The Land of Artisans was an island nation, and therefore its territory couldn't be considered vast. However, this was only when compared to the Five Great Nations. In terms of sheer area, it couldn't really be called a small country; at the very least, it was significantly larger than places like the Land of Waves or the Land of Whirlpools.
But in terms of combat power, there was no gap between it and the Land of Waves, because it was a country without a hidden ninja village. Geographically, the Land of Artisans was located to the southwest of the Land of Water, wedged in the ocean between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire.
As for the country's defining feature, it lived up to its name. Legend had it that starting with a legendary swordsmith named Totosai, the Land of Artisans became renowned for its hand-forged craftsmanship. Although many tales were impossible to verify, rumors claimed that the world-famous Kusanagi sword was forged right here.
According to a certain law of the universe, divine artifacts absolutely could not be mass-produced on an assembly line. After all, only uniqueness and exclusivity could highlight an item's true value. Therefore, they were mostly born by chance in small, humble workshops.
Divine weapons were often slapped with the label: Purely Handmade by a Single Artisan.
Of course, the story currently unfolding in the Land of Artisans had nothing to do with swordsmiths or divine swords; they were, at best, just a backdrop.
"Welcome, customer..."
On this day, a young person walked into a certain bar.
"Please, have a seat over here."
Faced with the host's warm hospitality, the young person verbally declined.
"No, thank you. I'm meeting someone."
Saying this, the young person revealed a gentle smile and pointed a right finger toward a corner in the back of the room.
There was indeed a table with guests there.
"Ah, my apologies then. Please, right this way."
After the shopkeeper apologized, the young person nodded at him and walked further inside... This was a person whose face and smile were incredibly modest and gentle. Or perhaps the word "beautiful" would be more appropriate to describe this youth?
So, the question naturally arose: was this person male or female?
It was something worth pondering...
Also... wait, what was that thing strapped to their back?
As for Hagoromo, whether it was by coincidence or by design, the ninja world was ultimately only so big. In short, he had found his lifeline.
He walked to the very back of the room and stood in front of a bleary-eyed beauty.
Faced with the person who had walked straight up to her, Tsunade clearly couldn't recognize who it was for a moment. She merely squinted her eyes and stared at him repeatedly.
Hagoromo smiled, paying no mind to her reaction. He spoke to the person who could recognize him: "Shizune, it's been a long time."
The full-time nanny, Shizune, was indeed able to recognize Hagoromo.
"You know Shizune? Who are you again, kid?"
Tsunade's cheeks were flushed, and her reactions weren't exactly sharp, indicating a very real and profound truth... she had definitely had too much to drink.
"Hagoromo. Kamishiro Hagoromo."
Just as Shizune was about to explain to the frequently embarrassing Konoha Princess exactly who was standing in front of them, Hagoromo spoke up first, stating his own identity.
"What, it's just you."
From Tsunade's tone, it was impossible to tell whether Hagoromo's appearance brought the joy of reuniting with an old friend, or the annoyance of being interrupted by someone she didn't want to see. However, the tone did resemble the casual greeting of old friends who saw each other often.
It wasn't surprising that Shizune recognized Hagoromo; after all, she wasn't drunk, and his face hadn't really changed over the years.
And it was perfectly normal that Tsunade didn't recognize him. With her current state of inebriation, no matter how hard she tried, her eyes couldn't focus—she probably couldn't even see Hagoromo's face clearly.
The three prohibitions for a ninja: money, alcohol, and women. Tsunade monopolized all three.
Furthermore, the last time Tsunade saw Hagoromo, he was noticeably shorter than her. Now, Hagoromo had surpassed her in height by more than fifteen centimeters.
More importantly, the current Hagoromo's aesthetic was completely different from before. Tsunade had never even seen his "Gourd Boy" phase, so Hagoromo completely failed to overlap with the image in her memory.
If one had to describe Hagoromo's current style of dress, it was actually quite easy: his outfit was 90% identical to the Medicine Seller. If Hagoromo just tied a bandana around his head like Zoro, he could perfectly impersonate him.
Compared to his previous 100% generic extra outfit, Hagoromo's current attire could absolutely be called flamboyant. In fact, it made him look a bit more androgynous.
