Arima stepped into the house and immediately noticed the cramped living room, with an old loom set right in the center. The cloth on it was halfway done.
Beside the loom were two bamboo baskets, one filled with freshly woven rough cloth, the other a tangled mess of yarn.
Next to it stood a low table, seemingly for Jiraiya's daily use. Random household items were scattered around, leaving barely any space to walk.
There was no fire going either. The place looked only a little better than completely bare, at least the roof kept out wind and rain.
Seeing this scene, Arima felt a pang of guilt. He thought, If I'd come by sooner, maybe I could've helped... at least given them a warm meal.
Yuka hurried to push the loom aside, clearing enough space for them to sit. Then she told Jiraiya to fetch some firewood to boil water for their guest.
Jiraiya happily skipped off to the kitchen, excited that his teacher had come for a home visit.
Arima sat down wherever he could find space. Seeing that he didn't mind the mess, Yuka stopped fussing and took a seat on the stool beside the loom.
Once seated, Arima got straight to the point.
"A few days ago, Jiraiya won first place in the school field trip contest. The prize was having one reasonable wish granted.
His request was for me to teach you how to make grilled meat. That way, you'll have a way to make a living, and life for you and Jiraiya can improve."
Yuka, a commoner by birth, had only learned basic weaving from her mother in her youth.
She never had any other real means of making a living and had been scraping by ever since.
Now, a man from a noble clan was willing to teach her a skill, of course she was thrilled.
She quickly nodded. "Thank you, sensei. I'm so grateful you look after Jiraiya."
Arima waved his hand.
"We're all part of this village. We're one big family. If I see someone in need, of course I'll help if I can. And besides, Jiraiya is my student. It's my responsibility to support him."
Yuka felt a deep warmth and gratitude. In these cold and indifferent times, kind people like Arima were rare.
Before Jiraiya returned, Arima stood and prepared to leave. He glanced at the small pile of coal by the wall, it was likely their only source of warmth.
When Jiraiya came back and found his teacher gone, he felt a tinge of disappointment.
Still, he was happy that Arima and his mother had already discussed things. He began to imagine the better life that lay ahead, filled with more hope for the future.
Meanwhile, Arima's real body had just returned home, carrying the sleeping Tsunade.
Seeing that his mother was already asleep, he tiptoed back to his room, gently placed Tsunade into bed, and washed up before lying down to sleep.
Just as he slipped under the covers, memories from his two shadow clones came flooding back.
He knew Orochimaru's parents, both elite Jonin, and exchanged a few polite words with them before leaving.
But Jiraiya's living conditions weighed more heavily on his mind. Arima made a silent promise to help the boy and his mother whenever possible.
As he was lost in thought, the system's voice echoed in his mind:
[A good deed done today. Tireless in teaching, eager to help others.
Rank: D
Score: 100/100
Virtue Points Gained: 100
Current Total Virtue Points: 1060.]
Arima smiled. These days, he helped others out of genuine intent. Years of doing the right thing had become a habit, not a means of collecting virtue points. Still, a little reward didn't hurt.
Before sleeping, he glanced at the girl snuggled peacefully beside him. With her by his side, a sense of calm washed over him. He closed his eyes and soon drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Arima was jolted awake by something heavy crashing down on him. His eyes shot open to find Tsunade lying on top of his blanket, grinning mischievously.
Realizing it was a false alarm, Arima let out a long breath.
Seeing she was only in her pajamas, he worried she might catch a chill. He quickly lifted the blanket and pulled her inside to keep warm.
After all that early morning chaos, Arima was wide awake. He looked into Tsunade's wide eyes and said in mock seriousness.
"Tsunade, you woke me up... what should I do about that? Should I punish you?"
He reached out to tickle her.
Tsunade wasn't about to surrender. She slipped her cold hands into Arima's robes in retaliation.
The icy touch made Arima shudder, and he immediately wrapped her tightly in the blanket again.
But the warmth inside had already escaped, so it took a while for the two of them to heat up again.
Tsunade nestled in his arms, feeling completely at ease.
This morning, the first thing she did when she woke up was check the other side of the bed.
Only when she saw her sleeping brother did she feel at peace. She'd been worried that everything from yesterday was just a dream.
She remembered how, for days, her beloved Arima had been replaced by a shadow clone. To keep her from finding out, he even deliberately avoided her.
That thought still made her a little mad. She decided to play a small prank, scare him and make him feel what it was like to be left hanging.
But now, wrapped in his embrace, all her anger melted away. No one else's arms felt quite like his.
Eventually, the two finally escaped the blanket's warmth.
Looking out at the bleak scene beyond the window, Arima thought, The first snow of winter isn't far off. When it comes, the frontlines will face even more challenges.
He remembered that today he'd planned a get-together with a few of his fellow disciples.
While helping Tsunade into her thick winter clothes, he asked, "Tsunade, your brother is meeting with some senpais this afternoon. Want to come along?"
Tsunade knew who he meant. She had some memory of Koharu, but barely any of the others.
