Chapter 234: What Does It Have To Do With Me?
While Masahiko finished sealing the Nine-Tails, Mito's funeral also concluded.
In the Senju clan grounds, clansmen returned one after another, all with sorrowful faces.
Kushina, who had just breathed a sigh of relief after successfully becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, was pulled back into the sorrowful atmosphere. Her small face crumpled, showing signs of shedding tears again.
Masahiko sighed and hurriedly interrupted, "Quickly go tell Minato the unfortunate fact that you're pregnant with a fox. Don't just stand here."
Although the news of Kushina becoming a Jinchūriki was concealed, that was only from the outside world. Within Konoha, it just wasn't meant to be public knowledge for everyone, but those with a certain status would know, and there was no need to hide it from them.
Kushina's tears were already brimming in her eyes, but Masahiko's sentence ruined her mood to cry. She glared at Masahiko and ran out.
"Grandpa Hokage!" Just a few steps later, Kushina ran into Hiruzen. She greeted him and continued to leave, leaving Hiruzen stunned, swallowing back the words he had prepared.
Masahiko walked over with a smile. "Don't worry, the Nine-Tails sealing was very successful."
Hiruzen nodded. "With you here, I wasn't too worried; I just came to confirm." He hesitated, then asked, "Can Kushina use the Nine-Tails' power?"
"What's the rush? It'll take at least a hundred or eighty years to get familiar with it. Go busy yourself with your affairs. Mito's passing will likely cause another stir."
Hiruzen left with a bitter smile. A hundred or eighty years? The day lilies will be cold by then. (Idiom meaning it'll be too late).
Masahiko turned to his three disciples. "You guys... stay if you want to stay, go back if you want to go back."
He had intended to tease them by asking who planned to be sent off by him first, but the words got stuck in his throat, and he changed it to this sentence.
"Teacher, there are still matters within the clan, so I have to go back," Yoriko said after the three exchanged glances.
Masahiko frowned. "Don't tire yourself out too much. Nagato is already fourteen; you can try grooming him to take over." With Gensuke's precedent, Masahiko was really afraid Yoriko would overwork herself.
Yoriko smiled. "Teacher, I know."
"Teacher, we'll stay," Nanako and Kento said simultaneously.
Kento had no ties now. Staying in Konoha, he had a "little brother" Might Dai and a "tiny brother" Might Guy. Who knew how they arranged their seniority.
As for Nanako, her son had become the Daimyo and was busy all day, leaving only Kushina as her concern, so she might as well stay in Konoha.
As they spoke, Kenji, Tsunade, and the others also returned. Everyone looked very downcast. Although there had been a buffering period of more than half a month, they still found it hard to accept for a while.
Greeting Masahiko, they each returned to their homes, having no interest in "chatting." Nawaki couldn't even find the joy of being a new father.
Masahiko shook his head. "This sad atmosphere doesn't suit me. I'm leaving, I'm leaving. Suit yourselves."
After saying this, Masahiko ignored his three disciples, went to his room to pick up the little kitten, and left the Senju clan grounds directly. Finding a place to use the Transformation Jutsu, he went straight back to the Taobao Shop.
On a day like Mito's passing, both apprentices had gone to attend the funeral, so naturally, they wouldn't come. Sara had just returned. Masahiko asked and found out that even Ichiraku Ramen wouldn't open tonight.
"A hard-won vacation. Cherish it well. You can even take it easy on refining chakra today; I'm giving you a break," Masahiko said.
This was Sara's first vacation since she started at Ichiraku Ramen. Her ramen making was getting better and better, but her ninja training was lagging behind quite a bit. However, Masahiko wasn't in a hurry; Sara didn't need to be too strong anyway. A place like Ichiraku Ramen was simply a sanctuary protected by God; no disaster could affect it.
Thinking of this, Masahiko suddenly paused. He hadn't found anything wrong with Teuchi, but what about Sara, who spent day and night with him?
"You've been at Ichiraku Ramen for so long, have you noticed anything wrong with Teuchi?"
Sara was stunned. "Wrong? No. Master and Mistress treat me very well, and little Ayame (Ayai/Caiyi) is very cute too."
Masahiko nodded. He just asked symbolically; it was normal that Sara hadn't noticed anything wrong.
"Obviously just an ordinary person, it's just that there are too many coincidences. The timing of his appearance was too coincidental, the second branch opening in the Land of Whirlpools was too coincidental..."
"Forget it, never mind him."
Masahiko muttered a couple of sentences, ignored Sara, and started practicing the Gentle Fist on his own.
Ever since Nawaki's child was named Senju Itachi, Masahiko actually felt a sense of urgency. If it really was the Itachi from the original story, and now with Senju blood, if Masahiko didn't hurry up and improve his strength, he might easily be surpassed when the plot started. Having lived for over a hundred years only to be outmatched by a twenty-year-old would be too embarrassing.
"Now only the Gentle Fist can improve my strength. There's still a gap of nearly 1000 Witness Points, so using them now won't be a big improvement. I hope Gentle Fist Level 10 can give me a surprise."
"As for Witness Points, I should be able to scrounge quite a few from the Third Great Ninja War..."
In the First Great Ninja War, Masahiko participated quite a bit, witnessed a lot, and gained 50 Witness Points. As for the Second Great Ninja War, he only fought once in the Land of Whirlpools and ignored everything else. As a result, he didn't get a single Witness Point. Maybe saving the Land of Whirlpools from destruction already granted points once, so it wasn't given a second time.
"Wait, it's not even certain there will be a Third Great Ninja War. Konoha is so strong right now... compared to the same period in the original story, there are four or five more S-rank ninjas. Does the Sand Village really dare to start a war?"
"Could this give me Witness Points for completely changing it?"
Masahiko started fantasizing again.
...
Two months later.
Gentle Fist LV9 (9,542,348/10,000,000)
Masahiko finished his day of Gentle Fist practice, slowly exhaled, fed the kitten that had grown several sizes larger, and prepared to go to Ichiraku Ramen for dinner.
The progress of the Gentle Fist was within his expectations. At this speed, another three months of hard training would be about enough. He hoped for a surprise then.
Unexpectedly, he didn't have to wait until then. A line of Chinese characters suddenly flashing before his eyes gave him a surprise (scare).
*Witnessed and participated in a small part of a largely changed Naruto World side story: Sasori's Defection. Obtained 10 (/8)(8) Witness Points.
Masahiko was stunned for a long while before reacting.
"Sasori defected? What does that have to do with me? Did he really defect because of my two sentences of sowing discord? Sasori doesn't seem like a fool."
"No, wait. Largely changed... Did Sasori not defect, or was the method of defection different, or what happened?"
Receiving such a message suddenly left Masahiko confused.
"Damn system, making me deduce things myself." Masahiko composed himself, skipped dinner, transformed into Sherlock Holmes, and began to analyze.
"If this, suppose that, is it like this..."
One hour later.
"Screw Sherlock Holmes. Whether Sasori defects or not, what does it have to do with me!"
"I'm starving..."
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