Southward! (Mysterious Farmhouse Retreat)

As the sun sets, the sky is tinged with orange-red.

The glow of the sunset fell on the Hokage Rock, adding a soft golden edge to the three shadow Kage Rock that symbolize the history of Konoha.

The village below Kage Rock is densely packed with houses and has crisscrossing streets.

But the streets and alleys that should have been bustling were now silent and deserted.

Only two figures walked slowly down the empty street.

Ban walked slightly behind, his black armor and crimson cracks now completely gone.

He was dressed in dark-colored tribal clothing from the Warring States Period, his posture was upright, and even his face looked much younger than before.

(Referencing Konoha, the founder of Konoha.)

"This is... Konoha?"

Madara frowned as he gazed at the three Hokage Rock above, then his gaze fell on the figure walking slowly ahead.

Knocked in front a few steps, his steps light and casual.

He wore a black robe, simple and neat in style, and his long black hair was tied into a small braid at the back of his head, with a few strands hanging down in front of his forehead, which made his handsome face look a bit unruly and roguish.

At this moment, he was clearly no longer the Six Paths Man he once was. The hostile pressure emanating from him was gone, and he resembled an ordinary young man next door.

"No, this isn't the real Konoha."

Is this your... inner world?

Ban opened his mouth, about to say something, but Kou seemed to have discovered something, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

His gaze fell on an inconspicuous shop at the street corner, and he jogged toward that direction.

"Oh! This ninja tool shop is still here. It brings back so many memories."

He said with emotion, and reached out to push open the shop door.

He stepped into the store and disappeared inside.

Ban Jian ignored him, clicked his tongue inwardly, and stared at the still slightly swaying wooden door, his expression shifting uncertainly.

But after a moment, he still followed after them with a disgruntled expression.

The shop is clean and simple.

Exquisitely crafted Kunai, Shuriken, and Ninja Blade were displayed on the shelves, their blades gleaming coldly in the light streaming in from the window, as if waiting to be chosen.

Kou walked to the shelf, reached out and took down a Kunai, skillfully toying with it, a faint trace of nostalgia flashing in his eyes:

"Time flies! I think I was only six years old when I first came to this store."

He held the Kunai up in front of him, looking at his mature face reflected in the blade, and his lips twitched slightly:

"At that time, my parents had only recently sacrificed their lives."

Although the family still had some savings, and the compensation from the clan and Konoha was indeed considerable, the ninja tools from Granny Cat's place were of good quality and reasonably priced...

However, the intensity of my training is rather high, which puts some pressure on my spending on ninja tools.

He paused, his fingers tracing lightly across the shelf, as if touching a piece of time that had long since passed:

"Looking back now, I'm so grateful that Uncle Sakumo Hatake had some connections with the shop owner, and that I asked him to look after me before I left."

"... snort."

Ban snorted coldly and turned his head away, seemingly quite impatient.

But his gaze unconsciously drifted to the shelves, landing on the ninja tools that he was equally familiar with.

He was naturally very familiar with this store.

After all, whenever he served as the instructor of Jonin, that annoying boy would recommend this store to him, using discounted "offers" in exchange for his "advertising" Jonin.

Although I was a little annoyed by the kid's cleverness, the ninja tools in this shop were indeed of good quality.

"It's a pity that this shop ceased to exist shortly after the Third Ninja World War."

Kouchi put the ninja tools back in their place and glanced at Madara beside him:

"After the Third Ninja World War ended, the shop owner decided to change careers and open another dango shop to make a living."

"I asked him why, and he said that although the profit from this business was indeed high, he would have nightmares whenever a familiar customer left and never came back."

Although their deaths had nothing to do with him, he still felt a pang of guilt.

"So, he wanted to try a different approach."

He paused here, then glanced at the empty counter:

"It's just a pity that I wasn't able to be the first customer to get a free meal at his new store."

He raised his head, looked at Ban's profile, and said in a deep voice:

"Because of... the Nine-Tails Incident."

"Oh, are you blaming me?"

Ban chuckled softly, turning his gaze from the shelf to Kou's face, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance at being underestimated:

"If you intend to Judgment me as a champion of justice and expect me to repent for my past actions, you are being far too naive."

For the Infinite Tsukuyomi, for the Ninja World to usher in true peace, this small sacrifice is utterly insignificant.

"... A small sacrifice?"

Kou repeated in a low voice, expressionless, slowly shaking his head, shifting his gaze from the freckled face to the twilight-shrouded street outside the shop:

You're wrong. I didn't mean for you to repent.

"After all, although you were partly to blame for the Nine-Tails Incident, Obito was the one who took the lion's Obito."

In this matter, you can only be considered an accomplice.

"What... exactly are you trying to say?"

Ban stared intently at Kou, who hadn't gotten to the point since they arrived, and questioned him in a deep voice.

He secretly tried to mobilize the Chakra within his body, attempting to sense his current state.

No matter how he tried, there was no response from his body.

"Alright, stop wasting your time."

Don't forget, this... is my inner world.

He said this calmly, then strode out of the shop.

His steps were practiced; he turned left as soon as he stepped out the door and continued walking in a certain direction along the empty street.

"Come with me for a walk, Teacher."

"You probably don't have anything else to do right now, do you?"

Ban frowned slightly as he watched Kou's leisurely back, but ultimately followed after him.

The two walked one after the other on the deserted streets of Konoha.

The setting sun slowly sank behind them, stretching their shadows longer and longer until they finally melted into the twilight...