Chapter 80: The First Birthday Banquet
Since Tsunade's birth, Masahiko had been frequently strolling through the streets of Konoha, mingling with the gossiping ladies at the market to find out which families had new babies.
In his memory, Orochimaru and Jiraiya seemed to be a little younger than Tsunade, but they were all born in the same year.
Orochimaru was easily found by Masahiko. Surprisingly, his parents were both civilian ninja from the first graduating class of the Ninja Academy. Masahiko had even met them when they were children, though he hadn't expected them to be Orochimaru's parents.
"The early establishment of the Ninja Academy... made Orochimaru's parents classmates with Hiruzen and the others. I wonder what impact that will have..." Masahiko murmured, feeling like his early establishment of the Academy might have caused something big.
Masahiko didn't disturb them. He watched baby Orochimaru from a distance and then left, continuing his journey to find Jiraiya.
There was really no way to disturb Orochimaru's parents. He couldn't exactly say: "I'm here to see the future great scientist, Uncle Snake."
They would think he was mentally ill...
He didn't know that the couple, who had suffered through his music classes at the academy, already considered him mentally ill.
The search for baby Jiraiya was not going well. By the middle of Year 11 of Konoha, Masahiko still hadn't heard of any family with a child named Jiraiya.
"My Toad Sage... I didn't erase him from existence, did I...?" Masahiko sighed.
"I remember Jiraiya was an orphan... Could he be an orphan from outside the village?" In the end, this was the only explanation Masahiko could find.
"Speaking of which, should Konoha build an orphanage?"
However, a few days later, Masahiko threw this idea to the back of his mind. He received news that the Senju clan was going to hold a "First Birthday Banquet" (Zhou Sui) for Tsunade.
"Does the ninja world even have such a thing?" Masahiko's face darkened. He had never heard of it.
After asking around, he learned that First Birthday Banquets were generally only held by the high nobility of the Land of Fire. As for the purpose... it was to rake in money.
"Isn't Kaori the highest nobility in the Land of Fire? In that case, it's not surprising."
"But Hashirama and Tobirama agreed to hold this... banquet? Isn't this just soliciting gifts from other ninjas...? Even the Hokage of Konoha has learned corruption..." Masahiko looked heartbroken.
The gift Masahiko would give Tsunade wasn't too troublesome. He could take this opportunity to give her the Katsuyu summoning scroll. Hashirama would probably give her that necklace. Tobirama...
Masahiko really couldn't guess what Tobirama would give.
Sure enough, on August 2nd, at Senju Tsunade's First Birthday Banquet, all the major ninja clans sent representatives to present their gifts. However...
"Monkey! What is the meaning of sending a stick? Do you want my Tsunade to become a monkey too?" Hashirama choked his disciple Hiruzen, speaking ruthlessly.
Hiruzen could only smile bitterly and apologize...
Masahiko's mouth twitched. In the distance, he heard Tsunade crying.
Walking closer, Masahiko covered his forehead helplessly. "Aburame clan... is it really okay to send a special insect as a gift?"
However... Tsunade as a child wasn't any different; she was actually afraid of bugs!
Masahiko glanced around and saw Kaori looking helpless and bewildered. He almost laughed out loud.
"A First Birthday Banquet..." Masahiko shook his head. "Kaori, you're going to turn the Senju clan into a weapon shop."
What kind of gifts could ninjas give? They couldn't give gold and jewelry like the nobles of the Land of Fire. So, looking at the pile of weapons on the table—kunai, shuriken, swords, blades... there was even a box of explosive tags, which Kenji hurriedly put away.
Better gifts included special soldier pills from the Akimichi clan and a pair of beautiful deer antlers from the Nara clan.
"My gift really is the best..." Masahiko nodded proudly and handed the Katsuyu summoning scroll to Kaori.
Kaori looked at it casually and placed it on the table, making Masahiko's face go dark.
"Miscalculation. Kaori isn't a ninja; she doesn't know the value... I should have given it to Kenji."
On the other side, Hashirama had let go of Sarutobi Hiruzen and went to comfort the crying Tsunade.
However, the prop he used to comfort Tsunade made Masahiko's face even darker. Wasn't that the dice cup Hashirama never let leave his side?
Tsunade actually stopped crying. She took the dice cup with both hands, shook it twice, and smiled, making Masahiko shake his head helplessly.
"A born gambler..."
"Thank you, Grandpa!" A crisp child's voice rang out, making Masahiko momentarily dazed.
"Right, a one-year-old Tsunade should be able to call people by name. How could I forget this?"
Masahiko quickly stepped forward, wanting to hear Tsunade call him Great-Great-Grandfather.
He squeezed past Hashirama and said, "Little Tsunade, do you know what to call me?"
Little Tsunade was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Old Ancestor."
"What the hell?" Masahiko muttered, correcting her, "It should be Great-Great-Grandfather!"
"Great-Grandpa, should she really call you Great-Great-Grandfather? I really didn't know what she should call 'Grandfather's Grandfather'... so I could only have her call you Old Ancestor." Kenji appeared beside them at some point.
Masahiko was about to mock him for his ignorance, but then fell silent. "In the chaotic Warring States, there has never been a family with five generations living under one roof..."
Hashirama clearly thought of this too, and instead smiled. "Tsunade, remember this. Grandfather's Grandfather is called Great-Great-Grandfather. There will be more and more of these titles in the future!"
Little Tsunade nodded ignorantly, but Masahiko became distressed.
"If there's a sixth generation in the future, what should they call me? Do they really have to call me Old Ancestor..." Masahiko really didn't know much about this. Even in his past life, six generations under one roof was basically impossible.
"Speaking of which, what should Naruto call me?"
While Masahiko was still thinking, someone gently nudged him. Tobirama had finally arrived.
"Oho, Lord Hokage is busy. As Tsunade's Great-Uncle, you're the last to arrive. Where's the gift?" Masahiko teased.
Tobirama sighed helplessly without explaining, gesturing with a special Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand.
Masahiko nodded slightly; this gift wasn't bad. Just as he was about to say something, Hashirama announced the start of the banquet.
Representatives from various clans took their seats. Masahiko shook his head and said nothing more; eating was more important.
The sumptuous dishes were placed on the table, almost comparable to the time Masahiko ate at the Daimyo's residence. The Senju had really spent a lot for Tsunade's birthday.
Masahiko didn't start eating immediately this time. Instead, he looked at the table where the gifts were placed with a smile. There was a thick layer of shuriken and kunai piled up. The few special gifts weren't overly valuable either. Ninjas really didn't know how to give gifts...
"I feel... without my summoning scroll, the Senju would have lost big this time."
"I really am a generous person..."
Masahiko nodded and started eating!
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