Departing for Dark Conceal

July 3rd, 8:10 AM.

After breakfast, Chen's family of three prepared to accompany the two "Flower" forms to the legendary Shadow Hidden Ninja Village.

As they formally set out, Hikari shed her ninja dress and changed into a long blue coat from her youth, cinched at the waist with a belt. Beneath her tall, slender legs, she wore ninja boots. The girlish charm faded, replaced by a crisp, heroic aura!

She took two brand-new outfits from the wardrobe and came to the living room.

Madara and Obito were sitting face-to-face on the sofa. Hikari placed the clothes on the clean coffee table between them.

"Uncle Madara, I went to the ninja attire shop in the nearby town yesterday and looked around. The standard battle armor you used to wear is already discontinued, so I picked a style from the current options that I thought might suit you, and had the tailor modify it a bit. See if it fits?"

"Oh, thoughtful of you." Madara picked up the garment in front of him.

It was a deep red God Robe, similar in style to Chen's black one. Besides the Uchiha clan crest temporarily added, the cuffs and collar were embroidered with rose patterns!

"Oh? What's with the roses?"

Hikari squinted and smiled playfully. "Because Chen gave you the nickname 'Battle Rose,' so I took the liberty of adding them, hehe~"

"Haha, a fine 'Battle Rose' indeed... I like it..." Madara's face lit up with delight. He took off Chen's black God Robe, hung it on the coat rack, and changed into the new clothes.

After putting it on, he twisted around to inspect himself and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad... fits perfectly!"

Hikari turned her gaze behind her. "Brother Obito, this is the style you used to wear. I had it prepared shortly after you went back to greet Rin."

Madara noticed a small detail: Hikari had taken the liberty of adding rose embroidery to his clothes, but she hadn't added anything extra to Obito's.

Was she the type of girl who acted more playful with those older than her?

Far from being angry, Madara actually found it quite nice~.

Obito unfolded the garment in front of him.

It was the same cloak from his white-mask era, but the color had been changed from black to light gray, better matching his current gray-white hair.

"This really brings back memories..." Obito put on the new clothes and asked, "No mask?"

"Mask?"

Obito thought carefully and said, "Of course. If someone caught sight of me and Madara's faces, it would be a world-shaking event in the current ninja world and cause trouble for Chen, right?"

Madara nodded in agreement. "Mm, that's a valid point. Though I've never worn a mask in my life, I can make an exception after death."

Chen, having put a small sun-protective jacket on Tsuki and taken her hand, came to the living room and heard the conversation. He said, "The place we're going today is fine. As for whether to wear masks after today, I'll respect both of your wishes."

Before leaving, Madara picked up a photo frame from the TV cabinet.

It had been mentioned before—a family portrait of four.

Besides Chen, Hikari, and Tsuki, there was another girl, who looked about seven or eight years older than Tsuki.

She was Chen and Hikari's eldest daughter, born the same year they married: Uchiha Yuki.

Tsuki took after Chen, while Yuki was practically a miniature version of Hikari! (Illustration attached later)

Uchiha Yuki, at-home style.

Twelve years old, just the age to start out as a rookie ninja.

Madara felt a strange sensation. From the first moment he saw this photo, he sensed a connection with this child.

This trip to the Shadow Hidden Ninja Village should let him meet her...

Madara placed the photo frame back on the TV cabinet.

"Let's go." Chen used his right eye's Space-Time Ninjutsu to absorb everyone.

"Clang!" The moment they left, Naruto and Sasuke, who had been tracking Chen's chakra, descended directly into Chen's living room through a Space Gate!

"Damn, the strong Chakra Sense suddenly vanished without a trace. Are we too late?!"

After searching everywhere with no results, Naruto walked to the TV cabinet, picked up the photo frame, and stared at the family portrait of four, sinking into thought.

"Whoosh!" The space-time vortex settled, and the group appeared in a valley passage.

Below their feet, water flowed gently. Ahead, a layer of mist shrouded the area.

Madara's first instinct was to grab Tsuki's hand to keep her from falling into the water.

"Heehee, splashing through the water~!" But this little princess skillfully released chakra to the soles of her feet and stood steady on the surface!

Madara couldn't help but marvel. "At only four years old, she's already learned the ninja technique of releasing chakra?!"

Chen smiled at Madara and said, "Don't laugh, Uncle Madara. These days, early education is all the rage, but I think the child is still too young, so I just had her learn this basic skill first... The Three Body Techniques, shuriken, basic Fire Release—none of those have been taught yet!"

Madara and Obito thought in unison: Oh... this really is early education!

