"What made you two decide to visit? Torifu, shouldn't you be busy handling the affairs in the Rain Province? Did some problem arise?"
Facing his father-in-law's speculation, Torifu smiled and shook his head. "No, Father. Naori and I just specifically came to see you. You don't need to worry about the Rain Province; everything is stable right now."
"Alright." Hearing that there were no major issues in the Rain Province, Uchiha Teruya felt much more relieved. The smile on his face became even brighter; clearly, Torifu and his family coming to see him today made him very happy.
"Don't just stand there, come in and sit down. I'll have the kitchen whip up a few dishes later, and we'll have a nice meal together." The Uchiha Clan compound was fully equipped with all amenities. Naturally, they had professional chefs to cook.
Normally, however, they cooked for themselves, and the chefs were part-time cooks who belonged to the clan. In special circumstances, such as today when Uchiha Kagami's wife had gone to visit her family, and neither Teruya nor Kagami could cook, they needed to utilize the chefs. If Torifu were ever forced into a situation where he had to cook, he would choose to order Icha Icha Ramen with instant delivery—convenient, fast, and delicious.
They entered the living room, where everyone sat on the sofas, except for Akihara, who was walking around on the floor. A girl about the same age as Kushina soon walked out.
"Oh, Little Brother Akihara, and Aunt and Uncle, why are you here?"
This girl was Aihana, currently a chunin in Konoha. She had originally planned to go to the Rain Province for the mission. However, she was delayed by another matter. By the time she went to sign up, they no longer needed any ninjas, which greatly frustrated her.
"Aihana, your aunt and I thought you weren't home. Why didn't you go on the mission?"
Aihana pouted and sat down in a huff. "Don't even mention it, Uncle! It's because I had a mission on hand that I hadn't finished yet. I wanted to finish it quickly and then accept the new task, but when I returned, the mission had already been canceled. It's been bothering me for days."
Torifu smiled upon hearing this. There was nothing he could do now. If he had known earlier, he might have pulled a few strings for her, but unfortunately, the last ninja team had already departed. It was impossible for Torifu to let Aihana go to the Rain Province alone, and Kagami wouldn't agree to it either. Nor could he dispatch a dedicated group of ninjas just to escort her. All he could say was that she needed to be earlier next time.
"That can't be helped. Next time a mission like this comes up, you need to seize the opportunity and accept it first. You can always apply to cancel it later if needed."
Aihana nodded, having learned her lesson.
"In that case, Aunt and Uncle, can I take Little Brother Akihara out to play?"
Naori was just looking for someone to help watch Akihara, so she immediately handed him over when Aihana offered.
"Thank you, Aihana."
"Hehe, don't worry, Aunt."
After the sister and brother left, the house returned to quiet. After all, they were all adults, and their speech pace wasn't as rushed as that of children.
"I heard that Minato, Yahiko, Konan, and Ashina-sama's granddaughter were all sent to the Rain Province? Aren't you worried that something might happen to them?" Teruya asked.
"Of course I'm worried, which is why I asked Jiraiya to look after them. There shouldn't be any surprises."
"Jiraiya? Sarutobi Clan Leader's disciple? The one who uses Sage Mode?"
Torifu nodded upon hearing this, and Teruya immediately relaxed. He had heard of Jiraiya. Although he was a junior, his strength was already close to that of the older generation of ninjas like themselves. Furthermore, he had learned Sage Mode on Mount Myoboku and was even said to have received guidance from the Great Toad Sage, meaning his future was limitless. With Jiraiya there, protecting those children would be stable, and he might even be able to clash with the mastermind.
Kagami also knew Jiraiya. Though the man usually seemed like a layabout, he was extremely reliable when executing missions. He was a teammate one could trust with one's back.
Everyone momentarily spoke highly of Jiraiya, which demonstrated that his strength and character were first-rate, as even an Elder like Teruya held him in high regard.
"Speaking of which, what is the situation in the Rain Province like? Torifu, you must be keeping constant tabs on the movements, correct?"
Everyone knew that Torifu had sent a clone to the Rain Province, so he should be completely aware of the situation there.
Torifu didn't mince words with Teruya; since it wasn't a classified matter, he answered directly. "I estimate there are about ten thousand rogue ninja camps that I've detected. Ninjas from the various nations have been continuously sweeping and eliminating these rogues over the past few days."
"A lot of rogues have died, but they're mostly low-combat individuals. The ninjas haven't suffered any significant losses. Overall, the situation is currently in a stable period."
Hearing Torifu's description, Teruya could roughly understand the situation there.
"Is that so? It seems it will take some time to find the mastermind. But what is the point of setting up so many rogue ninja camps?"
Torifu also didn't know the answer to this. If the three nations hadn't united to clear out the ten thousand rogue camps, it would have taken an unknown amount of time to eliminate them all. Hanzō was truly unafraid of trouble and not stingy with resources, investing so much food even for these ordinary rogues. Torifu was curious to see how he intended to play this move and what direction the situation would take.
"When do we need to make a move?" Kagami asked after a long silence. He tried to analyze the situation, but he completely failed to grasp Hanzō's intention. The current action seemed entirely like a deliberate effort to send people to their deaths. Was Hanzō trying to buy time with this? But if he wanted to buy time, why incite a rebellion? Couldn't he have just waited quietly? A ninja as sharp-minded as Kagami couldn't figure it out and decided to drop the analysis, instead asking when the actual fighting would begin.
"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure, but I will definitely let you know if there's any movement. Although, I probably won't need your help."
Torifu smiled, then added, "This time, I want to try going myself to see if I can defeat Blaze."
"This..." Both Teruya and Kagami were at a loss as to whether they should try to dissuade him.
Kagami was present during the last fight with Blaze. Even with so many Kage-level ninjas working together, Blaze still managed to escape. Could Torifu truly defeat Blaze alone this time?
"If you have already made up your mind, as your father-in-law, I naturally won't say much. But you must remember that this world has its current stability and peace because of you," Teruya warned with a very serious expression. "If any accident befalls you, or if your strength significantly declines, the ninja world will certainly be plunged into war again."