Time flies like water; decades have passed in the blink of an eye.
The cherry blossoms in Konoha are in bloom again.
Tsubasa stood on an old locust tree halfway up the Hokage Rock, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and clicked his tongue in astonishment at the terrifying crowds thronging Konoha at the foot of the mountain. Forty-two years had passed in Konoha. Since the complete unification of the Shinobi World, true peace had arrived. One after another, Immortal Level clans had risen in the Shinobi World. The Shinobi World adhered to the principle that strength lies in numbers, and every household had anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of children. The most terrifying was the Shiranui Clan, which had over a thousand children, holding the record for the highest birth rate.
"Tsk, the census says the Uchiha Clan has surpassed a million members. I bet they included their summoning cats." Tsubasa casually flicked away a blade of grass, his figure flashing as he landed in front of a dumpling stall on the street corner. The stall owner was a round-faced old woman who smiled broadly at him, " Lord Tsubasa, the usual? Three tea eggs and two fried dough sticks?"
"Another taiyaki, extra condensed milk." Tsubasa sat down on the bench, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the training ground not far away—a place that should have been where the lower grades of the Ninja Academy had Taijutsu classes, but now it was occupied by more than twenty boys wearing the same green tracksuits, doing push-ups around a muscular, strong man.
The burly leader roared, "One thousand one hundred and eighty-seven! One thousand one hundred and eighty-eight! Remember how your fathers chopped off heads on the Oni Clan battlefield! This level of strength is nothing!"
"With that voice, you're almost as loud as A Yotsuki." Tsubasa took a bite of taiyaki, condensed milk dripping down his chin.
Might Duy turned around abruptly, sweat dripping from his chin and splashing onto the ground. "It's Lord Tsubasa! Children, quickly greet the Immortal Venerable!"
More than twenty boys in green shirts snapped to attention, their movements as precise as if cut by a knife. The tallest of them, his face flushed, boomed, "Greetings, Immortal Master! I am the leader Might Ryū!"
"I'm the second oldest Might Tora!"
"Third Brother Might Hyō!"
Tsubasa's eyelids twitched as he listened. He had casually told Dai, "Many children, many blessings," hoping that this honest man could make up for the regrets of his previous life. He never expected that this guy would have a child like a farmer, having one every year. This year, the youngest one had barely learned to crawl when he was made to practice horse stance.
"Dai," Tsubasa stuffed the last bite of tea egg into his mouth, "Your third son's knees are practically mutated; if he keeps training like this, he won't grow tall."
Might Duy's dark face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and he quickly slapped the third brother on the back of the head. "You brat! I told you to keep your knees three inches off the ground! Do you want to be a shorty like your second brother?"
The second young master Might Tora, who was called out, pouted in grievance, his arms trembling like leaves, but he didn't utter a sound.
Tsubasa suddenly recognized a little boy—his features bore a resemblance to Might Guy, Kageko character from an anime series from his past life, except he was as strong as a calf.
"Come here." He beckoned to the boy.
The boy hesitated, glancing at his father. Might Duy immediately glared at him. "Didn't you hear the Immortal Venerable calling you?"
He quickly ran over, head down, not daring to look at him. Tsubasa reached out and pressed his hand against the back of the child's chest, feeling a faint flow of energy through his fingertips—this child had pitifully little Chakra, but his meridians were unusually resilient.
"Have your dad make you a nourishing soup tonight, with two qian of dragon's blood herb." He flicked the little guy's forehead with his finger. "Starting tomorrow, run ten more laps around the track every day. Don't try to build muscle like your brothers."
Might Duy's eyes lit up. "Does Lord Tsubasa mean... this kid is suited for solo Taijutsu?"
"You have even more potential than you did back then." Tsubasa stood up, patting his hands, which were covered in powdered sugar. "Let's go, you guys train."
He hadn't taken more than a few steps when he heard Might Duy's furious roar behind him, "Did you hear me! Thirteen! Extra training starts tomorrow! If you dare to slack off, I'll throw you into the Lightning Release training ground and beat you for three days and three nights!"
Tsubasa smiled and shook his head. Dai was still the same as ever, harsh with children. Last year, when he went to inspect the Moon Goddess Palace, he personally saw this guy stuff his treasured ten-thousand-year-old snow lotus into a medicine pot just to cook porridge for a child with a fever.
Walking through the bustling commercial street, I bumped into a group of noisy teenagers. The white-haired boy at the head of the group, a cigarette dangling from his lips, was being grabbed by the ear by a girl with long, straight black hair. " Kakashi Hatake! How many times have I told you not to smoke in front of the school!"
"Ouch! Kurenai Yuhi, let go!" Kakashi winced in pain, his other hand still protecting the " Icha Icha Paradise " book in his arms. "I'm practicing my lung capacity for Fire Release Ninjutsu!"
"Bullshit!" Hong Liu's eyebrows shot up. "Last time you threw your cigarette butt into the Obito Uchiha family's flowerpot, you almost burned down Obito Uchiha's training room!"
