"Cheers!"
In Konohagakure, at the Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant, the Konoha 12, along with Kitagawa Minamoto and Karin, had gathered together.
Even Sakura, who had somewhat fallen behind, and Neji Hyūga, who usually kept to himself, were present.
"It's rare for everyone to get together like this. Let's enjoy ourselves."
After setting down his cup, Kitagawa Minamoto said with a smile.
"Mm-hmm!"
Chōji was the happiest of them all. Without saying a word, he immediately began stuffing meat into his mouth.
"Slow down! No one's going to steal it from you—what a hassle."
Shikamaru frowned as he watched, while Kiba couldn't hold back any longer.
"Hey, slow down! What am I supposed to eat if you keep hogging everything?"
"Senior, it's rare for us all to be together."
Rock Lee didn't bother fighting over the meat. Instead, he poured another glass of juice and earnestly looked at Kitagawa Minamoto.
"I toast to you!"
"There's no need for that."
Kitagawa Minamoto quickly waved his hand, teasing him in return.
"Guy-sensei wouldn't do that. Besides, Guy-sensei is my teacher too. Just keep working hard."
"We won't let you down, Senior."
Neji nodded seriously, prompting Tenten to blink in surprise.
She remembered Neji hadn't always been like this.
Over the past three years, Neji had undergone significant changes.
This was partly thanks to the Hyūga Clan—like the letter left by his late father.
But more importantly, he had witnessed Naruto's rise and, even more so, Kitagawa Minamoto's story!
Naruto's achievements were well-known, but Kitagawa Minamoto's were downright extraordinary.
As a ninja without any Kekkei Genkai, not even among the top students at the academy, everything changed after he "graduated by defeating his teammates."
His remarkable feats were the talk of Konohagakure, a testament to the "ordinary ninja's rise against the odds."
Especially since he was destined to become a "future Hokage," the village leadership had intensified their support.
Neji couldn't help but be influenced—after all, Kitagawa Minamoto was someone who had "changed his own destiny."
"Senior Minamoto, I heard you completed another major mission recently?"
Hinata, still soft-spoken, curiously glanced at Kitagawa Minamoto as she asked.
Even Shino, who had been quiet and inconspicuous, nodded in agreement.
"It seems Sasuke also accomplished something significant."
"Tch, why is it always about him?"
Naruto grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"I've done plenty too! Damn it..."
"Tch."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, tempted to retort. But remembering that this loudmouth might actually be his "brother," he hesitated, feeling conflicted.
"I may not have been on your team, but I recall you were being chased around by those guys, weren't you?"
Kitagawa Minamoto didn't mind at all. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Naruto.
"I've encountered all of those Akatsuki members—and I've defeated every single one of them."
"Hey, hey, hey! You fought them one-on-one; I was facing a whole group by myself, okay?"
Naruto struggled to defend himself, but Sasuke interjected.
"The commotion Senior caused outside the village is enough to overshadow everything you've done."
"Damn it."
Naruto wanted to argue, but thinking about everything that had happened, he fell silent.
It seemed he really couldn't compare.
"Indeed, we completed a major mission and accomplished quite a bit."
Fortunately, Shikamaru spoke up, sounding lethargic as he grilled meat.
"That's right."
Ino glanced at Kitagawa Minamoto before smiling.
"Senior Minamoto told me that Sasuke dealt with one of Konohagakure's major rogue ninjas."
"Huh?"
"What happened?"
"Tell us more!"
Ino's words immediately piqued everyone's curiosity. Sakura stole glances at Sasuke while asking questions.
The others were equally interested. Since Shikamaru and Ino had brought it up, it was clearly a topic that could be discussed openly.
With the attention diverted, Kitagawa Minamoto found himself enjoying a rare moment of peace.
"Minamoto, she's been staring at you."
Suddenly, Naruto grinned mischievously.
"Is she..."
"What's so strange about that?"
Kitagawa Minamoto rolled his eyes, sipping his juice as he glanced at Sasuke.
"Sakura keeps looking at Sasuke too. It's inevitable—he's handsome and strong. Didn't I teach you all this three years ago?"
"..."
Sasuke's face darkened. The memory of that Make-Out Paradise book from three years ago was still a painful wound.
Naruto's expression turned even gloomier. Forget Sakura's issue—just that cursed book alone had caused his parents to scold him countless times.
Reflecting on the past three years, Naruto felt a mixture of betrayal, torment, and sweetness—with two of those emotions directly attributable to Kitagawa Minamoto!
"Speaking of which—"
Not wanting to dwell on these messy topics, Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin and spoke up.
"I think Sasuke needs to step up his game."
"I'll work hard to resolve the threat of Itachi Uchiha's Impure World Reincarnation!"
Sasuke nodded seriously, but Kitagawa Minamoto shook his head with a smile.
"That's not what I meant. Itachi isn't worth worrying about. I'm talking about something else entirely."
"Huh? What else?"
"You want to restore the Uchiha Clan, right? How are you going to do that alone?"
"..."
"You need to have more children. That's the only way to revive the Uchiha Clan!"
Kitagawa Minamoto said earnestly, but his words left the sixteen-year-old Sasuke struggling to maintain his composure.
