Chapter 77: The Name of the Valley of the End
Late Year 9 of Konoha.
Masahiko, who had rarely left his home since the Battle of the Valley of the End, left Konoha alone. He arrived at a location over a hundred miles away from the village.
Here lay a desolate wilderness, surrounded by broken walls and ruins. Before, no one knew what this place was, but afterward, it would be known to people as the "Valley of the End"!
"Those two guys, really..." Masahiko sighed. Despite having fun playing dice with Hashirama for the past year or so, failing to stop the Battle of the Valley of the End a year and a half ago remained a regret in his heart.
Because of this, Masahiko had uncharacteristically taken up sculpting, all to leave behind a more detailed legend for future generations.
Looking at the chaotic surroundings, Masahiko frowned.
"Looks like I have to be a janitor first... And I remember there should be a forest around here. There was definitely one in Sasuke and Naruto's first fight... Did it grow later?"
The cleaning work actually took Masahiko a full day, causing him to curse himself inwardly. "Why pose?! Why insist on coming alone... Bringing a few errand boys would have been so much better."
"Whew..." Masahiko took a deep breath and formed seals.
"Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation!"
"Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation!"
"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"
After using three ninjutsu, three huge rocks appeared in the valley. The two rocks on the sides were basically rectangular prisms, perfect for carving Hashirama and Madara. The rock slightly behind them in the middle was smaller, with only the front face flat, perfect for writing an inscription.
Masahiko nodded with satisfaction, but looking at the darkening sky, he sighed slightly.
"Rest first. This is going to be a protracted war..."
Masahiko called it a protracted war, but he still didn't expect it to be that... protracted.
It took a full three months for Masahiko to tentatively finish carving Hashirama and Madara.
Facing his masterpiece, Masahiko nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good, this will do!" Masahiko muttered. The Hashirama and Madara he carved were even more realistic than in the original work; his LV10 skill had never disappointed him. If not for the wrong size and color, no one would disbelieve it if you said they were real people.
"But... how should I complete the final step?" Masahiko fell into a dilemma of choice. The two statues still had one last step unfinished: their hand gestures had not been carved.
"Seal of Reconciliation?" Masahiko sighed. But in the original story, the battle between Hashirama and Madara never ceased.
"Combat stance?" Masahiko scratched his head again, feeling it wasn't quite appropriate.
"I can't just have them flipping the bird, haha..." Masahiko amused himself.
"Hm?" While he was struggling with the decision, Masahiko sensed a familiar chakra approaching rapidly.
Masahiko looked up, frowning.
"Hashirama, what are you doing here?" He reflexively feared that Hashirama had chased him here just to play dice.
"Great-Uncle," Hashirama shouted while still some distance away, "I came to see how your statue carving is going."
Masahiko's face darkened. Coming to see his own statue that would be admired by future generations—Hashirama's thick skin was truly unmatched... He must have learned it from Masahiko.
However, upon arrival, Hashirama merely glanced at his own statue before fixing his gaze on Madara's.
"Here we go again..." Masahiko sighed inwardly. Seeing Hashirama about to fall into that inexplicable mood again, he quickly interrupted, "Hashirama, you're just in time. How should I carve the hand gestures for these two statues?"
Hashirama was stunned for a moment, only then noticing the incompleteness of the two statues.
"Seal of Reconciliation, Great-Uncle." Hashirama sighed, making the choice.
Masahiko wasn't surprised; he was also leaning toward this gesture. "Then I'll start working. You can head back after you've seen enough..."
Hashirama shook his head. "I have other things to do here."
Under Masahiko's puzzled gaze, Hashirama formed seals. "Wood Release: Birth of a Dense Forest!"
A lush forest sprouted around the Valley of the End. Trunks, branches, and finally even leaves grew out.
Masahiko snapped out of his daze, looking shocked. "Hashirama, you are..." Even in past battles, Hashirama rarely used such a large-scale Wood Release, let alone growing leaves.
"Why do this? Your life force..."
Hashirama shook his head and smiled. "It won't cost too much." He took out a necklace that looked familiar to Masahiko. He took a few steps forward, and the leaves in the lush forest instantly withered. In contrast, the necklace in Hashirama's hand emitted a vigorous vitality.
"It's already Year 10 of Konoha..." Masahiko murmured, roughly guessing Hashirama's purpose.
Sure enough, Hashirama's explanation was not beyond his expectations.
"Kaori is pregnant. This necklace is a gift for my grandson or granddaughter." Hashirama spoke slowly. "I just infused it with a large amount of Wood Release chakra. Wearing it will promote longevity, and it can also help suppress Tailed Beasts."
Masahiko nodded, not knowing whether to be happy or sad. The long-awaited Tsunade was about to be born, but Hashirama was also nearing the end of his life...
"Sigh..." With a long sigh, Masahiko continued his great carving undertaking. Hashirama didn't leave either, staying there to watch Masahiko carve.
Two days later, Masahiko finished carving the hands of the two statues and stood before the reserved stone tablet.
"Hashirama, how should I praise you and Madara?" Masahiko asked with a smile.
Hashirama looked embarrassed.
"It seems Hashirama's skin still isn't as thick as mine..." Masahiko thought, though it was unclear what he had to be proud of.
"Let's write this!"
The title consisted of four large characters: "Valley of the End."
The content was as follows: "The two who pacified the chaotic times, the Two Gods of the Ninja World who walked the path of the ninja to the extreme, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, fought their decisive battle here."
The signature was: "Witness of the Ninja World."
"Great-Uncle, why didn't you sign your name?" Hashirama asked in confusion.
Masahiko sighed. "Legends only need the two of you. It's... inconvenient for me to be eulogized."
Hashirama nodded. If Masahiko were eulogized, the focus would probably be on... the naked woman on the battlefield.
With the work at the Valley of the End complete, the two returned to Konoha together.
The journey was peaceful, but an interlude occurred as they approached Konoha.
Two masked ninjas carrying a sack quickly passed near them, nodding in greeting.
Hashirama nodded back slightly and turned to Masahiko. "Is this the Anbu Tobirama established? They look pretty good."
Masahiko, however, frowned slightly. He sensed that the two were carrying a person, and a living one at that.
"Spies from an enemy village?" Hashirama asked after Masahiko informed him.
Masahiko hesitated. He had a guess but didn't dare confirm it.
"Let's go. Let's follow them quietly..." Masahiko whispered to Hashirama and sped up to follow.
Hashirama hesitated for a moment, then reacted and chased after them.
Just as Masahiko expected, there was indeed something wrong with those two. Instead of returning to the village with their cargo, they ran along the outskirts of Konoha, all the way to the northeast of the village.
"It can't be that..." Masahiko sighed, unwilling to believe what he was thinking.
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