"Stinky brother! You definitely went to the birthday dinner without waiting for me!!"
Back at Tenko's house, Obito, who had been watching Rin go home, also returned home. Seeing the empty living room, he instantly became unhappy. He slumped on the sofa, mumbling about how no one invited him to dinner on his birthday and how if he hadn't met an old lady needing help, he would have made it to the meal.
"Is this how you really see me?"
The sudden voice startled Obito, causing him to tumble off the sofa. He quickly got up and saw his cousin and his three friends standing in the living room, with his cousin looking at him with a hint of grievance.
Tenko, with a pained expression, said, "How could I do something like that? How could my birthday party not include you and Grandma?"
"Then where did you just go?"
Obito, not entirely swayed by Tenko, continued to question. Clearly, he had developed some resistance to being misled, but Tenko, unflinching, replied directly:
"Grandma is resting. I just didn't want to disturb her too early, so I took Tatsuma and the others out to chat."
"Is that so?"
Obito scratched his head, thinking about how he had raised his voice earlier and glanced toward the hallway, wondering if he had woken Grandma.
Seeing his cousin's guilty expression, Tenko also felt a bit sympathetic and said, "Alright, no need to worry about that. It's almost time, so I'll go wake up Grandma, and then we'll head out."
"Okay."
Obito responded quietly, and Tenko ran upstairs. After a while, he came back down and told Obito, "Grandma is awake. You should go reserve a private room first."
"Okay!"
Hearing this, Obito scrambled with his short legs and ran out the door. Once Obito had left, Tenko took out three scrolls and handed one to Sento, Tatsuma, and Minato each.
The four of them exchanged glances and didn't discuss the previous topic further. When Tenko's grandmother came down, she insisted she wouldn't go and that she would just eat something at home, encouraging Tenko and the others to enjoy themselves.
However, she was eventually persuaded, and Tenko and Sento each took one of her arms and helped her out the door.
The Uchiha clan's territory was vast, rivaling that of the Senju clan's, and was much more prosperous compared to the large expanse of wasteland in the Senju clan's territory. The Uchiha area even had its own commercial street.
The restaurant Tenko chose for the gathering was located in the Uchiha's commercial street.
Logically, Sento with his Byakugan and Tatsuma, wearing clothes embroidered with the Senju clan's emblem, might face some discrimination in Uchiha territory. Just like when Tatsuma and the others first came to Tenko's home for New Year's greetings, even if no one actively caused trouble, they would still be stared at.
But now, they were all used to it, especially Sento. Many Uchiha originally thought he was an enemy of Tenko, but over the past few years, he frequently visited the Uchiha territory.
Initially, the Uchiha were quite unhappy about this, as were the Hyuga. However, Sento, being a simpleton and not causing trouble, couldn't really be dealt with by the Uchiha. The more he came, the more the Uchiha people got used to him, treating him as if he were just an elderly clan member with cataracts.
In fact, because Sento was generous, never asking for discounts and even giving tips, many store managers on the commercial street, particularly those non-Ninja Uchiha, had a favorable impression of him.
The restaurant Tenko chose wasn't the best even within the Uchiha commercial street, but neither he nor his guests, including Tatsuma, had any objections. After all, considering the economic situation, everyone was about the same, except for Sento, who was quite wealthy. Therefore, going to a high-end restaurant would seem out of place.
Of course, Sento didn't mind. To make time for training, he often ate simple meals and drank plain water. It was all part of youth.
Unlike Nono, Tenko, as a friend, knew Tatsuma's appetite well. When placing the order, he had also reserved extra portions for other guests. As a result, Tatsuma ate freely, not bothering to be polite with Tenko.
At the end of the banquet, Tenko went to settle the bill and get the takeout boxes. His grandmother, watching Tatsuma, who was happily competing to eat the most, smiled sincerely and said:
"It's wonderful that Tenko has friends like you."
"We are also very fortunate to have a friend like Tenko," Tatsuma replied sincerely to Tenko's grandmother. His genuine tone and the infectious smile on his face made Tenko's grandmother feel very pleased. She turned to look at Obito, who was already curled up on the floor sleeping, and said:
"Tenko has grown up, and I can rest easy. I just don't know when Obito will grow up and make reliable friends."
Seeing the same kind of kindness and concern on Tenko's grandmother's face that he had seen in his own grandmother and the late Uzumaki Mito, Tatsuma slightly withdrew his smile and said:
"Obito is very lively and will definitely make a lot of friends. Kakashi is quite a good one. Grandma, don't you think Obito and Kakashi are actually very similar to Tenko and Sento?"
Sento, who was suddenly called out, instinctively wanted to refute, but seeing the sparkle in Tenko's grandmother's eyes, he swallowed his words and instead gave her a bright smile.
Tenko's grandmother gently brushed Obito's temple and said, "Let's hope so. It's just that Obito is too noisy. I'm afraid Kakashi might not like that. He seems like one of those early-maturing youths."
"What are you talking about?"
At that moment, Tenko came back with a pile of takeout boxes and asked casually. Tatsuma took over the topic and said, "We were talking about Obito's friends."
"Ha ha~"
Hearing this, Tenko sat down, began distributing the takeout boxes, and said, "Let me tell you, Obito definitely likes that girl named Rin, but the girl surely prefers outstanding peers. That's why Obito looks at Kakashi so unfavorably, thinking Kakashi is stealing his spotlight. Last night, during the lantern festival, I even heard him wish for Kakashi to embarrass himself in front of Rin. Hahaha~"
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but chuckle. Obito, asleep, was unaware that his little secret was being almost entirely exposed by his cousin.
