The destination Hii Kōri and his companions arrived at was, naturally, the Fire Country's main branch, located near the River Country.
Compared to the Wind Country branch, which prioritized functionality due to environmental constraints, the Fire Country branch was indeed far more livable.
The climate was mild, the products were abundant, transportation was convenient, and with the guild having also acquired the gold mines in the River Country, the Fire Country main branch could be called the guild's de facto headquarters with the strongest financial resources, the most complete facilities, and the highest concentration of daily administrative affairs.
Although everyone in the upper echelons knew that the so-called "headquarters" had never referred to a fixed location, but rather to wherever Hii Kōri himself was.
Wherever he was, the core of decision-making was there.
During this time, this vast complex which had already reached the scale of a small town when built had been expanding slowly but steadily, like slime mold on a culture plate.
Even Hii Kōri, returning after several months, felt a sense of novelty.
Sasori was more relaxed. Having grown up in the desert, he never really adapted to the damp, gloomy environment of the Land of Water. In comparison, the climate here in the Fire Country was far more agreeable.
Of course, the desert's evening breeze was also something he cherished.
Uchiha Hikari, meanwhile, remained the curious child. Even though she had some understanding of Hii Kōri's wealth, the impact of an entire "town" being under his control was still too much.
After all, this main branch was also a crystallization of the world's highest level of civilian technology.
The various scholars and specialists from different fields who had continuously gathered here no longer needed to worry about funding. They only needed to use their minds to the fullest, transforming the technologies they created into tangible, usable "products," or realizing the inspirations in Hii Kōri's mind that came from even farther horizons.
For technical personnel, there was no happier life than this.
"Hikari, go rest at that shop for a while."
Hii Kōri pulled out an ID card and handed it to Uchiha Hikari, pointing her in a direction. "I'll take Sasori to handle some work matters first."
That was the flagship store of a Red Hot Sand-affiliated chain restaurant. It not only offered a complete range of food, from street snacks to high-end ingredients, but also a series of experimental dishes not yet released to the public, along with new-style toy giveaways and collectible prize cards.
Thanks to the latter, the restaurant division's revenue had consistently ranked among the top across all industries.
Of course, the gachapon department next door wasn't far behind either.
Uchiha Hikari always listened to Hii Kōri. She nodded and went off to the restaurant to rest.
Then, Hii Kōri put on an employee ID card and, with Sasori, walked toward the main building of the office area—the location of the First Department, the Administration Section: S·R·A.
Staff members in guild uniforms hurried past carrying documents. The two passed through the busy front hall, registered with the security personnel using their employee cards, and then took the elevator to the top floor.
Then, under Sasori's gaze—lacking its usual highlights—he first led his nephew to the reception room.
Of course, Sasori thought. Director Akane of the Administration Section is Uncle's lover. They couldn't possibly talk about work right away.
Sasori was quite open-minded about his uncle's rather decadent private life—I definitely don't want to become like that. Women only slow down my blueprint drawing.
Regarding this, Hii Kōri reserved his opinion.
Don't be so absolute about the future. He himself had once thought he would remain an emotionless, heartless, merciless anti-human researcher.
"Knock knock~ Did someone order takeout?"
Hii Kōri pushed open the office door and performed some clumsy ventriloquism with a cheerful smile.
Akane, who had been a bit annoyed at the door being opened without a knock, relaxed her brow the moment she heard the voice she had been longing for without even looking up.
Her eyes brightened for an instant, then were immediately obscured by a mix of joy and reproach.
"So you finally remember to come back?"
Akane put down her pen, leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and said in a deliberately drawn-out tone, "My dear President, did you have fun playing around in the Land of Water? Did you ever think of little old me, who had just finished all that backlogged work and finally got a bit of relief, only to have you pile on a whole bunch of new work?"
Akane's complaint was not without reason. The framework of the Defense Section was not so easy to establish. Although every guild branch had subordinate security departments, the two were on completely different levels, and the work they were responsible for was worlds apart.
With both department directors absent, Akane's workload had been overwhelming.
