Chapter 30: Uzumaki Mito
"Let's eat! No more talking!" Jiraiya didn't waste a second. He grabbed the first piece of grilled meat and started shoveling it into his mouth.
Tenchi and the other two immediately joined in, creating a whirlwind of eating. Hiruzen could only watch in a daze as the mountain of meat on the table vanished in under two minutes.
"Boss! Twenty more servings of meat!" Jiraiya yelled toward the kitchen.
"Twenty? That won't be enough! Boss, make it fifty!" Tenchi countered, even more ruthlessly.
Tsunade and Orochimaru stared at Tenchi in shock. Twenty servings was crazy, but fifty? Could they even eat that much?
They had clearly underestimated Tenchi's capacity. Seventy servings of meat were brought out, and they were cooked and devoured in what felt like no time at all.
"Boss! More! Keep it coming!" Tenchi yelled, his mouth still full.
Everyone else just stared. Jiraiya had eaten a lot, but Tenchi was on another level. Hiruzen put his face in his hands. "I forgot about his appetite. My wallet is going to be empty after this."
"Orochimaru, Tsunade," Hiruzen said, turning to his two calmer students. "You've spent a day with Tenchi now. What are your thoughts?"
"Huh? How to put it?" Tsunade began. "It was... okay. But it was really tiring." She told Hiruzen everything that had happened that day, with Orochimaru nodding in agreement.
"Hahaha! Don't blame Tenchi," Hiruzen laughed. "He went through the exact same thing. Honestly, I'm relieved he's teaching you this way. It means he cares."
"Brother Tenchi never even went to the Ninja Academy as a child," Hiruzen continued, his tone turning more serious. "Everything he learned later was from me. Tenchi is the most talented person I have ever seen. I don't even think the Second Hokage was as gifted as he is." He sighed sincerely, relieved that they had made peace with Tenchi. Forcing him into a corner could have created a terrifying enemy for Konoha.
Hearing that Tenchi never went to school and that her own Second Grandfather wasn't considered his equal, Tsunade was fascinated. "Teacher Hiruzen, tell us more about it!"
Orochimaru, a genius himself, was also deeply interested in Tenchi's story.
Jiraiya, who was always interested in anything about the Hokage, especially someone who might surpass one, joined in. "Yeah, old man, tell us! Hurry up!"
Seeing their keen interest, Hiruzen thought back to how the village had treated Tenchi as a child. But he decided it wasn't his story to tell. "There's nothing more to say. You just need to know that Tenchi is incredibly strong, and you're lucky to learn from him."
Hearing him stop there, the three genin grumbled. "He only told us half the story! He'll never get a wife in the future!"
Meanwhile, Tenchi was too busy to care. He was completely focused on destroying the food in front of him.
An hour later, Tenchi was finally full. He stood by the door, picking his teeth with a toothpick, while Hiruzen settled the bill with the owner. He was speaking quietly as he paid.
"Boss, I'm a little short today. Is it alright if I have someone bring the rest by tomorrow?" Hiruzen asked with an apologetic smile. He truly hadn't expected the meal to not only empty his wallet but also exceed what he had on him.
"It's no problem at all, Lord Hokage! I trust you completely!" the shop owner said. He knew Hiruzen well and had originally thought about offering the meal for free to congratulate the new Hokage. But after seeing the total on the bill, he instantly dropped the idea. This single bill was almost a month's profit for him.
"Thank you, boss. I'll have the rest sent over first thing tomorrow," Hiruzen said, walking out the door.
"You're welcome! Please come again!" the owner said, seeing him out with a smile.
Outside the door...
"Brother Hiruzen, what took so long with the bill? You're not that old yet, are you?" Tenchi teased.
"Yeah, old man, you were so slow," Jiraiya added.
Hiruzen ignored them. He just silently tucked his empty wallet back into his pocket and walked away without a backward glance.
"What's with Teacher Hiruzen? Why was he acting so strange?" Tsunade wondered, watching him leave.
"He's probably going home to cry over the money," Tenchi said dismissively. "A Hokage treats us to a meal and then gets all fussy about the bill. So stingy."
"Alright, listen up," Tenchi announced, getting back to business. "We meet at the mission desk tomorrow at 8:00 AM sharp to pick up our next mission. Now, everyone go home." With that, he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
The three genin also headed for their respective homes.
But Tsunade was still too curious about Tenchi. Hiruzen had only told them half the story. She decided to go to the one person who would know everything: her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the First Hokage and the current Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
Soon, Tsunade arrived at Uzumaki Mito's home. She opened the door and found Mito sitting quietly in the main room.
"Little Tsunade! What a surprise! Come, sit down," Mito said warmly when she saw who it was. She and Hashirama both adored their granddaughter.
"Grandma, don't trouble yourself," Tsunade said, stopping Mito from getting up to get food. "I just came to ask you about someone." She had just eaten a massive barbecue dinner and couldn't manage another bite.
"Oh? What is it? If it's about someone in Konoha, I probably know them. Go ahead and ask, Tsunade," Mito said kindly.
"Grandma, do you know what Uchiha Tenchi's life was like before? When he was young?"
Mito was taken aback by the question. "Little Tsunade, why are you asking about him?"
"No reason, I'm just curious. Do you know, Grandma?" Tsunade pressed, noticing the subtle change in her grandmother's expression.
"Since you want to know, I will tell you, Tsunade."
Tsunade put her chin in her hands, ready to listen intently.
"To talk about Tenchi, we must start with his father, Uchiha Madara," Mito began. "Because Madara married very late, he didn't have a son until long after your own parents were born..." She went on to explain the circumstances of Tenchi's birth and how the village, under Tobirama's influence, had feared and isolated him, barring him from the Academy and watching his every move.
"So that's how it was," Mito finished, having told Tsunade the whole story.
"It was like that..." Tsunade whispered, her eyes wide. "I didn't know such a strong person like Brother Tenchi went through so much. Second Grandfather went too far. He was a bad person!" she declared, upset on Tenchi's behalf.
"Now, now, Little Tsunade," Mito said gently, though firmly. "Your Second Grandfather was thinking of the village's safety. And he did lift the restrictions on Tenchi later, didn't he? So he wasn't a bad person." She couldn't let Tsunade speak ill of the recently deceased Tobirama, even if his methods had been harsh. He had, in the end, chosen a path of trust.
"Okay, Grandma, I understand," Tsunade said, her voice softer. "I should get going now." She stood and walked toward her own home, which was right next to Mito's.
"Walk safely, Tsunade. Come visit again soon," Mito called after her.
"I will!" Tsunade waved goodbye.
When she got home, Tsunade couldn't stop thinking about Tenchi. *'Brother Tenchi... he had no parents, and the whole village rejected him. I don't know how he managed to become so strong all by himself.'* The thought stayed with her all night.