As the sun sets, sunlight shines on the sky above Konoha, refracting the Konoha barrier into a seven-colored halo.
At this moment, Shinsei felt that the sky wasn't so beautiful after all.
He hid and concealed his tracks all the way, and finally made it home.
The father, Nobita, was packing up the goods when he saw his son return, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Son, why is your face wrapped in gauze? And why is it so swollen?"
"Um... um, I fell, I fell," Shinsei said awkwardly.
Hearing the noise, Riya, the mother, came out of the room. She walked over, stroked her son's face, and asked with a pained expression:
Was it your teacher who hit you?
"Please don't ask," Shinsei refused to tell the truth, only asking, "Weren't we going to pick up Grandpa?"
"We've been waiting for you to come back. We Fudo persuade that stubborn old man." Riya took off her apron. "Let's go."
Shinsei knew his appearance was quite conspicuous, so he simply used Transformation Technique to revert to his original form.
The three of them arrived at a corner of the Konoha gathering area, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked into the room.
The old man was cooking and came out of the room with a spatula in his hand.
"No." Upon hearing Riya's words, the old man resolutely shook his head. "I will not go."
The old man didn't look well; his body was hunched over, and his skin was ashen.
Riya gave her son a wink, signaling him to speak up for her.
Shinsei helped the old man sit down and asked, "Grandpa, why won't you live with us?"
The old man looked around the room with his cloudy eyes. "I'm old, I've forgotten what she looked like. This is where she lived."
My grandfather's room was old and worn, with the tables and chairs around it bearing the marks of time.
"Don't try to persuade me, I'm not going. Otherwise, I won't be able to find my way when she comes to pick me up."
Shinsei knew who the woman his grandfather was talking about was—his maternal grandmother, whom he had never met.
Shinsei never saw what his grandmother looked like, even in another world, because she passed away too early.
My grandmother must have been such a wonderful woman, capable of making a man remember her for decades.
The three of them couldn't persuade the old man, so Shinsei had no choice but to go home and bring over the food his mother Riya, had prepared, and have dinner with the old man.
The pig-like face that Tsunade had its purpose, bringing a lot of laughter to the old man.
After his parents left, Shinsei went to his grandfather alone and told him the whole story of how he had been beaten.
The reason for mentioning this is that the new cell fluid can improve the physical condition of the elderly.
My grandfather's health is poor, mainly due to injuries he sustained in the Kumogakure, which he has refused to receive effective treatment for years.
Otherwise, with Tsunade's skill level, she could definitely help him recover his health.
However, this matter required his consent, as it involved Hashirama Cells, and Hashirama Senju held immense prestige among his grandfather's generation.
"Good child." Grandpa lay back in his chair, reaching out to stroke his grandson's face. "Don't give me any more treatment. When your grandmother passed away, I wanted to leave with her."
But then your mother came along, and I had to raise her. And then you came along too.
Now that you've grown up and become a remarkable ninja, you might even surpass Lord Hashirama in the future. I have no regrets.
"Cough, cough," the old man coughed twice, looked at the ceiling, and sighed.
"I've lived long enough and witnessed too much suffering. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have come back to this world."
The old man's voice grew softer and softer until he slowly closed his eyes.
Feeling his grandfather's even breathing, Shinsei breathed a sigh of relief.
He gently picked up the old man, carried him to the bedroom, put him on the bed, and covered him with a blanket.
After a night of treatment, Shinsei's face finally returned to normal.
After breakfast, Shinsei arrived at the Hokage Building as usual.
Upon Gate of Opening, Shinsei saw Tsunade behind the desk, her chest covered in white, which made Shinsei realize that this was the Hokage version of Tsunade.
Seeing Shinsei enter, Tsunade frowned and beckoned to Shinsei with her finger.
Shinsei, unaware of the situation, obediently walked over.
With a thud, Tsunade punched Shinsei in the face. Shinsei squatted on the ground, looked up at Tsunade, and looked aggrieved.
"Just seeing you makes me angry," Tsunade said indifferently.
Oh no, why is the teacher in a bad mood again? Didn't she vent her anger yesterday?
Just then, the door to the small room behind the office opened, and a younger version of Teuchi.
She stretched, making her chest appear even more voluptuous.
Upon seeing Shinsei, the younger version of Tsunade with joy, even flashing a smug peace sign.
Huh? Has the two gambling gods of Konoha finally settled their score?
The younger version of Tsunade smiled and beckoned to Shinsei.
No way, is it happening again?
Shinsei was about to run out of the office, but Tsunade grabbed him and grabbed him.
Instead of the expected punch, she received a gentle caress. Green Chakra gathered in Tsunade's hand, fading the bruises on Shinsei's face.
"Don't be afraid of that violent old woman." The young Tsunade released Shinsei, watching as the bruises on his face disappeared, and patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction. "From now on, the title of Konoha's Gambling God belongs to me."
The Hokage version of Tsunade's eyebrows twitched as she listened, her fists clenching so tightly they cracked.
"Don't be so smug. I'll take this title back sooner or later."
"So, are you going to the Land of Water with you, teacher?" Shinsei knew that their bet concerned who would be sent as an envoy to the Land of Water.
Young Tsunade nodded smugly. "So, do you have any recommendations?"
Shinsei did indeed consider sending people to the Land of Water.
First and foremost, we definitely need to bring Sasuke, otherwise we'll clearly be able to get in touch with the Akatsuki members' activities. If we don't bring him, he'll probably find his own opportunity to go.
Secondly, the accompanying persons should ideally not be too old, preferably teenagers around ten years old.
In the Shinobi World where military force is a matter of personal responsibility, deploying a group of veteran elite ninjas is not a declaration of peace, but rather a threat of force.
After discussing it back and forth, the three of them finally settled on Team 7.
Sasuke of Team 7 possesses the Mangekyō; Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; Sakura is Tsunade's student. Their identities demonstrate Konoha's sincerity.
Moreover, with Shinsei accompanying him, the Flying Thunder God Technique is not afraid of being surrounded by the Akatsuki.
After agreeing on the initial list, Shinsei found an opportunity to slip out of the Hokage Building and made his way to the hospital.
Upon opening the office door, Sasuke was already seated inside, while Sakura was peeling fruit for Sasuke beside him.
Without further ado, the three of them made their way to the basement.
The basement was unusually quiet. Shinsei pushed open the door to a room and turned to ask:
"Have you seen Orochimaru?"
Sakura shook her head. "I haven't seen him for two days."
Shinsei nodded Fudo.
He took a sealing scroll from a shelf and then took out a tube of pale green liquid from it.
Sasuke's gaze was instantly drawn to the vial of pale green liquid, his eyes filled with longing.