Chen led the way forward, approaching the mist, and began to explain to Madara and Obito.

"This place is located in the southern valley of a nameless small country, at the junction of the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Birds. The world thinks this is just barren land, but in truth, it hides a ninja training paradise passed down from the era of the Six Paths Sage Art, called 'Taoyuan.'" (Illustration attached later)

The country where Taoyuan is located, marked with a check.

"Taoyuan is protected by a barrier, existing in a state of isolation. Even though ninja footprints have covered this land, Taoyuan's whereabouts remain a mystery."

"I found Taoyuan and built the Shadow Hidden Ninja Village there."

Madara asked curiously, "A sacred ground of the Six Paths Sage Art? Secluded from the world for a thousand years—how did you find it?"

Chen said, "I once had a master, a descendant of the Ashura lineage of the Six Paths Sage Art. I met him at the lowest point of my life, and he was my great benefactor."

"Everything I am today is inseparable from his teachings. Even the clue to the Gate of Taoyuan was something he left me on his deathbed."

Oh? Chen's master, huh.

Madara had already developed a certain understanding of Chen's methods and conduct.

For a long time, he had been playing the role of an observer through 'Haniyasu'.

That meant his true combat experience was not extensive.

But that brief skirmish two nights ago—judging by his movements and awareness—he was absolutely a ruthless character!

Surely, that had to be tied to the training from that master, right?

"To be your master, he must be no ordinary figure, I take it?"

"No, he was a wandering monk, nameless and unknown. I simply called him 'Zen Master'."

"Then his strength must be formidable, yes?"

Knew Uncle Madara would ask that. Chen, with his back to Uncle Madara, smirked to himself.

"Not really. The Zen Master knew no ninjutsu at all. He and his ancestors before him had always adhered to the creed of the Ashura lineage of the Sage Art—not to be seduced by the myriad dazzling 'techniques' of the Indra lineage, but to steadfastly cultivate the 'mind'. From this arose his unique 'Samadhi' skill, the sole pursuit of the Zen Master's life. He passed this skill on to me."

Samadhi, another name for meditation.

Heh... So after all that, he was just a monk who only knew how to sit in meditation.

Indra's reincarnation, Madara thought dismissively.

"Samadhi, I've heard of it. Nothing more than a technique of calming the breath and stilling the mind. Any ninja needs a degree of stillness to refine Chakra."

Chen said calmly, "No. That bit of stillness a ninja achieves when refining Chakra doesn't even count as the threshold of Samadhi. True Samadhi is profound. At its highest depths, one can enter the state of 'Samadhi' itself."

"And what does entering Samadhi achieve?"

"Within Samadhi, I can battle the 'Imaginary Enemy', allowing my body, spirit, and consciousness to grow in a way comparable to real combat. I began training under the Zen Master at thirteen, spent three years at it, and only achieved Samadhi at sixteen."

"Sixteen more years have passed since then. In the middle, I spent about six years wholeheartedly accompanying my eldest daughter, Yuki, through her childhood."

"Ten years—the actual time I've cultivated through Samadhi is ten years. But in those ten years, my combat experience amounts to hundreds of years—and hundreds of years comparable to the intensity of the Warring States period!"

"!?" Chen's casual description made both Madara and Obito show expressions of shock and bewilderment.

"Is that possible? Can Samadhi accelerate time? Besides, isn't the Imaginary Enemy just a construct of your own consciousness? If you're a novice yourself, what kind of decent opponent could you possibly conjure?"

Chen explained with a smile, "Uncle Madara. Before I entered Samadhi, I thought the same as you. But once I truly entered, I realized that its mystery cannot be described to anyone who hasn't experienced it themselves. All I can say is, the Six Paths' Sage Art truly has its own system."

"No wonder Ashura and Indra fought so fiercely over the inheritance of the Sage Art back then."

Madara's eyes flickered. He couldn't experience Samadhi now, but at least he understood one thing.

"So this is the reason Chen has so few actual battles yet possesses such seasoned skill?"

"However, the reason I regard the Zen Master as my benefactor isn't just because he taught me Samadhi."

At the end of the mist, Chen stopped before a dead end formed by mountain walls.

He raised his hand to form a secret seal. Amidst a rumbling sound, a door appeared.

It was the only entrance to Taoyuan—the Gate of Taoyuan.

"Creak!" Lowering his hand, Chen pushed open the Gate of Taoyuan.

Light streamed in through the gradually widening door, and Chen's low voice followed.

"Uncle Madara, Obito, you probably won't believe this. I used to be a person of extremely violent and irritable temperament. I even caused the death of my own parents because of it..."