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As Konoha issued several stern notices in succession, various Villages began to act step by step.
The situation in the Ninja World, stirred by an invisible hand, gradually began to muddy, with undercurrents surging everywhere.
Beneath this deep surface, there was still a pair of eyes quietly observing everything.
"What an extraordinary fellow."
Beneath the scorched earth, Black Zetsu's form slowly emerged from the charred ground, gazing into the distance at this land, which the nearby villagers had recently begun to call the Scorched Plains.
Although his face still bore that annoying stiff smile, the admiration in his words was not feigned in the slightest.
Black Zetsu was genuinely amazed.
For a thousand years, even the strongest reincarnations of Asura and Indra, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, could never have achieved such a feat with Ninjutsu, changing hundreds of kilometers of land.
However, now, this rootless, baseless Sawara Kiri had done it.
This made him, the third child, who was born formless and could never be called a 'person,' feel a strong, inexplicable tremor in his heart.
'If Mother were resurrected, would she be able to do this—'
'No.'
'Mother certainly can.'
'For a god who can casually change heaven and earth, this is merely a trivial trick.'
Black Zetsu muttered silently in his heart.
For the first time in a thousand years, he felt an emotion called 'worry' from the depths of his heart.
Although he still refused to admit it.
However, that unfamiliar emotion, stemming from the depths of his being, was undeniably real.
Following his gaze forward.
One could see that in the center of the scorched earth, there still remained a deep and extremely sharp mark, extending for a full two hundred kilometers.
However, because it was too sharp, it only left a narrow mark on the ground, so narrow that even an ordinary person stepping on it would probably only think it was a small gully.
However, Black Zetsu could clearly sense it.
Beneath that narrow crack was a deep imprint extending tens to hundreds of meters underground.
Like a scar seared onto the surface of the earth.
"Sawara Kiri."
Black Zetsu chewed on the name again and again, as if trying to taste something from it.
Standing beside him was Uchiha Hikari, who had not been seen for a long time.
Ever since her battle with Uchiha Megumi in Konoha Village, she had returned to Takigakure.
The mark Sawara Kiri left on her body did not actually cause her any profound injuries; at their level, even a fatal injury to an ordinary Ninja was merely a moderate injury that could be healed by circulating Chakra a few times.
However, Uchiha Hikari stubbornly kept the scar that Kiri had left on that part of her body.
To be honest, the only people who had truly made Black Zetsu feel preposterous in the past thousand years, besides the impossibly strong Sawara Kiri, was this distorted and emotionally deprived Uchiha Hikari, whose lack of love was almost unbearable to witness.
"Ah~"
"Truly Kiri's masterpiece!"
Under the moonlight, the young girl slightly spread her arms, gazing at the miracle before her, taking a deep breath, as if she could taste Sawara Kiri's lingering presence even in the faint smell of sulfur, a subtle glow shimmering in the depths of her eyes.
"It seems there's still a long way to go before he truly understands me…"
Uchiha Hikari murmured softly, but when she turned her head, her voice immediately dropped three tones: "Zetsu, how much do you know about the 'Sawara Kiri's Secret Treasure Stolen' rumor currently circulating in the Ninja World?"
"Fake."
Black Zetsu spoke without hesitation, looking down at the battlefield before them, his tone calm: "Lord Madara, before he ran out of options, had already searched every corner of the Ninja World, whether it was myths and legends, ancient ruins, or even tasting what ghouls, goblins, and terracotta warriors were like."
"Until the very end, the only power that could help him stand on the same level as Hashirama was the Nine-Tails."
"According to the travelogue left by Lord Madara, there has never been such a good thing in the past thousand years, where one could get whatever they wished just by relying on a single fragment."
If there truly was such a treasure in the Ninja World, he would have dug it out himself for his mother long ago.
Black Zetsu thought with some resentment as he spoke.
Who in this world understood the Ninja World better than him?
Moreover, it wasn't as if he wasn't monitoring Konoha Village—Sawara Kiri had only found that bead a few days ago and handed it over to Orochimaru for analysis after taking it out.
