Summer was over, but the true feeling of summer had just begun again.
Maki still remembered when she was a child during summer vacation—because her parents were busy with work and school was closed—she was sent to stay with relatives in the countryside.
Back then, the sky was brilliantly blue and the water crystal clear. During the day, she would go to the creek to bathe, fish, catch shrimp and crabs, and hunt cicadas and beetles. In the afternoon, she would head back home, and at night, she would catch fireflies. That was how she spent her entire summer.
Now, although it was summer again, Maki no longer felt the same way about it.
"Why is it so hot?" she complained.
She glanced up at the sun as they stepped outside. The morning sun was already blazing fiercely, promising a scorching day ahead.
"I wish I had an air conditioner," Maki sighed.
For her, summer now meant lying in an air-conditioned room, covered with a quilt, and playing video games—without a care in the world or worries about work.
"Why are you here?" Maki asked weakly.
Underneath her clothes, a faint buzzing could be felt.
"Can't I come along?" Naori smiled. "The real summer has begun. Want something to eat?"
"You think you have too much money and nowhere to spend it," Maki teased. "I don't have time to play today."
"Oh," Naori said, a bit disappointed. Then she asked curiously, "What's that buzzing sound on you?"
"Physical cooling," Maki explained. "The temperature inside the insect nest is too high. The insects have to flap their wings desperately, as if fearing for their lives."
Naori looked puzzled. "Oh, where to next then?"
"Let's go to the Senju clan," Maki suggested.
"What's so interesting about the Senju? It's all old people with sour faces," Naori said.
"That's the Uchiha, not the Senju," Maki corrected.
"Oh, isn't that the same?"
"Well, basically, people with the surname Senju are all fools," Maki said, based on her usual observations.
"What about the Uchiha?" Naori asked.
"Uchiha…" Maki started, but then stopped.
"What are they like?"
Seeing Maki hesitate, Naori pressed.
"They're quite annoying."
"Really?" Naori asked. "What about me?"
"You're especially annoying," Maki replied.
During this rare holiday, Maki hoped for some peace and quiet, but it seemed impossible with Naori around.
This made Maki think back to the past.
Naori was like a little shadow following her cousin, and Maki was a little shadow behind her.
The cheerful laughter still seemed to echo faintly in Maki's ears, as if it were just yesterday in the summer.
"Hey!" Naori said with a smile. "That's not true!"
Maki walked ahead, and Naori followed behind. The cheerful and innocent laughter of a girl lingered in the air.
Involuntarily, Maki glanced back at Naori.
She had become Maki's childhood.
Maki always felt like a big sign saying "danger" was written on Naori's forehead.
After all, she was an Uchiha.
Maki couldn't help but laugh at the thought.
She worried that Naori might never open up like a Mangekyō.
That wasn't a bad thing.
They walked together.
The Senju clan was very spacious, with large houses and tall walls that made it look impressive.
But it was deserted.
Few people were walking around the clan grounds, mostly relaxed elderly folks.
Most young people lived in the lively villages nearby.
One big reason was that the land here wasn't very valuable.
Houses were cheap, too.
A ninja could settle in Konoha after just two years of missions.
On the eight-carriage avenue, people looked small as they passed by.
At the far end, Maki saw a woman approaching from a distance.
She was middle-aged, wearing a simple white kimono. Though she was old by ninja standards, her presence seemed more like that of someone entering the twilight of her life.
It wasn't her skin, but her demeanor.
She looked to be about the same age as the first and second generation Hokage— from the same era.
Speaking of which, Maki had met those generations a few times.
Though the two elders had met Maki, they certainly didn't remember her.
Back then, Maki hadn't yet controlled insects or worn her mask.
Hashirama spent the entire day showing Tsunade around the village. Sometimes they ran into Maki while she was making soy sauce, other times they bumped into her near the casino.
As for the Second Hokage, Maki had never seen the start of his legend, but during the war, she caught glimpses of him from afar at memorial services he hosted.
Once, it was Hashirama himself.
The Second Hokage had also appeared in person on one other occasion.
Maki had never seen the man with white eyes up close, but she could sense intuitively that he was incredibly strong.
Even without using her insect senses, she could tell.
He didn't wear Konoha's forehead protector, nor did he have the caged bird symbol on his forehead. Instead, his face was marked with different scars—burns from fire, stab wounds, and other injuries so severe that one of his white eyes was blind. His appearance was fierce, almost frightening.
He was from the Hyuga clan, and Maki had seen Hyuga's clan head before—a fair-skinned young man.
Compared to the man in front of her, the clan head seemed weaker.
Hyuga had been killed during the Warring States Period, and after Konoha was founded, the Hyuga clan's battlefield deeds had vanished from history.
What was interesting was that, as a clan member, this man had no guards around him—a rare sight in the village.
They met face to face.
The man stopped in front of Maki and Naori.
"Kurohime," he said gently. His voice was soft, and if you ignored his harsh features, he seemed like a kind person.
Maki naturally stopped and looked at the man from the Hyuga clan.
"I'll ask you to take good care of Hitomi from now on."
"Huh?" Maki asked, confused.
"Ha, don't worry. Hitomi is kind-hearted. You don't need to watch over her too carefully."
As he spoke, the man's gaze shifted to Naori, falling on the crest of her family.
An Uchiha appearing in Senju clan territory.
After Madara's defection, it was strange to see.
Were these two clever girls really that clueless? Or were they pretending not to understand?
Either way, it was none of his concern.
From his perspective—born in the Warring States Period—even a six-year-old child could be ruthless enough to cut down enemies on the battlefield.
No one should be careless.
But in the end, he was the one destined to die.
There was only one thing to worry about.
The man smiled casually.
"The little girl's name is Naori, right? Yesterday's exam was exciting. Hitomi didn't lose unfairly."
Naori smiled politely.
"If possible, don't lose to Hitomi," he said—not as a command, but as a request.
"I'll try my best," Naori nodded. "Hitomi is really strong."
"That's true," the man said with a smile. "Unlike her brother, that kid reminds me of myself."
"Sorry. People say strange things when they get older. Don't mind me," he added, then walked away.
"Strange person," Naori said.
"What's strange?" Maki asked.
"He feels very cold—like the elders in the clan—but at the same time, gentle," Naori said.
"Really?" Maki said. "Let's go. Better to watch and listen than talk. Be nice."
"Yeah," Naori agreed.
Naori didn't fully understand, but Maki pretended not to either.
With her identity as the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, the First Hokage's wife, and the Senju clan leader's disciple, it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of her a little.
She brought Naori along to listen quietly, and no one would say much, especially if Uzumaki Mito was okay with it.
That was no problem at all.
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