Stopping Him

"Don't look like we're parting forever. I'm just going on vacation."

Chenshu Senju casually set his teacup down on the stone table. The crisp clink broke the strange silence in the courtyard. Naruto wanted to speak again, but Kakashi swiftly pressed a hand onto his shoulder and gave him a slight shake of the head.

"Vacation? You even handed over command of the ANBU. What kind of vacation is that?" Tsunade stared at the empty teacup, her brows tightly furrowed. She had a stomachful of curses she wanted to hurl at him, but in the end, she merely lifted the bowl of wine before her and drained it in one gulp.

Chenshu Senju ignored them, rose to his feet, brushed the wrinkles from his clothes, and headed straight for the archway leading to the rear courtyard.

"Big Brother Chenshu, do you really not need me to bring you some Ichiraku Ramen?" Naruto shouted after him, his voice thick with reluctance.

"Save it for a late-night snack yourself."

With his back to them, Chenshu Senju waved a hand without looking back and walked out of the courtyard, leaving everyone with a carefree silhouette.

The evening breeze swept through the vast Senju Manor, rustling the leaves as several fallen ones rolled along the bluestone path to his feet.

He followed the corridor inward without encountering any guards. The ANBU he had left behind had long since been redeployed to the perimeter under Tsunade's command. The manor was so quiet inside that one could hear a pin drop.

Chenshu Senju slowed his pace. His Ōtsutsuki-level perception spread across the ground like a tide, piercing through layer after layer of walls and covering the entire Hidden Leaf Village. A Chunin on the next street was fighting over the last piece of grilled meat, Tenten