Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Candy You Owe Me
The meeting adjourned.
The clan leaders filtered out of the main hall in small groups, exchanging formal bows as they bid each other farewell.
Hashirama was the last to leave. He chatted politely with the others while casually undoing the top button of his collar. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Clan Leader Hagoromo preparing to take his leave and called out to him.
"Clan Leader Hagoromo, don’t you have a boy around your house as well? Did he come along?"
Clan Leader Hagoromo turned back. "Kaede? Yes, he’s here. I had him wait in the courtyard."
"The courtyard?" Hashirama thought for a moment. "Little Tsunade was just over there."
He rubbed his chin, a subtle, peculiar expression crossing his face. "How old is your son?"
"Four."
"Then he’s probably being bullied," Hashirama said nonchalantly. "My granddaughter likes to pick fights with everyone she meets. Last time, she rode a seven-year-old like a horse and beat him up. When the boy’s father came to complain, I had to apologize with three boxes of sweets."
While Clan Leader Hagoromo maintained a polite smile and replied that "children will be children," his pace unconsciously quickened. No matter how brilliant Kaede was, he was only four. When facing the granddaughter of the First Hokage, anything could happen.
The two men walked through the corridor and rounded a low wall.
The scene in the pavilion caused Hashirama to pause mid-step.
The "little terror" who enjoyed beating up seven-year-olds was currently sitting perfectly still on the steps. Her short legs were pressed together, her back was straight as an arrow, and a dice cup sat before her.
Sitting beside her was the four-year-old boy—Hagoromo Kaede.
He reached out and gently adjusted Tsunade’s wrist.
"Too tight. Loosen it a bit."
"Like this?"
"Use this part of your hand when you flick it."
"Oh."
Tsunade looked down and followed his instructions. The dice rattled with a muffled thud inside the cup, sounding far more stable than before.
"By the way..."
A smile tugged at the corner of Tsunade’s mouth, but she quickly forced her face back into a serious expression and continued practicing.
Hashirama stood behind the low wall, watching them for a few seconds in silence.
Clan Leader Hagoromo stole a glance at Hashirama’s face. The smile was still there, but his eyes had narrowed.
The Clan Leader knew this expression all too well. It was the exact look Hashirama wore during high-level meetings whenever someone said something inappropriate.
Hashirama stepped forward, his footsteps neither too heavy nor too light.
Both children in the pavilion looked up simultaneously.
The moment Tsunade saw Hashirama, she opened her mouth to shout—but then suddenly hid the dice cup behind her back, as if afraid it would be confiscated.
"Grandpa! Your meeting’s over?"
Her tone was joyful, but she didn’t move an inch from her spot.
Hashirama crouched down. He looked at Tsunade first, reaching out to pinch her cheek. "Have you been crying?"
There were still faint, un-wiped tear stains on her face. She tilted her head away to dodge him. "I have not!"
Hashirama didn’t press the issue and shifted his gaze to Kitahara Kaede.
The four-year-old sat with perfect posture and a calm expression. There was no attempt to flatter, no nervousness, and no forced reverence. He simply sat there naturally, as if the man crouching in front of him wasn’t the First Hokage.
"Lord Hashirama."
Not "Lord Hokage," but "Lord Hashirama." He used the name, not the title.
Hashirama’s eyebrow twitched slightly, though he didn’t comment on it. He glanced at the small mountain of candy piled up in the pavilion, then at the dice cup hidden behind Tsunade’s back.
"You taught her this?"
"She wanted to learn."
Tsunade interrupted, "I asked him to teach me!"
Hashirama ignored her. He picked up a die and spun it on his fingertip before setting it back down.
"Four years old, and you can already manipulate dice with your hands."
The statement was delivered lightly—sounding like a compliment, yet feeling like an evaluation.
Kitahara Kaede didn’t deny it, nor did he offer any unnecessary modesty.
Hashirama looked at him and suddenly let out a short laugh. He pulled the dice cup toward himself and set it down.
"Play a round with me."
The First Hokage was about to gamble with a four-year-old.
Seeing how obediently Tsunade had been listening—that particular look—was something any grandfather would understand.
’How long have you even been here? A few hours? I’ve raised her for three years and she throws a tantrum with everyone, yet she actually listens to everything you say.’
Kitahara Kaede didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he glanced at Tsunade.
"Let her play?"
Hashirama blinked.
