After the four of them finished taking care of the giant lizard, they quickly asked,
"So, are you satisfied with the meal?"
Kubisaki looked at his round, bulging belly. He really wanted to say he wasn't full, but… there simply wasn't any more to eat.
"Well then, if you have questions, ask. My time is very precious."
Aburame Shiken spoke first. Since he had provided the food, it was only natural.
"We want to know how to cultivate sage techniques."
"Oh, sage techniques? It's just inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. You'll naturally get it."
The giant lizard made it sound extremely simple, though inwardly he was full of disdain.
Pathetic humans—can't even learn something so simple. Wait… what even is sage techniques? Whatever, doesn't matter. As long as I fool them, it's fine. Creatures as simple-minded as humans—just say a few easy things, and they'll overthink it themselves, then worship me like a god and keep me well-fed.
Ah, it's been decades since I last ran this routine—getting rusty. Back then I used to spout nonsense no one understood, but times have changed. I, Lord Kubisaki, must keep up too. Reverse tactics—say something simple instead. Might even work better.
Just as Kubisaki was fantasizing about his wonderful future life...
The other four quietly exchanged looks.
Senju Hideki: "Do you guys feel something strange?"
Hyūga Hiyasu: "This feels oddly familiar."
Uchiha Kamito: "This big lizard is trying to fool us."
Aburame Shiken: "And we're supposed to just take that? Let's go—teach him a lesson."
"Eight Trigrams: Mountain Crusher Strike!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Kubisaki had just snapped out of his daydream when he saw a massive stone fist, a giant palm strike, and a dragon-shaped blaze coming straight at him.
"…I must've woken up too fast. I'm seeing things—wait, damn it, this is real?!"
What followed was a righteous three-on-one beatdown.
...
After one hour, three minutes, and twenty-seven seconds, the righteous beating officially ended.
The three of them stopped.
They couldn't keep going—if he died, they'd get nothing.
The stick had been used.
Now came the carrot.
The only one who hadn't attacked, Aburame Shiken, stepped forward.
"Um… Lord Kubisaki?"
"Protect me, and I'll do whatever you say!"
What followed was a very pleasant conversation between Shiken and Kubisaki.
Meanwhile, the three who had just done the beating—
???
Senju Hideki: "I'm getting that familiar feeling again."
Hyūga Hiyasu gritted his teeth, staring at the human and lizard chatting happily.
"So that's why it felt familiar…"
Uchiha Kamito kept his mouth shut.
This was absolutely not the time to speak.
If he said anything, wouldn't that mean he, Uchiha Kamito, had also been fooled?
And worse—he'd be lumped together with Senju Hideki and Hyūga Hiyasu.
Unacceptable. That would be the most terrifying thing in the world.
"Hey, Kamito, why aren't you saying anything? So what if you got fooled? It's not the first or second time. Just be more careful next time."
Senju Hideki spoke casually.
Maybe it was from overtraining, but everything now felt incredibly simple. So what if he got fooled? No big deal. Things that once seemed complicated now felt strangely straightforward and pure.
Could this be… intuition beyond the five senses?
Did he actually reach that level?!
(No. You just trained your muscles into your brain.)
Hyūga Hiyasu, however, suddenly realized something.
This bastard Kamito—was he trying to distance himself from us?
And who exactly is that "line" he's drawing? Hideki.
Damn it—you lumped me together with him?! …Wait a second.
"Hideki, don't bother Kamito. Some people can accept setbacks calmly, while others need time to recover. Let's give him some space, okay?"
"Oh, I see. Then we should move away and give him some room."
After Hideki left, Hyūga Hiyasu and Uchiha Kamito locked eyes, sparks flying between them.
Hyūga Hiyasu: "Trying to look down on me? You're not even as good as Hideki—what gives you the right?"
Uchiha Kamito: "You've got some nerve. I'll take this loss for now. Just you wait."
Hyūga Hiyasu: "I'll be waiting."
Crackle, crackle—
It was as if electricity flickered in their intense gaze.
...
As for why Senju Hideki had become so carefree—
Far away, his former teammates were discussing exactly that.
Beneath the shade of green trees, among blooming flowers, a man and woman sat like an immortal couple, while two ninja hounds—one large, one small—ran through the forest.
"Rinko, do you think Hideki changed a lot after recovering from his injuries?"
Inuzuka Rinko asked, swatting away a wandering hand.
"Changed a lot? Not really. He's still the same Senju Hideki."
Inuzuka Ryoha replied—only to suddenly cry out.
"Ah—!"
Smack.
"But don't you think he's become more carefree after recovering?"
"Carefree? He just stopped pretending."
"Pretending?"
Ryoha withdrew his hand and stood up. Rinko straightened her clothes and stood beside him.
"Hideki just stopped pretending to be that refined, polite, intelligent Senju Hideki."
"Why? That version of him was so likable."
"Being likable doesn't mean that's what he wants."
Ryoha looked up at the sky for a moment before continuing.
"Honestly, all of us are pretty lazy. If no one pushes us, we wouldn't take an extra step forward. But Hideki is different. The thing pushing us is just external pressure—but he carries more. The expectations of his elders, the admiration of the younger generation… and most importantly, the revival of the Senju clan. That burden rests on his shoulders."
"The revival of the Senju clan? But didn't the Senju already reach their peak in Konoha?"
"That was Konoha's peak—not the Senju's. The First Hokage and the Second Hokage were outstanding Hokage, but not great heads of the Senju clan. Their love was too broad—so broad it extended to every member of Konoha. And it was also too great—so great that not a single Senju could truly enjoy it."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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