Uzumaki Ryōta stared at Shigure as though he had seen a ghost.
The man had somehow formed the hand seals correctly and produced the unmistakable chakra fluctuations of a functioning sealing technique.
Although Shigure had performed only the most basic sequence, the speed of his movements and the precision of his chakra circulation matched Ryōta’s own—despite Ryōta having immersed himself in sealing arts for many years.
That was truly terrifying.
Even after Shigure departed, Ryōta remained rooted to the spot for a long time, unable to recover from his shock.
“Could he have known fūinjutsu all along?” … Shigure had barely left the First Elder’s residence in high spirits when Senju Akira approached him with a message from the clan.
He had been ordered to return to the Senju compound as soon as possible.
The sudden order genuinely surprised him.
All told, he had spent a little over a month with the Uzumaki since arriving as a reinforcement.
Yet the clan leader was already ordering him to return immediately.
“I’m the only one being recalled?” Shigure finished reading the scroll in his hand and turned towards Akira.
“Yes, Elder Shigure.” “Even if something serious has happened, the clan shouldn’t issue such an absurd order.” Shigure glanced suspiciously at the younger clansman.
He had a strong feeling that Akira—the shinobi assigned to protect him—was hiding something.
“Well… I reported everything you’ve done during this period to the clan, Elder Shigure.” Just as I thought!
The moment Akira hesitantly confessed, Shigure knew that the clan had learned about everything he had done during his stay with the Uzumaki.
“Well, if the clan insists on recalling me, they can send a few dozen jōnin to escort me back.
I’m not asking for much.” The past several days had been anything but peaceful.
The Uzumaki had intercepted more than a dozen assassination attempts by the Hōzuki and Kaguya Clans.
Worse still, Shigure had repeatedly been their target.
During the most dangerous attempt, enemy shinobi had somehow slipped past the nearby Senju guards and Uzumaki Hironari before reaching the door of Shigure’s room.
They had reduced the entire building to rubble.
If Shigure had not been practising ninjutsu in a nearby grove at the time, he might already have been dead.
Akira stated that he would personally escort Shigure throughout the journey.
As for additional guards, there would not be any.
“Does that mean all the younger members of our clan are staying here with the Uzumaki?” Shigure asked suspiciously.
“That is the clan’s order.” … Shigure felt that his status as a senior elder of the Senju Clan existed purely for decoration.
He had absolutely no say in the clan’s decisions.
And so, under the enthusiastic farewell of the Uzumaki leadership, Shigure and Akira began their journey back to the Senju compound.
“Elder Shigure, it pains me to see you leave.” First Elder Uzumaki Ryōta pressed several thick books into Shigure’s hands, his voice overflowing with reluctance.
However, although Ryōta sounded perfectly sincere, the joy written across his face thoroughly betrayed him.
“Ahem!
Don’t worry, Ryōta, my boy.” Shigure adopted an unruffled expression and spoke in an earnest tone.
“I might return as soon as tomorrow.” “…The Senju Clan cannot do without you.” “You flatter me.
If anything, the Uzumaki Clan needs me even more.” The two men, who were not far apart in age, continued exchanging polite farewells.
Anyone unaware of the truth might have assumed that they shared an exceptionally close friendship.
Shigure gazed reluctantly back at the Uzumaki compound before finally departing with Akira.
“That walking disaster is finally gone.” Ryōta wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“Indeed.” Hironari was equally delighted.
“Masaki has already become quite familiar with the Thirty-Six Stratagems.
We were fortunate to extract such valuable tactics from that old fellow before he left.” “Oh?
Masaki has progressed that quickly?
Excellent!” “In that case, let’s return and test him properly.” The Uzumaki leaders headed back into the compound to assess the younger clansman upon whom they had placed so many expectations.
At that moment, a tiny black speck approximately a kilometre above them rapidly streaked into the distance.
Its silhouette vaguely resembled a bird flying away at tremendous speed.
… The older and younger man travelled at an unhurried pace.
Bored by the journey, Shigure occasionally amused himself by teasing Akira, one of the clan’s much younger shinobi.
Akira could only maintain a dark expression and march silently beside him, unable to object because of Shigure’s status.
“Akira, my boy, do you know a girl named Hana?” “…” “I’ll take that as a yes.
What about Tsuyoshi?
Surely you’ve heard of him.” “…” “Honestly, this journey is rather dull when you refuse to say anything.” Akira continued ignoring him, but that only encouraged Shigure to keep talking.
His endless chatter buzzed around Akira’s ears like an entire swarm of flies.
“By the way, does your Water Release: Ground-Shrinking Technique really let you shrink the distance?” Shigure asked.
“I heard it consumes an enormous amount of chakra.
Is that true?” “…” “How about this?
I’ll teach you one of my special techniques, and you teach me that Water Release ninjutsu.
What do you say?” “No.” Akira finally forced a single word from his mouth, flatly rejecting the proposal.
“What?
You’d be getting the far better end of that deal!
Don’t regret this later!” Shigure stared at him with wide eyes.
Why were children these days so arrogant?
An awkward silence descended upon them.
Having lost interest, Shigure stopped bothering the younger clansman.
Water Release ninjutsu?
He could simply learn one from his grandnephew Tobirama once he returned to the clan.
Why would he need to ask this arrogant brat?
By noon, the two stopped briefly to eat some dry rations before continuing their journey.
Shigure had wanted to catch several fish from the river and enjoy some meat, but Akira had responded with a contemptuous look.
That thoroughly irritated him.
Since when did the clan’s youngsters dare to glare at me?
I’ll have to teach them to respect their elders after I return.
In Shigure’s opinion, respecting one’s elders was essential.
Protecting the young, however, was entirely optional.
Children in this world were all ridiculously powerful.
Why would they need anyone’s protection?
Ancient relics like Shigure were the ones everyone ought to cherish.
Lost in these pointless thoughts, Shigure failed to notice how far they had travelled until the two reached a shallow stream.
“Danger!
Fall back!” Just as Shigure was about to take another step, an intense sense of danger washed over him.
Almost instinctively, he grabbed Senju Akira and rapidly retreated.
Boom!
The moment they cleared the area, a violent explosion erupted where they had previously been standing, blasting an enormous crater into the ground.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Shigure’s expression darkened as shinobi began appearing beside the shallow stream.
After recovering from his momentary shock, Akira also adopted a guarded stance and stared ahead.
More and more enemy shinobi emerged.
They flickered away from the stream and rapidly spread throughout the surrounding area.
Within moments, Shigure and Akira were completely encircled.
The Hōzuki Clan!
The Kaguya Clan!
Author’s Note : Want to keep reading?