In the misty air of the Shikkotsu Forest, the warm current of Tsubasa's successful Foundation Establishment flowed through his meridians. He couldn't even savor the joy of his breakthrough; he immediately summoned the Katsuyu Sage.
" Sage, how long did it take me to Foundation Establishment? How is the Shinobi World outside now?" Tsubasa asked urgently, his eyes filled with worry.
The massive body of the Katsuyu Sage slowly writhed, his voice carrying a unique gentleness. "Child, you spent five months in seclusion breaking through to your breakthrough. During those five months, the Shinobi World was far from peaceful, with war raging everywhere. Back home... only your mother, Senju Ga, was left with Tenmei and Tian Zhiyun. Tian Flying Swallow was busy managing the group's business and allocating resources for disaster relief, so she rarely went back."
"What? Five months!" Tsubasa jumped up, his fists clenching involuntarily. "Summon me quickly, I need to go back and check!"
After a puff of white smoke, Tsubasa appeared in his familiar home garden. Senju Ga was talking to the Katsuyu Sage when she heard the noise and suddenly looked up, the rice bowl in her hand clattering to the ground. Her eyes widened, tears instantly welling up, and she staggered forward, crying out, " Tsubasa! My son!"
Tsubasa quickly helped his mother up, feeling her trembling body, and felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. "Mom, I'm back."
Senju Ga hugged her son tightly, afraid he would disappear again, murmuring, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..." Suddenly, she patted Tsubasa's shoulder hard, her voice trembling with tears, "You child, you went into seclusion for so long, do you know how worried your mother was!"
"Mom, I'm back safe and sound, and I've even successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm," Tsubasa reassured her with a smile, but seeing the new wrinkles at the corners of his mother's eyes, his heart ached again.
Senju Ga wiped away her tears and pulled her son to sit down on the stone bench. " The Shinobi World is in chaos right now. Your grandfather has been appointed Marshal of the Fourth Legion by Tobirama Senju, and all six of your aunts have gone to the battlefield to assist him. Your fiancées... Tian Yueqing has returned to Land of Whirlpools with Lady Mito, Tian Muyan Tennin Hyuga, died in battle, and she insisted on going to the front lines with her mother to receive his body, Tian Uguisu went to the battlefield with her father to gain experience. The most infuriating thing is your father, he secretly went to the front lines!" At this point, Senju Ga's eyes reddened again, "He even wrote a letter saying that 'he belongs to the battlefield,' and I've been having nightmares about him these past few days..."
"Mom!" Tsubasa grasped his mother's hand. "Don't worry, Dad's a lucky man. But I'll take care of this. You stay home and take good care of your younger siblings."
"No!" Senju Ga immediately objected, standing up abruptly. "You're the family's precious darling. Your grandfather said we can't take any risks before you carry on the family line!"
"Mom!" Tsubasa stood up straight, "Look closely, I'm now a Six Paths Level expert, even stronger than Master! My combat power is among the best in Konoha! I promise to be careful and bring Dad back safely!"
Looking into her son's resolute eyes and recalling his current strength, Senju Ga felt a pang of doubt. But thinking of the dangers of the battlefield, she gritted her teeth and turned her face away. "No means no!"
Tsubasa sighed, squatted down, wrapped his arms around his mother's waist, pressed his face against her forehead, and said earnestly, "Mom, please let me go. It's important for you to stay home and take care of my younger siblings. Besides, look how powerful I am now, what danger could I possibly face? I can keep in touch with the Katsuyu Sage clone at home. If you go, I'll only worry about you. Your strength is not as great as mine, what if something happens..."
Senju Ga's nose tingled with tears at her son's words and actions. She reached out and stroked his head. "My child, you can go, but your safety is the most important thing."
"Mom~" Tsubasa looked up, his eyes sparkling. "Believe me, I'll bring Dad back soon, and our whole family will be together again."
Senju Ga remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a soft sigh and stroking her son's face, "Be careful, promise Mom you'll come back safely."
"Don't worry, Mom!" Tsubasa stood up and gave his mother a big hug. "Wait for my good news!"
Releasing his mother, Tsubasa silently vowed in his heart: Dad, wait for me, I will definitely bring you home safely!
The mother handed Tsubasa a sealed scroll and showed him the letter from his father, saying, "These are the things I packed for the journey, and also your father's letter."
Tsubasa took the things from his mother and sat under the eaves to read his father's letter, clutching the hastily written letter in his hand. The night wind rustled through the bamboo forest, but it couldn't mask the turbulent thoughts churning in his mind.
"Grandpa, with his six aunts, together they could even contend with the Five Kage..." He folded the letter and unfolded it again, the edges of the paper crumpled. "With Master's wife here, Yueqing will definitely be alright. Muyan is only going to collect the body, she should be safe too." As he said this, he thought of Muyan's red, swollen eyes, and his heart clenched—that girl who always loved to slip candy into his pocket with a smile, now probably couldn't even cry anymore.
What worried him most was Tian Uguisu. The little girl was only thirteen years old. Who knew what trouble she might cause by going to the battlefield with those warlike members of the Uchiha Clan? Tsubasa slammed his hand on a pillar, the wood making a dull thud. "These old fogies, what are they doing bringing a little girl along!" But then he thought, Tian Uguisu's indomitable spirit might actually prove her worth on the battlefield.
But all these worries became secondary in the face of his father's situation. Tsubasa pressed the letter to his heart, recalling his mother's nagging. "Your father has always said that he has a lot of skills but no substance..." He remembered his father's figure practicing swordsmanship late at night in the martial arts arena at home, the sword shadows dancing powerfully under the moonlight, yet revealing an indescribable loneliness. This time going to the battlefield, he probably wanted to vent all the pent-up frustration of these years.
"But the battlefield isn't a place to vent!" Tsubasa scratched his head in frustration, his mother's nightmares like a thorn in his heart. The Raikage's Lightning Release was renowned throughout the Shinobi World, and his father had only just reached the Clan Head Level; even facing the Raikage's technique would be difficult. The more he thought about it, the more restless he became.
"It's settled then!" He suddenly stopped, his eyes hardening. "Let's go to the Land of Lightning first!"
As darkness fell, he returned to his room, checked all the items he needed to take, and then sealed them into a scroll. After carefully storing the scroll, he also brought his father's favorite wine—he planned to give the man a good drink once they found him and let him pour out all the grievances he had accumulated over the years.
After packing, Tsubasa gently pushed open his mother's bedroom door, ready to leave that very night. Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating Senju Ga's sleeping face. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and tear tracks at the corners of her eyes glistened in the moonlight. He knelt down, carefully pulled the blanket up a little, and whispered, "Mom, wait for me to bring Dad back."