Such a massive explosion naturally produced an equally powerful shockwave.
Two figures—one in black, one in white—nearly two kilometers away were thrown off balance by the force.
Shen, wearing countless layers of the Painful Mask, suddenly understood one thing.
That was why Sasuke often didn't return home after marriage.
Could it be that Sakura used the Strength of a Hundred Technique every time?!
As for Naruto? He had strong regeneration and the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Shuddering, Shen decided that in the future, he would apply strict discipline to his older nephew, while being far more lenient with his younger nephew.
"After all, married life is already miserable enough; their childhood should be happy." Fast-forwarding mentally into the future timeline, Shen realized that the pain he had been feeling across his body was actually fading away.
"Uncle can only help you two this much," he mused, already imagining what gifts he would give his two nephews.
As Shen's mind wandered off into the vast unknown,
"Thud!"
He was yanked into the cockpit by someone's dark hand, his back slamming hard against the floor.
"Are you dead or something?" Nawaki in the cockpit gave the rope a few sharp tugs.
"Go to hell," Shen managed to curse weakly.
Nayou quickly let go of him. "Are you okay? Let me check where you're hurt."
Wishing he could just roll his eyes and pass out, Shen decided to grin and bear this 'excellent' treatment, caught between pain and awkward pleasure.
At the same time, he quietly resolved—he *would* get his hands on some Hashirama cells one day.
Not for the Mangekyō or Sage Art, but simply because he wanted his future self to live a "happy and joyful" life better than most men in Konoha.
Landing at the explosion site was Hagoromo's Ship, from which three Konoha ninja wearing battle vests disembarked.
"The range and power are almost exactly as theoretical calculations predicted. Where did he get so much hydrogen?" One fanatical scientist dropped to his knees, muttering in disbelief.
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged glances, immediately concluding that he had gone mad.
Then both started searching the crater, which had a diameter of nearly one kilometer, for any possible survivors.
If they didn't hurry and find survivors, Rain ninjas and Iwagakure ninjas would likely send large forces to investigate soon.
"Du du lu"—a strange mobile phone ringtone rang out from Orochimaru's Ninja Tool Pouch.
"How can it even receive a signal without a base station? That's unscientific!" On the ground, he barely supported himself with his hands, refusing to completely collapse.
"Du du lu"
Unable to bear it any longer, Jiraiya directly reached toward the backside of Orochimaru's raised rear.
"Hello? Ah! Oh." After those three short syllables, he once again extended his hand toward the back of Orochimaru's upturned behind.
Shen, who was receiving initial treatment, hung up the phone and looked out the window at the explosion scene.
After zooming in more than ten times, he immediately wished he could rip his own eyes out.
So horrified was he by the sight that he zoomed in even further, capturing every horrifying detail of Orochimaru kneeling on the ground with a painful expression, and Jiraiya smiling while extending his hand forward.
"Tch!", Shen scoffed smugly as he imagined how his priceless collection would one day have the future Sannin eating from the palm of his hand.
If he could add that little white fang in the Hot Water Country to his trove, he'd achieve something truly remarkable - compiling the dark histories of famous figures from Konoha!
"[Byakugan]!" Nayou activated her all-seeing eye technique and discovered Orochimaru's and Jiraiya's little secret.
Part of her couldn't help but be impressed - they'd actually dared to pull something like this right under Tsunade's nose!
Glancing sideways at Shen, who was smiling unusually happily, she started worrying about her best friend's future.
If he kept hanging around those two troublemakers day in and day out, wouldn't he inevitably catch whatever weird habits they had?
"I absolutely cannot let Shen turn out like this!" Nayou firmly resolved inwardly. She had to ensure his healthy development.
However, for some unknown reason, that same face had been developing an annoying habit of flushing bright red at the most inconvenient times.
Probably because she was thinking of some brilliant ideas?
At the explosion epicenter, Tsunade spotted Roshi - a middle-aged man whose body was completely hairless and barely had any clothes on.
"What an eyesore!" She quickly covered her eyes.
It turned out to be Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, lying flat on the ground facing upward.
"Jiraiya! Get over here right now!"
Within less than ten seconds, the confident and composed Jiraiya stood before Tsunade. "What's up? My sweetest, most radiant—"
Suddenly, a small fist struck his chest.
"Urgh!" With twisted facial expressions, Jiraiya immediately dropped onto his knees on the ground.
Just as Tsunade prepared to deal with him properly, Hagoromo's legendary flying ship - emblazoned with the unmistakable Uchiha clan crest - came hurtling straight toward them.
Without hesitation, she ran directly toward the front where the unclothed, hairless middle-aged man lay.
After all, wasn't that ship landing exactly in front of her?
Would she really go running around it instead?
Although Jiraiya looked pale, he got up and gathered his strength to follow after her.
Right now, only someone from the Uchiha clan - in Konoha, no, across the entire shinobi world - would dare so openly display their clan emblem.
Within the Land of Earth, there was only one known Uchiha present.
Shortly afterward, both Jiraiya and Tsunade saw their longed-for Team One - the very first squad Konoha ever assembled.
Legs trembling uncontrollably, a face filled with survivor's guilt, Nawaki along with a shy-looking Nayou and an even eerily grinning Shen finally calmed their uneasy hearts.
Nawaki's shaking came from suddenly feeling faint due to immense mental relief.
Nayou's blushing resulted from thinking up various strange methods.
As for Shen, his grin widened with every new addition to his ever-growing treasure trove of dirt.
Had Jiraiya really failed proposing marriage? Had Tsunade chosen this mysterious bald middle-aged man suspected of exhibitionism?
The thought made him queasy in a way that had nothing to do with explosions - could real life really be this ridiculously dramatic?
Yet joyous moments always seemed to pass by the quickest.
"This is impossible!" Orochimaru sprinted recklessly straight toward someone within Team One.
"Gulp," Shen's throat involuntarily moved.
"Snake Uncle, this guy's the Four-Tails Jinchuriki!"
"Hurry and tell me how you managed to collect hydrogen gas!"
"I'll talk - I promise I will - but can you please stop chasing me?"
Two figures, one large and one small, kept chasing each other endlessly inside the crater.
Jiraiya silently stepped forward and tossed an old piece of cloth over Roshi's body.
"What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?" He suddenly felt a sense of unease.
Tsunade, while walking away, didn't forget to bring Nawaki and Nayou along with her.
"What kind of mess have I gotten into now?" Jiraiya muttered with a strained expression before obligingly hoisting Roshi onto his shoulder.
From a distance, Shen quickly zoomed in on the scene.
Jiraiya, now stuck carrying his so-called "rival in love," just added another awkward page to his personal embarrassment file.
"Hurry up and tell me what method you used!"
After circling around several times, Shen sped up and zoomed into his own Hagoromo's Ship.
He quickly scanned the systems, fired up the engine, and shoved the joystick forward in one smooth move—sending the ship rocketing into the sky.
[Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!] Orochimaru latched onto the wing—there was no way he was giving up that easily.
The obsessive determination of a dedicated scientist was beyond what ordinary people could understand.
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