He had been using his espionage skills daily, practically moving his home into Konoha, practically wanting to sleep while eavesdropping on the Hokage Building's phone calls.
If others didn't know, how could he not?
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, the crimson glow in Uchiha Hikari's eyes faintly diminished, as if she had suddenly sighed in relief.
However, very quickly, the young girl seemed to remember something and chuckled softly:
"As expected, it's Kiri's doing! Playing the entire Ninja World in the palm of his hand. I thought someone actually dared to steal his things!"
"Hey, whose side are you on anyway?" Black Zetsu couldn't help but turn his head and snap.
"It's all the same."
Under the moonlight, the young girl slightly stood on her tiptoes, gazing at the end of the scorched earth, the smile on her face growing even brighter.
She looked as if she shared in the glory.
He had no idea what she was so happy about.
Black Zetsu thought of his own deep sorrow, then looked at her carefree appearance, and felt a surge of frustration; how could he just sulk by himself?
"It's all the same?"
"That Sawara Kiri fellow has been staying at that woman's house every day recently, not turning in until two or three in the morning…"
"Bang—!"
A piercing sound of rushing wind suddenly filled the entire scorched earth, a palm strike, so swift that even its shadow blurred, suddenly swung out, sweeping directly across Black Zetsu's body exposed above ground, causing his black and white mixed body to burst open like splashed water, splattering onto the ground in large fragments.
Uchiha Hikari turned her head, her scarlet eyes unconsciously transforming into sharp pinwheel shapes, her hoarse voice seeming to squeeze out from between her teeth:
"Shut up!"
Where was his mouth anymore?
Black Zetsu thought to himself, his body shrinking back underground.
Although he wanted to know what it felt like to defecate, he certainly didn't want this crazy woman to squeeze his intestines out of his mouth again—that feeling was truly indescribable, once was enough, he never wanted to try it a second time.
This damned crazy woman!
Uchiha Hikari seemed to feel much more relaxed after throwing that punch, and continued to gaze into the distance.
Following her gaze, one could see that the villagers living in the settlements near this scorched earth all had faint, almost imperceptible Chakra glows imprinted on them.
In the center of those glowing imprints, the shape of a pinwheel slowly rotated.
Just like the constantly progressing Sawara Kiri, her power was also quietly growing in this silent manner.
Mount Myōboku, Genryū Pond.
"Elder Fukasaku, it's so late, what's the matter?"
Jiraiya's face clearly showed a hint of drunkenness, the scent of flowers still lingering on him, a typical rogue Ninja appearance, clearly just dragged out of the entertainment district by the old toad; his hands were still unconsciously clenched, and at only thirty years old, he was already a complete perverted old man.
"Oh, don't ask! Didn't I tell you, the old man suddenly went crazy."
The small Elder Fukasaku also had a worried expression, looking like he didn't know what to do: "How would we know what he's thinking every day? This time, he suddenly stopped sleeping, jumping around everywhere, and kept shouting your name while running, saying things like 'It's over, it's over' and so on."
"We had no choice, that's why we called you over!"
Elder Fukasaku was even more agitated than Jiraiya; he was already so old, had lived for hundreds of years, and had never seen such a scene.
Hearing only half of this, Jiraiya's expression suddenly became serious, and even the drunkenness on his face largely dissipated under the soothing touch of Chakra, his whole person clearly more alert:
"The Great Toad Sage, jumping around?"
Somehow, he suddenly thought of Sawara Kiri's recent arrangements.
The Great Toad Sage was known throughout the Ninja World for his accurate future predictions; even his title of 'Savior's Teacher' was decided by him, practically changing his life.
So, could his current reaction be related to…
Jiraiya only thought half of it, and his steps unconsciously quickened.
At the same time, he also felt a vague, unprovoked worry.
If the Great Toad Sage's prophecy conflicted with Konoha's future outlook, whose side should he stand on?
Thinking this, Jiraiya quickly walked up a small hill by the Genryū Pond.
