Chapter 289: Paying Respects
Port of the Land of Whirlpools.
Masahiko stood here, holding little Naruto's hand.
Behind them was a group of "stay-behind ninjas" led by Gosha, gathered together to welcome the returning ninja troops.
After telling Naruto stories for three days, Masahiko had finally established the glorious image of a Great Ancestor.
Although Naruto was still a bit tsundere, he had already accepted Masahiko as this 'Old Pig Cup'.
"Naruto, did you miss Minato?" Masahiko asked with a smile.
"Mm!"
The war with the Hidden Mist Village had lasted for a year and three months. Kushina would come back every so often to see little Naruto, and she even personally arranged a home tutor for him.
Minato, however, rarely came back. He remained constantly active on the battlefield, successfully becoming the 'Yellow Flash'.
"They're here!" Masahiko smiled, watching Nagato and Konan flying towards them rapidly in the sky.
A figure flashed beside them, and Minato appeared, holding Kushina.
On the water surface, there were also ninja troops continuously running towards the Land of Whirlpools, along with a few giant ships trailing behind them.
"Great Elder!"
"Great-Grandpa!"
With tears welling in her eyes, Kushina rushed straight forward and hugged Masahiko's right arm. Masahiko comforted her simply, then looked at Minato with a playful expression. The title 'Great Elder' was different from the 'Elder Masahiko' of the past.
"What, has our Lord Fourth Hokage officially married into the Land of Whirlpools?"
Minato smiled bitterly. Before he could reply, Masahiko's two disciples dove down from the sky.
"Teacher!"
Nagato and Konan rushed over together. Masahiko smiled and used a repulsive force to push Nagato slightly, making him fall one step behind Konan, allowing Konan to hug his other arm...
"Father!" Little Naruto reacted half a beat slower, finally throwing himself into Minato's arms.
For a moment, everyone at the port of the Land of Whirlpools was hugging in a group.
Only Nagato scratched his head, looking slightly awkward, before his expression turned excited.
"Teacher, it is so wonderful that you are not dead! To celebrate, let me sing a song for you!"
"Get lost!" Masahiko scolded with a laugh.
"There are so many people here, don't embarrass yourself, Nagato." Masahiko scanned the surroundings. The surrounding ninjas all wore expressions of wanting to come over but not daring to interrupt.
Looking at the ninjas and ships on the water, Masahiko shook his head. "We'll catch up later. You guys go arrange the other matters first."
"Understood!"
...
Half an hour later.
The 'Double Door' duo (Minato/Nagato) handled the post-war trivialities with exaggerated speed. The group arrived at the Senju Clan Head's hall.
Seeing that they all looked like they had a bellyful of questions, Masahiko took the initiative to explain.
"Previously, a problem occurred with my training, so I couldn't show my face. The summoning contract with Katsuyu was also severed at that time."
The group nodded. They had also harbored such guesses in their hearts.
"Teacher, you are already the strongest ninja, why do you still train so hard?"
Masahiko shook his head. "There is always someone stronger! If I don't work hard, and ten years from now your teacher can't beat the young people, how embarrassing would that be."
Saying this, he remembered the ten-year-old Jonin, Itachi...
He had seen through his "Face-Changing Jutsu." Masahiko felt that if he didn't work hard, he would be doomed sooner or later.
The room fell silent for a while. Even though Nagato and the others had a bellyful of things to say, facing Masahiko, they suddenly didn't know what to say.
After a long while, Masahiko took the initiative to speak.
"Nagato, the position of Uzumaki Clan Head isn't very easy, is it? Do you know what you did wrong?"
Nagato showed a look of shame. "Teacher, I know. Back then, facing the Cloud Village, if I had been a bit tougher, they would have treated the news of your death as a rumor."
Masahiko glared. "It was a rumor to begin with!"
"Yes, yes..."
"But fortunately, you learned some rap before, otherwise the Land of Whirlpools would have truly suffered heavy casualties this time."
"Yo!..."
"Shut up!"
With Nagato's interruption, the atmosphere in the room livened up.
Kushina still had that little girl's personality, chattering and asking questions non-stop. Konan, who was five years younger, seemed more like the older sister.
Little Naruto sat on the side, his little mouth pouting, looking as if he was about to cry.
No one paid attention to him; he felt terribly wronged.
Masahiko smiled and changed the subject. "Minato, are you still planning to go back and be Hokage?"
Before Minato could speak, Kushina looked indignant. "Go back for what? That old thief Danzo! And the Third isn't any good either..."
"I beat Danzo up, and now he has defected," Masahiko said.
Kushina paused. "Great-Grandpa, you let him off too easily!"
Minato was somewhat puzzled. "Defected?"
"Right, defected."
"I see..." Minato was thoughtful. Having been Hokage for four or five years, he had some understanding of Danzo.
"Father, let's go back." Little Naruto finally managed to interject.
Minato smiled gently. "Naruto, don't rush."
Masahiko was startled. "It seems you already have a plan in mind, then I won't interfere."
Leaning back in his chair, Masahiko felt emotional.
Among the people present, three of his disciples had passed away. Besides his daughter and the few people in front of him, there weren't many people close to him left.
Konan was clearly more observant, noticing Masahiko's mood suddenly dip.
"Teacher, let's go visit Grandma Yoriko and the others."
Masahiko froze, looked up at Konan, and then at Nagato.
"It seems there is hope for Nagato to get a girlfriend. Konan's 'Grandma' sounded very natural."
At the mention of this topic, the room fell quiet.
"Great-Grandpa, let's go visit Grandma and the others," Kushina said.
"Mm... let's go."
Land of Whirlpools Cemetery.
Masahiko and the other five arrived here.
The guards at the cemetery hadn't changed; it was still those two young Uzumaki clansmen.
They also knew now that the person who suddenly appeared in the cemetery two days ago was Masahiko. Seeing him, they greeted him with glowing faces.
As the first two clansmen to see Masahiko, they felt extremely honored.
The group split up. Minato, Kushina, and Naruto went to pay respects to Nanako. Kushina chattered away, telling her grandmother about the recent situation in the Land of Whirlpools.
Nagato and Konan went to Yoriko's grave to pay their respects.
As for Masahiko... he went to pay respects to his own grave.
"I'll keep this grave, the location is pretty good. Maybe if I live long enough and get tired of it, I'll come in and lie down for a couple of years. If I get bored, I'll go out for a stroll..."
Masahiko sighed slightly, then turned toward Hitomi's grave.
"A single dog for over seventy years, and not many people even visit your grave after you die. How pitiful, Hitomi."
"Nanako and Yoriko were personally sent off by your teacher, but you..."
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't use Edo Tensei, Masahiko would have wanted to call Hitomi out for a chat.
"I still have to find Orochimaru. Then I'll call all three disciples out for a reunion."
"Nanako and Yoriko are fine, but I didn't even get to see Hitomi one last time. Better not let him resent me in the underworld..."
Thinking of this, Masahiko was suddenly startled.
"Edo Tensei, Hitomi?"
"Formation of the Eight Inner Gates... He wouldn't, would he? That's a bit troublesome..."
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