Chapter 63 Retiring in Peacetime (12) Taking a long trip...
Naruto Uzumaki is 17 years old and attends Hiyori High School in Konoha City, in the Fire Region.
Five years ago, based on ancient texts and historical research, scientists discovered and confirmed the real existence of the Otsutsuki clan, traced the origin of chakra, and established the theory of extraterrestrial threats.
After confirming the legend that Kaguya Otsutsuki, the Goddess of the Rabbit, was sealed on the moon by the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, and his brother Hamura Otsutsuki, and that an Otsutsuki clan exists on the moon, Konoha restored history, submitted detailed evidence and inferences, and took the lead in proposing the policy of "one ninja world, one ninja nation," uniting everyone to fight against the Otsutsuki threat and prevent a recurrence of the Divine Tree incident.
The former country has become a region, and the former ninja village has become the administrative center of their respective region.
The Konoha Concession was renamed the Economic Zone, and the nominal management rights of the Economic Zone were returned to the leaders of each region.
That year, Uchiha Osaka and Senju Takeya were only 22 years old. They were too strong and had too long a future, so the policy of completely destroying and rebuilding the existing structure of the entire ninja world was implemented quite smoothly. No one objected or resisted. Everyone had long expected this day to come and was even surprised that it took the two of them so long to decide to truly unify the ninja world.
On the day of the great unification of the ninja world, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. All countries—no, all regions—mobilized to cooperate with the central directives to carry out various rectifications, implement and enforce the various policies and regulations issued by Konoha City. The officials responsible for recording history were practically rubbing sparks from their pens on the paper.
With just a few words, the two central figures who enabled the ninja world to achieve unification without battle or bloodshed, Uchiha Osaka and Senju Takeshi, are undoubtedly idols and spiritual leaders of the new generation of young ninjas.
And they are none other than Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto's childhood friend and older brother.
The person Naruto Uzumaki envies the most is probably Sasuke Uchiha.
"Sasuke! Are you going to help out at Takeya-san's place after school today?" Naruto Uzumaki rushed to Sasuke Uchiha's side with his schoolbag on his back and grabbed him. "I want to come too!"
"You're such a nuisance!" Sasuke Uchiha glanced helplessly at Naruto Uzumaki. "Don't you dare bother Takeya-nii, you know that!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Knowing that Sasuke Uchiha had agreed, Naruto Uzumaki jumped up and down with joy.
"Did you tell your parents?" Sasuke Uchiha asked.
"Okay! I'll call Mom and Dad right away!" Naruto Uzumaki quickly took out his phone.
Now that the old Senju have all left, although Tsunade has settled down, and there are still Senju Yamato, the First Hokage, and the Second Hokage, the Senju clan's territory is still much more desolate than before. This is probably because the old folks can no longer be seen sunbathing and chatting in the yard, planting flowers and grass, and inviting the children who are attracted by the beautiful scenery of their clan's territory to eat candy and snacks.
But Senju Takeya seemed to have long accepted and gotten used to the fact that people would eventually leave, and continued to live his life as usual after seeing off the elderly one by one.
Senju Takeya's activity range remained the same as always, either in the Senju clan's territory or by Uchiha Osamu's side.
Therefore, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki quickly found the figure they were looking for.
The 197cm tall young man wore a white robe with a blue background, and a transparent feather coat embroidered with philodendrons on the outside. On the back of the feather coat was a pattern of a crescent moon and a sun superimposed on the Thousand Hands clan emblem. Under the feather coat, a beautiful white katana could be seen at his waist.
The tall, slender young man had long, jet-black hair tied up at the back of his waist with a white ribbon embroidered with vines and leaves. Two strands of hair in front of his ears were also tied up below his ears with thin white ribbons, giving him an elegant, priestess-like appearance. Although the young man was tall, he possessed a divine beauty that blurred gender lines—and this person was none other than 27-year-old Senju Takeya.