Still, thinking about how her brother would one day be fighting alongside them on the battlefield, she wanted to meet them too. She nodded quickly. "I wanna go too."
Then she asked, "Arima-nii, is aunt Koharu going to be there too?"
Arima couldn't help but chuckle at how she addressed Koharu.
He knew Koharu hated being called "aunt" by Tsunade.
Every time Tsunade used that word, Koharu would tease her, and to retaliate, would sometimes hug Arima in front of her.
Naturally, Tsunade hated seeing anyone else hug her brother.
That was her special privilege as his little sister. So, she'd double down, calling Koharu "Aunt" again and again, just to provoke her.
In these verbal battles, Tsunade always ended up losing.
She was only four, no match for an adult.
Whenever Koharu teased her, saying she was a "Arima-obsessed girl," Tsunade would get all flustered, unable to think of a comeback, and could only pout and mumble.
"Hmph."
Then she'd comfort herself.
Hmph. Just wait till I grow up. I'll put Koharu in her place.
When I become Hokage, I'll make her do D-rank missions every day.
As Arima buttoned her up in her coat, she thought, This time I'm definitely going to get the upper hand on Koharu... or else my title as 'Konoha's Gambling Queen' will be a joke.
Picturing herself defeating Koharu, she started giggling to herself.
Arima looked at her silly grin and pinched her dainty little nose. "Quit daydreaming. Go wash up and eat. We'll teleport to school using Flying Thunder God."
Tsunade chirped, "Okay!" and dashed off to wash up.
In the kitchen, Arima saw that their mother had already prepared breakfast and packed a generous lunch for them.
It was filled with all his favorite dishes. He couldn't help but feel deeply grateful.
Having a mother is such a blessing.
After a leisurely breakfast, Arima grabbed their backpacks, hoisted Tsunade onto his back, and picked up a shuriken engraved with a Flying Thunder God seal.
In a flash, the two disappeared from the room.
They arrived at school just as the bell rang. Tsunade gave Arima a sweet kiss on the cheek before waving goodbye and running into her classroom.
Arima had no teaching duties today, so he headed to his office to go through the paperwork that had piled up over the last three days.
Among the stack, one proposal caught his eye, it was from Hiruzen, a suggestion about reforms to the academic curriculum. Curious, Arima read it carefully.
The main idea was to adjust the graduation age for genin to twelve, meaning students would now start at age six instead of four, followed by six years of formal ninja training.
Arima kept the document aside, planning to discuss it with his granduncle soon.
To him, Sarutobi was broad-minded, thoughtful, and kind.
By contrast, Danzo was far more stern, rarely smiling, and often used harsh methods against enemies. Still, his dedication to the village was never in doubt.
Koharu, in Arima's opinion, was too playful, always teasing him. But when it came to actual combat, she became extremely focused and serious.
The one thing that bothered Arima was how Koharu often pulled him into her arms.
Though she smelled nice, those soft mounds pressing against his chest always made him uncomfortably flustered.
Homura was a bit stiff and traditional, warmhearted but reserved. Arima's relationship with him was fairly neutral.
Akimichi was cheerful and loud, frequently inviting Arima over for meals.
Arima only went once, he was shocked by the clan's massive appetites and never dared go again, embarrassed that his portions barely counted as snacks among them.
And then there was Kagami... With him, Arima felt guilty.
After all, he had secretly transplanted the eyes of Kagami's clansmen.
Even though he had fully integrated Uchiha blood into his body, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had stolen something that didn't belong to him.
Thinking of that, Arima paused his work, gazing at the overcast sky outside. A heavy weight pressed on his heart. He wasn't sure how to face Kagami that afternoon.
Guess I'll just have to take it one step at a time.
Soon it was afternoon. School was over, and Arima wrapped up his day's work. He headed out to pick Tsunade up from her class for the gathering.
Just as he reached the office door, he heard footsteps outside. He opened it and spotted Tsunade standing out on the balcony.
Curious, he watched her crouch slightly, arms spread wide. In a flash, she launched herself at him, yelling, "Ninja Art: Tsunade Shuriken Technique."
Arima chuckled, sidestepped, and caught her midair with his right arm, holding her snugly at his waist.
Tsunade turned and pouted, "Hmph. Arima-nii. I want a hug."
Arima playfully scooped her up and set her on his shoulders. Then, with a body flicker, he took off.
Tsunade squealed in delight, clutching his hair tightly.
Arima winced as his scalp was yanked and let out a dry laugh. What a little menace...
He quickly activated Flying Thunder God, arriving instantly at the nearest marked location near the barbecue shop.
He cradled Tsunade back into his arms, rubbed his sore scalp, and flicked her forehead lightly.
Realizing she'd pulled too hard, Tsunade quickly massaged his head with her tiny hands.
Seeing her worried face, Arima's heart warmed. Definitely worth spoiling this mischief brat. Looks like she's going to be quite the handful when she grows up...
The two entered the barbecue shop and made their way to the private room they had reserved.
Just as they stepped inside, footsteps echoed behind them.
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