In the afternoon, sunlight slanted across Konoha's streets, adding a touch of warmth to the bustling village.
Liuli and Sasuke had just finished their meal and were now walking side by side toward the Ninja Academy.
The villagers of Konoha went about their business. Snatches of conversation and calls from vendors mingled now and then, forming a unique street symphony in their ears.
To Sasuke, however, the sounds were like countless tiny insects buzzing around his ears, making him feel irritable.
He frowned and tried to focus on the road ahead, but the noisy din seemed almost magical, constantly distracting him.
Liuli noticed Sasuke's discomfort. With a light laugh, she reached out and gently covered his left ear with her palm.
Her hand was warm and soft, as if it held some kind of magic. The noisy sounds that had been bothering Sasuke grew much fainter beneath her palm.
"How is it? Isn't that much better?" Liuli asked softly, her voice gentle and clear.
Sasuke nodded, a grateful smile appearing on his face. "Much better."
The two continued on their way, the scenery on either side of the street slowly passing by.
The villagers of Konoha continued their busy routines. Their voices were still there, but with Liuli's help, Sasuke could walk on without distraction.
Meanwhile, the three of them were also on the road to Yugakure in the Land of Rivers.
Their purpose was to visit the hot springs and relax.
Though the journey was long, none of them felt tired. They chatted and laughed along the way, filling the road with cheerful voices.
"Do you think there'll be lots of little fish in the hot springs at Yugakure?" Hanabi asked suddenly, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Little fish? Why would there be little fish?" Gojo Rin asked, puzzled.
"Because they can nibble off the dead skin on your feet! Then your skin gets super smooth after you soak in the springs!" Hanabi explained, her face lighting up with excitement.
"That does make sense," Gojo Rin said after thinking it over.
"Rin, I'm so bored. Why don't we use Susanoo to travel? Just think about it: we could ride a giant mech to the hot springs. It'd be so cool, and we'd save so much time. Don't you think?"
Uchiha Hanabi said with a giggle, her face beaming with excitement and delight.
She blinked and gestured with both hands, mimicking Susanoo's enormous form, as if she couldn't wait to wield its immense power and race across the world.
Seeing how delighted Hanabi was, Rin couldn't help but be infected by her mood. She laughed and shook her head. "Hanabi, you're getting more and more mischievous. But Susanoo is for fighting, not for traveling."
"Oh, Rin, don't be so serious!" Hanabi said with a cheeky grin. "I was only joking. Besides, if we really could use Susanoo to travel, wouldn't that be a whole new experience? We might even run into something interesting along the way."
As she spoke, curiosity and anticipation gleamed in her eyes, as if she were already picturing a journey full of fun and surprises.
Seeing Hanabi's lively, enthusiastic manner, Rin couldn't help feeling cheerful too.
"Teacher Gojo, what do you think? Yugakure is in the Land of Rivers, just below the Land of Rain." Uchiha Hanabi blinked her big, curious eyes and looked earnestly at Gojo Satoru beside her.
Gojo Satoru blinked, the corner of his mouth curling into a teasing smile. "Hanabi, that's a tough question. But if you're willing to buy me a bowl of ramen, I'll consider using Susanoo to carry us there. How about it?"
Hanabi's eyes widened. She stared at Gojo Satoru in disbelief, then pretended to protest. "Teacher, are you kidding? Susanoo is an exclusive ninjutsu of the Uchiha Clan. How could you possibly use it?"
Gojo Satoru laughed and smugly shook his head. "Heh, Hanabi, you don't know the half of it. I'm an all-rounder. A little skill like Susanoo comes naturally to me."
As he spoke, he struck an exaggerated pose, as if he were really gathering chakra to activate Susanoo.
Hanabi couldn't help bursting out laughing. "Teacher Gojo, that's so fake! If you could really summon Susanoo, wouldn't that make you even stronger than Madara Uchiha?"
At that, Gojo Satoru's eyes widened. He retorted in all seriousness, "Hey, that's not right! I, Gojo Satoru, am one of a kind. How could you compare me to someone like Madara Uchiha? Besides, what's wrong with summoning Susanoo? I came prepared. This trip is going to be a surprise for everyone!"
With that, he suddenly flashed out of sight. Hanabi cried out in surprise, and before she could react, a streak of golden light flashed across the sky. A huge figure descended right after it: the imposing Susanoo!
"Whoa! Teacher, you really summoned Susanoo!" Hanabi exclaimed, staring at the gigantic figure in disbelief.
Standing on Susanoo's shoulder, Gojo Satoru grinned smugly. "Well? I told you I wasn't bluffing. I'll personally escort you to the Land of Rivers!"
Hanabi nodded again and again, gazing at Gojo Satoru with admiration. "Teacher, you're amazing! I can hardly believe my eyes!"
"That's enough, you two! Stop acting like children."
Gojo Rin shook her head helplessly as she looked at the two grown men in front of her—Gojo Satoru and Uchiha Hanabi. They were arguing back and forth as if they'd returned to carefree childhood, but they were adults now, and their behavior was terribly childish.
"Gojo Satoru, can't you just say a little less?" Gojo Rin couldn't help speaking up, a hint of reproach in her voice.
Gojo Satoru turned to her with a teasing smile. "Rin, are you taking Hanabi's side? We're only joking around."
"Even jokes have their limits, don't they?" Gojo Rin said with a frown. "You two are making such a racket. What will people think?"
Uchiha Hanabi realized they'd gone too far. She scratched her head and gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, Rin. We did get a bit carried away. We'll be more careful."
