Chapter 23 Planting Trees During the Ninja Village Period (3) The Family of Konoha Village...
Even before he arrived, Qian Shouzhu knew he was nearing the territory of the Qian Shou clan, because he saw several old men standing at the street entrance, craning their necks to look in his direction.
As he approached, the old folks all broke into loving, warm smiles. The Senju, who had been straightforward for almost their entire lives, couldn't help but raise their voices when faced with such a handsome young Wood Release user. "Little boy, you're really good-looking. What's your name?"
"Senju Takeya." Senju Takeya was also a little at a loss. Faced with the enthusiasm of these people, his first reaction was to shrink into a crack in the ground and hide, just like when he first faced the villagers of Xilin Village, avoiding them if he could.
It's hard to believe that Indra's smooth connection with and acceptance of Senju Takeya wasn't influenced by Uchiha Osaka, his unrequited love.
"What a wonderful name. Bamboo is a symbol of resilience and unyielding spirit; a single bamboo shoot can grow into a whole bamboo forest. It suits our Senju clan perfectly." Senju Junhara, the leader, looked at the boy with short black hair before him. He extended his rough, wrinkled hand, etched with scars, and gently, lovingly stroked Senju Takeya's smooth, glossy black hair. He wasn't afraid of the boy's dark, emotionless eyes, and simply said, "Welcome home."
Thousand Hands Bamboo was also stunned for a moment, feeling a sense of helplessness. He didn't speak, and the old Thousand Hands didn't pursue the matter. They simply surrounded this future of the Thousand Hands clan and carefully led him back to their clan's territory.
The Senju clan's territory had a desolate and empty atmosphere. Many houses were vacant, with only a few courtyards showing signs of habitation. The doors of the ninja tool shops were tightly closed, the locks covered in dust. Restaurants were closed one after another, their signs and banners crooked and the characters dark and blurred.
There is no hustle and bustle of human voices here, nor the playful noise of children. The sense of decay brought by the old weathering quietly permeates this place. It is hard to imagine that this is the ancestral home of the Thousand Hands Clan, whose people are known for their bold and passionate nature.
The decline of a once-great clan is probably a description of this very situation.
"This is your home now," said a kind old woman in a light green coat. "We were in a bit of a rush, so we could only manage to put together this one room for you. The yard hasn't been renovated yet. If there's anything you don't like, just tell us old folks."
Thousand Hand Bamboo also looked up, met those expectant gazes, and nodded somewhat stiffly.
"We didn't know how old you were before. After we finish eating, we'll take you to buy some new clothes."
"Would you like some candy? Your wise grandmother's desserts are delicious!"
"My cooking is pretty good too! How can you have a snack before a meal!"
With no newborns in the clan for so long, the arrival of this little baby, a pure Wood Release user, caused the old Senju members to pour all their overflowing grandparental love onto Senju Takeya, making him feel as if he was 'too weak to receive such nourishment'.
Senju Takeshi also knew that this love was not entirely unconditional. He received this love based on his surname being Senju, his status as a Wood Release user, and his future as the Senju clan.
But this cannot deny the passion and purity of this love, even though it also carries heavy responsibilities and expectations.
Everything you gain comes at a price, in some mysterious way.
Senju Take also entered the house and familiarized himself with his new home where he would live for a long time. Looking at the brand-new Senju clan clothes in the wardrobe, which were in the size of children's clothes, Senju Take looked at them for a moment and then changed into them. The boy in the mirror, dressed neatly and solemnly, seemed to fit in with this world and this village.
The Senju tribe costume in kimono style is easy to adjust in size. Children of the same age are generally similar in size, so just tie the obi (belt) around your waist and it will fit you well.
When Qian Shouzhu, dressed in his tribal attire, stood before them, the old Qian Shou members were all momentarily stunned.
Although both are Wood Release users, Senju Takeshi is quite different from the First Hokage in both appearance and temperament, which breaks some of the stereotypes people have about Wood Release users, such as... being silly?
Today is a joyous day for the Senju clan. They went to the best restaurant in Konoha Village and ordered a lavish meal. They weren't worried about not being able to finish it all. Even in their old age, the Senju clan members have a larger appetite than ordinary people.
Seeing the old Thousand Hands, who usually stayed at home, gathering around a boy to eat, the residents of Konoha Village immediately realized that the boy was undoubtedly the Wood Release user who had been found.
Even though Senju has fallen from grace, his reputation in Konoha remains extremely high. Therefore, the people of Konoha look at Senju Takeya with a friendly and tolerant gaze. Although they are intimidated by this child and feel afraid to look him in the eye, it is normal for a Wood Release user to have a strong sense of pressure from a young age, right?
Perhaps the First Hokage was like that too. After all, he was someone who could defeat a ruthless character like Madara Uchiha, so it was normal for him to be fierce!
Unbeknownst to Senju Takeru, he had already begun to influence the reputation of the First Hokage.
While waiting for the food to be served, a group of elderly people chatted about the past and their daily lives. Senju Take listened quietly and gained a general understanding of the world. With their keen sense of war, the old Senju members vaguely sensed the signs of the Third Shinobi World War, caused by the restlessness of people's hearts and the uneven distribution of resources.
Konoha, located in the most prosperous area, was the best-preserved after the Second Shinobi World War, and is highly likely to be the first to be hit.
The appearance of Senju Takeya might just become a trump card for Konoha.
Senju Take also hates war, regardless of winning or losing.
So he remained silent, not caring what role he would play in it. Senju Takeshi only knew that in the future, anyone who offended him would first kick Uchiha Ogima, this iron plate covered in anti-armor thorns.
However, what Qian Shouzhu heard more about was which family in the clan had a fiery temper, which young man was the most resilient and tenacious, and which one seemed reliable but was actually unreliable when he grew up. Those people were still vivid in the old people's mouths, and everything seemed like it was just yesterday.
