In the sight of Konoha High Command and the villagers, the figure of "Senju Chen" completely disappeared at the end of the road leading out of the village. This drama to "welcome the return of Hokage" has finally come to an end.
When "Xing" just left Konoha, he received a message from Senju Chen's body, asking him to go to the training base and bring Maruboshi Kosuke with him.
Because through Orochimaru and their recent research, the technology of using White Zetsu to replace damaged limbs has been completely perfected, and as soon as this technology was perfected Senju Chen, the first thing that Senju Chen thought of was Maruboshi Kosuke.
Within Land of Fire, a hidden valley far away from the main road.
There is no noisy town here, only a complex of buildings that covers a vast area and looks like an ordinary wealthy businessman's manor. This is the real hub of the "Food Is Heaven" chain hotel - the Food Is Heaven training base.
A figure appeared quietly in the backyard of the manor.
As soon as "Xing" appeared, before they even had time to dust themselves off, several "gardeners" who were pruning flowers and plants immediately stopped what they were doing. Their eyes became as sharp as eagles in an instant, but when they saw the face of the visitor clearly, the murderous aura receded like a tide, and was replaced by respect from the bone marrow.
"Sir." Several people knelt down on one knee at the same time, their movements uniform.
These people were personally selected and trained by Maruboshi Kosuke. Loyalty is their only creed.
"Xing" nodded slightly and walked straight through the courtyard towards the main house.
Inside the house, the simple furnishings are spotless, and the air is filled with the faint fragrance of tea. Maruboshi Kosuke is sitting behind a low table, wearing reading glasses, meticulously reviewing the intelligence scrolls sent from Shinobi World all over the place.
His movements were very slow and focused. Every time he read a copy, he would use a special pen to make corresponding marks on the map next to it.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, he raised his head. When he saw that the person coming was Senju Chen, a gentle and happy smile instantly bloomed on his old face.
"Young Master Chen!" He quickly put down the scroll in his hand and wanted to stand up and salute.
His left leg was obviously weak when he stood up, and his whole body swayed.
"Grandpa Kosuke, no need to be polite." "Xing" stepped forward, supported him steadily, and pushed him back to his seat.
"Why did you come here in person? If you need something, send someone to send a message. I will just come over." Maruboshi Kosuke said with respect in his tone.
"Xing" sat down opposite him, poured a cup of hot tea for the old man himself, and then slowly said, "I am here this time for something important."
"Please give me your instructions, young master." Maruboshi Kosuke immediately sat upright, his expression becoming extremely serious.
"I need you to come with me. I'm going to heal your legs and feet."
"Xing"'s voice is very plain, but like a stone thrown into an ancient well, it stirs up thousands of ripples in Maruboshi Kosuke's heart.
The old man was stunned. A trace of astonishment flashed in his cloudy eyes, then became complete confusion, and finally turned into a touch of bitter self-mockery.
"Young Master Chen... You are joking. My foot is an old injury that has been injured for many years. It has been... useless for a long time." He subconsciously reached out his hand and gently stroked his left prosthetic leg, as if he was touching a dusty period of time.
"The past was before, and the present is now." Xing's tone was unquestionable, "Teacher, their research has made some breakthroughs recently. Although it is not possible to regenerate internal organs, it is possible to reshape a new limb."
He looked at Maruboshi Kosuke with extremely serious eyes. "Grandpa Kosuke, you have paid so much for Konoha and for us Senju Clan. Now, it is time for me to repay you."
Maruboshi Kosuke was silent.
He lowered his head and looked at his prosthetic foot, his eyes becoming distant and complicated.
Second Shinobi World War, Land of Rain battlefield.
The cold rain poured down from the gray sky like endless sharp arrows, turning the entire land into a muddy swamp.
The sounds of explosions, roars, and clashes of weapons were endless.
Young Maruboshi Kosuke and several Konoha companions, back to back, were tightly trapped in a depression by more than a dozen Iwagakure Ninja.
Their mission was to escort an important intelligence personnel to evacuate, but they were ambushed.
"Captain! We are surrounded! There is Jonin on the other side!" A young Konoha Chunin's face was splashed with mud, water and blood, and his voice was filled with despair.
"Let's rush out together!" Kosuke roared, and the Kunai in his hand drew a sharp arc and cut the throat of a sneak attacker.
But there are too many enemies.
At this moment, a burly Iwagakure Jonin slammed his hands on the ground.
"Earth Release·Earth Flow Spears!"
"Boom--!!!"
The earth trembled violently, and a bottomless crack, like a monster with a huge mouth, spread rapidly toward their location with an unstoppable force!
The intelligence officer who needed to be escorted happened to be right in front of the crack. He had no time to dodge due to his leg injury from the previous battle.
"Be careful!"
At that critical moment, Maruboshi Kosuke, without even thinking, used all his strength to push the intelligence officer out.
But because he lost his balance, his left foot came up empty, and half of his body fell into the deep crack.
"Crack--!!!"
Along with the squeezing of the rock, there was a heart-wrenching sound of bones breaking.
The severe pain instantly flooded his nerves like a tide.
He could clearly feel that the bones of his left leg below the knee were squeezed into pieces by the rock walls on both sides, and his flesh, flesh and tendons were crushed into a blur of mud.
"Ahhhhhhhh--!!!"
The heart-rending screams even drowned out the din of the battlefield.
"Kosuke!"
His teammates were stunned and rushed over like crazy to drag him out of the crack.
The battle is still going on, but in Maruboshi Kosuke's world, there is only boundless pain and gradually blurred vision.
The last thing he saw was the belated arrival of support troops...
After the war, he was sent back to Konoha Hospital.
The doctor who treated him at that time could only shake his head helplessly when he looked at the leg that had become necrotic and the nerves and bones could not be restored.
"Maruboshi Kosuke, your feet... are broken. I'm afraid you won't be able to fight like before in the future."
Later, he modified the prosthetic leg of his left foot into a weapon and hid a knife inside, so that he could attack the enemy unexpectedly at critical moments.
From that moment on, the Konoha Jonin who once feared no death on the battlefield disappeared.
Instead, there was a man with a prosthetic leg who silently guarded the village for decades, "Eternal Genin".
His thoughts were withdrawn from the distant memories, and in Maruboshi Kosuke's cloudy eyes, it seemed that the blood and fire of that year still remained.
He let out a long sigh. There was reluctance, relief, and emotion about the years in his breath.
"Young Master Chen, this foot is the old man's punishment for my failure to complete the task, and it is also the proof of my survival. It has been with me for decades, and I have... got used to it."
There was a hint of refusal in his words.
He was afraid. After healing his leg, he forgot the pain and his companions who died on the battlefield.
"Xing" listened quietly without interrupting him.
It wasn't until the old man finished speaking that he spoke again, with an undoubted power in his voice.
"Grandpa Kosuke, I understand how you feel. But you have worn this 'medal' for long enough."
"Xing" stood up, walked up to him, and looked directly into his eyes.
"But now, I need you to stand up, use your two intact legs, walk around this Shinobi World for me, and see the world clearly for me. I need a helmsman who can keep up with me, not a veteran who sticks to his laurels and dwells on the past."
"In the future, the chessboard of 'Food Is Heaven' will become bigger and bigger, and there are still many places you need to go. The desert of Land of Wind, the isolated island of Land of Water, the top of the clouds of Land of Lightning... Do you want to wear this prosthetic foot all the time to walk the next road?"