More children?
He felt like cursing—but he didn't dare. Upon reflection, it seemed logical.
Without enough clan members, how could the Uchiha Clan flourish and regain its former glory?
At that moment, Sasuke felt an immense weight pressing down on his shoulders.
"Hehehe..."
Naruto, meanwhile, was grinning mischievously as he looked at Sasuke.
"You've got to step up, Sasuke. It's all on you now!"
"Shut up, idiot!"
Sasuke snapped, unable to tolerate Naruto's teasing.
"Take care of yourself first, damn it."
"Hehe."
Naruto didn't mind, continuing to grin. Kitagawa Minamoto, however, suddenly chuckled.
"Speaking of which, Sakura seems quite fond of Sasuke. So, it looks like—"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't talk nonsense!"
With that single comment, Naruto's grin vanished, replaced by clenched fists.
Unfortunately, Kitagawa Minamoto ignored him and turned to Sasuke instead.
"Good luck. I believe in you. If all else fails, use your dōjutsu."
"?"
"Doesn't one of your dōjutsu abilities target the body specifically?"
"..."
"Good luck. Restoring the Uchiha Clan's glory is your sacred duty!"
"..."
Sasuke's face had now turned completely black.
While Kitagawa Minamoto's real body enjoyed the reunion with the Konoha 12, his clone quietly arrived at the Senju Clan's compound.
Surveying the courtyard, now riddled with holes, he couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"Is this a desperate effort to defend their ancestors' honor?"
He hadn't expected them to actually start digging, and with such fervor.
What puzzled him even more was that this didn't seem characteristic of Tobirama Senju.
"If it were Tobirama, wouldn't he just rewrite history and perform some 'Chronicles of Time' manipulation?"
Kitagawa Minamoto felt he knew the "sinister Senju old ghost" well enough—that man was capable of anything!
Under normal circumstances, Tobirama would have done just that, given they were unlikely to uncover anything genuine.
But—
"Black Zetsu probably fabricated something, didn't he?"
Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin thoughtfully. Over the past three years, Black Zetsu had been subtly guiding him, clearly with an agenda.
Considering how he had been led to the Uchiha stone tablet, it was hard not to suspect Black Zetsu wanted to manipulate the Senju narrative as well.
"Does he suspect I'm a Senju descendant and want me to fight against myself?"
He believed he had deduced Black Zetsu's scheme, though verification was necessary.
With Black Zetsu gone, and the First Hokage and Tsunade seemingly exhausted from digging, he saw an opportunity.
"Let's see what Black Zetsu has been up to!"
With that thought, Kitagawa Minamoto quietly extended his sensory abilities.
In his perception, everything transformed, and he faintly detected something unusual!
"There's a skeleton buried deep underground, clutching something. Could it be..."
Kitagawa Minamoto's expression turned peculiar. The item was buried exceptionally deep, making it difficult to sense.
But for him, this posed no challenge—even his Divine Tree clone could manage!
After all, his Divine Tree source had been nourished with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's chakra.
Using Earth Release, he silently merged into the ground. Before long, he reappeared elsewhere, holding an object in his hand.
"Seriously? You really fabricated this?"
Looking at the weathered wooden block—or rather, tree bark-like object—in his hand, Kitagawa Minamoto was dumbfounded.
He hadn't expected Black Zetsu to pull such a stunt, something reminiscent of Tobirama Senju's tricks.
"And the content is so conventional."
"It merely explains the relationship between the Senju and Uchiha, and mentions the Ōtsutsuki surname."
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, Goddess of Fertility... Seems I scared him last time."
Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin, fully grasping Black Zetsu's intentions.
The goal was to deflect suspicion from himself and highlight the danger posed by Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki.
"But this does sound like the Sage of Six Paths' tone, consistent with the Uchiha stone tablet."
Kitagawa Minamoto couldn't help but admire Black Zetsu's forgery skills.
"He even added touches to evoke a sense of antiquity, burying it so deep that no one could find it. But—"
Kitagawa Minamoto suddenly smirked, clearly inspired by a new idea.
"Since you altered the Uchiha's records, why can't I modify yours?"
"For example, adding a passage advising Asura to stop fighting with his brother and adopt a peaceful mindset."
"Or perhaps, something about your existence..."
Having already frightened Black Zetsu with Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki, Kitagawa Minamoto didn't mind scaring him again!
Of course, he planned to be selective. Just as Black Zetsu had hidden the "Eye of the Moon" as a core concept at the end, he could easily mimic that approach—it wouldn't be difficult for him!
"After all, I started out as the 'Sage of Forgery.'"
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu had already left Konohagakure.
Instead of returning immediately, he was pondering the Hyūga issue in a cave outside the village.
He needed to obtain a Byakugan and leave behind Hyūga relics, which proved challenging.
"Looks like I'll need Obito's help."
At the same time, another figure arrived outside Konohagakure.
The man's face appeared aged and extraordinarily pale, his Byakugan fixed intently on Black Zetsu's location.
He couldn't help but think to himself,
"That creature is targeting the Hyūga Clan too?"
(End of Chapter)
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