Holding a bouquet of flowers, Senju Takeya stood under an exceptionally lush tree, gazing calmly at the canopy as if listening to something. Sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, creating dappled patterns that fell upon him, swaying in the breeze and carrying the fresh, gentle scent of grass and trees, making one feel as if in a dream.
"Mr. Takeya!" Naruto's eyes lit up immediately, and he ran over quickly.
Thousand Hand Bamboo also heard the sound, and looked over with a pair of deep, indifferent eyes, as dark as the ancient night, devoid of emotion.
"Takeya-nii!" Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but quicken his pace, almost running to the young man. "We—we've come to help!"
“Well…” Senju Take also pondered for a moment, then handed the bouquet in his arms to Uchiha Sasuke, “Please take it to the flower shop in the mountains.”
The Yamanaka clan regularly purchases bouquets of flowers from Senju Takeya to place in their flower shop. The flowers of the Wood Release God possess his own natural chakra, which can greatly extend the blooming period of other flowers and plants in the shop.
Now, the flowers and plants that Senju Takeya cultivates with his own chakra are no longer sold to the public. They can only be obtained through personal connections. The mountain flower shop is able to regularly purchase flowers from Senju Takeya because the flower shop started its business early and made an agreement when Takeya was 10 years old. Takeya values the agreement, so the transaction between the two parties has continued to this day.
"I understand!" Uchiha Sasuke accepted the small task.
Senju Take also patted Uchiha Sasuke's head to express his gratitude.
"Takeya-sensei! Takeya-sensei! And what about me?" Naruto's eyes practically sparkled with excitement, and he finally received a pat on the head from Takeya Senju. The blond boy, who adored Takeya-sensei the most, couldn't help but giggle, "Hehe~"
“We had Ogima today, so the clan land management for this month is all done.” Senju Take also said patiently, “After you and Sasuke deliver the flowers, go to Ganligan. Ogima ordered their new product. Take it to the police chief’s office in the police department building and eat it with Itachi and Shisui. They should be there now.”
"This is my order form." Suddenly, a shadow flashed, and a tall, slender figure landed from the tree and stood in front of the two boys. The Uchiha with black hair and blue eyes wore a dark blue robe and carried his flame fan on his back as usual, but he had moved his black katana to his more comfortable side. "Take it!"
"Kimagami-kun/Mr. Kimagami?!"
"Why are you so surprised that I'm here? Didn't Take already say that I'd be here today?" The Uchiha youth's appearance was strikingly handsome and aggressively flamboyant. When he smiled, he revealed sharp canine teeth, exuding a wildness that made him resemble a proud and elegant feline predator. "And you'd better keep your voice down here."
Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki immediately fell silent.
Uchiha Osaka pointed to the top of his head, and the two of them looked up and found that the tree was actually a chestnut tree. At this moment, the tree was full of chestnuts wrapped in spiky balls, which looked so daunting that it gave them a headache—in a physical sense.
“Takeya’s plants always ripen in any season. I’m worried they might fall on passersby, so we’re discussing whether we should pick them all in advance,” said Uchiha Osaka.
Sasuke Uchiha immediately realized, "Then we can help!"
"You just want to be with Takeya, don't you? You bastard!" Uchiha Senma poked Uchiha Sasuke's forehead fiercely. "You like Takeya that much?" The influence of Indra's chakra is too terrifying.
"I like Senma-nii and my brother too!" Uchiha Sasuke said frankly. The brother he was referring to was of course his only older brother, Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Sasuke was very upright and confident. "But Takeya-nii is harder to see. Senma-nii always takes his place!"
"As expected, what's easily obtained is not cherished." Uchiha Senma pushed away Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, who was trying to talk to Senju Takeya. "Go, go, go finish your errands. Little Karami, I'm wondering if I should call Obito over for these chestnuts!"
"Shall we let Uncle Obito pick them?" Naruto Uzumaki turned his head and asked.
"Let him take the hit." Uchiha Senji spread his hands.