After packing up the food, Tatsuma and the others didn't let Tenko do more. After all, he still had to take the sleeping Obito and his grandmother back home, so there was no need for any unnecessary formalities.
When Tatsuma got home, he didn't rest. His training for the day had already been completed in the morning, but his homework was still pending. Developing a habit is difficult, but forgetting it is easy. Tatsuma had developed a habit of studying every day, focusing on reading various notes left by Senju Tobirama.
Not all of Senju Tobirama's notes were engaging for Tatsuma; many were dry and difficult. Without pushing himself, it would be easy to give up on the hard-earned habit.
After studying late into the night, Tatsuma washed up and went to bed. The next morning, he trained with Minato at the back mountain of Konoha. After training, they didn't go home but stayed in place.
Around noon, Sento and Tenko, carrying lunchboxes, arrived. However, they didn't seem to be there for a picnic but more like to stage a scene.
They laid out a tablecloth, opened the lunchboxes, and quickly ate. Then, they left various traces around at a rapid pace. Finally, Tatsuma made some hand seals to sense the surroundings, nodded, and said:
"It should be fine. The Third Hokage probably won't pay attention to this area."
In Konoha, besides worrying about being noticed by other villagers or ninjas, one also had to be concerned about Hiruzen, who liked to use Telescope Jutsu to monitor public sentiment. However, Telescope Jutsu was more like real-time surveillance without archival backup, so as long as Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't observing in real-time, he wouldn't know about all the changes in the village.
Although they couldn't ensure Hiruzen wouldn't monitor them, they couldn't avoid taking risks if they wanted to do something.
Tatsuma placed a hand on Tenko's shoulder, and Minato put a hand on Sento's shoulder, saying, "There might be a slight feeling of imbalance or weightlessness, so be cautious. I recommend closing your eyes and preparing to swallow."
"Is it really that dramatic?"
Sento grumbled, noticing that Tenko hadn't closed his eyes. He also kept his eyes open, and as they locked gazes, fireworks suddenly collided.
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
The Sharingan in one pair of eyes and the Byakugan in the other were activated simultaneously. The two stubborn youths not only ignored the advice to close their eyes but also used their respective dojutsu.
Tatsuma smirked and said, "Let's go quickly. We can't let the Third Hokage find out about Tenko's eyes."
With that, his figure vanished, leaving behind a silver flash. Minato almost immediately followed, leaving a golden shimmer.
"Ugh~ Ugh~"
"Ugh~ Ugh~"
In a mountain forest far from Konoha, Sento and Tenko lay on the ground, both retching. The continuous Flying Thunder God transfers and the visual changes amplified by their dojutsu caused their brains to suffer severe strain. The mismatch between their bodily movements and the spatial changes led to an overload of unmanageable information, resulting in physiological reactions similar to how someone with motion sickness might feel nauseous or even vomit when forced to play 3D games.
Fortunately, both were ninjas and their bodies were not as weak as ordinary people. They also had superior control over their bodies, so after a period of retching, they managed to recover without actually vomiting.
After resting for a while, Sento, who felt better, finally recovered. He stood up and looked at Tatsuma, saying, "Shall we start now?"
He then turned to Tenko and asked, "You're not still needing more rest, are you?"
"Who says? I recovered even earlier than you."
Tenko forced himself to stand, his legs trembling slightly. The ground beneath him felt a bit unreal, and his brain hadn't fully adjusted yet; his processing of movement and stillness wasn't completely restored.
Seeing this, Tatsuma didn't rush to start. Instead, he stood in front of the two, with his arms crossed, and said with a serious expression, like a commanding officer, "According to the information Tenko provided us yesterday, Tsuyui is a Jonin extremely skilled in Lightning Release Ninjutsu and Nin Taijutsu. Moreover, his strength is beyond any of us at our current level, and even attempting to mimic it would be very difficult."
"I don't use Lightning Release Ninjutsu, so I will be responsible for simulating Nin Taijutsu. Minato will handle simulating Lightning Release Ninjutsu, to give you a general understanding of the characteristics of Hidden Cloud Village ninjas. As for more detailed simulations, neither Minato nor I can complete them alone, so we need to gather more information and discuss it further."
Sento and Tenko nodded. They had already discussed this yesterday, and Tatsuma was just reiterating it. Tatsuma knew this but still felt the need to remind them:
"I have no doubt that with your talent, perseverance, and determination, you will one day be able to defeat Tsuyui. However, not knowing your opponent is your biggest weakness, which is why Minato and I are involved. Remember, today is not about the usual sparring and guidance, but a real combat simulation. I will do my best to injure you, and even if I accidentally cause your deaths, I can still bring you back."
"Boom~"
With that, Tatsuma raised his right hand's index finger, and with Chakra and Enhanced Strength techniques, the surrounding sand and gravel began to violently tremble. The exertion caused his brow to furrow unconsciously and his lips to tighten slightly.
In an instant, Tenko and Sento felt an overwhelming sense of pressure, a sensation they hadn't experienced before. During their last spar, Tatsuma was also serious, but there wasn't the same killing intent as this time.
Minato also put away his usual warm smile and exuded a chilling killing intent. Unlike Tatsuma's imposing presence, akin to a warhammer or battleaxe, Minato felt like a deadly blade lurking in the shadows, completely opposite to his usual sunny demeanor.
Tatsuma looked at the two in front of him, who were already gritting their teeth before even starting, and said:
"Hyuga kids, who rely on a bunch of decaying old men for his freedom, and the Uchiha kid, who's naturally wicked, let me see where your limits truly lie!"
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