The Senju residence had been filled with the aroma of cocoa beans for three days straight.
Tobirama sat at his desk and looked out the window.
In the courtyard, several children from the Senju clan had gathered around Shin-chan, each holding a chocolate stick.
"Shinnosuke-nii, can chocolate sticks really be used to make peace?" a little girl with twin ponytails asked timidly.
"Of course." Shin-chan took two chocolate sticks from his pocket. "Look, this one is yours, and this one is mine. Let's say we have an argument."
He put on an exaggeratedly angry expression.
"'Shin-chan is an idiot!'"
The little girl burst out laughing.
"Then I say..." Shin-chan changed to a pitiful expression. "'I'm sorry. I was wrong. Can I give you this chocolate stick?'"
He held one of them out.
The girl accepted it. "Then do I have to forgive you?"
"It's not that you 'have to' forgive me. You'll 'want to' forgive me," Shin-chan corrected. "Eating a chocolate stick makes you feel better. Once you're in a better mood, you'll think, 'Why should I care about something so small?'"
The children in the courtyard nodded as though they partly understood.
Tobirama put down his pen and walked out of the room.
"Uncle Tobirama." When Shin-chan saw him, he immediately raised the chocolate stick in his hand. "Do you want to join us for afternoon tea? The kitchen auntie made a new batch. She said she added honey this time."
"No."
"Lord Tobirama." A little boy gathered his courage and stepped forward. "W-would you like a chocolate stick?"
The boy was only six years old. Usually, whenever he saw Tobirama, he was too afraid even to raise his head.
Tobirama looked at the child's outstretched hand, then at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan was blinking at him, clearly signalling, Take it, take it.
Tobirama remained silent for two seconds before reaching out and accepting the chocolate stick.
The little boy's face immediately turned bright red, and he spun around and ran back to the other children.
Tobirama lowered his head and examined the chocolate stick in his hand.
Its surface was glossy, and when he broke it, it really did make a crisp snap.
"Uncle Tobirama," Shin-chan leaned closer, "if you don't want to eat it, you can give it back to me."
"Who said I wasn't going to eat it?" Tobirama expressionlessly took a bite.
The sweetness melted in his mouth, accompanied by the fragrance of honey.
"Is it good?" Shin-chan looked at him expectantly.
"...It's acceptable."
"Only acceptable?" Shin-chan rubbed his chin. "I personally supervised this recipe through three rounds of improvements. The kitchen auntie said this sweetness is the perfect golden ratio."
"What golden ratio?" Hashirama's voice came from the courtyard entrance. "Let me try some too."
He strode over, took a chocolate stick from Shin-chan, and bit off a large piece.
"Mm, delicious! It's sweeter than the last batch!"
"That's because we added honey this time." Shin-chan raised one finger. "The honey came from a new apiary outside the village. The beekeeper said his bees collect nectar from the finest flowers."
"An apiary?" Tobirama frowned. "When did that open?"
"Last week," Hashirama said with a smile. "Shin-chan said it would be a waste not to raise bees when so many flowers bloom around the village, so I had the logistics department contact someone."
"You made the logistics department..."
"Is there a problem? Honey can be used to make desserts and medicine, and we can sell it to other villages for money. That's three benefits at once."
Tobirama stared at the half-eaten chocolate stick in Hashirama's hand and suddenly remembered something from many years ago.
Back when Konoha had only just been founded, he and his brother had been inspecting the village.
When they passed an empty plot of land, Hashirama suddenly said, "Tobirama, let's build a dessert shop here someday."
At the time, Tobirama had found the suggestion absurd.
"The village was only just established, and outside forces are watching us closely. Why would we build a dessert shop?"
"We need one." Hashirama had looked at that empty land. "The war is over. The people who survived need something sweet to remind themselves that surviving was worthwhile."
However, a training ground was eventually built on that plot of land.
Tobirama had always assumed his brother had forgotten the idea he had casually mentioned.
But now, as he watched Hashirama biting into a chocolate stick with that satisfied, pure smile on his face, Tobirama suddenly understood.
His brother had never forgotten.
He simply hadn't known how to make it happen.
"Tobirama," Hashirama suddenly called.
"Mm?"
"Do you think the Uchiha would enjoy chocolate sticks too?"
Shin-chan interrupted, "It doesn't have to be chocolate sticks. Ramen works too. Grandpa Third said there's no conflict that can't be solved with one bowl of ramen. And if one bowl isn't enough, add an extra serving of chashu."
Hashirama thought seriously for a moment. "Then should we invite the Uchiha to eat ramen?"
"No," Tobirama immediately rejected the idea. "The current situation is still unstable."
"We can secretly invite them," Shin-chan said, raising his hand.
"How do you secretly invite them?"
"Have the Senju children play with the Uchiha children," Shin-chan said. "They'll get hungry after playing. When they're hungry, they'll need to eat. While eating, they'll share ramen. Once they finish the ramen, they'll be friends."
Tobirama wanted to say that this was far too naïve.
The resentment between the Senju and Uchiha could not be resolved with a bowl of ramen.
But before the words could leave his mouth, he looked at the children in the courtyard.
They had gathered around Shin-chan, eagerly asking him to teach them the "Chocolate Stick Reconciliation Technique."
Suddenly, Tobirama couldn't say it.
"Let's try it," Hashirama said, patting Tobirama on the shoulder. "The worst that can happen is that we spend money on a few extra bowls of ramen."
Tobirama glanced at him. "You've already borrowed against your salary through next month."
"Then put it on Shin-chan's account." Hashirama waved broadly. "He's a Konoha ninja too."
Shin-chan: "..."
Three days later, beside a small river behind Konoha.
Four children from the Senju clan and three children from the Uchiha clan stared at one another with seven pairs of eyes. No one spoke.
Shin-chan stood in the middle, holding a large paper bag.
"First." He cleared his throat. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Nohara Shinnosuke, leader of the Chocolate Stick Alliance and chief officer of today's 'Ramen Diplomacy Operation.'"
An Uchiha child quietly asked, "What is ramen diplomacy?"
"It means using ramen to make friends." Shin-chan took seven chocolate sticks from the paper bag and handed one to each child. "Before we go eat ramen, let's have an appetiser."
The children accepted the chocolate sticks and cautiously took a bite.
Sweetness always had a way of breaking the ice.
A few minutes later, a little Senju girl gathered her courage and said to the Uchiha boy beside her, "Your eyes... are really pretty."
The Uchiha boy's face slowly turned red. "M-my Sharingan hasn't awakened yet..."
"What's a Sharingan?"
"It's the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan," an older Uchiha child explained. "After it awakens, our eyes turn red and tomoe appear inside them."
"Then they must look even prettier," the little Senju girl said seriously. "Like... like they have red bean paste inside!"
All the children burst into laughter.
Shin-chan nodded in satisfaction and took another seven chocolate sticks from the paper bag.
"Alright, the appetiser is finished. It's time to move on to the main event."
Leading the seven children behind him, Shin-chan marched grandly toward the village's shopping district.