"A demon!" Naruto Uzumaki agreed with Obito Uchiha's assessment of Senju Senma, and strained to look at Takeya Senju. "Takeya-san—say something—"
Thousand Hand Bamboo simply waved in silence.
Uchiha Obito was quite smug: "Hmph~ My best friend is of course on my side!" With Uchiha Obito's current physique, he could withstand a Chibaku Tensei without any problem!
“We’re going on a long trip soon, so don’t even think about coming to see Takeya,” said Uchiha Ogima.
"Where are Ogima-kun and Takeya-kun going?" Sasuke Uchiha couldn't help but ask. "Just you two?"
“We don’t have a specific destination. Now that everyone has become stronger and more reliable, I think it’s time to let go and go out for a while.” Uchiha Senma pressed down on Uchiha Sasuke’s head. “Yes, it’s just me and Takeya.” Takeya even went so far as to not bring Indra along.
Heaven knows how devastated Indra felt when he heard that his elder brother wasn't taking him on this long trip. If it weren't for the fact that Indra could always use the Tree of Life that gave birth to him as an anchor point and the Rinnegan of the Lotus Flower to reach Senju Takeya's side, he would never have agreed to let Senju Takeya go on a long trip alone with Uchiha Osaka.
What if his elder brother, who was so noble and pure, was deceived? Indra felt compelled to go check on his brother whenever he didn't reply to his messages promptly.
What personal world? That's nothing compared to your elder brother!
It's fortunate that technology is advanced and we have mobile phones to communicate, otherwise Indra probably wouldn't have been able to endure it for even half a day.
Senju Takeya and Uchiha Osaka plan to travel on foot, exploring every corner of the ninja world, appreciating its beautiful landscapes, and rediscovering a slower pace of life. The ninja world needs them, but their existence will invisibly limit the growth of others in the ninja world.
The real reason was that Senju Take also heard the voice of the [Ninja World]—
[You've worked hard, you can rest now.]
So Senju Take also called Uchiha Senma: "Senma, take a rest."
So Uchiha Osaka handed over all his work to Shisui and others whom he trusted, and without the slightest hesitation, went to Senju Takeya's side to embark on a spontaneous trip.
"So the rest of the time is up to you guys! Takeshi and I are going to rest too!" Uchiha Senma patted his cute little brother Sasuke's head, and then patted Uzumaki Naruto's head as well. "Get along well, okay? We don't know when we'll be back, so we'll leave the ninja country to you guys to protect!"
"Really?!" Naruto's eyes widened.
Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but gasp. Although he was called a genius, in Uchiha Sasuke's eyes, he was still no match for his brother and Shisui. "Are we just going to leave it to us?"
“Of course.” Uchiha Senma’s Mangekyou Sharingan slowly spun out. He pressed down on Uchiha Sasuke’s shoulder and looked directly into the boy’s eyes, as if to show his sincerity. At that moment, the Mangekyou Sharingan pattern belonging to Uchiha Senma was clearly reflected in the Uchiha boy’s clear black eyes.
"Sasuke, train hard with Itachi and Shisui. Naruto has Minato and Kushina, and Kurama likes you too. You don't need me and Takeya to worry about your training. I hope to see you stronger when you come back." Uchiha Senma patted Uchiha Sasuke's shoulder forcefully, waved casually to Sasuke and Naruto, and left with Senju Takeya.
Originally, Senju Take was supposed to finish delivering the flowers before leaving, but Sasuke and Naruto's arrival was just in time.
Uchiha Senma and Senju Takeya's route passed through the Nanga Forest. Uchiha Senma felt exceptionally relaxed and light-hearted when he wasn't working. He hummed a little tune as he walked side by side with Senju Takeya. Strolling through the forest was undoubtedly a very pleasant and relaxing experience.
Suddenly, Uchiha Senma stopped abruptly, leaping up with lightning speed to dodge the black hole that suddenly appeared beneath his feet. But immediately afterward, a black hole opened up in the direction he had jumped, so large that even with Susanoo activated, Uchiha Senma couldn't grasp the edge. As if to prevent Uchiha Senma from escaping at all costs, the black hole also moved forward at an extremely fast speed.