"Oh dear, making our Queen work so hard this is truly a sin."
Listening to Akane's complaints, Hii Kōri slowly walked to the desk, vaulted over it with one hand on the surface, then bent down and gently put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace.
Akane's body stiffened for a moment, her lips pressed tightly together as if she wanted to say something more. But in the end, her words turned into a long exhale, almost like a sigh, as she let out all her tension along with it.
"You've worked hard, Akane."
In that steady, gentle tone, Akane's body seemed to melt. All her accumulated fatigue and irritability dissipated.
Akane didn't answer immediately. She lay limply in his embrace. After a few seconds, she rubbed her face against his chest and gave a muffled "Mm." "...Since you say so, I'll keep working a little harder."
"Though I'd like to say you don't need to work harder anymore, but that really won't do... I suppose this is proof of my own inadequacy."
"Stop it. You can't possibly take on all the work yourself."
Akane didn't look up; her voice remained muffled. As one of only three people who knew what this planet would face in the future, she was well aware of the kind of enemy Hii Kōri anticipated. So she would do everything in her power to help him.
"Alright, alright. Go get Sasori. It's time to handle work."
Lifting herself from Hii Kōri's embrace, Akane tidied her slightly messy hair. "Honestly, being appeased by just a few words like this—am I too accommodating?"
After this complaint, she couldn't help but laugh. She waved her hand, as if shooing away the overly soft atmosphere in the air.
"Okay."
Hii Kōri acknowledged and was about to leave the office when he heard Akane's voice again, now noticeably more sentimental.
"Tonight, remember to come have a drink with me."
"Of course. I look forward to it, Your Majesty~"
When Hii Kōri went to the restaurant to pick up Uchiha Hikari, she was alreadying a handful of new collectible cards, looking disappointed because she hadn't clutch pulled a Hii Kōri card—after all, the only ninjas she knew well at this point were Hii Kōri and Orochimaru.
Although with his ID card, Hikari could simply ask for a full set of cards in all rarities, the fun of such things lay in opening the packs yourself.
A box sells for 300 yen, after opening it's worth 30 yen that's another matter.
Logically, Hii Kōri should have taken Sasori and Hikari "home" first, at least to let Sasori see his cousin. But in the end, handling work matters was more important, so only Uchiha Hikari went "home" with Hii Kōri.
As for that "home"—it was the detached house where he had once lived with Tsunade, now renovated and expanded into a residence shared by Akane, Tsunade, and the three children.
The garden outside the newly expanded house had also been enlarged. Some cold-resistant flowers were emitting their last remaining fragrance in the late autumn. A large tree near the edge of the yard had two simple swings tied to it.
Using the key he had never changed, he opened the door to find Tsunade sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, gently rocking a bassinet and humming a lullaby to Hii Ren, who would turn one in about three months.
Shizune and Sara were already at school age, currently attending the guild's school on the premises. So only Tsunade and her son were at home.
Although winter hadn't arrived yet, the late autumn sunlight still had a drowsy magic to it.
In the sunlight, Tsunade wore loose, comfortable loungewear. Her golden hair, not tied up as usual, was casually draped over her shoulders, flowing with a honey-like luster in the light.
Her movements were very gentle, radiating a tranquil maternal aura completely different from her former wild, heroic demeanor.
Even though she noticed the presence of Hii Kōri and a stranger, she didn't say anything. She simply turned, raised her hand, and placed a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
Hii Kōri nodded in understanding, signaling Hikari to be quiet, then lightened his step and tiptoed to the bassinet to look down.
Inside the bassinet, a chubby baby slept soundly. His soft hair, inherited from Tsunade, now covered the top of his head. His eyelashes were long and thick, gently swaying with his steady breathing.
That was his son, Hii Ren.
Compared to the wrinkled, crumpled look he had at birth, Ren was now far, far cutter.
He raised his hand and placed a barrier around the bassinet that could block external noises while allowing sounds from inside to pass through.
"So, you only come back when you need me?"
Only then did Tsunade turn her head and look up at him.
