The sound of waves surged, seagulls cried, and the atmosphere was peaceful and serene.
Outside Whirlpool Tide Village, Uchiha Nen and Tsunade walked side by side on a path along the coast, the afternoon sun shining on them, stretching their shadows long.
Just now, after Nen stopped the infighting of the "Three Ninja," Jiraiya and Tsunade finally gave up on the idea of taking Orochimaru back to Hidden Leaf Village.
After the battle just now, they knew that Orochimaru was no longer what he used to be, which was not only reflected in his strength, but even his will was as firm as iron.
Whether soft or hard, they couldn't shake Orochimaru in the slightest.
Fortunately, Orochimaru didn't have too deep of a hostility towards the village.
Otherwise, judging from the strength he had shown now, if he developed a desire for revenge, it would definitely not be good news for Hidden Leaf Village.
Orochimaru's last blow, the "Eight Trigrams Halo," was more like a warning. If they continued to pester him, he might do something more extreme to cut off everything from the past.
After dealing with the matter, Tsunade suddenly stood in front of Nen and proposed to have a heart-to-heart talk with him.
This move surprised everyone.
Although Nen was a little surprised, he gladly accepted her invitation.
The two walked along the shore, the sea breeze was gentle, humid and cool.
"Nen, actually... I've always wanted to find an opportunity to have a good talk with you." Tsunade's voice broke the silence.
She took a deep breath and continued, "After you left, I carefully investigated the past again. I know that you experienced a lot of injustice and pain in those years."
Nen was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Tsunade to bring this up at this time.
"In the past, I didn't understand many things. In my eyes, Grandpa's village was a perfect existence, a real path to peace and happiness. Living in such a beautiful place, how could anyone want to defect... But after seeing what you went through, I realized..."
She sighed softly, "The current Will of Fire has been distorted."
Nen was a little surprised and turned to look into Tsunade's eyes, which were full of sincerity and apology.
"I have to admit a fact, that is... the current higher-ups are still corrupt, and they can do such excessive things for their own selfish desires..."
"Tsunade, those are all in the past." Nen said lightly, his voice revealing a sense of detachment and relief, "I chose to leave because I found my own path, not to be bound by the shadows of the past."
Tsunade nodded. She knew that it was no use doing anything more at this point, but she couldn't help but say, "I apologize to you on behalf of Hidden Leaf Village. I don't expect your forgiveness, I just hope we... can still be friends."
Nen's eyebrows relaxed, and he reached out and patted Tsunade's shoulder, "Tsunade, you have always been my friend. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't have helped you just now."
The two looked at each other and smiled, the estrangement in their hearts seemed to dissipate a lot at this moment.
The sea breeze gently blew, carrying a salty smell, as if it was also listening to their conversation.
"How have you been these years?" Tsunade asked curiously.
"Well, I've just been cultivating with Grand Uncle. I've been to many places and met many people over the years. My experience and strength have grown simultaneously. It's actually quite interesting." Nen smiled slightly, not revealing too much.
Especially about Uchiha Madara.
"Uchiha Shin'yu...?"
The figure of a certain man appeared in Tsunade's mind. Just thinking of that lazy and leisurely smile made her twitch her eyes.
She remembered a not-so-pleasant memory from one afternoon.
"How has he been lately?"
The current Shinobi World is not very peaceful, and she vaguely feels that in this sensitive period, every move of this strongest person in the current Shinobi World is particularly crucial.
"Well... this information is a military secret." Nen blinked.
Tsunade suddenly froze, and a sea breeze blew past, and she realized that her question was a bit over the line.
"Hahaha, I'm just kidding." Seeing her blank expression, Nen was amused.
"Grand Uncle's thoughts are unfathomable, and I don't know much about his affairs." He turned his head to look at the sea and said, "No one knows what he wants to do, and no one can understand his thoughts. I'm just following him to learn."
Seeing this, Tsunade wisely didn't ask any further questions.
She knew that some things were not so easy to ask, and she didn't want to ruin this hard-won atmosphere.
Perhaps it was really as Orochimaru said, she just wanted to be herself now, instead of representing the Hidden Leaf Village.
"But, there is one thing I can tell you..." Nen suddenly showed a mysterious smile, "At that time, when I was traveling with Grand Uncle, we happened to pass by the Uzumaki Clan. I thought it was an ordinary night, but who knew..."
"Uzumaki Clan?" Tsunade immediately became vigilant, "And then? What happened?"
Under Tsunade's questioning, Nen vividly described how the two of them "happened" to travel to the Land of Whirlpools and helped when they saw injustice.
Including the extermination plan of the Three Great Shinobi Villages, and that dark and windy bloody night...
He didn't say any lies throughout the whole process, but he omitted Shin'yu's deal with the former Clan Head, and Shin'yu cutting off the Uzumaki's path to ask the Hidden Leaf Village for help, and other... unimportant things.
After learning all this, Tsunade was completely dumbfounded, and her mind was like a thunderclap, completely charred inside and out.
Only at this moment did she finally know what the higher-ups were trying so hard to hide...
And finally knew why Nen and Orochimaru could get along so well with the Uzumaki Clan...
So she was the clown...
"This group of... good-for-nothing bastards!" She smashed the reef next to her with one punch.
"Okay, okay, things have already been resolved." Nen quickly comforted her.
The sunset gradually sank in the west, dyeing the sky red, and golden waves surged towards the shore in layers, coming happily and leaving disappointed.
The two's reminiscing was also coming to an end.
Just then, Tsunade took a few deep breaths, and stood in front of Nen as if she had mustered up her courage.
"I swear, one day, I will become the Hokage! To sweep away the chronic diseases!"
She suddenly grabbed Nen's hand, her eyes sincere, "Nen, when I become the Hokage, I will definitely overturn Uchiha Kagami's injustice, cut off all the corrupt and moldy roots, and let the Hidden Leaf Village change its blood from the inside out, and return to a vibrant village!"
"At that time... can I invite you to come to the village for a walk?"
Nen looked at Tsunade, at the persistent and brave look in her eyes, and time seemed to overlap at this moment.
He seemed to see again the girl who knocked on his door late at night to report the news, the Tsunade who could disregard everything for the sake of the village and her companions.
"I, I'm leaving, goodbye."
Watching Tsunade's leaving figure, Nen's eyes flickered, looking at the undulating waves, unable to recover for a long time.
...
At this moment, beneath the sea, two figures stood embracing each other.
The azure seawater parted automatically, forming a barrier several dozen meters in radius. The two stood on the water's surface, surrounded by swimming fish, a beautiful sight.
They tilted their heads, looking towards the sea surface, as if staring at a screen.
Tsunade had no idea that these two had just watched everything that had happened as if they were watching a movie.
"Speaking of which, Nen seems to be getting up there in age, right?"
Shin'yu's voice carried a hint of jest.
"21 years old, birthday next month." Light replied, her knitted eyebrows showing a hint of disdain, "Are you really his Grand Uncle?"
"Yes." Shin'yu nodded, his voice gentle with a touch of nonchalance, "It's precisely the age when hearts begin to stir."
"What are you trying to say?" Light asked, somewhat puzzled.
"It's time... to find him a girlfriend."
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