Naruto: The Perfect Hokage

Chapter 23: Moving to the Senju Mansion

"You've made a slight mistake in the formula here. Hmm, a little more practice is needed," Grandma Mito explained to me calmly. Sealing jutsu—or fuinjutsu—was really tough. Today was yet another day of my training with Grandma Mito, and as I started diving into advanced sealing techniques, it hit me that there were absolutely no shortcuts here. Fuinjutsu was all about careful, patient learning, and right now, I was only scratching the surface.

We'd been at it late into the evening today, almost reaching 9 o'clock. Tsunade, who had been trying to keep up, had already passed out and was sleeping soundly off to the side, drooling a little.

"Hmm... I guess it's already late. I should go now; I still have to cook dinner," I told Grandma Mito politely as I started to gather my things.

Mito nodded, then looked at me thoughtfully. "Indeed, you would have to cook... Akira, since you live alone, why don't you just move in here with us? You're like my grandson, and Tsunade would be happy to have you here too."

Before I could even think of a reply, Tsunade—who seemed to be 'sleeping' just a second ago—sprang awake, looking at me with wide, excited eyes. "Yes, Akira! Just move in here with us! It'll be so much fun! And I'm so bored in the house alone all the time. Mom and Dad are almost never here; it's just me and Grandma most of the time."

Moving here was actually a good idea. It would definitely be more convenient for training, and, let's be honest, a pretty great political move. Being around Mito, especially if people saw me as someone she cared for like family, could mean some nice connections. Plus, Tsunade wasn't wrong—it was boring to live alone. I'd been in this world for six years now, living in a small, quiet house the village had allotted me, and it wasn't exactly lively.

Even in my last life, I always had my sister May around. Living alone... well, it was pretty depressing. And, not that I'm thinking about it for any suspicious reasons, but living with Tsunade would definitely be nice. I mean, I'm definitely not a pedophile. I would totally wait until she's at least... eighteen. Okay, maybe sixteen. Or fifteen. Yeah, fifteen sounds good. They mature faster in this world, right?

And as Tsunade said, here too it's only Grandma Mito and Tsunade most of the time. I had met Tsuna's parents a few times; they were not mentioned in the original work, but her father, Yotohama Senju, although a good man, was quite the disappointment. Being the son of the ninja god and the strongest Uzumaki currently, he was simply too weak, only a jonin, not even a Kage level, her mother, Miyuki, was also a jonin, she was a civilian ninja though, and both of them were too dedicated to the village for their own good, since they were almost always on missions.

Anyways, that's for later. For now, "Alright, if it's not too much trouble, I'd be happy to," I said to Mito with a happy smile.

The next day, I was packing up my things from my house, which, truthfully, wasn't that much. Tsunade showed up early with a couple of the Senju servants to help me move, and she looked about as eager as someone on their birthday.

"It's great! I thought you'd never agree to this, it will be sooo much fun," she exclaimed, shoving an extra blanket into one of my bags.

"Yeah, yeah, it's not like I had anything against moving here. Just didn't know if I'd actually be welcome, you know?" I shrugged, tossing some clothes into another bag.

"Of course you're welcome! Grandma loves you like you're part of the family already, and I also don't mind you being here," she said confidently, though her face turned a bit red by the end. She then picked up one of my bags like it weighed nothing. Her strength really is scary...

One of the servants held the door open for us as I took a last look around the small place that had been my home. It wasn't much—just a little one-bedroom setup with a kitchen and bathroom—but it had been my space. Living alone had been lonely, sure, but this had still been my first home here. For a second, I thought I'd feel some kind of sadness leaving it, but honestly? The idea of moving to the Senju mansion was already overshadowing any nostalgia I could muster.

With a last glance, I muttered, "Well, guess this is it. On to bigger and better things."

Arriving at the Senju mansion, as I said before, this place was massive, with enough rooms and hallways to get lost in. The Senju family had clearly built this place with a prosperous future of their clan in mind. I was led to my new room, which was at least three times the size of my old house... yes, the room was larger than my entire house, with large windows overlooking the estate's gardens and more space than I knew what to do with.

Tsunade flopped down on the bed as soon as we got there. "Well, welcome home, Akira! What do you think? Better than that tiny house, right?"

I smirked, setting down the last of my bags. "Just a bit bigger, yeah. I might need a map to figure out where everything is."

She laughed, rolling over to look at me. "Oh, don't worry, I'll give you the grand tour. You'll be begging for a nap by the end of it!"

As I started unpacking, I felt a strange sense of excitement I hadn't experienced in a while. Being here was already making me feel more a part of this world than ever. It was weird; moving in didn't just feel like a shift in living arrangements. It felt like a new chapter, since now it wasn't me alone against the world, and I could be considered to have a family now.

Over the next few days, I settled into the Senju household routine. Training with Grandma Mito went on as usual, but now we had the added convenience of not needing to meet at a specific time or place. If she wanted me to come to her study or join her in the gardens to practice, it was only a short walk away.

There were also more meals together, something I hadn't realized I missed so much until now. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Mito and Tsunade made me feel part of their family. Sometimes Tsunade's parents and the 2nd Hokage, Tobirama, also joined us. It was... nice. Tsunade kept up her antics, always wanting to spar with me or test some new technique she was working on. She was really showing her violent tendencies... and Mito kept up her calm, guiding presence.

One morning, as we sat around the table after breakfast, Mito looked at me with a thoughtful expression.

"Akira," she started, "we've been thinking about your training, and I believe you might be ready to start learning about some of the more advanced concepts in fuinjutsu. Perhaps even a few secret techniques passed down within the Uzumaki clan."

I blinked, genuinely surprised. "Really? Are you sure I'm ready?"

She nodded, giving me a proud smile. "Absolutely. You've shown remarkable progress for your age, and it's clear you're dedicated. The Uzumaki clan has definitely the best fuinjutsu inheritance in the world, and learning it would definitely help you."

Tsunade leaned over, grinning mischievously. "Oh, don't get too excited. The secret techniques aren't that impressive, and they are very boring too, always about tying and locking things up."

Mito shot her a look, then turned back to me. "Don't listen to her. Some of these techniques could change the course of a battle, maybe even a war. But they require utmost discipline and responsibility."

I nodded seriously, even as my mind buzzed with excitement. My original goal was indeed to learn the secret techniques of the Uzumaki from Grandma Mito, though I might have over-succeeded in that, since she straight up adopted me...