Senju Take also chased after him almost simultaneously, but he was a step too late. Several black rods pierced through Uchiha Senma's body before he could reach him. The force of the black rods, combined with the powerful spatial turbulence, dragged him to an unknown and distant place.
Senju Takeshi no longer wanted to be forced to separate from his best friend, and he would never let Senma be all alone again!
So Qian Shouzhu jumped in without hesitation.
The void, with nowhere to attach itself, swallowed Uchiha Senma with immense suction and torque. He saw his best friend's usually expressionless face reveal such panic and fear for the first time.
Before being completely swallowed by darkness, Uchiha Senma caught a glimpse of a figure.
—Otsutsuki Ichishiki.
Things happened too fast. In those brief fractions of a second, Uchiha Senma didn't even have time to test whether his Sealed Mangekyou Sharingan could reverse the situation, which shows that he had mastered this technique to its fullest extent.
To dare let his best friend show such an expression... unforgivable... unforgivable!
When he gets back, I'll definitely tear this guy to pieces! I'll shred him to death!!!
Otsutsuki Isshiki! Otsutsuki Isshiki! He'll kill you! He's absolutely going to kill you! Your name has already been decided by his White Rainbow!
"What a terrifying guy, he actually managed to find me even like this..." Otsutsuki Isshiki wasn't sure if Uchiha Osaka could find a way to escape the Yomotsu Hirasaka Technique, which he had continuously improved and enhanced over the past ten years, if he hadn't finished him off. Only an instantaneous space-time ninjutsu that could directly move the main body could escape his attack.
The sealing Mangekyou Sharingan requires locking onto a target to be used. When Uchiha Senma himself was already in the endless darkness and chaotic spacetime turbulence, how could the Mangekyou Sharingan lock onto a target? Even his invincible sealing domain could not change his situation—the mere Mangekyou Sharingan was simply not strong enough to reach the level of the Rinnegan and could not seal spacetime!
Top-tier space-time ninjutsu are either divine techniques unique to the Otsutsuki family, or, like the Kamui Mangekyou Sharingan, can only be awakened with a probability. It is precisely because of this scarcity that space-time ninjutsu has become Uchiha Osaka's only weakness at present!
The mechanics were thus defeated by a higher-level mechanism.
Senju Takeya's actions were entirely within Otsutsuki Isshiki's expectations, but the speed of this Wood Release master's reaction was still so fast that Otsutsuki Isshiki was still apprehensive. If it weren't for the fact that he had planned to use the black rod to finish him off, Senju Takeya might have actually been able to pull Uchiha Osaka out.
"It's a success after all..." Although the cold sweat on his back had not yet subsided, Otsutsuki Isshiki could finally smile with relief. "In a stable environment where there are no enemies for a long time, even the most terrifying beasts will become dull in their claws and teeth."
It is precisely because of the extreme difficulty of the process that the fruits of success are all the sweeter.
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Author's Note: [Mini-Theater]
Uchiha Osaka: Back then, I didn't understand why I killed Otsutsuki Isshiki, but now I understand perfectly—Otsutsuki Isshiki, you just wait, wash your neck clean and wait for me :)
Senju Takeya: I once thought the establishment of the ninja kingdom meant the end of the ninja war—until I was forced to return from a trip to a parallel world :(
Isshiki Maru: Actually, back then, besides the official name Isshiki Maru, I also had the names 'Smashing Stone Maru', 'Meat Maru', and 'I Want You to Never Be Reborn Maru'.
Kaguya Kiri: I can testify that it is indeed so.
Isshiki Maru: And my older brother, he also has a name like 'Your only reason for defeat is that you angered me, Tch.'
Kaguya Kiri: Our names are pretty casual, aren't they?
Isshiki Maru: No skill involved, just pure emotion.
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