Jiu Xinnai showed a strange expression.
"Since this technique is so easy to use, why not just use it all the time?"
"Because everything the shadow clones experience before dispersing is transmitted back to the user. The mental and physical exhaustion from training or combat gets multiplied. When dozens of clones disperse at once, the sudden flood of memories and fatigue can overwhelm the user's brain. It can even cause severe mental strain or temporary confusion."
"You don't want to end up like Rope Tree, do you?" Uchiha Tatsumi asked seriously.
Kushina immediately shook her head. She definitely didn't want to end up like her hot-headed brother.
Looking into Uchiha Tatsumi's eyes, Kushina nodded earnestly. "Okay. I'll listen to you. I won't abuse this ninjutsu."
Uchiha Tatsumi nodded approvingly, then patted the dust from his clothes and stood up.
By now, the sun was tilting westward, and dusk had begun to fall. Uchiha Tatsumi squinted slightly as he looked at the warm afterglow stretching across the sky.
"Alright, let's head back. It's getting late," he said with a smile.
Kushina puffed her cheeks, clearly reluctant to leave. She gave Tatsumi a long, lingering look.
Cute.
Uchiha Tatsumi chuckled. "Ah, I haven't eaten anything yet. I'm starving."
"You hungry too, Kushina?"
Kushina nodded rapidly like a puppy. If she had a tail, she'd probably be wagging it right now.
"Let's go then. I'll treat you to Konoha's best ramen," Tatsumi said, taking her hand and leading her back into the heart of the village.
The summer sunset had dyed the horizon orange and red. In the distance, the stone faces of the First, Second, and Third Hokage stood solemn under the waning light.
The streets were crowded with villagers. Uchiha Tatsumi and Kushina walked at the tail end of the crowd, swept along by its flow.
Suddenly, Kushina stopped. She lifted her head to look toward the west.
The clouds were heavy, but golden sunlight peeked through them and cast a faint glow over the distant rooftops.
"I don't know why," Kushina said quietly, "but that reminds me of home."
Tatsumi paused and stood beside her, letting others pass by.
"You miss the Land of Whirlpools?" he asked gently.
Kushina nodded. "That way… that's where Uzushio was."
Tatsumi looked in the same direction. "We'll visit one day. I'll go with you. But now, Konoha is your home—and we're your family."
Kushina smiled warmly.
"It's strange. When I first came here, I was nervous. I thought I'd be bullied… but I ended up meeting reliable friends like you."
More like, as long as you're not the one doing the bullying.
Kushina suddenly turned to him.
"Hey, you said before that you'd support me to become Hokage. Did you mean it?"
"Of course I did," Tatsumi answered without hesitation.
As if I could joke about that now.
"But… I heard Minato and Rope Tree say you promised to support them too," Kushina said slyly, exposing him with a grin.
"Ahahaha…" Tatsumi laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek.
Well, she doesn't know I also said I'd support Tsunade and even Hyuga Himeji. At this rate, my vote's practically public property.
Maybe I should write a book: "The Hokages I Voted For."
Speaking of Himeji, Tatsumi realized he hadn't seen her in a while. Meanwhile, her younger brother, Hyuga Hiashi, was probably preparing to enter the Main House's role soon.
Seeing Tatsumi's distant look, Kushina puffed her cheeks.
"Hey! What are you thinking about?"
Tatsumi blinked and quickly refocused. "I was just thinking that you're actually more suited to be Hokage than Minato or Rope Tree. So yeah—my vote definitely goes to you."
Kushina giggled happily and skipped ahead in the crowd.
When they reached Ichiraku Ramen, they found a long line already waiting outside.
"This is insane," Tatsumi muttered, holding his head. "We should've come earlier."
Konoha seriously needs crowd control.
"That's true," came an unfamiliar voice behind them, causing both Tatsumi and Kushina to turn around.
"H-Hokage-sama?!" Kushina exclaimed when she saw the man in plain clothes.
"Shhh," Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled softly, raising a finger to his lips. "Let's keep it quiet, shall we?"
He gave Kushina a gentle pat on the head, then looked between her and Tatsumi with a knowing smile.
"What a coincidence, running into both of you."
Tatsumi's pupils narrowed for a split second, but he masked his reaction quickly.
So the old man came personally, huh?
He had expected something like this. One was a future jinchūriki and a child of Uzushio, the other the son of Uchiha Kagami—Sarutobi's own teammate. Hiruzen would naturally keep tabs on them, both out of sentiment and responsibility.
"Good evening, Uncle Hokage," Tatsumi greeted politely, dropping his usual aloofness.
After all, his father and the Third had studied under the same teacher, the Second Hokage. After Uchiha Kagami's death, Sarutobi had visited him a few times as a gesture of goodwill.
Of course, Sarutobi likely did the same for other war orphans. It was part of the Hokage's duty to guide and protect the next generation.
As for the whispers that Sarutobi and Danzō had orchestrated Kagami's death…
Tch. I'm not so naïve as to believe anyone's words at face value. Everyone speaks in the way that benefits them the most. That's just human nature—Rashōmon at its finest.
"No need to be so formal," Hiruzen said kindly. "You two seem pretty close. Out on a date, perhaps?"
He gave Tatsumi a grin that said I was young once, too.
Ah, right. The same guy who mentored the Pervy Sage. No wonder.
"N-No! It's nothing like that!" Kushina stammered, turning red.
"We were just doing some special training, and decided to grab dinner after. It's not like we're sneaking out on duty like some people!" she said with increasing volume.
"..."
"Kushina-san, let's not say too much. Someone might get hurt," Tatsumi said, covering his face with his hand.
The Third Hokage coughed awkwardly and waved it off.
To prevent Kushina from digging the hole deeper, Tatsumi quickly changed the subject.
"Uncle Hokage, what brings you out here? You're usually busy with work… Are you really just staking out Ichiraku?"