Chapter 5: Hyuga Takumi, You've Really Got Me in Trouble!

After leaving the Hyuga household, Kushina felt an itch on her scalp, as if something was about to sprout.

Tsunade kept yawning repeatedly.

This feeling of wanting to sleep while also straining to eavesdrop was… utterly miserable.

Not only had she not slept well, but she also drank a bellyful of chicken soup.

It almost made her burst.

That night, at the Senju ancestral home.

Kushina sat beside Uzumaki Mito, chattering away, "Grandma Mito, I made a new friend today. He even treated me and Tsunade to dinner!"

Since Kushina arrived in Konoha, she had rarely worn a smile on her face.

Uzumaki Mito raised a hand to embrace Kushina, her face lit up with a gentle smile. "Is it that little fellow named Hyuga Takumi? I've been hearing Tsunade mention that name quite a lot lately."

Have I been mentioning it a lot?

Really?

Tsunade scratched her head, feeling a bit irritated. She had just come home and plopped down.

But not long after, Uzumaki Mito had roused her.

The reason was to spend more time with Kushina, helping her integrate into this home and the big family that was Konoha.

"Hyuga Takumi? Is he the genius sister talked about? The one who learns medical ninjutsu so quickly?" Nawaki asked curiously.

"Yeah!" Kushina nodded vigorously. "Takumi-kun's beef and potatoes are super delicious! Tsunade-nee ate five bowls!"

As she spoke, she raised her small hand to illustrate.

"Kushina!"

Tsunade gaped incredulously. "Didn't you eat three bowls yourself?"

"I couldn't help it!"

Kushina, feeling a bit embarrassed, burrowed into Mito's embrace.

Nawaki glanced at his flustered sister and then at the bashful Kushina, blinking. Was it really that good?

Even Kushina, who usually didn't have much of an appetite, had polished off three big bowls.

Watching her granddaughter and Kushina reveal each other's secrets, Uzumaki Mito chuckled. But as she continued to smile, her expression gradually turned serious.

"I remember that boy wrote you a letter, saying his blood disease was acting up and he couldn't see anything."

Tsunade, confused, nodded and yawned. "Right, he even had his eyes covered with cloth. I'll help him take a leave tomorrow so he can rest at home for a while."

"Tsunade."

Mito's tone suddenly became stern. "You let a blind child cook for you? And you ate five bowls?"

"Because it was delicious!"

Tsunade attempted to stretch but froze mid-motion. At that moment, she suddenly realized and quickly looked up.

The warm smile that had adorned Mito's face was replaced with a serious expression, her cloudy eyes fixated on Tsunade.

Oh no!

Tsunade's heart skipped a beat. Kushina, sitting beside Mito, also sensed the tension and instinctively shifted her small bottom to sit a bit farther away.

"Sister, you actually let a visually impaired person cook for you!" Nawaki exclaimed, causing a ruckus.

"Shut up! He insisted on cooking to prove he could live independently. I didn't make him do it!"

After snapping at Nawaki, Tsunade hurriedly explained, "Grandma, you have to trust me. If you don't believe me, ask Kushina. After dinner, Hyuga Takumi even comforted and encouraged her. Kushina really likes him; she was just about to call him 'big brother'!"

"I didn't! I didn't say that!"

Kushina shook her head, denying it, her cute little face flushing red.

"Nawaki, Kushina, you two go rest first."

Uzumaki Mito took a deep breath and sent her grandson and Kushina away.

Hyuga Takumi, you've really got me in trouble!

Tsunade silently groaned.

Kushina looked worried. "Do you think Tsunade-nee will be okay? Grandma Mito looked really scary when she was angry."

"It'll be fine! What could happen? Worst case, she'll get scolded. Anyway, my sister is used to it; Grandma always teaches her how a girl should behave, but my sister just ignores her."

Nawaki shrugged, completely unconcerned. This kind of scene had happened many times, and he had long since gotten used to it.

Even Tsunade was accustomed to it, acting like a good granddaughter during the scolding, all the while praying for it to be over quickly so Grandma would say fewer nagging words.

Afterwards, she would continue to act as she pleased, acknowledging her mistakes but refusing to change her ways.

While Tsunade was being scolded, Takumi lay in bed, his right hand slowly moving, a glass cup floating in front of him. As Takumi rotated his hand, the cup drifted back and forth.

With the second stirrings of his Rinnegan awakening, even during this initial period, Takumi was beginning to harness some of its powers.

Although he couldn't unleash its full force yet, it still filled him with joy.

Just like the Rinnegan, the Shinra Tensei also had the ability to control gravity and repulsion.

If he activated the Rinnegan chakra mode, he could even control the movement trajectories of planets.

Of course, such feats weren't something just anyone could accomplish.

It wasn't as if having the Rinnegan meant you could do anything.

At this moment, Takumi's ability with the Rinnegan was akin to a tricycle fitted with a rocket booster. If the booster were to fire at full power, the tricycle would be in danger of falling apart.

In simpler terms, the power of the Rinnegan was far too overwhelming for Takumi's current body to handle.

He needed time to adapt gradually, developing and mastering the Rinnegan's strength.

Fortunately, his eyes belonged to him; he wouldn't face a situation where someone would be drained or crushed by the power of the eyes.

Just look at Nagato, who was treated as a nurturing tool for the Rinnegan; you could see how terrifying the Rinnegan and Shinra Tensei truly were.

Even someone with the Uzumaki bloodline, like Nagato, couldn't withstand such absorption.

Currently, the most practical ability for Takumi was controlling gravity and repulsion, aside from manipulating puppets. Perhaps he could act as a puppet master, giving a lesson to the puppet troops of Sunagakure, showing them what the essence of puppet control really was.

"Thud... Thud..."

In the darkness, the stirrings of his eyes were particularly evident. Takumi lay quietly in bed, feeling the changes within him.

The strong and vigorous movements indicated that the merging of the Shinra Tensei was proceeding smoothly.

Late into the night, the lights in the Hokage office finally went out.

The Third Hokage, in his prime, wrapped up his work for the day, signaling that those who had been accompanying him could finally rest.

After tidying up, the Third Hokage prepared to head home. Just as he stepped out of his office, a member of the Anbu whispered, "Hokage-sama, Lady Mito would like to see you after work."

The Third Hokage paused for a moment. "I understand."

It was easy to guess Mito's intention in wanting to see him—it was, after all, concerning Kushina.

In the current Konoha, the only person worthy of Mito's concern was Kushina.

Accompanied by his Hokage guards, the Third Hokage arrived at the Senju ancestral home.

Uzumaki Mito had already been waiting for a while.

"Lady Mito."

The Third Hokage gestured for his guards to leave first and quickly walked towards Uzumaki Mito, bowing respectfully.