This was a small village with fewer than 300 residents, where everyone lived an ordinary yet hard-scrabble life.
A few days ago, however, a wandering monk renowned for his great abilities in the Ninja World arrived in the village.
Every day, this ascetic monk would come to the village courtyard to help sort out everyone's problems and worries.
He called it part of his spiritual cultivation.
With nothing but fieldwork and household chores to occupy their time, villagers naturally welcomed this monk who had appeared from nowhere, glad to have someone telling them stories for free every day.
Roshi placed an iron rod in front of himself, crossed his legs, sat on the ground, and prepared to wait for those who came to hear his "inspirational tales."
His red hair burned as vibrantly as lava. Like the Third Tsuchikage, Roshi stood under five feet tall.
He wore purple robes with standard ninja armor layered over them.
At first glance, no one would mistake him for a traveling monk.
"Master, what story will you tell today? Can I get a sneak peek first?"
A man with sallow skin and thick, calloused hands approached Roshi and asked eagerly.
"Not yet. I'll start when everyone arrives and the time feels right," Roshi replied calmly, narrowing his eyes as he looked around the village at the people slowly gathering closer.
"Well then, Master!" The man nodded, then casually picked a spot to sit cross-legged, propped his chin on both hands, and patiently waited for the master's storytelling session.
After all, he was just a lonely farmer with no family and hardly any form of daily entertainment.
As the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki from childhood, Roshi had been implanted with the beast early on, becoming the village's strategic weapon.
Though he hadn't been openly targeted or mistreated in the village, his interactions with others were always tinged with awkwardness due to his status as a Jinchuriki.
Everyone knew he carried the beast inside, so some distance inevitably remained.
Influenced by Son Goku—the Four-Tails himself—Roshi had developed a fiery, stubborn temper. Eventually, this led to a rift with the Third Tsuchikage, and finally, in anger, he left the village altogether.
Luckily, the Third Tsuchikage had not labeled him a Rogue Ninja nor sent the Anbu of Iwagakure to chase after him.
Decades had passed since his sealing, and Roshi's relationship with the Four-Tails gradually became harmonious.
Through mutual influence, they'd grown into inseparable partners.
Through their inner conversations, Roshi could tap into the beast's power while Son Goku could see the outside world through Roshi's eyes.
"Roshi, can you feel it too?" Inside his body, the voice of Son Goku sounded unusually alert.
"Yeah, something feels about to happen, though I'm not exactly sure what yet!"
Roshi frowned, conversing with the beast internally.
"A very powerful chakra is approaching. Familiar somehow, though not quite the same as before!"
Son Goku recognized the energy—it reminded him faintly of the one who once captured him.
But it wasn't as intense as back then, somewhat weakened.
"Roshi, maybe we should leave here first?"
The monkey voiced his suggestion within their shared mental realm.
"It's probably just passing through."
"Besides, it's already too late for us to leave now!"
Roshi's years of ascetic practice proved somewhat useful—it helped him stay calm and optimistic in spirit.
"Fine! I'll follow your lead!"
"Mm!"
Roshi lifted his head, glancing over the man sitting cross-legged before him toward the eastern side of the village.
Although he was quite old, Roshi remained energetic and youthful in appearance.
Nourished by the Tailed Beast chakra, he looked no older than a typical man in his thirties.
In truth, though, Roshi was already in his mid-forties and held great respect within the village.
"Master, master, look, everyone's gathered. Should we begin?"
It was the same man as before, sitting cross-legged on the ground, waving one hand above his head to signal Roshi.
Roshi scanned his surroundings and realized that during his conversation with the Four-Tails, all the idle villagers had already gathered around him.
"Well then! I'll start my story..."
He nodded slightly while keeping his gaze fixed on a house across from him.
A man wearing a black cloak adorned with red clouds had just landed there—the source of those powerful chakra fluctuations.
After taking a good look at Saitama and realizing he didn't recognize him, Roshi finally began his tale.
He noticed Saitama indeed appeared to be merely passing through without any sign of malice.
"A long time ago, I happened to pass through a mountain known for its monkeys..."
Roshi launched into his storytelling while Saitama sat on the rooftop opposite him, watching curiously but making no move.
He wanted to see what was special about Roshi, the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails, who hadn't played much of a role in the original story.
Son Goku, the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails, was famous for his destructive power and immense physical strength; the beast itself ranked fairly high among the Tailed Beasts.
In the original story, though, Roshi encountered Kisame Hoshigaki—his ultimate nemesis—who severely defeated him, captured him, extracted the beast from his body, and eventually turned him into a [Six Paths Puppet] after his death.
After glancing at Saitama once, Roshi stopped paying attention to him and focused entirely on telling his story.
The tale he told was basically his own life story, just slightly tweaked and spiced up with some life lessons and deeper thoughts.
That evening after dinner, with the sky still painted in hues of yellow, Roshi's storytelling session lasted for several hours straight.
Although his stories were engaging, as the night deepened, many villagers gradually stood up and returned home.
They had farm work to do the next day and had enjoyed enough leisure time here.
Most of those who stayed behind were kids. They found this old man—who didn't seem to age at all—way more interesting than their village teachers, so they decided to stick around and keep listening.
Saitama stayed seated on the rooftop unchanged, still attentively listening and showing great interest in Roshi's tales.
After a long while, Roshi finally fell silent and looked around, realizing only one person remained besides himself—the very first man who had arrived.
"Alright then, today's session ends here. If I have time tomorrow, I'll continue!"
Roshi announced. The man resting his chin on his palm had been suddenly startled awake by Roshi's raised voice, jolting upright from his nap.
"Master, is it over? Then I'll head back first. You take care and rest well!"
The man yawned, stood up, and patted the dust off his pants.
For several days, rain or shine, Roshi had remained in this small plaza. Even though the Village Headman kindly offered him a place to live, he kindly declined, saying, "This is part of my cultivation."
"Okay!" Roshi stood up, nodded at him, and as the man turned around, looked toward Saitama, who had been sitting cross-legged on the rooftop opposite.
To Roshi's senses, Saitama's aura kept growing stronger, and the malicious intent—the kind the Tailed Beast could detect—became more intense.
"Four-Tails Jinchuriki Roshi?!"
Saitama asked knowingly—it was also a kind of greeting.
He slowly got up, cracked his neck a few times to shake off the stiffness, and looked down at the area where Sensor Roshi was standing.
"It's indeed me!"
Roshi picked up the Black Rod lying beside him earlier. This was technically his weapon but rarely used for battle; rather, it provided support during his long walking pilgrimage.
"In that case, I haven't come to the wrong place!" Saitama shrugged, bent his knees, and jumped straight from the rooftop downward, heading outside the village.
This would be Saitama's first time capturing a Tailed Beast and his first battle against an opponent of this level—such a fight would surely be huge. To prevent unnecessary casualties, Saitama decided to move the battlefield to a nearby clearing.
"Civilians have nothing to do with this!"
Roshi could sense Saitama's moral consciousness and understood exactly what this action meant.
"Roshi, be careful—this enemy isn't easy to handle!"
Son Goku poked his head out from the inner realm to warn Roshi.
"I understand. This time again, we'll be fighting together—Son Goku!"
Roshi's expression turned serious, a deep intensity forming in his eyes.
Looking at Saitama's face, Roshi felt he appeared young, yet the aura surrounding him gave off a faint sense of insurmountable might.
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