Her face was rounder than before giving birth, her complexion good, her skin almost translucent in the sunlight. Her eyes, always full of pride and vitality, like dark amber, now held a hint of reproach.
Even with the barrier in place, she kept her voice low, clearly afraid of waking her newly asleep son, but the dissatisfaction in her tone was clear.
It was evident that even with Akane's company, her postpartum emotions over these months had been somewhat unstable.
But this was what Hii Kōri deserved. Who told him to go wandering right after the baby turned one month old? And the messages he sent back came through well the mouths of "certain sisters," asking her to contact her old teammate in Konoha.
He had brought it upon himself.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Hii Kōri didn't argue. He simply raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
Tsunade looked at him like that, snorted, and gave him a sharp glare before looking away, her gaze falling on the quietly standing black-haired girl behind him.
"And this child is?"
Tsunade asked, the dissatisfaction in her voice fading slightly.
She had long since grown accustomed to Hii Kōri's habit of "picking up" promising children to take in as disciples or subordinates. With Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, and all those orphans as precedent, one more girl wasn't surprising.
"Oh, Hikari?"
Hii Kōri introduced her with interest, a mischievous smile appearing on his face. He waved at Hikari, and the girl happily ran to his side.
"In terms of seniority, you could say she's from our ancestors' generation."
"...Huh?"
Tsunade's eye twitched. She didn't understand a word of Hii Kōri's "nonsense."
"She's someone I dug out of some ruins in the Land of Fire. An Uchiha who was sealed away for centuries during the Warring States period~"
In that instant, countless formulas and theorems flashed through Tsunade's mind—from the Big Bang to the origin of life—all in that one moment.
"A Warring States period... Uchiha?"
She wore a blank, almost comically stunned expression, her gaze shifting between Hii Kōri and the girl who looked about twelve or thirteen.
"Mm-hmm. That's right. And this is Tsunade, the current princess of the Senju, and the mother of my child."
Harboring a subtle sense of amusement, Hii Kōri also introduced Tsunade to Hikari.
And just like that, in this room, pure-blooded members of the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans had all gathered together.
Quite a rare scene, indeed.
"Not your wife?"
But the focus of Uchiha Hikari's attention was elsewhere. Her aversion to the Senju, Sarutobi, and Uchiha clans was one thing, but at least by Hii Kōri's side, she wasn't so tactless as to display hostility indiscriminately.
"Ah, well..."
Hii Kōri scratched his cheek, his smile somewhat subtle. "The relationship between Tsunade and me is rather complicated."
He took the still-dazed Tsunade's hand, led her to sit on the sofa, then waved at Hikari. He reached for an orange from the fruit bowl on the side table, skillfully peeled it, broke off a segment, and brought it to Tsunade's lips.
Tsunade instinctively opened her mouth and ate it, then immediately twisted her brow at the sourness, her whole face scrunching up.
"You're so mean!"
She complained vaguely, raised her hand, and Hii Kōri's shoulder a not-too-hard slap, then promptly snatched the remaining orange from his hand and ate it, segment by segment.
She didn't actually dislike that fresh sourness. In comparison, she liked sweet flavors even less, especially the sweet soy sauce taste of dango skewers.
And after giving birth to Ren, her preference for sour flavors had only grown stronger.
"So, you came back this time to add to Akane's workload—"
Tsunade finished the orange, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and glanced sideways at Hii Kōri. "—and then to piss me off?"
She had heard from Akane a couple of days ago that Hii Kōri was coming. After all, coordinating the Defense Section's work required advance preparation.
"I'm not so heartless as to do that, am I?"
Hii Kōri held Tsunade's hand, his fingertips gently stroking her palm, and narrowed his eyes as he remarked, "But... there is something I want you to come back to Sunagakure with me to see."
"...What kind of thing?"
Hearing his tone, Tsunade became somewhat more serious.
After all, Hii Kōri had previously avoided mentioning going to Sunagakure out of consideration for her feelings. If he was bringing it up now, there must be a more important reason.
"The ultimate medical ninjutsu that I have developed."