Plotting

While waiting for night to fall.

Senyo shifted his consciousness back to his main body.

After sorting through his memories, he found that nothing much had happened at home.

However, when he took Sasuke to school, Fugaku had someone deliver half a year's wages.

Although it was less than Senyo had expected, it still came to six million.

It was enough to free their family from financial pressure.

Now, after dinner, Senyo stood in Zhiyu's courtyard, watching her practice swordsmanship.

Seeing Zhiyu drenched in sweat, she clearly was not merely warming up or stretching her limbs.

She was genuinely training seriously.

It seemed Zhiyu still wanted to become a ninja.

After confirming that the family had enough money, that they could hire someone to care for Ruri in the future, and that Senyo would not be taking missions anytime soon, Zhiyu had picked up the swordsmanship she had neglected over the years.

She was now slowly getting back into form.

After all, she could still refine Chakra while caring for Ruri.

In truth, her Chakra had not fallen behind by much.

But in terms of practical applications like taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu, there had been almost no progress.

Now that Ruri was disabled, Zhiyu could hardly practice at Senyo's place.

So she trained at her own home, separated by only one wall.

"Have you told Ruri yet?" Senyo asked.

He meant that Zhiyu would be leaving Ruri in the future and hiring someone to care for her.

Zhiyu looked troubled. "I haven't told Ruri yet. I don't know how to tell her."

"I..." Zhiyu's expression was full of struggle.

As though it were some unforgivable sin.

Seeing sweat continuously roll down Zhiyu's face, Senyo took a towel and wiped it for her.

Such an intimate gesture was a habit of Senyo's—or more precisely, a habit of the original owner of this body.

Although Senyo was no longer the same person, he did not reject the gesture.

After all, he had a childhood friend at home. It did not seem bad if she eventually became his wife.

What puzzled Senyo, however, was the embarrassment and evasiveness on Zhiyu's face.

He naturally handed the towel to Zhiyu and let her wipe herself.

It seemed the original owner had misunderstood. Zhiyu did not like him.

But Senyo did not force the matter, nor did he care much.

Feelings were merely a seasoning to life. It was fine to have them, and fine not to.

Just as Senyo was wiping Zhiyu's sweat, Ruri's face appeared at the edge of the corridor.

She pushed her wheelchair and slowly made her way over.

Hearing the wheels roll, Senyo quickly went over and pushed Ruri along.

"Not feeding Xiao An?" Senyo asked Ruri.

Xiao An was a carp in the courtyard pond. Ruri often fed it, so she had given it a name.

Ruri shook her head. "Xiao An has been eating less and less lately. I don't know if it doesn't like this fish food."

"Hmm..."

Senyo pondered for a moment. "Could it be that it ate too much? Its shape doesn't even look like a carp anymore."

Ruri stuck out her little tongue. "Oh, come on. Eating a little more is fine. Isn't it cute when it's all chubby?"

Senyo said helplessly, "Fine, fine. If you think it looks cute like a torpedo."

Ruri asked in confusion, "What's a torpedo?"

"It's nothing, nothing."

Senyo laughed it off, having forgotten that this world did not have such things.

Senyo stayed at home, chatting with Ruri and telling her stories.

Every so often, he switched his consciousness over to Naruto's side for a look. Naruto was also idling away at home.

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a face full of worries, tears occasionally slipping down his cheeks.

Senyo's mind was on Naruto's side, and no one at home had told Ruri that Zhiyu was going to become a ninja.

By nightfall, Zhiyu and Ruri had both gone to sleep.

Senyo felt the time was about right as well, so he projected his consciousness back into the clone within Naruto's shadow.

He could sense that Anbu were still stationed outside the window.

However, there were no probing Chakra fluctuations on Naruto's body. The Third Hokage's crystal ball was probably not in use.

The Anbu outside could not see through walls either and had no idea what was happening to Naruto inside the room.

It was already late, and Naruto had fallen asleep.

Senyo's clone extended a hand from the shadows and placed it atop Naruto's head.

Bzz...

His consciousness instantly entered Naruto's inner world.

Senyo surveyed the entire corridor. It was dim and damp, with pooled water on the ground and countless branching paths on either side.

This environment was a projection of Naruto's inner self. It seemed Naruto really had suffered a great deal of abuse.

Without the slightest hesitation, Senyo raised his leg and walked forward.

That immense, oppressive Chakra was ahead.

Inside an enormous cell gate in the distance, a pair of gigantic eyes suddenly opened.

"Hmm...?"

The path before Senyo shifted rapidly, bringing him straight before the cell gate in an instant.

"Rumble!"

A massive claw slammed against the gate, producing a dull boom.

"Uchiha!"

The Nine-Tails' voice was filled with rage and hatred. Senyo was dressed in Clan attire.

The enormous fan crest on his clothing represented his identity.

Senyo gave the Nine-Tails a cold glance, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Overwhelming ocular power erupted forth, and the Nine-Tails felt an immense wave of fear.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan!? Who are you? What do you want!?"

Warily, the Nine-Tails retreated from the cell gate. The Mangekyō Sharingan was his nemesis.

The last time he had been forcibly enslaved and dragged out of a Jinchuriki's body, it had been done by an Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan.

Senyo said indifferently, "Nine-Tails, I'm not here for you this time. You'd better behave yourself."

As he spoke, he searched around, only to find no trace of Namikaze Minato's or Kushina's Chakra.

It seemed the two of them had remained sealed away all this time.

While Senyo searched the area, the Nine-Tails carefully observed him.

The two Uchiha who had left the deepest impression on the Nine-Tails were undoubtedly Madara and Obito.

Both possessed the Uchiha's typical unstable, obsessive, neurotic temperament, and both harbored immense malice toward the Nine-Tails.

But the Uchiha before him was different. Ever since entering this place, he had remained exceptionally rational.

Even as the Nine-Tails, he could not sense any hostility from him.

Interesting. This was the first time he had encountered an Uchiha like this.

The Nine-Tails slowly lay down, waiting to see what this Uchiha intended to do.

Then, under the Nine-Tails' astonished gaze—

Senyo flew straight up and tore apart the Sealing tag bearing the character "Seal."

The Nine-Tails' eyes widened. He lifted his head excitedly, his gaze filled with disbelief and exhilaration!

Just as he excitedly prepared to roar—

Thud!

A massive force of ocular power struck the Nine-Tails' head like a giant hammer.

The Nine-Tails' body instantly stiffened, leaving him unable to move.