A Casual Visit

"Sister Kuyue".

"Shuyuan, where's the teacher?"

"Father is in the tea room."

Shuyuan didn't even glance at Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso who were following behind Kuyue; she only spoke to Kuyue.

He led the way, chatting idly with Kuyue about all sorts of things, and the two of them laughed heartily.

Senju Zen followed at a leisurely pace, about three meters away, stepping onto the long corridor. Looking at the vast expanse of snow outside, he felt surprisingly calm, the unease he had felt before entering the village completely gone.

The One-Tail to Four-Tails have all been devoured by the golem. Now we need the Five-Tails, otherwise the subsequent work cannot proceed. The sealing of the Tailed Beast must be done in order.

However.

The Five-Tails is really difficult to obtain.

Trying to seize the Five-Tails by force is really unreliable. Fortunately, it seems there's hope of obtaining the Five-Tails and Nine-Tails through peaceful means.

"Arrive."

Shuyuan's voice startled him from his reverie.

The tea room was warm, with the glowing red coals in the fire pit emitting a reddish halo. The kettle on the fire pit made a sharp whistling sound, and white steam hissed out of the spout, adding a touch of humidity to the room.

Shuyuan hurriedly stepped forward, took down the kettle, and began to brew tea for everyone. Reluctantly, she also served tea to Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso.

Uchiha Genso took a sip of the hot tea, and the scalding heat emanated from his stomach, gradually dispelling the chill from his body.

In terms of physical fitness, he was no match for Zen; traveling in this kind of weather was a real ordeal for him!

"We've collected the One-Tail, Two-Tails, Three-Tails, and Four-Tails. As agreed before, Senior Katsuki, now we need the Five-Tails."

Senju Zen took a sip of tea, straightened his back, and looked intently at Katsuki sitting opposite him.

"You've acted quickly, that's good. I've already prepared the Five-Tails." Katsuki put down her teacup, a satisfied smile on her face, and glanced at Shuyuan. "Go and bring that over."

"Yes, Father."

Shuyuan accepted the order and left.

A moment later, Shuyuan carried in a burly man who had fainted and left him next to Senju Zen.

"The thing is inside his body. You can just take it with you when you leave." Katsuki coughed lightly, holding her teacup, steam rising from it. "The snow is very heavy outside, and traveling is quite arduous. Let's take this time to have a good chat."

Senju Zen was extremely unwilling to accept Katsuki's suggestion, but he had no choice but to comply.

Uchiha Genso calmly sipped his tea, pretending to be deaf and dumb.

What would you like to ask?

Senju Zen was extremely polite.

"Could you tell me in detail how Madara Uchiha tricked you into following him?" Katsuki asked with a smile.

Senju Zen frowned; this was certainly a tricky question!

After a moment's thought, he finally spoke, "It's very simple, I just yearn for a better world."

A better world? Isn't Konoha good enough now?

Kuyue stared at Senju Zen with great displeasure.

"Good? Is this what you call a good life, with endless war and constant fighting?" Senju Zen scoffed.

"A spoiled idiot."

Kuyue muttered something to herself.

Senju Zen heard everything clearly, but he wasn't angry. After more than a decade of tempering, his heart was strong enough that trying to shake his will with words was pure wishful thinking.

"What does Madara Uchiha plan to do now that he has collected all Nine Tailed Beasts? Summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path revive the Ten-Tails?" Katsuki continued to ask.

"You know a lot!"

Senju Zen was not surprised. From his brief conversation with Katsuki in the Land of Lightning, he knew that this Konoha's Calamity knew a great deal.

However, the fact that they even knew about the Ten-Tails is astounding. Even within the Akatsuki Organization, only the two of them and Zetsu knew about these things. As for the others, they just thought it was a lie about collecting Tailed Beast to make weapons. No, to be precise, it wasn't a lie either. The Ten-Tails' destructive power surpasses that of the Nine Tailed Beasts, so calling it a super weapon wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Uchiha Genso also looked over.

"I know far more than you do," Katsuki said bluntly. "Go on, what's the name of your plan?"

Katsuki if future developments would change, Mizuki could only probe indirectly through Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso.

Senju Zen hesitated for a moment, exchanged a glance with Uchiha Genso, and still couldn't decide whether to speak up.

"What are you dragging your feet about? Ever since you started hunting the Nine Tailed Beasts, the entire Shinobi World has been your enemy. If I didn't have my own goals, I would have wiped you out long ago. In any case, I will not hinder your work of collecting the Tailed Beast. In return, isn't it normal for you to pay some compensation? There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

"I can't believe it," said Katsuki slowly.

Senju Zen's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. There was a feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Brother Zen, let's be frank. Things have progressed to this point, and it's bound to be announced sooner or later." Uchiha Genso spoke up, looking at Katsuki. "Since you know Katsuki the Ten-Tails, there's no point in hiding it. Madara has some kind of Moon Eye Plan, intending to create a beautiful world that exists in an illusion. In short, it's a very naive idea."

"Oh? What? You don't agree with this idea?"

Katsuki was curious; she had assumed the two were of one mind, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Oh! It's not that I object, it's just that I'm not really interested. I'm not that interested in the beautiful world in the illusion."

Uchiha Genso shrugged.

Senju Zen silently sipped his hot tea, completely unconcerned about Uchiha Genso's every word and action.

We've been partners for over a decade, so this little conflict is nothing to us anymore.

"So how did you end up hanging out with Madara?"

"Power. I need enough power to fulfill my wish, and Ban has promised to give me enough power. I have no reason to refuse. As for what the world will become because of this, I don't care. I just want to achieve my wish."

Uchiha Genso glanced at Katsuki, a smile on his face. "Of course, if you want to know what my wish is, I'm sorry, I can't reveal that."

"Can't tell me? That's interesting! Can you tell me why?"

Katsuki was genuinely curious.

"The reason is simple: he's afraid you'll beat him to death here."

Senju Zen interrupted, ignoring the angry Uchiha Genso.

"Wow! That's quite an unsettling reason!"

Katsuki gently stroked the teacup with her fingers, looking at Uchiha Genso with a half-smile.

There's no need to ask too many questions; just considering this reason, keeping Uchiha Genso alive today seems like a feasible move. (To be continued)