What Is Your Dream?

"It's fine. I don't think any of this could threaten me anyway."

Eiji shrugged. If research at this level could threaten him, that would only mean he wasn't strong enough.

In return, Eiji received an exceptionally sharp Kusanagi Sword from Orochimaru.

Looking at the Ninja Blade in his hand, Eiji smiled in satisfaction. Now he finally had a suitable weapon.

He still preferred using his fists, though. But perhaps he could land a Black Flash with a sword, too? He could try it once he mastered Black Flash.

"One more question. What is your dream, Eiji?"

"My dream? To become the strongest in the shinobi world, of course. If possible, I'd also like to live as long as I can. The longer, the better."

At Eiji's answer, Orochimaru's smile widened, as though he had found a kindred spirit.

He had always been intensely interested in life, and now Eiji, a powerful shinobi, shared his views. How could he not be pleased?

"Heh, I thought you would say you wanted to become Hokage."

"Hokage?" Eiji lowered his head in thought before answering. "If everyone wants me to take the job someday, I will. But I won't insist on it. It would only be a brief memory in my life anyway."

Eiji waved, said goodbye to Orochimaru, and turned to leave the secret laboratory.

Watching Eiji walk away, Orochimaru looked stunned.

A brief memory?

But a moment later, his usual calm expression returned.

"You only grow more intriguing. I look forward to seeing just how far you'll go, Eiji."

That evening, Eiji sat in the Ancestral Home's long corridor, gazing blankly at the moon, with Kushina and Sayuri sitting on either side of him.

The Daimyo's entourage would be leaving Konoha tomorrow, and Sayuri had to go with them. This was her last day at the Ancestral Home.

He glanced at Sayuri out of the corner of his eye.

She was taking small bites of watermelon, her elegant, proper manner making it clear at a glance that she was a well-bred young lady.

Did she have to maintain her composure even outside the Daimyo's Palace? It seemed being a princess wasn't easy, either.

Eiji thought she was a fine girl. In his previous life, she would certainly have been an outstanding woman, but this was the Warring States era. Whom she married was not hers to decide.

After all, this was a period much like Japan's Warring States era.

Although technology in the shinobi world was relatively primitive at present, with ninja still fighting hand-to-hand with cold steel during the Second Shinobi World War.

Yet less than ten years later, during the Third Shinobi World War, medical care began to become widely available, and electric lights and power grids gradually came into use. By the time of Naruto's main storyline, Naruto could even eat instant noodles, and modern inventions such as utility poles could be seen everywhere along the streets. The shinobi world's technological development was practically rocketing upward.

And yet its institutions failed to evolve alongside that explosive technological growth. The system of Daimyo and shinobi villages remained in place even in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, when laptops already existed. Was that really not a joke?

Under such a system, Sayuri could only follow her family's arrangements and marry someone powerful and influential. Grandma Mito had said she was born to a concubine, which made her an even more suitable candidate for a marriage alliance.

Perhaps she was already engaged. But how many people in the shinobi world could live freely according to their own wishes?

That was why becoming stronger was essential. Only strength would let him decide his own life.

He turned to look at Kushina. Wearing wooden sandals, she sat on the edge of the corridor, her fair legs dangling and swinging back and forth.

A summer breeze blew past, gently stirring her red hair.

Come to think of it, what exactly was his relationship with Kushina now?

In his previous life, he had always been single, working himself to the bone. Everything he knew about romance had remained in the realm of fantasy.

Now, he could clearly feel the special connection between them. Unless something unexpected happened, Eiji would probably confess his feelings to Kushina once they were both adults.

What a dreamlike life. If his parents were still alive, hearing that he would someday marry the richest woman in the shinobi world and had become the student of Princess Tsunade, the God of Shinobi's granddaughter, would surely make their jaws drop.

Still, perhaps that chance wasn't entirely out of reach. If he couldn't stop Kabuto from gathering the bodies of dead ninja everywhere, perhaps they would meet again someday.

By then, he might already be married with children. Would he have to bring Kushina and their children along for a touching reunion with his parents on the battlefield?

As Eiji gazed up at the moon, letting his thoughts wander, someone tugged at his sleeve. Kushina was looking at him in puzzlement.

"Eiji, you've been staring at the moon forever. You finally won the championship, so cheer up! Don't you agree, Sayuri?"

"I think Lord Eiji is missing someone from his past. I sometimes see similar expressions on other people's faces."

"...Is it that obvious?"

Somewhat surprised, Eiji touched his cheek. Was he really that easy to read?

"Huh? Are you really missing someone, Eiji?"

"My mind was just wandering. Speaking of which, I remembered a legend about the moon. It's a story about a princess who lived on the moon and came down to live on earth."

"There's a story like that? I've never heard it before." Sayuri was a little taken aback. She often stayed alone in the Daimyo's Palace, and with so little entertainment available, studying board games and reading were about all she had left to do. Yet she had never heard of the story Eiji mentioned.

Kushina folded her arms and thought hard, only to give up moments later.

"Hmm... I haven't heard it either. Why don't you tell us, Eiji?"

Since they were both interested, Eiji gathered his memories of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Fortunately, he remembered the broad outline of the story. He only needed to make sure the key scenes were engaging.

And so Eiji raised his index finger and began his tale.

"All right. A long, long time ago, an old man went into the mountains to cut bamboo. But inside a stalk he split open, he found a tiny, fragile little girl. He took her home as though he had found a precious treasure, and he and his wife adopted her... In just three months, the little girl grew into a graceful young woman. Her beauty was like the bright moon in the sky, and even the room she lived in shone with light. So the elderly couple named her Princess Kaguya."

Eiji hadn't expected to have such a knack for storytelling. Kushina and Sayuri were captivated by the opening alone and listened quietly as he continued.