Naruto from Warring states period

Hidden Valley Village

On the road, as Madara and the others walked, the villagers were observing them, their conversations a low hum.

"Those are new faces, aren't they? I haven't seen them around before," remarked Civilian 1.

"The three men are wearing armor, and that woman is incredibly beautiful," commented Civilian 2.

"They must be guests of Ryuu-sama. Look, Eichi-sama is with them," added Civilian 3.

The villagers, though curious, were not intimidated. They regarded the visitors with a mixture of welcome and respectful distance.

"These commoners seem genuinely happy," Hashirama observed, "and they don't fear us."

"Ryuu is quite popular here, it seems,"

Tobirama added.

Following Eichi, the group reached the designated guest house.

Ryuu's House

"Grandma Saya, I'm home!" Ryuu announced, entering the house.

"Oh, my little Ryuu has returned!" his grandmother exclaimed, her face beaming.

"Are you hungry? I made something just now."

"No, Grandma, I'm not hungry. I already ate."

"Alright, then."

They settled down, and Ryuu recounted his journey to Konoha, mentioning the arrival of the four Konoha giants.

Guest House

The guests were accommodated in a spacious guest house, attended to by a team of servants.

In one of the rooms, Hashirama and the others were gathered.

"This village is truly beautiful," Hashirama remarked, "and everyone seems so content. There's no visible social stratification."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"That's because this village is primarily composed of civilian ninjas," Tobirama explained.

"Even so," Madara countered, "they're not weaker than any major clan. There are many shadow-level shinobi here, and there's also that impressive puppet statue."

"Right, let's explore the village. I'm eager to see more of it," Hashirama declared.

A servant approached, "Sir, do you require anything?"

"No, thank you. We're going to explore the village," Hashirama replied.

With that, they set off, clad in simple civilian attire, absorbing the sights and sounds of the village.

"Look, Madara, even the children are playing freely," Hashirama pointed out.

"I can see that, Hashirama," Madara grumbled, "you didn't need to point it out."

They wandered through the village, visiting the farmlands, the lakes, and the intricately designed ponds.

"Look at that!" Hashirama exclaimed, pointing towards a waterwheel.

"I don't know what it is," Tobirama admitted,

"Let's ask someone."

Approaching a villager, they inquired,

"Excuse me, can you tell us what this is used for?"

"It's a waterwheel for separating grain," the villager explained. "It's quite ingenious, isn't it?"

"Indeed, who created this?" Hashirama asked.

"Ryuu-sama," the villager replied.

"Hahaha... I should have guessed,"

Hashirama chuckled. "Only he could have conceived such a thing."

Thanking the villager, they continued their exploration, stopping at the impressive stone statue.

"It's entirely made of stone, except for the sword, which is iron," Madara observed.

"I believe Ryuu sealed chakra within the stone," Mito mused, "but I wonder how they will move on their own."

"This one has the chakra signature of an elite jonin, and that one is at the shadow level," Tobirama noted.

"We'll ask Ryuu about it later," Hashirama suggested. "For now, let's continue exploring the village."

They soon arrived at the bustling marketplace.

"Brother, look!" Izuna exclaimed, pointing towards a woman walking through the crowd.

The villagers respectfully parted, bowing their heads as she passed.

"She must be a person of high status in this village," Hashirama surmised.

"Excuse me," he asked a nearby villager, "do you know who that woman is?"

"Oh, you must be new here. That's Ryuu-sama's grandmother," the villager replied.

"Ryuu's grandmother?"

Though their voices were subdued, their words carried across the marketplace.

Grandma Saya turned, her gaze settling on the group.

"You must be the guests from Konoha who came with little Ryuu," she greeted them warmly.

Hashirama, slightly taken aback, managed a polite nod.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

Grandma Saya approached them with a gentle smile. "Let's continue this conversation while we walk," she suggested.

"Certainly, Grandma," Hashirama offered, taking the basket from her hand.

"I'm not that old, you know," she chuckled, "but you can call me Grandma, like Ryuu does."

"Of course, Grandma," Hashirama replied.

They continued their conversation, walking through the village.

"Let me tell you about this village and Ryuu,"

Grandma Saya offered, noticing the curious glances from the other villagers.

Everyone turned their attention to her.

"You know that Ryuu built this village, right?"

she began, and everyone nodded.

"But the truth is, this was originally a normal village. We established it after fleeing our previous home, which was attacked by bandits. On the way here, I found Ryuu in the forest and raised him as my own."

As Grandma Saya recounted the history of the village and Ryuu's role in its development, Ryuu himself stood at the office window, gazing out at the bustling village below.

To be Continued