The dinner party was just for introductions. They were all children of the same age, and all of them were from the Hokage line.
Not knowing each other and having no affection would be inexcusable.
In fact, the biggest supporter behind the Sandaime becoming Hokage was not the Senju Clan.
But Uzumaki Mito herself.
At the end of the Ninja War, when the Second Hokage died and a leader was desperately needed to take charge, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was personally appointed as the Sandaime by the dying Second Hokage, couldn't have ascended to power so easily with just his words alone.
The Sarutobi Clan also lacked the power to support Hiruzen Sarutobi's ascension.
Due to conservative considerations, the various clans of the Village preferred an experienced and respected elder to serve as the Sandaime.
Uzumaki Mito was the most suitable candidate for the current situation.
Moreover, she was terrifyingly strong.
But Uzumaki Mito felt that the new era no longer had a ship that could carry her.
The Village needed to be led forward by the young people of the new era. Hiruzen, this boy, as the Second Hokage's disciple, was someone she had watched grow up. Although he was naive as a Hokage, he could still mature.
Furthermore, the various clans of the Village also didn't want her to continue being Hokage.
Although the Senju didn't think that way.
But Mito didn't care much about the Senju's thoughts.
After all, she wasn't a Senju, and Tsunade, as the princess of the Senju, even if Tsunade had no ambitions, various forces would compel Tsunade to move forward.
As a grandmother, all she wanted to do was protect Tsunade.
A little bit of selfishness wasn't excessive.
But the affection she gave was sincere.
All Miki could feel from this woman was sincerity and love.
This was evident from her way of doing things.
Mito didn't mind Miki and Tsunade's current strained relationship; instead, she found it amusing.
At the dinner table, she didn't try to ease the tension between Miki and Tsunade.
With a benevolent, aunt-like smile, she frequently served meat to all the children, as if afraid they wouldn't eat enough.
In this regard, she particularly resembled an ordinary grandmother.
She basically took over the grilling of the meat.
Tsunade was still indignant, stuffing her mouth fiercely and glaring at Miki from time to time.
She clearly felt that this person was stealing her grandmother.
Love hadn't disappeared, but it had been divided.
Jiraiya was the most straightforward, simply focusing on eating.
Orochimaru, next to him, looked at Mito as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
The words, "Grandma, I can't eat this much," remained unspoken.
Chiri ate her meat in small bites, secretly guarding her bowl.
No more, too much would be hard to digest.
When Mito offered more meat, she could only look at Mito with watery eyes, then dutifully held out her bowl.
Hyuga Hitomi, however, did something that surprised Mito.
She picked the meat from her own bowl and put it into Mito's, looking at Mito expectantly.
She was afraid Mito hadn't eaten much meat, Mito's heart warmed.
Tsunade couldn't do something like that.
It was still too early for her to be considerate of others.
And Miki...
Her appetite was comparable to Tsunade's.
Mito couldn't help but look at Miki a few more times. After sensing her chakra, she couldn't help but laugh.
Tsunade's ability to eat was due to her constitution; she always had a good appetite. This child clearly couldn't eat anymore, and was secretly feeding the Insects.
How cunning.
A little cute.
Mito saw through it but didn't say anything.
As a result, only the Sandaime was anxious at the dinner table, trying to keep the atmosphere from becoming too quiet by laughing and making lively conversation.
"Hiruzen, you've become garrulous," Mito said, a little annoyed by what she was hearing.
"Lady Mito..." Hiruzen closed his mouth, feeling wronged and dejected.
After the meal, everyone naturally went back to their own homes and their own mothers.
The Sandaime wanted the six little ones to stay a little longer.
Mito didn't allow it.
Some things are best left to nature.
The two adults left first, and the six youngsters looked at each other.
Tsunade wanted to say something.
Miki didn't give her the chance.
She turned and left. Chiri glanced at everyone and followed her.
Tsunade was so angry her teeth ached.
It wasn't that Miki was specifically targeting Tsunade, nor that Miki disliked Tsunade; it was just that Miki didn't want to talk much with the current Tsunade.
Because talking to her was difficult.
Miki felt that once Tsunade matured a bit more, they could communicate normally.
She could have humored Tsunade, but Miki wasn't in the mood.
Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to see Tsunade frustrated than to spend that effort making her happy?
Seeing Miki and Chiri leave, Orochimaru, with a cold face, left without a word.
Not in Miki's direction. Although he was interested in Miki, the current Orochimaru was still very innocent and shy.
