After a day of running around, the dust seems to have settled, but Senju Chen's heart is hanging even higher.
He is waiting.
Waiting for a figure that should have appeared long ago.
Shisui Uchiha.
From early morning to dusk, the sun rises from the eaves in the east and slowly sinks into the mountains in the west, dyeing the sky a magnificent orange-red.
Senju Chen sat on the porch, the tea in front of him changed over and over again, from scalding hot to lukewarm, and then completely cold, just like his heart gradually sinking.
Shisui didn't come.
Is it because he is burdened with tasks and can't get away? Or...Danzo didn't send him any news at all, and even restricted his freedom?
Countless possibilities swirled in my mind, each pointing to a worse ending.
Senju Chen doesn't like this feeling of passive waiting. It makes him feel like a flying insect stuck in a spider web, and he can only watch helplessly as the predator of fate slowly approaches.
No more waiting, I'm not in a rush for these two days anyway, there's no point in rushing, just do your own thing first.
"Grandpa Kosuke, I'm going out for a while." Senju Chen shouted into the room.
"Young Master Chen, do you need me to follow you?"
"No, I'm going to meet my old friends." Senju Chen said casually.
"You've been tired for a long day, so take a good rest."
Kakashi's home, like his people, exudes a sense of desolation that no strangers should approach.
The simple and almost plain courtyard, the spotless porch, and the tightly closed paper doors seem to isolate the hustle and bustle of the entire world.
Senju Chen Standing at the door, you can imagine the empty and lonely scene inside.
However, when he was about to knock on the door, a penetrating shout filled with inexplicable passion came from within the courtyard wall.
"Kakashi! You pretend to be cold! Today's 556th duel, do you want to escape again? Is this your youth?!"
"..."
Senju Chen's movement of knocking on the door stopped in mid-air.
This voice...
Immediately afterwards, a gentle female voice sounded, with a bit of helplessness. "Kay, please keep your voice down, you will disturb the neighbors. Kakashi He is just... just wiping the ninja tool."
"Lin! You can't protect him like this anymore! The ninja tool can be wiped at any time, but once the burning youth cools down, it can no longer boil! Come on, Kakashi! Let us use sweat to prove the bond between us!"
Senju Chen's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Might Guy... and Lin.
How could these three people get together?
He pushed open the ajar door and walked in.
In the yard, there were indeed three familiar figures.
Kakashi with silver-white hair was squatting in the corridor, using a piece of white cloth to wipe the Kunai in his hand meticulously, turning a deaf ear to the noise behind him, as if he had entered another world.
Might Guy, wearing a green tights, looked like a cheetah ready to go, with a strange starting posture, and the muscles all over his body exuded an aura called "hot blood".
And Rin Nohara, the gentle and kind-hearted medical ninja, was standing between the two of them, with an embarrassed and accustomed smile on his face, trying to reconcile the weird atmosphere of ice and fire.
When they saw Senju Chen coming in, the three of them had different expressions.
"Chen-kun?!"
Lin was the first to react. She had a surprise expression on her face and hurriedly greeted her, "When did you come back? Did Lady Tsunade come back too?"
"Lin, long time no see." Senju Chen responded with a smile, "Sister, I still have something to do, so I'll be back first."
"Oh! It's Senju Chen!" Might Guy's thick eyebrows instantly rose. He rushed in front of Senju Chen and looked him up and down, his eyes burning. Blazing Fire, "Your eyes are different from before! Full of power! Very good! Very good! This is what youth should be like! Come on, Chen! Before we show off with Kakashi, how about a warm-up match?!"
As he spoke, he gave a thumbs up and revealed a shiny White Fang.
Only Kakashi was still squatting there, just wiping Kunai, and paused almost imperceptibly. He did not look back, but said lightly:
"What are you here for?"
The voice was cold and distant.
Senju Chen's gaze passed over the passionate Might Guy and the gentle Lin, and landed on the back of Kakashi.
Really... it hasn't changed at all.