Had Hagoromo abandoned his low-profile way of doing things? Not exactly.
"Why did you change to this kind of style? This isn't like the old you, is it?" Tsunade asked. Once the person matched the name, Tsunade just blurted out whatever came to mind. Perhaps in her eyes, the current Hagoromo was no different from the snot-nosed kid from before.
Why change his aesthetic? In truth, there was a profound reason behind it.
Hagoromo was just about to explain when a voice suddenly piped up from behind him.
"Hagoromo, you're blocking my way. I can't see the front."
Without a doubt, it was a little girl's voice.
Resting horizontally across Hagoromo's lower back was a massive scroll, and stepping on top of that scroll, clinging to his back, was a tiny person.
She was clearly very curious about who Hagoromo was talking to, but due to her height, no matter how hard she stood on her tiptoes, she could at most peek her little head over Hagoromo's shoulder.
Even if she hopped gently, she would only reveal a bit of her forehead... Just as she said, Hagoromo was blocking her line of sight completely.
After her efforts proved fruitless, she had no choice but to change tactics... A tiny hand pushed Hagoromo's right arm aside, and through the gap next to his body, a pair of curious eyes peered out.
This scene happened so abruptly that the sake cup in Tsunade's hand slipped and clattered onto the table... Who would have thought there was a tiny person hiding behind Hagoromo?
Her drunkenness vanished by more than half in an instant.
"Mirai, I've been carrying you on my back for a long time now. You should be rested enough, right? You can come down."
"...Mhm, I am fully revived. I express my most sincere gratitude to Hagoromo."
Although her tone was deliberately serious, it was impossible to hear the word "sincere" in her voice.
As she spoke, Mirai climbed down from Hagoromo's back. She then stepped around to his left side and reached out her own left hand, grasping Hagoromo's right hand.
Together, these two disproportionate hands formed a simple hand sign. Instantly, the massive scroll behind Hagoromo shrank and dropped to the floor.
Mirai bent down, picked up the scroll, and stuffed it into a small pouch on her back... The sole purpose of this scroll was to act as a footstool whenever she needed Hagoromo to carry her.
This was probably the most highly-specialized scroll Hagoromo had ever created...
Tsunade looked closely at the child before her... A light blue yukata, red hair tied at the very ends behind her back, obsidian-like eyes, a dark blue scarf wrapped around her neck, and clipped to the collar of her top was a black, horn-like hairpin that gleamed faintly.
"This child is..."
No matter how you looked at it, the shadow of Kushina could be seen in that face—especially for someone like Tsunade, who had known what Kushina looked like as a child.
"Yes. Mirai is one of the final treasures left behind by Minato and Kushina..."
"Her name is Mirai? ...But, what I meant was, she can already weave signs? Even if she did it together with you."
Did this trigger some memories? Tsunade's follow-up question felt more like she was changing the subject.
The fact that Mirai could weave signs wasn't something entirely shocking. She was nearly five years old. For a horizontal comparison, at her age, Kakashi was being prepared to score kills on the battlefield.
But Mirai's talent as a ninja did not lie there... Hagoromo had indeed come here by chance, but how was he able to pinpoint Tsunade's exact location? He didn't rely on Katsuyu this time.
He relied on Kagura's Mind Eye... Mirai Uzumaki's Kagura's Mind Eye.
"Actually, she has no problem weaving signs by herself, it's just that..."
"It's just that right now, I am Hagoromo's left hand," Mirai interjected before Hagoromo could finish, her childish voice even carrying a hint of a sense of duty.
Because she was his left hand, she had to cooperate with Hagoromo—who could currently only use his right hand—to complete a hand sign.
"Ahem. Mirai, let me introduce you to the person in front of us..." Hagoromo wanted to introduce Tsunade's identity, but for a moment, he couldn't think of how Mirai should address her.
"Auntie? Ma'am? Uh... Grandma?"
With every new word Hagoromo tried, Tsunade's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
Clearly, clearly defining the generational gap was not something Tsunade wanted to see.
Fortunately, Mirai promptly stopped Hagoromo's suicidal behavior. Biting her lip slightly, she uttered the most accurate and flattering title possible for an older single woman in this situation:
"Hello, Big Sister."
Tsunade nodded gently. Mhm, this child has been raised well.