Sharingan spinning faster. She could sense something odd, but as she looked more carefully at the woman, she recognized her.
Uchiha Naori.
Naori was highly respected within the clan and would never do anything to harm a fellow clansman. Honestly, if she weren't so disinterested, she could easily have taken a seat among the elders.
"Thank you for bringing him back," Mirai said, bowing slightly to Naori, who simply gave a small nod as if it were nothing.
"No need to thank me. It was just fate that led me to him. I must say, that boy really is special."
"Yes, he is." Mirai smiled sweetly as she stroked Sato's head.
"By the way, Mom," he suddenly said, "Wouldn't it be rude not to invite Naori-sensei inside?"
"Sensei?" Mirai paused mid-motion and looked at Naori in surprise. The woman just smiled and gave a light nod.
"Well then, please come in. I'll prepare some tea." Still a little confused but visibly pleased, Mirai invited Naori inside a bit awkwardly.
"That won't be necessary. Sato needs to rest, and I wouldn't want to be a bother at this hour." Then she turned to Sato and spoke with a firmer tone. "As for you, no training for the next week."
"Ehh... but Sensei—"
"Silence. You're my student now, which means my word is law. If I say rest, you rest. Understood?"
"... Yes." Sato nodded. 'What the hell? Where's the sweet and gentle Naori-sensei from my memories? Damn you, future me, you liar—give me back my Naori-sensei.'
Sato was genuinely confused. In his memories, Naori had been a calm woman who treated him with kindness and care, but that didn't seem to be the case now.
What he didn't know was that, after hearing how his "training" in another life had failed, Naori had decided to adopt a more... effective approach.
'Alright. If you won't change the easy way, then it'll be the hard way,' Naori thought with an internal smile as she bid farewell to Mirai and Sato.
"So, you're her student now, huh?" Mirai suddenly said, snapping Sato out of his gloomy thoughts.
"Yeah," he replied. "I guess it was luck running into her."
"Luck..." Mirai fell silent for a moment, watching in the direction Naori had gone.
'Was it really a coincidence? Or did someone plan this?'
Mirai brought Sato inside. After feeding him and giving him a bath, they both went to sleep.
---
Central Konoha Region – Hokage's Office
At the main desk, a white-haired man with red eyes sat reviewing various documents, while beside him, a long-haired man with dark hair calmly sipped some tea.
"Hmph. The Daimyō is really trying hard, huh?" the white-haired man muttered as he read a letter addressed to him.
"What is it, Tobirama? Is my father-in-law pressuring you to marry his youngest sister again?" the dark-haired man asked with a grin.
"Shut up, brother," Tobirama replied, clearly annoyed. "Instead of worrying about my problems, why don't you get to work? After all, you're still the Hokage."
"Don't be like that. I've been working all day—I'm tired. Besides, I should've been home already." He waved his hand in frustration. "If I take any longer, Mito might actually get mad."
"Hm. Then let's get this over with," Tobirama said without arguing and handed his brother a list. After all, his sister-in-law was terrifying.
"What's this?" the man asked, looking over a list of names. "Senju Tsunade, Uchiha Sato, Hyuga Mio, Sarutobi Koba, Inuzuka Toge... This is..."
"Yes. The clans have responded and submitted a list of the children who will make up the first class of the ninja academy."
"Good."
Tobirama saw the dumb smile on his brother's face and couldn't help but sigh internally. Ever since Madara had left Konoha and they had that fateful battle, his brother rarely smiled like that anymore.
This time, forming the class was more than just teaching children—it was a way for the most talented of each influential clan to grow up in an environment less affected by the grudges of the previous generation, and to live in peace.
Of course, Tobirama also saw something more in this. He saw a chance to **indoctrinate the new generation** to be loyal to Konoha itself, and not just to their clans.
It would be subtle, and over time, more clans would integrate into Konoha just as the Senju had done.
Naturally, he wouldn't share this with his brother. Even if he wore a goofy smile while reading the list, his brother was still the Hokage of the village and the God of Shinobi—Senju Hashirama. If he suspected Tobirama's intentions, he might very well beat him up. After all, he was the older brother.
"Well, in that case, let's go home," Hashirama said, standing up visibly more cheerful than before. But before he could take more than a few steps, he stopped and held his chest.
"Brother?" Tobirama saw Hashirama's condition and rushed to help him, but Hashirama simply waved his hand.
"It's alright, Tobirama. I'm fine." Hashirama forced a smile before taking a deep breath and leaving the office.
Tobirama watched his brother walk away and couldn't help but clench his fist.
"Madara... Uchiha."