Chapter 3 - New Grandma

In the skies of Konoha, the sun began its downward arc. Clouds tumbled by at a leisurely pace. Under the afternoon sun, the streets filled with civilians going about their day. A few shinobi with a red and white fan-like symbol stitched on the back of their uniforms patrolled here and there with upturned noses, drawing nervous glances and interrupting the lively atmosphere wherever they went.

Near a more spread out and richer area of Konoha where the shinobi clans lived, Tsunade led Akio to the door of a noticeably old-fashioned house. In fact, it looked more like a Japanese temple than a house. Without knocking, she opened the door and led the boy inside. After removing their shoes, they walked to the other end of the building.

Upon reaching a covered outdoor porch, they saw an elderly woman wearing a red kimono sitting on a cushion. Her mostly gray hair still had hints of red in it, and it was tied into two neat buns. She quietly drank tea while watching birds flutter around a small birdbath. A younger female attendant stood a little ways away as though awaiting any requests the older woman might have.

"Baa-san, I'm here."

The elderly woman turned her head, smiling at the familiar voice.

"Tsunade. I am glad to have you visit today. What brings you here?"

"Hmph. I don't need a reason to visit you."

Tsunade's grandmother looked at the young boy holding Tsunade's hand. She noticed some recognition in the boy's gaze, but his smile was cute enough to make her smile in return. She could not see even a trace of negative emotion radiating from the boy. Returning her eyes to her granddaughter, the woman said, "You obviously came with some intentions. Who is this boy?"

"Hm, well, yes," Tsunade replied, averting her eyes briefly. "Erm… This is Akio, an orphan I met by chance today. Is it possible for us to adopt him into our family?"

The older woman quietly sipped her tea before retorting, "Do you plan to adopt every orphan you ever encounter, Tsunade? You know that is impossible."

"I know, but…" Tsunade's words trailed off, and she looked at Akio with reluctance in her eyes. "Just once is fine, right?"

The older woman sighed. Then, she said, "If you're trying to replace Nawaki, then you should reconsider. That would not be a healthy environment for the boy to grow up in, nor would it be healthy for you."

Face warping, Tsunade angrily retorted, "I'm not replacing him, it's just… I just wanted to do it. Hmph."

"You're squeezing my hand, nee-san," Akio grunted in a slightly pained voice.

"Ah, sorry, Akio-kun," Tsunade replied anxiously. She immediately knelt in front of him and used medical ninjutsu to ease his pain even though it wasn't that bad in the first place.

A light and elegant laugh slipped from the older woman's lips before she said, "You're already doting on him. Well, since you seem rather determined, I don't mind bringing in a new family member."

"Thank you, Baa-san," Tsunade said, leaking a relieved sigh.

"Now, come here, boy, let this old woman get a good look at you."

Akio nodded, let go of Tsunade's hand, much to her reluctance, and approached the old woman. Once he stopped next to her, the woman grabbed his hands in a thoughtful manner.

"You are Akio, yes?"

Akio nodded, much to Tsunade's surprise.

"I am Uzumaki Mito. You can call me Baa-san like Tsunade does."

Again, Akio nodded. Honestly, he was surprised that this went so smoothly.

After that, Mito turned to her attendant and said, "Can you please inform Hiruzen to meet with me briefly?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The woman flickered away, which startled Akio. Although he had seen it in animated form, the real thing caught him by surprise, especially since he hadn't realized the attendant was a shinobi.

'I guess I should have assumed that Hashirama's wife would have a strong attendant.'

"Why do you need Sensei to come here?" Tsunade asked.

"Paperwork."

'Poor guy probably picked up strange hobbies because of people giving him so much work…' Akio mused.

A few minutes later, Hiruzen flickered into the courtyard alongside the female attendant. Contrary to Akio's memories of a wrinkly old man, the guy looked quite young and hardy while wearing the white and red Hokage garments.

The moment Hiruzen saw Mito, he bowed respectfully and asked, "Hello, Mito-sama. Did you need me for something?"

Gesturing toward Akio with a lithe but wrinkled hand, she nodded and answered, "Yes. I need you to file some papers regarding adopting this boy into my family."

Hiruzen blinked. Raising a brow, he observed Akio for the first time. Then, he noticed Tsunade as well. He briefly greeted his student with a nod that she returned before refocusing on Mito and asking, "Is that really something you need to ask the Hokage to handle?"

"Because he will be adopted as a Senju, it could create some issues, so you will need to handle it."

"Hm. I see. What is his name?"

"His name is Akio. You can add him in as my son."

"WHAT?!" Tsunade yelled, blood rushing to her head.

Hiruzen and Akio both widened their eyes, unable to believe what they just heard. Even the attendant scratched her ear to make sure it wasn't blocked.

"That is a joke. He will be my grandson and Tsunade's younger brother. Can you handle that, Hiruzen?" Mito corrected without a single change in expression aside from a slight smile toward her granddaughter's reaction.

"Uhm. Absolutely. I'll get right to it. His name was Akio, right?"

Upon receiving a confirmatory nod from the elderly woman, Hiruzen looked at Akio one more time with a subtle pondering expression and flickered away. Akio hoped the man was only thinking about the issues this could bring to Konoha's family politics rather than something else…