"Yes, it's good news!" Senju Shin chuckled. "I'll be calling the team to announce it later, so it's fine to tell you in advance."
"News just came in: the lady has given birth smoothly to a son for the clan leader. Both mother and child are safe!"
Senju Yura exclaimed with equal delight, "Then I'm an uncle again?!"
Senju Shin chuckled, then suddenly straightened his face. "Heh, you call yourself an uncle? Why don't you ever think about taking responsibility and being a father?"
Senju Yura instinctively scratched his head, accidentally touching his wound and wincing in pain. "Ah, well, isn't the fighting at the front lines intense? I don't have the mind for that right now..."
"Look at you! You're almost twenty and still not married!"
Filled with Senju energy, he slammed his fist on the table in frustration.
Senju Yura was scolded so badly that he shrank like an ostrich. He wasn't very happy about being reprimanded so harshly on the occasion of his nephew's birth.
White Rock Forest
A forest near Senju clan territory, named for its abundance of white rocks.
Last night, using Mind Network, Jordan had uncovered the Uchiha mole within the Senju clan. After a night's rest, he went to see Senju Shin the next morning to say goodbye.
This era was far less exciting than later ones. He didn't want to get too involved in the battle between the two great ninja clans. Having achieved his goal, there was naturally no need for him to stay any longer.
The Senju clan had a history of expelling the Nine-Tails, which had occurred at the end of White Rock Forest.
Jordan flew all the way there, trying his luck to see if he could find the grumpy fox.
As a result, after flying slowly for fifty or sixty kilometers, several familiar chakra reactions suddenly appeared beneath him.
Senju Mansion
Senju Shin scolded Senju Yura thoroughly, then let out a long breath, feeling much better. "Alright, I'll let you off the hook for today! Where were we?"
"Speaking of..." Senju Yura, who'd been completely bewildered by the scolding, paused for a second before recalling. "Oh, speaking of Jordan's sensory abilities! He can not only read other people's thoughts at close range but also sense a ninja's chakra reactions remotely!"
"I already mentioned mind reading before. I discussed it with the clan leader. The reason you were so easily seen through is because your training isn't up to par." Senju Shin rolled his eyes at Senju Yura, mentally calculating the known information about Jordan. "He also has the talent of a sensory ninja? That's really troublesome... Remote sensing—just how far?"
"He detected the Uchiha's chakra from five kilometers away and was able to accurately determine the number of enemies and the intensity of their chakra!"
"What?! Such a wide sensing range?" Senju Shin was shocked, then asked urgently with a serious expression. "Is this his limit?"
Senju Yura was taken aback. He'd been about to report that Jordan could transmit map information remotely, but seeing Senju Shin's expression, he didn't dare be negligent and quickly said, "I don't know about that, but isn't it too exaggerated to exceed this distance?"
"Don't let common sense limit your judgment, Yura." Senju Shin frowned and shook his head, then stood up abruptly, unable to sit still. "No, I have to go."
Senju Yura looked bewildered. "What happened, Elder Shin?"
Senju Shin hesitated for a moment, then said to Senju Yura, "I've secretly placed the lady and young master in White Rock Forest. I originally planned to bring them back to the clan after the lady has recovered, but I'm not at ease if Jordan has that level of perception ability!"
Previously, both sides had cooperated to deal with the Uchiha, so naturally everyone was happy.
Now that the cooperation had ended, even if it was temporarily confirmed that the other party had no malicious intent, Senju Shin couldn't allow the clan leader's greatest weakness to be easily exposed to outsiders.
Before Senju Yura could react, he unleashed his chakra and vanished in an instant.
Dozens of kilometers away from Senju Clan territory, in a courtyard nestled deep in the forest
Hashirama Senju, almost three years old, was playing by the pond in the yard.
A newborn's strong cries came from inside the room. Soon, it seemed as if something soft and sweet was stuffed into his mouth. The crying gradually subsided. He'd clearly entered the blissful state of eating and sleeping one's fill.
The camera returns to the courtyard.
Young Hashirama was squatting by the pond, groping around on the pebble-paved ground, searching for small stones, then throwing them into the pond with his chubby little hands.
One stone after another rushed into the pond without hesitation, splashing up tiny amounts of water before disappearing into the depths.
The only one that got lucky bounced twice on the water's surface. Hashirama's face had just lit up with joy when—
The stone sank again.
Hashirama pouted, his high spirits deflated.
Ping, pong, pong...
A dull thud came from outside the courtyard wall, interspersed with strange, low shouts.
Hashirama turned his head in confusion, wanting to find out what was going on, but a large hand pressed down on his watermelon head from above and gently turned him back.
"Skipping stones like that won't make them float!"
A gentle voice sounded in his ear. Hashirama raised his head, immediately seeing a figure he would never forget.
Even when the handsome man was kneeling on one knee before him, he still had to look up to see him. He was taller than his father, whom he could only see occasionally. The sunlight cast a golden outline around him, making his already strong figure appear even more imposing.
"Uncle, who are you... Ouch!"
Before Hashirama could finish speaking, he received a loving flick to the forehead, causing him to clutch his head. His nose twitched, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Call me big brother, remember?"
Hashirama nodded subconsciously. Before he could even cry out, he felt his altitude rising again and again. He could see all the way from the ground to the eaves. For a moment, he even forgot to cry.
"Come on, this place isn't suitable for skipping stones. I'll take you to a better place."
Hashirama then realized he was being held by the man and sitting on his shoulders.
Looking at the world he'd never seen before, Hashirama's tears vanished instantly. His headache disappeared with excitement. "Yay!"
"But Uncle... no, but Big Brother, what does skipping stones mean?"
"What you were just doing—the way you try to make a stone float on water—is called skipping stones."
By chance, Jordan had discovered the chakra of Senju ninjas. Focusing his attention, he found that in the small courtyard in the forest, besides the maids, midwives, and Senju clan guards, there was also a lady who'd just given birth and her newborn child.
Add to that the watermelon-headed kid squatting in the yard playing with stones, and it would be hard for Jordan not to guess their identities.