Seeing how sincerely they apologized, Gojo Rin's annoyance eased a little.
Those two usually looked after her, though sometimes they did take things too far.
"All right. Since you both know you were wrong, let's leave it at that." Gojo Rin sighed, sounding a little helpless. "But really, try to show some restraint next time. Don't do that again."
They both nodded repeatedly, promising they would.
Seeing that, Gojo Rin decided not to press the matter. Though those two sometimes acted like children, she knew they had good hearts.
"But just walking all the way there really is exhausting." Gojo Rin looked at the long road ahead, a wave of weariness rising within her.
She furrowed her brow slightly, thinking about how they could reach their destination faster.
"Rin, what's wrong? Why the sudden frown?" Gojo Satoru noticed her change in expression and asked with concern.
"Nothing. I just think walking all the way there will be too tiring," Gojo Rin replied, shaking her head.
"Yeah, it is quite a long way," Uchiha Hanabi agreed. "But we don't have any faster way to get there."
Gojo Rin was silent for a moment. Then her eyes lit up as she thought of something. "Why don't we try Hanabi's idea and just summon Susanoo?"
"Susanoo?" Gojo Satoru and Uchiha Hanabi both froze, clearly taken aback by the suggestion.
Susanoo was the Uchiha Clan's ultimate ocular technique. It could summon a gigantic spiritual body with immense power.
However, the technique consumed a great deal of energy and was usually used only in battle.
Still, the three of them wanted to try flying in a different way.
"Rin, are you sure you want to do this? Susanoo's cost is no joke. I was only kidding earlier," Gojo Satoru said with some concern.
"I know, but this way we can reach our destination faster and save a lot of energy," Gojo Rin explained. "Besides, I trust our strength. We should be able to control Susanoo with ease. After all, controlling one Susanoo shouldn't be too difficult for someone with Six Paths-level power, right?"
Uchiha Hanabi rubbed her chin and thought for a while, then nodded. "All right. Since you say so, Rin, let's give it a try. But we should keep a close eye on the cost and avoid overusing it."
Gojo Satoru nodded in agreement. The three of them stood by the roadside, preparing to activate Susanoo.
Gojo Satoru and Uchiha Hanabi closed their eyes and began to gather their ocular power. A faint light shimmered in their eyes, as if some mysterious power were surging within them.
Before long, powerful auras emanated from them, and even the air around them seemed to grow still.
Gojo Rin stood to one side, watching them nervously. She knew a spectacular sight was about to unfold.
Suddenly, dazzling light burst from Gojo Satoru and Uchiha Hanabi. The gigantic forms of their Susanoo gradually appeared. They towered over the landscape, mighty as gods from myth.
"All right, let's go!" Gojo Satoru called out first. His Susanoo turned into a streak of light and raced ahead.
Uchiha Hanabi followed close behind. Her Susanoo took one stride, crossing dozens of meters at once.
Seeing that, Gojo Rin hurriedly summoned her own Susanoo. Though hers wasn't as powerful as the other two, it was more than enough to carry her along with ease.
She followed behind them, feeling the wind rush past at incredible speed. Her fatigue vanished.
And so the three of them traveled on Susanoo, speeding toward their destination.
The three gigantic Susanoo stood high in the sky. Sunlight shone on their forms, making them look like three towering peaks piercing the clouds.
Gojo Satoru's Susanoo wore blue armor and held a long sword, its blade glinting like that of an undefeated god of war. Uchiha Hanabi's Susanoo was wreathed in flames, its eyes burning fiercely as if they could incinerate every obstacle. Gojo Rin's Susanoo wore robes as white as snow and had an ethereal bearing, radiating an inviolable, sacred air.
They raced through the clouds at astonishing speed, leaving brilliant trails in their wake.
The world below looked so small from above. Mountains, rivers, towns, and villages all seemed like miniature models.
The three enormous Susanoo soared through the azure sky, like three towering peaks piercing the clouds or three mighty beasts roaming freely above the world.
Sunlight fell upon them, draping them in golden radiance and making them seem even more sacred and majestic.
He spoke first, his voice echoing through Susanoo's chest and sounding especially loud. "Flying like this really clears the mind!"
His face was wreathed in a delighted, satisfied smile, as if all his worries and troubles had vanished in that moment.
Hearing Gojo Satoru, Uchiha Hanabi chimed in. "Exactly! I told you, you can play around with your ocular power all you want, and you can even change the style of your Susanoo mech through the system. It's so much fun! It's just that the main body lost a thousand points. I hope he won't scold Hanabi!"
Her words were full of mischief and teasing, as if she were daring Uchiha Ruri to do something about it.
Gojo Satoru laughed when he heard her. "Hanabi, you're always looking for fun! But your Susanoo's new look really is pretty interesting. It looks like its combat power has gone up, too."
Hanabi laughed smugly. "Of course! No one can beat my creativity! Besides, isn't fighting all about having fun? If even fighting becomes boring, what's the point?"
Gojo Rin listened to them and shook her head, thinking to herself, Hanabi really is a born prankster!
Susanoo continued flying through the sky. Their forms darted between the clouds, leaving brilliant trails behind them.
Hanabi seemed to especially love flying. She kept adjusting Susanoo's posture and altitude, as if savoring the freedom of soaring through the sky.
"Hanabi, take it easy, or you'll use up all the main body's points!" Gojo Satoru warned.
"Don't worry, Brother Satoru! I know what I'm doing! It only cost a thousand! The main body said this was part of the plan!"
Hanabi answered without a care, her face still glowing with ease and delight.
After flying for a while, they finally arrived at their destination.
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