He had thought it would take a whole day, but it only took half a day, which was faster than Torifu expected. It was all thanks to Madam Beni's amazing comprehension. He went in after the morning market, and by the time he came out, it was already past one in the afternoon. He wondered if Yahiko and Konan had practiced well.
Just as he walked onto the main street, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Hey, Hokage-sama? I just saw you in the office. How did you get out so fast?"
He turned around and saw that it was Maruboshi Kōsuke. Torifu's expression was calm, without any panic of being exposed.
"It was just a Shadow Clone. It's no big deal. Where are you going?"
Kōsuke smiled. "Haha, it's really no big deal. I'm going to take on a mission. I just finished reporting to your clone."
Torifu nodded. "Speaking of which, how are things going with your love life? Don't neglect your feelings just because you keep taking on missions. Shinku is doing very well."
Kōsuke sighed. "Oh, don't even get me started. Ever since the festival, Shinku has been like a different person, full of life every day. I'm all alone, so I can only use missions to numb myself."
Wow, it seemed that Kōsuke's resentment was a little strong.
"Isn't there a girl in the village you like? With your status as a Jonin, many girls should like you, right?"
Kōsuke nodded, but there was still no smile on his face. "That's true, but I prefer someone who is more sincere, and I haven't met anyone like that for a long time."
Torifu didn't expect this kid to have such high standards. If he wanted a sincere girl, there was nothing Torifu could do. He could only rely on himself to find one.
The two of them chatted for a while longer and then went their separate ways. After Torifu became the Hokage, his old friends like Kōsuke and Shinku started calling him "you" or "sama," but their feelings hadn't changed. They were just a little more respectful, which Torifu was very satisfied with. Otherwise, he would feel that there was a gap between him and his old friends, which was something Torifu didn't want.
After Torifu returned to the compound, he used Concealment Jutsu. Beginners like Yahiko and Konan, who had just refined chakra, couldn't detect Torifu.
He walked in and saw that Minato was indeed not at home. It seemed that he had gone on a mission with Sakumo again.
Yahiko and Konan were very serious and weren't slacking off. The two of them were sitting cross-legged in the pavilion of the compound, with their eyes closed in concentration. Torifu went back into the house and wrote a note, placing it on the table in front of the two children. Then he took out some money and put it on top of the note. None of this affected their training. Then Torifu left the compound.
The note told them to take care of their own lunch and that they could rest in the afternoon and didn't have to train so intensely. When they got hungry and opened their eyes, they would see the note.
With that, Torifu left Konoha with peace of mind. He didn't use the main gate. In a few flashes, he avoided all the ninjas and climbed over the city wall. Then he summoned Aokumo.
"Torifu, I think I just saw you go home. Is there something you can't say at home?"
Aokumo was a little confused. He had wanted to call out to Torifu at the time, but seeing his sneaky look, he decided not to disturb him. But now he was being summoned again. Wasn't this a bit redundant?
"The two children are training very seriously right now. If I had disturbed them, it would take a long time for them to get back into the zone, which is why I did that."
That was an acceptable reason, so Aokumo didn't dwell on it anymore.
"So, where are we going?"
"Do you still remember the place where we subdued the Tsuchigumo Clan? We're going there."
Aokumo thought back. Even though his memory was good, it had been more than a decade, and his memory was a little blurry. "I vaguely remember it. Let's just go and see. If it's wrong, we can just come back."
Torifu nodded. It was best if he remembered. If he didn't, it was okay. Torifu wouldn't say anything. After all, it was a place he had been to when he was a child. So many years had passed in a flash.
Now, the Tsuchigumo Clan had become quite successful in Konoha and had successfully joined the ranks of the great clans. Back then, they had a real big battle. For Torifu at the time, the En no Gyōja was a relatively strong opponent. But he was still no match for Torifu.
Aokumo flew in the direction he remembered. As the forest below gradually changed into a rainforest, Aokumo and Torifu's memories were slowly brought back. With that, Aokumo's speed also became faster and faster. In a little over an hour, he arrived at the lake from back then. The natural energy here was still so abundant.
The rainforest that was destroyed during the battle with En no Gyōja had also grown some young trees. After more than a decade of growth, they were now a decent size, and the area was full of life.
The sun was bright at this moment, casting layers of light on the lake.
"It feels like we're back in that time. Back then, Ryūfū and I hadn't learned Sage Mode and couldn't help at all. We could only watch the two of you fight."
Torifu nodded. "Yeah, but luckily, my strength was decent, or I really wouldn't have been able to take down En no Gyōja." In the battle in the Land of Rain, En no Gyōja had also helped a lot. If his forbidden jutsu hadn't been so powerful and had the potential to harm his allies, the Tsuchigumo Clan would have earned even more merits.
"Torifu, what are you doing here? It's beautiful, but it's not worth coming all this way just to see it, is it?"
Torifu smiled. "I'm going to set up a place to propose. I'm going to propose to Naori."
Aokumo scratched his head with a wing. "That's so troublesome. Do humans need to propose? Ryūfū and I just said 'whooha.'"
Torifu looked helpless. "You're an animal. You wouldn't understand."
Then he started setting up the scene on his own. Many of the materials were purchased directly from the system store, and he could even refresh the items. Aokumo wasn't really needed here, so Torifu released his summoning jutsu and sent him home to rest. He would summon him again when he was done.
Aokumo was happy with that and released the summoning jutsu himself before Torifu could.
He had spent a lot of Peace Points on a pile of materials and decorations, but it was a necessity. It was a sign of Torifu's seriousness about Naori. Naori's many years of companionship had made Torifu feel so secure that he had made her wait year after year. This could be considered an apology to Naori.