Looking out, the Great Toad Sage, who usually sat on a high platform with a leisurely and relaxed demeanor, was now like Boss Bunta, his massive body rolling in the muddy swamp and deep mist, his decaying skin-covered body lying on his back, staring blankly at the illusory sky of Mount Myōboku.
His graduation cap and crystal ball, which he never parted with, were nowhere to be seen.
From a distance, he seemed no different from an ordinary toad.
Jiraiya instinctively opened his mouth wide, as if wanting to say something.
However, before he could utter a sound, the Great Toad Sage seemed to keenly sense his gaze and sharply turned his head towards the small hill.
It was clearly a toad's face covered in wrinkles, but Jiraiya could see the distinct look of ferocity on his face, as if he was terrified to the extreme.
"J-Jiraiya..."
The moment he saw him, the Great Toad Sage seemed to finally grasp a lifeline, completely losing his usual lazy and foolish appearance. He gritted his teeth and called out, his eyes fixed on him.
Vaguely, some power transcending time and space seemed to connect the two, slowly reaching towards the end of the River of Fate.
However, almost at the very instant a blurry shadow was about to be seen...
The Great Toad Sage's body suddenly froze in place.
"Pfft!"
His large horizontal pupil on the right side suddenly burst open like a water balloon pricked by a needle, splattering countless amounts of blood.
The Great Toad Sage's body stiffened along with it, and he slowly toppled forward into the mud.
The person and the toad at the top of the small hill were both startled and immediately darted towards him:
"Great Toad Sage!"
"Old Man!"
However, just as the two of them were deeply worried about his condition...
The Great Toad Sage, with one eye blinded, stared blankly at the sky, as if he had finally seen some outcome.
"Why..."
"Must the world experience a destruction?"
"There isn't even a single path left for Mount Myōboku to survive?"
He lay in the mud, muttering hoarsely.
By the time Jiraiya and the other arrived, this elder who had lived for a thousand years had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Cheers!"
Senju Residence, main hall.
The three of them gathered around a square table, all raising their beer glasses and clinking them together, producing a crisp sound.
"Puh-ha—"
Tsunade took a big gulp, her full lips covered in foam, but she didn't care at all. It was as if she wanted to wash away all the fatigue accumulated from overtime during this period with that single gulp of alcohol, completely devoid of the serious demeanor she usually had in the office.
Sawara Kiri also took a sip, following the atmosphere; the milk beer was quite tasty.
"Honestly! Kiri is being led astray by Lady Tsunade."
Yuki complained softly, annoyed, and drank her juice to herself: "Given that it's a holiday today, just this once, okay?"
"Yes, yes~"
Sawara Kiri responded patiently as always.
It's a rare thing to still be cared for after growing up.
Tsunade seemed completely accustomed to her nagging, letting it go in one ear and out the other. She patted Kiri's shoulder hard: "When it comes to schemes, it has to be you, kid!"
"I knew it when you forced me to give a speech on the street back then. You look innocent, but you're full of tricks!"
"Lady Tsunade, is that even a compliment?" Sawara Kiri seemed rather helpless.
"Of course it is!" Tsunade puffed out her chest, resting it on the table, her shoulders instantly relaxing a bit, then continued, "You must maintain your state in the future, and never walk the straight path!"
"Having the Four Great Ninja Villages pay for Konoha's affairs, and each one more eager than the last, this is the first time I've ever seen it!"
As she said this, she couldn't help but feel a little proud herself.
"Yuki, I'll reward you with a small sip today!"
Tsunade, getting excited, immediately started to push her luck, her beer glass almost touching Yuki's face.
"Eww, what's that smell! I don't want it at all—"
Even though she said that, Yuki's face still showed a hint of hesitation—Lady Tsunade was drunk to unconsciousness every day, unable to get up for work without being called. What this stuff tasted like was clearly still a bit appealing to a good girl like Yuki.
However, when she took a tiny sip, her face immediately crumpled into a wrinkled mess, and her tongue almost stuck out.