However, all those thousand hands died, on the most dangerous battlefields, in the most difficult missions, and in... the most tragic experiments.
Only these elderly people, who are unwilling to forget, remain in the empty ancestral land, reminiscing about the past.
There was a commotion outside the window, it seemed like people were arguing.
Qian Shouzhu overheard the gist of the argument: it was between an elderly man selling vegetables on the street and a customer. The old man had overcharged the young man by 150 taels of silver because the customer was unfamiliar with vegetable prices. However, an older customer nearby caught him red-handed. The young man immediately became unhappy and said he didn't want the vegetables anymore and demanded a refund. But the old man refused and even scolded the young man for making things difficult for him, for not respecting the elderly, and for not showing any consideration for an old man like himself who was struggling to make a living selling vegetables.
Enraged, the young man overturned the old man's vegetable stall, escalating the argument.
At this moment, the Konoha Police Department's patrol team discovered the situation. The Uchiha stepped forward to prevent the incident from escalating further and asked the two to go to the police department to resolve the issue. However, their tough attitude directly angered the young man and the old man. The two turned their anger towards the patrol team, feeling that their attitude was not how they were supposed to handle things. They insisted that the patrol team resolve the issue right there, without explaining the cause and effect to the patrol team.
The onlookers whispered among themselves but offered no explanation. Their attitude clearly showed distrust of the patrol team, believing that the Uchiha were up to no good by bringing the person involved to their territory.
Uchiha...are they really that unlikable?
Senju Takeru also stood at the window and watched, realizing that the Uchiha's situation in Konoha was not optimistic.
The people of Konoha have no taste.
Senju Takeshi also mentally labeled those Konoha people as "blind." He could sense that the current Uchiha were all descendants of the Uchiha triplets, who were the fruit of Indra's blood. After summarizing, how could someone who could give birth to his best friend, Indra, and the triplets be an unpopular existence?
These guys must be blind!
Senju Takeshi didn't know how to resolve the situation, but he wanted to help the helpless Uchiha boys. Just as he was about to leave the private room and go downstairs to explain the situation to the patrol team, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. Feeling relieved, he returned to the window and continued to observe the situation.
The veteran swindlers didn't notice anything unusual about Senju Takeya. To outsiders, the boy's expression remained indifferent. The way he looked out the window at the street with his eyes lowered even gave off a sense of a god observing the earth he had created from afar. There was no human warmth or emotion, but rather an almost eerie sense of order... a terrifying sense of order that made people afraid to cause trouble under his gaze.
Senju Take also watched the farce outside. The originally empty, pitch-black cat's eye now clearly reflected the Uchiha boy wearing Uchiha clan clothing with a pair of hazy blue eyes.
Blue eyes are extremely rare among the Uchiha clan, whose members are mostly black-haired and black-eyed. The color may vary, but it is always between black, brown, and tan. So, the sudden appearance of a blue-eyed person is no less than a black sheep appearing in a white sheep.
— Quite conspicuous.
"What, what should we do?" Seven-year-old Uchiha Shisui was at a loss when he saw this situation. The village's rejection of the Uchiha was being displayed so directly in front of him for the first time.
Three-year-old Itachi Uchiha looked completely bewildered and nervous. He didn't understand why this was happening. His clansmen were simply upholding the law and hadn't done anything wrong, yet they were being bullied.
The precocious Itachi Uchiha realized that what was happening before his eyes was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, and that the implications behind it were even more unacceptable to him.
Both children immediately looked at Uchiha Ogima, who was standing between them. Ogima had always been a symbol of omnipotence in their eyes.
"Watch closely how your brother does it." Uchiha Senji gritted his teeth, practically squeezing each word out, and immediately made his two younger brothers stand at attention.
It was rare for him to bring his two younger brothers out for a walk, especially Itachi, whom he had just met. He had only intended to relax, but the two little ones had stumbled upon this scene. Uchiha Senma really wanted to slap those two who had thrown a tantrum at the patrol team to death, to let them know what it meant to be part of his father's loving clan.
No, no, he's destined to be the Uchiha clan leader, the police chief, and a proud police officer! Hold on! I have to hold on!
Uchiha Senji stepped forward, forcing a smile, and adopted the friendly attitude of a police officer from his past life towards the public: "Please calm down, both of you—"
"If you ask me, you Uchiha should stop causing trouble!"
"I heard that I—"
"You can't solve the people's problems at all! Do you ninjas from powerful clans even understand the suffering of ordinary people like us? What are you glaring at me for?! So what if you have red eyes?!"
"We don't want to hurt anyone—"
"Go ahead and arrest me if you dare! All you do is abuse your power! Everyone knows that the Uchiha are the worst at bullying others! If you really want to solve this problem, you'll have to pay for all the vegetables I bought!"
*Uchiha profanity*! I can't stand it anymore!
Interrupted time and again, Uchiha Senma finally lost his temper and exploded. Engulfed in his rage, the boy immediately used a megaphone ninjutsu: "Stop—!!!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Mini-Theater]
Thousand Hands Bamboo: Sure enough, this is a novel about extraordinary rural life. It's all about everyday family matters, and the fan is like a village committee that mediates conflicts among villagers.
Uchiha Osaka: You really forgot all about the Naruto I recommended to you! I can't argue with the rural setting, and the village committee—that's fine too, but there's also a threat from outer space. That's a much bigger picture, isn't it?
Takeya Senju: A threat from outer space... So does that mean we have Ultraman here?
Uchiha Ogima: ...No, but there are Uchiha who can pilot Gundams.
Thousand Hands Bamboo: The people in our village are so trendy, the village committee even drives a Gundam.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