He still wanted to see the true genius that Sarutobi-sensei spoke of, and to see where he himself fell short in comparison.
And seeing this, Tsunade could only leave in a huff.
Only Jiraiya and Hyuga Hitomi remained at the scene.
Jiraiya awkwardly rubbed his head and looked at Hyuga Hitomi.
You see...
What are you looking at!
Hyuga Hitomi glared at Jiraiya and turned to leave.
Jiraiya rubbed his head.
Girls are really hard to understand.
Hyuga Hitomi wanted to catch up with Miki and Chiri. Weren't they classmates now?
It wouldn't be strange to play together, would it?
But what should she say when she opened her mouth?
But no matter what she said, she felt Miki would ignore it.
Thinking of this, Hitomi hesitated and slowed her steps.
How did Chiri become friends with Miki anyway!
Hyuga Hitomi felt she couldn't bring herself to shamelessly chase after them!
Dragging her somewhat dejected steps, Hitomi turned and walked towards home.
Practice! As long as she practiced, she could forget everything!
Speaking of which, Mito had arranged for them to play tomorrow.
Hitomi's steps became lighter again.
Meanwhile, Miki and Chiri were strolling through the forbidden forest.
Mainly Miki was strolling, with Chiri following behind.
Not long after, a figure burst out from the woods and pounced towards Miki.
Miki stepped aside and looked at the Insect Sister, who was sprawled on the soft grass.
Scrambling up swiftly, the Insect Sister chirped at Miki.
Then she tilted her head back and opened her mouth to Miki.
Due to the angle and the mask's hood, Chiri didn't see the Insect Sister's extended mouthparts.
"What is she doing?" Chiri asked curiously.
"Nothing," Miki said, stepping forward and pressing down on the Insect Sister's head, at which point the Insect Sister hugged Miki.
Chiri looked at the two suspiciously.
Although she hadn't seen the Insect Sister many times, she always felt there was something strange about her.
Miki pushed the Insect Sister away, issuing several commands in her mind.
This one wasn't comfortable to hug; her exoskeleton was too hard.
And the strange behavior before was...
Many animals exhibit such behavior, such as suckling, or more accurately, mutual feeding.
For example, elephants, birds, monkeys, and humans.
This phenomenon is most common among ants, a highly specialized form of social division of labor and cooperation. Only a portion of ants forage, and many more rely on others to feed them.
The advantage is that the food being fed is absolutely safe, which can effectively prevent the invasion of pathogens and food poisoning.
After all, ants that eat poisonous food die on the spot.
Secondly, this feeding mechanism ensures that other ants can remain at their workstations, with specialized ants responsible for delivering food directly to them.
Among humans, mutual feeding is a sign of intimacy. In the cruel natural world, food is among the most precious things, and offering one's food is a significant act.
The intimate gesture of couples feeding each other is a manifestation of this phenomenon.
Giving you my best.
It's hard to say which category the Insect Sister's behavior falls into.
And she wasn't asking Miki to feed her, but preparing to feed Miki.
The taste of the food depended on what was currently in her stomach.
But more often, it was secreted honeydew.
It was a sweet liquid secreted by the Insect Sister after consuming plant buds, tender shoots, young leaves, and flowers.
She liked this, and therefore stored it in large quantities within her body.
Under Miki's long-term observation, she found that many aspects of the Insect Sister were truly remarkable.
So remarkable that Miki found it incredible.
Strictly speaking, the Insect Sister consists of two lives.
One is the core that dominates behavior, which is the human body within the exoskeleton.
The second is the exoskeleton itself, which belongs to a symbiotic insect with no thoughts, only instincts?
Probably still an insect.
The classification of insects can no longer define its very being.
Miki, however, had a suitable term to describe it.
Bio-Booster Armor, Guyver, Bio-Enhanced Weapon.
And Miki's definition of a Bio-Enhanced Organism was:
A life form that transcends ordinary life forms.
Ordinary life forms evolve diverse shapes to adapt to their environment.
Those that fly in the sky, those that run on land, those that swim in the water.
For survival, they had no choice in their evolution; what equipment they received depended on fate.
Some became overlords, some ended up on the dinner table.
Those that survived were species extremely well-suited to the natural environment.
Never to be underestimated.
Bio-Enhanced Organisms, however, are life forms that have evolved to the extreme for a specific function. Their extreme strategies mean they cannot adapt to harsh and ever-changing natural environments.
From this perspective, Insects are precisely that.
They are the ultimate tool life forms.
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