The Third Hokage, who had been about to make a sarcastic remark, suddenly realized that most of the problems caused by Konoha's troublemaker weren't actually the latter's fault.
The wildly imaginative Uchiha couple had already moved on to discussing the scene of them getting married right at the Konoha entrance after returning from the war.
"Why do I feel like something big is about to happen with the Hyuga Clan?" He watched a large group of panting white-clad individuals standing at the western gate and imagined the whole scenario in his mind.
"Dear, how do you think Shen will solve the Caged Bird issue?"
"Hmm... Punishing each member of the main house one by one sounds complicated. Based on his personality, he'll probably come up with a permanent solution."
"That makes sense. I was thinking about buying out the entire Hyuga Clan."
"Buying them out? Haha! Just imagine the old traditionalists' expressions back then — they'd be priceless!"
The bitter Third Hokage quietly listened as they continued their conversation, mentally fast-forwarding to a future where the Uchihas acquired the entire shinobi world.
He always wondered how the Uchiha could be rolling in money and not have gone completely off the rails yet.
"You know what?" he mused silently. "Why not buy the moon while you're at it? Heck, maybe the whole Uchiha Clan should just live up there — that way I wouldn't have to keep envying them every other day."
"Dear, quick look! That group of white-robed guys are coming over!"
"Aiko, let's scram!"
To the beat of exciting electronic music, the Uchiha couple quickly ran back to Konoha.
Who else should deal with the problems caused by their son if not his parents?
But if even the parents ran away, there was no choice but to seek out the Village Headman!
"Everyone, please calm down first," muttered the disgruntled Third Hokage, deeply regretting those protective measures he once granted the Uchiha.
Inside the sleek black Indra's Ship, Shen and Nayou both smiled brightly — this way of leaving the village perfectly suited their tastes.
One loved creating chaos, and the other thrived on adrenaline-pumping stunts; clearly, their tastes were definitely not for the average person.
"After peace returns to the shinobi world, I will definitely build a roller coaster rail line spanning across all Five Great Nations!" Shen solemnly promised to break the awkwardness.
"Mm-hmm." Nayou obediently nodded, already imagining herself sitting on it and traveling around the entire shinobi world.
"Oh right!" Suddenly remembering his subordinate, Shen took out his mobile phone.
He dialed a number labeled as "Bumbling Idiot," though he wasn't in a hurry to speak after connecting.
After two or three minutes, Shen finally lifted the phone to his ear: "Hey. Get your ass on a plane and come over now."
After saying that, without waiting for the other party to respond, he directly hung up.
Curious, Nayou leaned over and saw who he'd called — Nawaki. Instantly, she offered a silent three-second tribute for his poor soul.
Nawaki, the eldest son of the Senju residence, actually suffered from motion sickness while flying!
Actually, scratch that — he got sick on any kind of transportation.
She recalled when they first left the village riding in that enormous chunk of metal they called their Team One vehicle — and finally figured out the truth.
"Shen, does Nawaki always remember that experience whenever he travels?"
Suddenly understanding, Shen nodded to confirm her suspicion: "Nayou, you're so smart — you've uncovered this secret."
"You're clever too, you know."
Nayou squinted and returned a bright smile.
"Same to you," Shen said with a similar smile, then focused his attention on driving.
A question he'd buried deep inside might finally have an answer.
"Let's finish the Second Great Ninja War first before talking about anything else," Shen decided inwardly, slightly pressing down harder on the pedal.
The glossy black Indra's Ship instantly reached its maximum speed, heading toward the Land of Grass.
The passengers aboard the Asura Express traveling from the Land of Wind to the Land of Fire were particularly special.
They were all seven hundred Sunagakure ninja soldiers heading for reinforcement in the Land of Grass.
Gerissen, one of the sub-commanders among the Sunagakure reinforcement forces, was giving Mamba, the commanding officer seated across from him, a detailed introduction about the Konoha commander they'd be working with.
"Lord Mamba, he has a great personality, and we've gotten along pretty well since several years ago," Gerissen, who looked quite solid and mature, began recounting various interesting incidents between them back then.
After listening, the red-haired Mamba became even more intrigued about meeting Shen soon.
"I brought plenty of premium local specialties from the Land of Wind. It's such a pity though—Mr. Orochimaru won't get the chance to re-experience those wonderful tastes from earlier days," Gerissen continued excitedly, growing increasingly enthusiastic about the upcoming meeting.
"My dear, do you think Sasori will become a chunin next year? The three of them became chunin at just six years old, breaking Konoha's record," Mamba's wife, a black-haired woman clinging to his arm, tightened her grip suddenly.
"He definitely will. Even his mother acknowledges that Sasori is a genius puppet master."
As Mamba gently tucked a strand of long black hair that had been tousled by the wind, Gerissen—a man who'd been single for years—felt an unfamiliar unease rise within him.
"This train will arrive at its final destination, Hidden Leaf Village, in ten minutes," announced the real-time broadcast over the Asura Express intercom.
Mamba and his wife Anko immediately stopped their conversation.
Actually, passing through Amegakure would have been a faster route to the Land of Grass than taking the rail line.
But the unpredictable neutrality of Amegakure was exactly what the Third Kazekage wanted to avoid.
Ultimately, to prevent unexpected complications, he decided to split the reinforcement units into two groups. One group traveled aboard the Asura Express, consisting of ten connected carriages, arriving at Konoha before proceeding to the Land of Grass via military transport buses.
"Ring ring ring!" Mamba pulled his mobile phone out from his jacket. Seeing the caller ID marked "Third Kazekage," he directly pressed the answer button.
"Honorable Kazekage, yes, I understand. Yes indeed, mission guaranteed to succeed!" After hanging up, his expression suddenly turned strange.
Seeing her husband's unusual look, Anko thought something must have gone wrong. "Dear? Is it because of Iwagakure?"
"No," Mamba shook his head, patiently explaining further. "The Kazekage says the Konoha commander started off early. He wants us to switch immediately to the Falcon Aircraft and head straight to the Land of Grass ahead of them."
As he spoke, his facial expression kept growing stranger, until finally he added, "He also specifically said—we must arrive there before them."
Gerissen understood immediately; obviously, the Third Hokage and his own Kazekage had placed a bet on which side would reach the Land of Grass first.
"Huh? Why would they do that?"
"Ahem, that's because..."
After hearing Mamba's explanation, Angel's expression turned peculiar too. "Dear, isn't the Hagoromo Ship in Konoha faster than our Falcon Aircraft? Then why..."
"Uh, their Commander drove straight there."
Gerissen got it—Shen must have left early, prompting the Third Hokage and his own Kazekage to make that bet together.
"Drove? So there must be a prize for winning, right?" Angel asked curiously, her eyes gleaming with innocence.
Mamba, seeing how adorable she looked, couldn't help but reach out and gently pat her cheek.
Under her slightly annoyed stare, he finally revealed what was at stake: "Overall command authority. Fortunately, it's only a contest between Commanders. Those two really dared to bet."
After understanding everything, just as Angel was about to voice her thoughts, she was interrupted by an announcement: "The train has arrived."
"Let's go, Angel."
Hand in hand, they walked off, completely ignoring Gerissen, who managed only a tight, forced grin.
After releasing that bird-shaped Falcon Aircraft painted in earthy yellow, the transparent man suddenly realized and quickly stepped off the train.
"Wait a moment, Lord Mamba, Lady Angel."
Having had his fill of public affection, Gerissen followed the married couple with no sense of timing at all.
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