Seito stood where he was, motionless as he endured two completely different gazes.
One was Tobirama's scrutiny, calm and sharp.
The other was Hashirama's shock and confirmation.
There was no doubt left in those eyes, only the complicated emotion of "I seem to have suddenly gained a nephew."
Hashirama finally spoke first, his voice still carrying some lingering shock that had not completely faded. "This child... Tobirama, he looks way too much like you when you were young."
Tobirama did not answer immediately.
He simply continued staring at Seito. Something stirred slightly deep in his eyes, but he forcibly suppressed it.
Silence spread among the three for several seconds.
In the end, Tobirama calmly uttered two words.
"Come here."
"Father, Uncle."
Seito raised his head and looked at the two legendary figures before him. His voice was young, but exceptionally clear.
"My name is Seito. My mother was from a small clan in a remote area. A few years ago, the Senju and that small clan held a gathering. Lord Tobirama drank quite a lot that night... and later blacked out."
"Mother said she took care of you while you were drunk that night. Later... we had a relationship. She didn't say anything the next day and left on her own."
"After the people in the clan found out, they called her unchaste and ostracized her everywhere. Her health had already been poor, and she didn't hold on for long before dying. I had nowhere to go, so I could only come to seek refuge with you."
Seito told them everything, his eyes slightly red.
The courtyard fell silent at once.
Tobirama's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
He did remember that gathering. It had originally been an alliance between the two clans. He had drunk too much, and when he woke up the next day, he had been completely naked. He had assumed that he had gotten too hot in his sleep and pulled off his clothes.
He hadn't thought much of it at the time. He had washed his face and left.
Hashirama's memory was also brought back instantly.
He clearly remembered going to see his younger brother the next day. Tobirama had been lying naked on the bed, and he had even laughed and teased him with a couple of words, "How did you end up sleeping like this?" Tobirama had merely told him to get out with a cold expression.
Neither of them had thought in that direction.
After hearing what Seito had gone through, Hashirama's expression darkened at once.
"Tobirama! Look at what you've done! The child is already this old, and his mother was driven to her death by the clan because of this, while you knew nothing about it?! As his father, don't you bear any responsibility at all?"
Senju Hashirama turned to Tobirama and spoke with a rare hint of genuine anger.
"Big brother... this..."
Tobirama fell silent for a moment after being scolded, obvious disbelief still lingering in his eyes.
Had he... really inexplicably gained a son?
During this brief silence, Seito suddenly took half a step forward.
"Wait, look."
He formed a hand seal with one hand, turned his palm downward, and gently pressed it against the ground.
"Wood Release..."
The next moment, the ground cracked slightly. A tender green sprout broke through the soil, slowly growing and unfolding before everyone's eyes. In the end, it stopped at knee height, its leaves trembling slightly in the sunlight.
The entire clan courtyard fell completely silent.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Hashirama took a step forward, looking at the little branch with both surprise and delight. He then shouted, "Tobirama! If this kid isn't your son, I'll eat a Tailed Beast Ball raw!"
Tobirama stood where he was. For the first time, obvious shock appeared in his eyes.
Wood Release.
True Wood Release.
Although he himself couldn't use Wood Release, this was enough to prove that this child definitely had a connection to Senju Butsuma!
"My Sage of Six Paths!"
An elder practically jumped to his feet at once, his white brows trembling with excitement.
He looked at the branch, then at Seito's face, which was almost identical to Tobirama's in his childhood, and immediately spoke in a deep voice, "Tobirama, this is your child! Bloodline, Wood Release, appearance... everything matches. If you still refuse to acknowledge him, these old bones of ours will have to educate you according to clan law..."
Before he could finish, Hashirama had already followed up, his tone unusually serious. "Forget clan law. If Tobirama really wants to be a heartless man, as his big brother, I'll be the first to refuse!"
Tobirama was completely cornered by the two of them, one in front and one behind.
He looked at the little branch still swaying slightly in the courtyard, then at the silver-haired boy standing before him, trying to remain calm despite the tips of his ears turning slightly red. Finally, he let out a long breath, his voice carrying obvious helplessness.
"Sigh... you guys... I never said I wouldn't acknowledge him."
Senju Tobirama walked up to Seito. Rarely, he bent down, reached out, and somewhat awkwardly yet gently ruffled the boy's silver hair.
The movement was light, but carried the solemnity of having just confirmed their blood relation.
"Child, I'm sorry. You and your mother have suffered all these years."
Tobirama paused, then asked, "What's your name?"
"Seito," the boy answered.
Tobirama nodded, his voice becoming steady. "From today onward, your name is Senju Seito. I am your father."
As these words fell, Hashirama couldn't help but nod lightly, his eyes full of relief.
The elders around them also smiled one after another, exchanging glances.
With Wood Release, and as Tobirama's biological son...
From now on, the Senju clan would probably be able to firmly hold onto its position as Konoha's number one clan.
———
On the streets of Konoha, people came and went.
Inside an inconspicuous dango shop, Yumeko was lazily sitting by the window. Holding a bamboo skewer in one hand, she slowly bit into a dango while flipping through the Konoha Daily she had just bought.
In the most eye-catching spot on the newspaper, a line of large characters was printed,
[Senju Tobirama Blessed with a Son, Child Awakens Wood Release, Clan Shaken]
"F*ck!"
Yumeko's chewing abruptly stopped.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, brought the newspaper closer, and carefully read the entire report from beginning to end.
Silver hair, five years old, Wood Release, bloodline confirmed, acknowledged as kin on the spot... Every word was clear beyond doubt.
"Wait, did Senju Tobirama have a son in the original story?"
Yumeko silently asked herself.
The answer was, of course, no.
In her previous life, she had gone through who knew how much information related to Naruto. Senju Tobirama never married and had no descendants. That was practically an ironclad part of the setting.
But now?
A son had suddenly appeared, and he had even awakened Wood Release?
They're not even bothering to pretend anymore, are they?
Yumeko put the dango down on the table, the corner of her mouth twitching as she muttered, "These transmigrators... are getting more and more careless."
"They just directly become Senju Tobirama's son? And they even come with Wood Release? Aren't they afraid of being exposed and beaten to death..."
A variable of this level was no longer a minor disturbance. She had to report it immediately.
Yumeko took a deep breath and quickly formed hand seals.
The natural energy around her fluctuated faintly, and her Sage Art sensing instantly spread out.
The next moment, she sent information to that existence at an extremely high frequency, almost without interruption.
"Great Observer, are you there?"
"Emergency situation, a new transmigrator has appeared in Konoha."
"Identity, Senju Tobirama's biological son, currently named Senju Seito, five years old, has awakened Wood Release."
"This character does not exist in the original story. Variable level is extremely high."
"Requesting instructions."
The messages fired out like a barrage, again and again, for fear that the other party had not received them.