Chapter 003 – Kokuyo

[Year 69 – Early January – Konohagakure]

"Have you received word from Elder Tomura and Master Paku?", Ryuma asked Yui mentally, as they made their way from the Senju Compound to the Hyuga Residence, snow slowly drifting around them.

The Senju Clan resided near the outskirts of the village with the surrounding forest also belonging to the clan estate.

"Yes, Young Lord. Elder Tomura is already on his way back to Konoha from the Land of Water. He will arrive in a few days time with both his targets. Paku has also located his targets and will most likely be back tomorrow."

"The intel your Lordship provided seemed to have proved vital in completeing the mission fast and without any major problems along the way.", Yui reported dutifully, respect and devotion clear in her tone, as she didn't quite manage to hide her surprise either.

Yui, like the other two Outer Clan members, had been skeptical about the information their Young Lord had provided them with and the task concerning that intel. But being the faithful servants they were and having seen Ryuma's terrying genius first hand they kept their questions to themselves.

They may try to influence and raise Ryuma to be a worthy Clan Head, but they would never overstep their bounds as servants – their loyalty and subservience being unquestionable.

"Don't undersell their capabilities. Both of them are incredible Shinobi, which is the only reason I decided to send them in the first place.", Ryuma answered calmly, not shying away from giving compliments were they were deserved.

Through his Mind's Eye he knew that all three Outer Members didn't only have the chakra amount of at least Elite Jonin, but the refined way it moved through their bodies and how well contained it was, spoke volumes of their capabilities.

He had only managed to sense a few handful of people who were on equal footing with them in these aspects in the entire village.

Yui gave off a gentle smile at her Young Lord's honest praise of her companions, as she looked at Ryuma walking a single step in front of her.

Despite his small body and child-like outer appearance, she couldn't help but marvel at the calm and confidence he exuded.

'The Elder had been right, the Young Lord is truly our light of hope.', she thought in the privacy of her mind.

Suddenly a butterfly from the nearby forest flew out and landed on Ryuma's shoulder and it wasn't the only one. A few moments later, more and more began to gather around him, landing on his head and hanging of his clothes.

The boy though acted as if nothing was happening, as this wasn't an unusual occurence after all.

"Here to say good-bye, aren't you?", Ryuma communicated to the small lifeforms easily enough.

Their chakra signatures shining brightly in the view of his third eye, making it obvious that these weren't just normal butterflies.

They were his summons and the summons of the Outer Clan members, though they didn't get nearly as attached to them as they had to him for some reason.

Pushing some of his chakra to the surface of his body, he feed them all with it.

Raising his small hand, he looked at the completely black butterfly sitting on his index finger, before addressing them again.

"Kokuyo will come with me. The rest of you, please keep the compound safe in our absence.", saying so he placed the coal-black butterfly on one of his hair loopies, while the rest of them took flight after their small meal.

Kokuyo was his personal summon amongst her species and while she currently was only in her infancy, she had incredible potential for future growth.

Her species was also special, as they didn't need to be summoned from some place far away and could only spend a limited time with their summoners. Instead they lived in the woods belonging to the Senju Compound and could stay with their summoners indefinitely like that.

…

"Who is that child with Lady Yui?"

"Well, considering Lady Yui's background that child can only be the Senju Heir."

"Senju Heir? Isn't the Princess the last Senju?"

"What? Do you live under a rock? Have you not heard the rumors of her having a child?"

"You mean to say that that child is...?"

"Yes, he is the Princess's son and the last male Senju."

…

"Just look at him, such a cute little child!"

"Yes, yes, his face practically invites one to give his cheeks a firm pinch. Ahh, how I wish my grandson was this cute..."

…

"His hair, it has the same colour as the late Lord Second. This has to be good omen for the village!"

"Mhm, he must be a genius like Tobirama-sama. I am sure he will be an incredible shinobi, when he is older!"

…

As they walked through the streets of Konoha towards the Hyuga Compound, Ryuma could easily pick up the gossip and chatter from the passers-by.

Not only didn't they try to speak in low volumes, but his senses were also sharp since birth, which he owed to his heritage.

Still, Ryuma's face didn't show anything other than calm, seemingly not bothered by the side-chatter in the least.

Which was true in a way, as his mindset wasn't that of a inexperienced child, but that of a mature adult. Not being bothered by gossip and rumors wasn't something special for an adult afterall.

…

[Hyuga Compound]

A few minutes later they finally arrived before the Hyuga Compound. Approaching the gates, the other guests – Clan Heads from minor to great Clans and influential merchants – recognized Yui easily enough, which made their curiosity peak when it came to Ryuma.

Unlike Ryuma, who had never really left the Senju Clan grounds, Yui did so quite often.

