As Mifune was about to leave, Torifu suddenly remembered something and asked, "Kaito's katana was corroded by the Boil Release mist; it should be unusable now, right?"
Mifune was startled for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded. "Indeed, but the accompanying samurai brought many steel swords, which can be replaced at any time."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a gleaming long sword suddenly appeared in Torifu's hand, with a certain pattern engraved on its blade.
"Give this sword to Kaito. I saw how well he performed. If he hadn't run into Yahiko earlier, he probably would have placed third. Consider this compensation."
Mifune himself was taken aback, clearly not expecting Torifu to give Kaito a sword.
Kaito, who was behind him, was extremely happy, his smile almost spilling over his face.
But he managed to suppress it. After all, one had to be respectful in front of the Hokage and one's Master.
Otherwise, not only would he be ridiculed, but he might also leave a bad impression on the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama, this sword of yours looks extraordinary. Giving it to a junior like Kaito might be a bit of a waste."
Mifune was the head of the samurai, and he could discern the quality of any sword with just a glance.
The sword in Torifu's hand was already considered top-tier.
Mifune was hesitant to let Kaito accept it.
Because even his own treasured sword, truthfully, was not as high quality as this one.
Torifu smiled. "It's fine. As I said, this is compensation for Kaito. Regardless, Yahiko was at fault for damaging a samurai's sword."
Seeing that Torifu was sincere about giving the sword, Mifune no longer hesitated and directly told Kaito to accept it.
Kaito's heart pounded behind him; he had never touched such a fine sword before!
After carefully taking it from Torifu's hand, he didn't rush to draw it from its sheath.
He planned to do so after returning.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama, I will definitely make good use of this sword!"
Torifu nodded at this.
This sword wasn't actually very precious; he had bought it from the system shop for only a thousand Peace Points.
It was just that the forging techniques in this world weren't particularly advanced yet, so good swords were rare.
"Well then, Hokage, we'll head back now. Tomorrow, I'll have this young man come find Yahiko and the others for sparring and training."
"Alright, General, take care."
After seeing Mifune and his group off, Torifu turned around to find that Naori and the others had already gone back into the courtyard.
He could only scratch his head and quickly enter the courtyard.
"Oh, are you done talking? Come quickly, dinner's ready, Amado made it."
Naori called out when she saw Torifu return.
"Well, I'll be. The sun must have risen in the west today," Torifu remarked, quite surprised by this. Amado usually waited for food to be served, so why was he so proactive today?
Naori walked over to Torifu and whispered, "The sun didn't rise in the west, he just wanted to test the range hood. It looks like it works quite well; the kitchen isn't smoky anymore."
So that was it. Torifu also peeked in at the doorway and sniffed, confirming the effect was indeed good.
It seemed another factory would need to be built then.
"Very good, very good. Let him keep tinkering. You don't even have to cook. What a wonderful thing."
It seemed there were still a few dishes left to cook, as Amado was still busy in the kitchen. Torifu simply sat in a chair, waiting for him.
The children bustled about, carrying plates.
Speaking of which, over the past few years, as Konoha Village continued to develop, more and more factories were built in the back mountains. For Torifu, this was a good thing.
More factories meant better development for Konoha Village, more appliances could be produced, and the level of technology would be higher.
It was also a step closer to his retirement life.
Thinking about it carefully, Torifu's retirement life had actually entered its final countdown. Minato was now fifteen years old.
In just five more years, this boy would be able to replace Torifu as Hokage. By then, Torifu could truly be free of all responsibilities, completely becoming a leisurely Konoha villager like his Master.
"Speaking of which, Naruto should be born around that time, right? As his uncle, I might even have to help take care of the child..."
Just thinking about it gave him a headache. He simply pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. There were still five years; it was still early, very early.
Every time he saw familiar characters from the anime being born in Konoha Village, Torifu always had a very subtle feeling.
This feeling was amplified infinitely after seeing young Kakashi.
Previously, Torifu's system panel even used Kakashi as a unit of measurement for chakra.
Suddenly seeing the real person felt a bit unsettling.
"Dinner's ready! Come and eat!" Amado called out, then emerged from the kitchen carrying the last dish.
Everyone sat together and ate dinner, leaving nothing behind.
Washing the dishes was naturally left to Yahiko and the others. Torifu's main focus was enjoyment; he absolutely wouldn't do chores.
After everything was done, Torifu sat on a chair in the courtyard and called Yahiko and Konan over.
"So, how are you two feeling? Tomorrow's your final match. Are you nervous?"
Yahiko shook his head. "Not nervous. It's fine whoever wins, Konan or I, but I won't go easy on her."
Konan, who had been a little uneasy, immediately snorted upon hearing Yahiko's words. "Who would let you go easy? I'll defeat you fair and square!"
Seeing that both of his apprentices were in high spirits, Torifu was quite pleased.
"Remember, no matter who wins, it shouldn't affect your friendship. Just treat this match as a regular sparring session."
Yahiko and Konan both nodded after hearing this. "Don't worry, Master, we won't squabble among ourselves."
Konan wanted to win the championship to prove that she also had the strength to protect Yahiko.
She never forgot how Yahiko had taken her everywhere when they were children.
In such a harsh environment, Konan certainly wouldn't have survived without Yahiko.
Now, adopted and taught by their Master, life was better, her strength had increased, and she also had the ability to protect Yahiko.
But Yahiko's strength was also great, which was why Konan had this idea.
"I know about your bond, so I wasn't too worried; I was just saying it out loud."
Then Torifu continued, "General Mifune just brought Kaito here for something. After Kaito was defeated by Yahiko, he was very eager to train, but he can't return to the Land of Iron anytime soon."
"So, I'll have you two train with him. Of course, I readily agreed to such a good opportunity to gain real combat experience. He should be here tomorrow afternoon."
The two naturally recognized Kaito, as they had just fought him that afternoon.
Yahiko also quite respected Kaito's strength, and having such a training opponent was quite good.