Ignoring the expression on the Hokage’s face, Kitahara Kaede continued, "She just learned. This is a good chance for her to try it out."
He looked down at Tsunade. "Remember what I taught you?"
"...I remember." Tsunade gripped the dice cup tightly.
"That’s enough." He paused. "Win it yourself."
Only three words, but Tsunade understood perfectly. She bit her lip and slammed the dice cup onto the ground with a *clack*.
"Bring it!"
Looking at the spirited little girl opposite him, Hashirama felt an indescribable sensation in his heart. This was his granddaughter, the girl he had raised since she was a baby. She had played the spoiled brat, thrown tantrums, and cried in front of him countless times, but she had never worn an expression like this.
Hashirama picked up the cup and gave it a few casual shakes.
He had intended to play seriously, but seeing Tsunade gripping the cup so tightly with her little face set in a mask of solemnity, he instinctively held back a little.
He wasn’t throwing the game, just dialing it back. He controlled the dice to land on a four and a five.
Nine points. Neither too high nor too low.
It was Tsunade’s turn.
Mimicking Kitahara Kaede’s movements, she gripped the cup and flicked her wrist inward. Her movements were still raw and the arc was a bit too wide; she hesitated slightly during the release, but the dice didn’t scatter.
She slammed the cup down.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted it.
A six and a five.
Eleven points.
Tsunade froze, stunned.
Kitahara Kaede gave her shoulder a light nudge. "You won."
Tsunade snapped back to reality. She leaped up, her high ponytail whipping through the air.
"I won!"
She rushed up to Hashirama. "Grandpa! I really won this time! You didn’t let me win!"
Hashirama sat there. He had rolled a nine, which wasn’t low. Not many people could consistently roll over ten with a casual shake.
And she had mastered it after learning for such a short time.
His gaze shifted past Tsunade to Kitahara Kaede. The boy remained sitting quietly where he was. There was no desire for credit on his face, nor was there a "see how well I taught her" expression. He just sat there, serene.
Hashirama remained silent for two seconds.
"Kid."
Kitahara Kaede looked up.
"You can come and play with little Tsunade more often from now on."
Tsunade’s ears perked up, and her eyes lit up instantly. "Really?!"
"Really."
Tsunade turned to Kitahara Kaede and lifted her chin haughtily. Her expression clearly screamed: *Did you hear that?*
Kitahara Kaede stood up and gave a polite bow. "Thank you, Lord Hashirama."
Hashirama nodded and took Tsunade’s hand to lead her back. After a few steps, Tsunade suddenly broke free from his grip and ran back a few paces.
"Hey!"
Kitahara Kaede looked over.
"What’s your name?" she asked. They had been gambling for half the afternoon, and she realized she hadn’t even asked.
"Hagoromo Kaede."
Tsunade’s lips moved as she repeated the name silently.
"Kaede—bring more candy next time you come. You still owe me."
"Didn’t I already pay you back?"
"That was you giving me candy; that’s different from what you *owe* me! You still owe me double!"
Kitahara Kaede opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Hashirama listened from the side. The four-year-old who had remained completely unfazed in the face of the Hokage was now rendered speechless by his granddaughter’s debt collection.
Hashirama let out a huff.
He felt a little bit better.
Just a little bit.
...
On the way back, Clan Leader Hagoromo walked in silence for a long time, several times starting to speak and then stopping. Finally, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.
"Kaede... Lord First told you that you can go play with Lady Tsunade often."
"Mm."
He wanted to say more, but looking at his son’s impassive profile, he swallowed his words.
Walking behind them, Kitahara Kaede stared straight ahead. A light screen popped up in his mind.
[Side Quest: First Meeting — Completed.]
System Evaluation
[Final Evaluation: S-Rank.]
[Evaluation Details: You have successfully left a profound first impression on the target. Not only have you gained their favor and trust, but you have also earned the recognition of a key figure, Hashirama Senju. The dual personas of "Genius" and "Reliable Comrade" have been successfully established.]
[Reward Settlement: Permanent +5% increase to Chakra Extraction Efficiency.]
[Note: This reward is a percentage bonus and will scale proportionally as the host’s total chakra capacity increases.]
Kitahara Kaede’s gaze lingered on the words "percentage bonus."
’It’s not a fixed value.’
At the moment, a 5% increase was barely noticeable.
’But in the future, when my chakra reserves grow tenfold or a hundredfold—’
’That 5% will scale right along with it.’
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