As one of the founding clans of Konohagakure, the Senju Clan owned a lot of buisness in the village, something that Yui handled as the representative of the Senju Clan and face of the Moha Clan. The Senju Clan may be nearly extinct, but as long as the Outer Clan existed they would never allow the buisness of the Main Clan to fall to ruin.

Passing by the other guest, they reached the entrance to the Main Hall, where the celebrations were supposed to take place.

"Lady Yui, may I announce your arrival?", a guard/herald asked politely, implying that Yui should tell him the name of the child she brought with him, as even Ryuma's name had remained a mystery to outsiders.

„You may.", Yui answered, as she passed him a small piece of paper, making the guards eyes widen briefly.

…

"Heir of the Senju Clan, Ryuma Senju, and his company, Lady Yui of the Moha Clan!", the guard's loud voice announced, causing silence to descend onto the huge Main Hall.

Hiashi himself was frozen in shock for a moment.

They may have send an invitation to the Senju Clan as sign of goodwill and respect, but he had never thought they would accept, or send more than just a representative.

Of course, he and the other clanheads had heard about the child the Sanin Tsunade Senju had given birth to, but it was a hard-to-confirm fact, as the whole Senju Compound was basically isolated from the rest of the village.

Complicated and extensive seal formation making any attempt to spy on them an act of suicide, while at the same time the Outer Clan – the Moha – made sure to keep the child hidden away.

For them to appear to his daugther's fourth birthday was not only an unexpected surprise and honour, but also politically significant move.

Looking towards the entrance, he could see the crowd part ways for a silver-haired child and the mature black-haired beauty that was Yui Moha.

The boy didn't show anything but serenity, as countless gazes focused on him.

He simply walked towards the side of the room, where the seats of honor had been placed.

His neatly braided hair, spotless white-grey attire with the Senju Crest on his back and a black butterfly sitting on his left hair loopie, gave him a somewhat untainted and mysterious appearance.

As they arrived before him, Hiashi rose from his seat, causing Hinata – his daughter – to follow his lead.

"It is an honor to welcome the Senju Heir to the Hyuga Estate. Of course that includes your presence, Lady Yui. I am pleased to see that you have managed to make some time in your no doubt, busy schedule.", Hiashi said in a formal tone, without any emotions to his words.

"The pleasure is ours, and you have the thanks of the Young Lord and myself for the invitation. It was actually on the insistence of the Young Lord, that we came to attend your daughter's birthday celebrations, Lord Hyuga.", Yui answered in an equally professional tone, while bowing slightly.

Though, wether by accident or not, there seemed to be a slightly seductive note to her words.

Yui, as a female shinobi, had weapons in her arsenal that most male shinobi didn't and after a lifetime of honing these weapons to be used for the betterment of the Clan, they had almost become second nature to her.

„Is that so? Hmm.", Hiashi said, as he looked at the silver-haired boy, that unlike his own daughter seemed completely unfazed.

Pulling something from the storage seal on the inner pocket of his Haori, Ryuma revealed a delicate and beautiful black bracelet with a light purple gem.

Using a chakra string, he let it float above his palm and rotate slowly, causing Hinata's shy gaze to focus on the accessoire instead of Kokuyo.

"The Young Lord has designed and engraved the bracelet himself. Though as it is only an ordinary storage bracelet, another gift was prepared. That one I fear, will take some more time to arrive.", Yui explained calmly, as Ryuma used his Chakra String to move the bracelet into Hinata's hands.

The little girl couldn't help but blush, as she fiddled around with the expensive gift in her hands.

It was true that the bracelet was only an ordinary storage item, but that was compared to the other items produced by the late Uzumaki Clan through fuinjutsu.

Since the destruction of Uzioshigakure such items have become increasingly more rare and while still being something a wealthy Clan like the Hyuga could afford, it was a very valueable gift nonetheless.

The storage seals produced nowadays were all one-time use, limited in the objects that could be stored and could only be drawn on paper scrolls, which were easily damaged, resulting in the loss of all the sealed items.

A storage bracelet like the one Ryuma had just gifted to Hinata though, had none of these restrictions and was naturally several times harder to destroy.

Hiashi also realized the worth of the present, as well as noting the incredible chakra control the young boy had even at his age. And he wasn't the only one to realize these things.

A lot of the guest, especially shinobi, recognized the boy as a prodigy and the gift as a valueable asset.

There were also a small group of guests, who weren't happy about what they saw and heard at all. These were the four Kumo-nin, who had been sent to Konoha to sign a piece treaty.

Seeing the heir of one of the most feared clans in all of the Elemental Nations displaying great talent and casually flaunt his wealth, gave them a bad premonition about what that child could become once he had grown up into an adult.

The last thing that Kumogakure wanted to see was a second coming of Hashirama afterall, so they were resolved to report these urgent news to their village, after they had finished their current mission.