Lin likes Kakashi, and probably everyone except Kakashi himself can see this.
The little girl's eyes almost never left the silver-haired boy, full of love and worry.
But these two guys Kakashi and Might Guy...
Senju Chen Looking at the two people who were inseparable, and then at Lin who was ignored next to him, a ridiculous idea suddenly came to his mind.
These two guys are simply born to be good friends.
You two deserve to be single for the rest of your lives.
"Nothing, I just came back and came to see an old friend." Senju Chen walked around Might Guy and sat down next to Kakashi very naturally. Following his example, he also picked up a spare ninja cloth and wiped it slowly.
He did not look at Kakashi, but said in a calm tone, "I heard that you are already Jonin, congratulations."
Kakashi's hand paused again.
"Hmm." He squeezed out a single syllable from his throat as a response.
This attitude of rejecting others from thousands of miles away made Lin next to her a little embarrassed.
"Kakashi, Chen-kun came here specially to see you..."
"Lin! Don't disturb the communication between their men!" Might Guy interrupted her with a serious face, crossed his arms across his chest, and looked at Senju Chen and Kakashi with what he thought was a deep look, "I feel it! There is a soul collision between them using a silent language! This... is the bond between old enemies!"
Senju Chen:"..."
Lin: "..."
Senju Chen I really want to ask, where did you find the "old enemy" and "bond"?
"Kakashi" Senju Chen suddenly said, "Did you know that Sister Kushina is pregnant and Brother Minato is going to be a father."
"Brother Minato is so outstanding, sunny, and kind, just like the sun. There should be many people in the village supporting him to become Hokage, right?" Senju Chen continued
He mentioned Minato Namikaze.
Kakashi's eyes fluctuated obviously.
That's his teacher.
It was also the only place where warmth remained deep in his heart.
"Minato-sensei... is the best candidate." After a long time, Kakashi said in a low and firm tone.
This was the longest sentence he said today.
"Yes." Senju Chen nodded in agreement, then changed the subject, with just the right confusion on his face, "But my teacher Orochimaru is also very powerful. He is one of Sannin and has made countless contributions to the village. And..."
He came closer and lowered his voice, as if he was telling a secret:
"I heard that the two consultant elders even support Lord Danzo."
As soon as the name "Danzo" came out, even Might Guy's expression changed.
That name, in the hearts of the younger generation of ninjas Konoha, is almost equivalent to "darkness" and "unknown".
Kakashi's brows furrowed tightly.
Although he is not involved in politics, as a Anbu reserve, he knows more than Kai and Lin. He knows very well what kind of place "Root" is and what kind of existence Danzo is.
"Don't talk nonsense." Kakashi's voice carried a hint of warning.
"Okay! Stop talking about these heavy topics!" Might Guy seemed to be unable to bear the depressing atmosphere, and roared, rekindling his passion, "Youth should be spent sweating! Chen, you guy, were you looking down on me just now? Come on! Let us have an upright push-up duel to decide who is the real spokesperson of youth!"
Senju Chen looked at him and suddenly smiled.
Compared with these guys with different thoughts, Might Guy is so simple and sometimes really cute.
"Okay." He stood up, dusted himself off, and accepted the challenge happily, "However, if you lose, you can no longer pester Kakashi today. Let him have a quiet day."
"It's a deal!" Might Guy is full of fighting spirit.
Looking at the two people who were about to lie down on the ground and start the duel, Lin smiled helplessly. She walked to Kakashi and said softly, "Chen-kun... seems to have changed a lot."
Kakashi did not speak, but silently wiped Kunai clean and put it back into the ninja bag.
His eyes fell on the young man who was smiling and talking to Kai about "the rules of the game", and his eyes became complicated and profound.
Changed?
No.
Perhaps, this is his original appearance.
That Ninja Academy, who can analyze death without changing his expression, and who can express the calmest and cruelest judgment with a smile, is Senju Chen.
He has never been from the same world as them.