The black-haired boy next to him, wearing goggles, snapped a picture with his camera, " Kakashi got beaten up by Kurenai again. This one can be sold to Asuma Sarutobi for two skewers of dumplings."
" Obito, how dare you!" Kakashi made a move to snatch the camera, but was knocked off balance by a green figure that suddenly appeared.
"Youth! It's all about burning brightly in the midst of challenges!" Might Guy —oh no, he should be called Might Jūsan now—charged over, two dumbbells in hand, a band-aid on his forehead. " Kakashi! Let's see who can do more push-ups!"
Kakashi, adjusting his glasses, rolled his eyes. "Boring."
Tsubasa leaned against a telephone pole, watching with great interest. These kids were exactly the same as in his past life, yet somehow different in every way. Kakashi's father, the Hokage, was still alive, still with a cold face, but he prepared a bento for his son every morning; Obito wasn't trapped under a rock and was chasing after Rin with a camera in hand; as for Guy... well, Young Master Jūsan was much more lively than the Might Guy of yesteryear.
"Hey, aren't these the young geniuses of Konoha?" Tsubasa Earth Flow over with a smile.
The youths instantly fell silent and bowed in unison. "Greetings, Immortal Venerable Tsubasa!"
"No need for formalities." His gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on the short sword at Asuma's waist. " Sarutobi Clan boy, you've tied that tassel on your sword backwards."
Asuma paused for a moment, looked down and saw that it was indeed tied backwards, and her face turned red instantly.
"And you, Obito Uchiha." Tsubasa pointed at the black-clad boy's goggles, "Don't you know how to adjust the lenses? You'll get your eyes gouged out next time you fight."
Obito quickly took off his goggles and fiddled with them, his fingers clumsy like chicken claws.
When it was Kakashi's turn, Tsubasa tapped the book in his arms. "Read less of Jiraiya's books, they're full of things that mislead children."
Kakashi, his neck stiff, retorted, "But Raikage Lord Jiraiya said this is art..."
"He knows nothing about art." Tsubasa scoffed, pulling a thread-bound book from his pocket and tossing it over. "Look at this, it's more useful than what he wrote."
Kakashi took it and saw that the cover read " Three Hundred Questions on Fine Chakra Control," but the author's name was blank. Just as he was about to ask, Tsubasa had already walked up to Kurenai.
"Little girl from the Yuhi family," he said, looking at the Cursed Seal on her red wrist, "Have you been using too much Red Eye lately? Before bed tonight, apply a warm compress to your eyes, and remember to add two drops of warming solution."
Hong opened her eyes wide in surprise. "How did the Immortal Venerable know...?" Her Red Eye had been aching lately, and even her father, Yūhi Shinku, couldn't figure out the cause.
Tsubasa didn't explain, but turned around and ruffled Young Master Jūsan's hair. "Go to the waterfall behind the mountain this afternoon and punch the water."
"Yes!" Young Master Jūsan nodded vigorously, and his green figure shot out like a small cannonball, almost knocking over the candied hawthorn vendor.
Watching the boys laugh and play as they walked away, Tsubasa pulled out a pocket watch. Embedded in the watch face was a yellowed photograph of a young man in a Allied Forces uniform, smiling and revealing two small tiger teeth.
"That kid Minato, he should be graduating from the Kage Academy today, right?" He put the pocket watch back in his pocket and walked towards the tall tower in the center of the village.
The entrance to the Kage Academy was already packed with people. Students in various school uniforms were crowded together, clutching their graduation certificates, their faces a mixture of tears and laughter. Tsubasa stood on tiptoe and spotted the blond youth in the crowd at a glance.
Minato Namikaze was surrounded by a group of people, a gentle smile on his face, and he was signing autographs for his juniors. His wife, Kushina Uzumaki, stood beside him, her pregnant belly protruding, and said reproachfully, "I told you not to sign anymore, the little one in my belly is hungry."
"Almost done, Kushina." Minato smiled as he put the pen back in his pocket. As he turned around, he met Tsubasa's gaze, and his eyes instantly lit up. " Immortal Venerable Tsubasa!"
Kushina quickly bowed as well, as if the baby in her belly had kicked her, causing her to stumble a couple of steps. Minato immediately supported her, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"You've really made something of yourself, Namikaze." Tsubasa patted the blond youth on the shoulder. "I heard you're the only Immortal Level in this graduating class?"
"Just lucky." Minato scratched his head sheepishly. "It was still the Flying Thunder God technique that the Immortal Venerable taught me back then..."
"That's because you have high comprehension." Tsubasa waved his hand, his gaze falling on Kushina's belly. "This little one is quite lively, a good prospect."
Seventeen-year-old Kushina blushed. " Immortal Venerable, please don't tease me. By the way, Fugaku Mikoto are waiting inside, saying they want to treat you to a drink."