Ever since his visit to the Senju compound, Suguru had felt this odd sense of bewilderment engulfing his body. It was cold yet comfortable. Peaceful yet unnerving.
In his own words, "Like a calm lake, disturbed by falling pebbles."
Born from the world, these ripples caused tremors in his soul.
'And one such tremor is this guy.' Suguru smacked his lips as he thought, 'Am I sensing his life force or something?'
Looking at the sleeping young man, Suguru tilted his head in thought. Although he had suspicions that the young man was a Senju in hiding, he thought that it would be unlikely. It just seemed so far-fetched at the moment given that he was just at their compound.
No... it would be eerie if he did indeed meet a Senju the moment he left the Land of Fire.
Suguru did not want anything to do with unnerving coincidences.
Instead, he attributed this newfound sense of his surroundings to Senju Kisouma's tea ceremony. Something about the practice had somehow given him enlightenment — a oneness with the world.
'Have I grown more sensitive to the lives of the world around me?' Suguru held a variety of thoughts.
***
While Suguru's main body busied himself with his thoughts, his Shadow Clone had hidden himself and activated his Shinrakugan. Peering through the forest, he spotted the bandits heading for the settlement.
Yu-nins were already in formation, surrounding their foes in a deadly pincer.
Should anything untoward occur, Suguru would be able to inform his real body. He was no longer so arrogant that he would make assumptions at first glance.
Especially since the Land of Hot Water bordered the Land of Water, Kirigakure had its own fair share of influence.
Thus, Suguru watched as the first Yu-nin made her move.
—Whoosh!
The chain of a kusarigama slashed the air in front of the bandits, binding the first guy it came across. The bandit in question flailed his arms to no avail — he fell face-first on the ground and broke his nose.
'Ow,' Suguru thought.
Shuriken then dotted the bodies of the bandits, flying in from several directions at once. As two Yu-nins rushed through the trees, they slashed their kunai into their enemy's throats.
Splatters of blood stained the grass, but the Land of Hot Water grew safer because of it.
Confirming the results of the encounter, Suguru deactivated his Dojutsu and exploded into a puff of smoke.
***
Receiving the memories of his clone, Suguru inwardly nodded to himself.
'Hm?'
That was when the young man's brow twitched — as if someone had poked his cheek.
'Did he sense the return of my chakra?' Suguru raised a brow.
For some reason, he could feel something special about this entire situation. Despite his growing intrigue and confusion, however, he still couldn't put his finger on what was so... weird.
He had already pinpointed his heightened sensitivity, but it wasn't enough.
It seemed like there was still a lot more going on...
***
While Suguru was busying himself with mundane life, Isao sat at a corner of the Senju clan's meeting hall.
The ever-darkening expressions of his Elders made him uneasy.
With every crease in their brow, every vague murmur, Isao felt itchy. It was a pertinent discomfort that worsened with time.
After all, his Elders were all examining the scroll unfurled on the table. With Kisouma sitting at the very head, opting to stay silent, Isao could only do the same.
Eventually, one of the elders spoke up. They looked Kisouma in the eyes with a squint.
"Did you retrieve this scroll from the ruins of the Uzumaki?" The Elder, Senju Tsutomu, felt a twang of unease. "Also, is it true that Konoha has built something similar to this?"
"Isao can confirm the presence of such a formation. It was designed to use the Kyuubi's chakra as a source of energy." Kisouma rubbed his chin, "Although I do doubt the veracity of the claim that it can sense negative emotions, it doesn't seem too farfetched to have a formation that can constantly monitor everything within its bounds."
Hearing Kisouma's words, the other Elders nodded. They were a clan that practiced the art of immersing oneself in one's surroundings. Therefore, they were quite sensitive to changes in people, whether big or small.
To claim that the Nine-Tails' chakra can allow one to sense negative emotions wasn't all too extreme.
Thus, they fell into hushed discussions once more. Isao and Kisouma ignored them and simply continued to sit down in peace.
Eventually, the Elders would come to a decision.
And that decision was...
"We'll need to study the seals in this scroll." Tsutomu once again raised his head, "Kisouma, why don't we try creating our own version of this formation? We can use our existing Fuinjutsu array and build upon that."
Hearing this, Kisouma thought for a moment and Tsutomu realized a nuance in his wording.
Tsutomu hurriedly patched up this vague implication. "Of course, we will prioritize Konohagakure's state of affairs before we proceed with our own plans. Perhaps sending a squad of jounin should suffice in aiding Hiruzen keep the balance."
Kisouma nodded at these words.
"I agree." He then glanced at Isao and said, "I'll have Isao participate as the face of our clan once more. Furthermore, the jounin we send shall be instructed to act only when the destruction of the village is imminent."
Though Kisouma felt that such a thing was unlikely, it was better to be sure. The safety of Konohagakure and the secrecy of the Senju had equal priority.
"Isao, you will be coming with me as we speak to each member of the team."
"Yes, Kisouma-sama. I will make sure to do my utmost best to maintain the values of our clan."
Kisouma smiled, "Good."
***
While the Senju were concluding their meeting, Hiruzen was busy training in his interpretation of Suguru's Blaze Battle Body when Shikaku arrived, knocking on the door to his room.
"Lord Third," Shikaku's lackadaisical tone bled through, "I've returned with good news."
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