Tobirama-niisan, You Deserve to Be Enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple

With this bizarre incident resolved, Senju Kyogawa and Senju Chenghe were due to return.

Madara was clearly anxious to head back as well, parting ways with the two shortly after exiting the tunnel.

Neither Senju Kyogawa nor Senju Chenghe tried to stop him, and the three of them bid each other a friendly farewell. Before Madara left, Senju Kyogawa gave him a lingering hug, stroking his long, slender, and bony fingers, nearly clinging to him entirely.

Madara amusedly peeled Senju Kyogawa's clinging hands off his body, looked at him with a teasing glint in his eyes, and laughed, "Good boy, don't miss me too much."

Senju Kyogawa was instantly incensed upon hearing this.

Ever since waking up, Senju Kyogawa had felt deeply humiliated by the memory of calling Madara "Mom" in his dazed state; it was as if he had lowered himself by a generation compared to his "good brother" for no reason at all!

He had tried his best to forget the incident, but Madara bringing it up again made him want to crawl into a hole.

How embarrassing, truly, how utterly embarrassing!

[If it weren't for the Cuddle Points, would I even bother?!] Senju Kyogawa thought indignantly.

As Senju Kyogawa and Madara exchanged cryptic remarks, only Senju Chenghe stood to the side, clueless about what they were discussing, scratching his head and wondering if he had forgotten something.

Even after Madara left, Senju Chenghe still couldn't recall what he had forgotten.

So, he hurriedly said to Senju Kyogawa:

"Kyogawa, hurry and check me over. See if I've developed amnesia from my severe injuries?"

Senju Kyogawa acted as if it were a serious matter, pinching Senju Chenghe's hand and rummaging through his hair before speaking with feigned profundity:

"After a professional medical ninja's diagnosis... Brother Chenghe, you are suffering from brain damage caused by prolonged oxygen deprivation."

Senju Kyogawa's expression was solemn, his fair, delicate face full of sincerity.

Senju Chenghe had genuinely thought he suffered some head injury and asked Senju Kyogawa with fear and concern how to treat it. In the end, Senju Kyogawa couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha, hahahaha—Brother Chenghe, are you serious? You're perfectly fine, you're just so easy to trick, hahahahaha..." Senju Kyogawa laughed until he was gasping for air, nearly passing out from the mirth.

Senju Chenghe hadn't realized it at first, but seeing Senju Kyogawa laugh, he knew he had been played.

The two began to chase and wrestle each other again.

After their laughter and banter, they went to find the few Senju ninjas who had already recovered.

Upon waking, the Senju ninjas felt only weakness and a splitting headache, remembering nothing. Senju Kyogawa and Senju Chenghe lied, telling them they had accidentally fallen for an enemy's hallucinogenic drug and were nearly killed, but were saved thanks to their timely discovery.

Though the Senju clansmen were half-skeptical, they truly remembered nothing, and with Senju Kyogawa and Senju Chenghe looking so sincere, they accepted the fact that they, experienced ninjas, had been drugged and nearly lost their lives on the spot.

Not to mention how much the Senju ninjas doubted their own lives, but regardless, Senju Kyogawa and Senju Chenghe breathed a sigh of relief.

The events of the past few days were simply too bizarre; even if the two of them told the truth, the other ninjas likely wouldn't believe them.

Since they had regained their senses, it was better to let this matter become a thing of the past.

Although Senju Kyogawa possessed Healing Jutsu, he had nearly bled dry, and while his wounds had closed, he still required proper rest.

Senju Chenghe, though not as severely injured as Senju Kyogawa, also needed to recuperate.

The accompanying Senju ninjas assumed the two had fought the enemy to the death to save them, and were exceptionally lenient toward them.

Therefore, the group did not rush the return journey, doing their best to accommodate the physical conditions of Senju Kyogawa and Senju Chenghe.

On the road, Senju Chenghe remarked several times that Senju Kyogawa might be a living Bodhisattva sent to save him, having pulled him back from the gates of death twice in such a short time.

Although their bodies were a bit worn out, they were ninjas after all, and with their inherent physical fitness, the group's travel speed was still beyond that of ordinary people.

Except for Senju Kyogawa, who, because he couldn't use ninjutsu and thus couldn't perform the "ninja run," had to be carried on the back of a Senju ninja.

Along the way, the Senju ninjas would occasionally check on Senju Kyogawa's condition. Since he didn't have to run himself and could keep gaining Cuddle Points while clinging to a ninja's back, Senju Kyogawa was naturally happy to be idle and had no complaints.

And so, the (very pleasant) return journey finally came to an end.

The group returned to the Senju clan grounds on a bright and sunny spring day.

Having been away for so long, Senju Kyogawa felt that the very air of the Senju clan grounds was fresh and sweet. The Land of Lightning was plagued by constant thunder and rain, with overcast skies year-round and rarely a clear day; it couldn't compare to the Land of Fire, with its bright sunshine, vibrant spring, and crisp air.

However, even Senju Kyogawa, who had been away for a while, found himself missing the days at the Senju clan grounds, likely because he had developed a sense of homesickness after staying there for so long.

Senju Kyogawa's group had been gone for too long, and the families of the accompanying ninjas had waited so long that they had already given up hope. Even Senju Butsuma had assumed they had encountered enemies on the road and met with misfortune.

No one expected them to return on such a warm and sunny afternoon.

On the day they returned, all of Senju Kyogawa's older brothers happened to be in the clan grounds.

Upon hearing the news of their return, Hashirama and the others rushed to the entrance of the clan grounds.

Seeing Senju Kyogawa, his eldest brother, Senju Hashirama, hugged him and sobbed uncontrollably, crying a river of tears and snot; anyone who didn't know better would have thought Senju Kyogawa had met his end.

Although Senju Kyogawa was happy to be hugged by Senju Hashirama to gain Cuddle Points, Hashirama's constant wailing was becoming a bit much for him to handle.

He tugged for a long time before finally, with the help of Senju Tobirama, "peeled" the "sticky" Senju Hashirama off his body.

Senju Kyogawa pulled Senju Hashirama's hand with a wry smile, showing him that there wasn't a single scratch on his entire body.

"Brother Hashirama, stop crying. Look, aren't I perfectly fine?"

Before he could finish comforting Senju Hashirama, Senju Kawarama and Itama came over to hug Senju Kyogawa tightly—this youngest brother they had almost lost.

Senju Kyogawa was deeply touched that his brothers cared so much for his safety, but he felt like he was being hugged to the point of suffocation.

"Alright, alright, put Kyogawa down. He's been exhausted from his mission for so long, he needs to rest properly now." Senju Tobirama finally rescued Senju Kyogawa from his brothers' enthusiastic embrace.

Senju Kyogawa was instantly filled with gratitude toward Senju Tobirama.

[Brother Tobirama, you deserve to be enshrined in the Great Temple!]