It's a pity that they grow up.

The Third Hokage was in his office, using his powerful crystal ball ninjutsu to supervise the village's security, just as he did once a day. It was a demanding task that consumed his personal downtime, but he was willing to do it as his duty required.

"Hehe, Miss Tsukasa has grown splendidly," Hiruzen said as he wiped the blood dripping from his nose, the result of the enormous "price" for using the technique.

One of the most vulnerable places to enemy attacks and the appearance of spies was where people gathered. The hot springs were a potential target that he couldn't ignore for the village's safety, as even the most trained kunoichi had to be in that area without their equipment, and they were invaluable assets that couldn't be lost.

"Hokage-sama!" a member of ANBU entered at high speed, and Hiruzen was so startled that the crystal ball almost fell to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Don't you know I'm currently observing the village?" Hiruzen roared once he put the crystal ball safely in the drawer. "You'd better have a good reason to interrupt this moment that contributes to the village's security, or else..."

"Tsunade-sama has returned to the village," informed the ANBU, fully aware of the consequences of interrupting his superior's important daily mission.

"Well, Shizune has always been with her," Hiruzen nodded unconsciously before processing the information and falling silent for a second. "Did you say Tsunade has returned?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. She just passed through the gate a few seconds ago," confirmed the ANBU.

Hiruzen forgot about the interruption to his crucial daily mission and began to contemplate.

Did she come to ask for money for gambling or her debts? No, her student never involved the village in her personal affairs, and she knew how to keep matters separate. That's why he had to order Dan to capture her heart in secret; she was too independent as a Senju and didn't understand the Will of Fire he had instilled in his students. He had only adjusted her slightly with a wiser approach to make it easier for future generations to understand.

He didn't expect to succeed, much less that Dan would die before sealing the deal and cause Tsunade to develop a fear of blood. Shizune's uncle was a real waste. Couldn't he have died before she arrived or done it in a corner where she couldn't see?

"Let her pass when she arrives," he ordered. "Maybe she has finally overcome her fear and returned to support the village. I've given her enough time to calm down."

"She's not heading here," the ANBU said, dispelling his theory that she would come to report directly. "She and her group seem to be heading decisively to the Senju compound."

"Well, maybe she wants to—wait!" Hiruzen now realized another crucial detail. "Her group?"

"Besides her student, Shizune, she came with two ninjas from the village of Seimeigakure," detailed the ANBU. "The first one we know because he was the first ninja from that village we registered, and he had an unexpected encounter with Mikoto Uchiha. His name is Enel. But we don't know anything about the girl with him who wears the same headband. Based on our initial observations, she seems too young and innocent to be a genin."

"Age is not usually a problem for geniuses," Hiruzen said as he contemplated whether it was worth intervening to gather information about this new village. The fact that they didn't even know where it was irritated him, as he couldn't send scouts or spies to gradually gather details.

Considering the cases of Itachi, Kakashi, and Shisui, he couldn't help but suspect that this girl might be the emerging genius of the unknown village. Since there was no friendly or hostile relationship between Konoha and Seimeigakure, he was unsure how to proceed.

And he still wanted to understand what Tsunade was doing with these people.

"What was their attitude towards each other?" Hiruzen asked, trying to capture more details.

"Miss Tsunade seemed to speak quite familiarly with the ninja identified as Enel, while her student, Shizune, seemed to have a cheerful conversation with the girl."

"I see," Hiruzen nodded as he took a puff from his pipe, which the ANBU didn't notice when he took it out and lit it. "If they have a good attitude toward Tsunade, they probably have it toward Konoha as well. Given that the balance tilts in that direction, just keep an eye on them and tell them to come to my office if they show signs of wanting to leave without seeing me."

It wasn't the first time Tsunade had tried this.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the ANBU rushed off to inform, not liking the smell of tobacco.

Hiruzen might seem wise in many ways, but being a smoker simply diminished the ANBU's respect for him.

"Tsunade has returned for unknown reasons, Jiraiya hasn't even come to see Naruto yet, despite being his godfather, and Orochimaru is still wandering outside the village conducting his experiments," the Third Hokage sighed. "They were much more obedient and cute when they were little."

He wasn't worried that Danzo would make a move. He knew that Tsunade should not be touched under any circumstances, and a newly established village that remained so unknown even after several months of investigation wouldn't catch his attention or be considered worth his time.

"And there are still no traces of Anko," Hiruzen reminded himself. What a shame to lose a young talent like her, one who had attracted Orochimaru's attention and was mentally almost ready to embrace the Will of Fire.