"It tastes awful!"
Sawara Kiri couldn't help but smile, looking at her rarely seen cute expression.
Tsunade must have done it on purpose, right?
However, when he turned his head, the words in his mouth unconsciously changed again: "Lady Tsunade, the tracking of the fragments, should be fine, right?"
"Hey! You damn brat!"
"It's so hard to get a day off, don't talk about work..."
When Yuki saw them talking about this topic, she consciously got up and went to the kitchen to cut fruit.
Tsunade glared at him, annoyed.
Sawara Kiri smiled apologetically.
However, after a pause, Tsunade continued: "Don't worry, they've all been marked by that Uchiha's ocular power, and the signals are all marked on the large underground screen."
"It's just, who knows how long it will be until they fully activate the power of the fragments."
At this point, Tsunade also put down her wine glass, sighing somewhat: "This blank period, you'll just have to hold out on your own."
"Guguya!"
Just as the two of them were talking, little Tiamat emerged from under the table, crawled from Sawara Kiri's leg to Tsunade's side, crawling back and forth, having a great time, and enthusiastically calling them to join.
"Oh!"
Tsunade, surprisingly, liked this little one very much. Although it looked strange, it was very cute!
She picked up little Tiamat from under the table and placed her on her lap, gently stroking and pinching her soft, tender little face, kneading her like dough.
Sawara Kiri leaned on the table, watching in a daze.
Little Tiamat's advancement and improvement was a significant unresolved issue for him, and even now, he had no clue. One's network of connections was ultimately limited.
As he thought this, his gaze inadvertently fell upon Tsunade's face again.
Originally, he had thought that Tsunade, after becoming the Fourth Hokage, should be able to directly overcome her emotional block and complete the final bond of "Fourth Hokage."
But it was clear that the system had not left such a loophole for him.
Even though she had already become the Fourth Hokage, Tsunade's emotional block still remained at the middle level, and her bond level had not changed, which made him feel a bit of a headache.
Surely it wouldn't actually develop in the direction of the "Mature Hime" ending, would it?
This matter, whether Tsunade wanted it or not was one thing, and how he was going to hide from Megumi and develop an underground relationship was another—all in all, there were many difficulties.
The road ahead was long and arduous.
"What are you looking at?"
It seemed she noticed his gaze lingering for too long. Tsunade suddenly looked up, holding little Tiamat and kneading her cheeks, chuckling: "If you want to hold one, go have your own! This one's mine!"
Sawara Kiri looked at her and suddenly said, "My matter is temporarily resolved."
"So, what are your plans, Lady Tsunade?"
Upon hearing this, Tsunade's movements seemed to pause slightly, and her hands, which were kneading little Tiamat's cheeks, unconsciously relaxed.
After a few drinks, her face was already tinged with a flush of intoxication. She propped her chin on her hand, resting on the table, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders. Her face, however, instinctively turned to the other side, avoiding his gaze, and she looked at the moonlight outside the window, her posture languid:
"Anyway, as long as I can stably pass this position on to you, my life will be a great success."
"What other plans could I have?"
"You're already at the age where you're starting to like children?" Sawara Kiri deliberately put on a very confused expression.
Tsunade suddenly turned her head. Although she tried very hard to make a stern expression, her earlobes had already begun to turn red uncontrollably. Immediately after, she saw her mouth twitch forcefully, rolled up her sleeves, and clenched her fists, making a creaking sound:
"You damn brat who's eating what's in your bowl but still eyeing what's in the pot! One isn't enough for you, is it?"
"This old woman will show you the consequences of flirting with an adult!"
"I give up! I give up!"
"Hey!"
"Aren't you two talking about work?!" Yuki, who was cutting fruit in the kitchen, shouted from afar.
"Mmmm!"
Little Tiamat squeezed her soft fists, striking a charging pose, cheering, though it was unclear for whom.
In this small room, this ordinary daily life seemed to have remained unchanged.
No one knew how long such days could last.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr