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Chapter 49 - Chapter 49: Freedom

Chapter 49: Freedom

"A mission? Is it dangerous?" Tenchi asked, a note of genuine concern in his voice. Now that they were closer, it felt natural to worry.

"Not at all. Orochimaru and I are just clearing out some bandits. It's a simple C-rank. I'm sure you'll be out by the time we get back."

"Just the two of you? What about Jiraiya?" Hearing only two names, Tenchi had a suspicion.

"Him? Well, Lord Sarutobi was teaching him the Summoning Jutsu. He didn't quite get it but tried it anyway... and got himself summoned away. No one knows where he is right now."

"Ah, I see. Well, you can ask Lord Sarutobi about the details yourself when you get back. I should get going. See you after the mission." Tsunade picked up the empty lunchbox and walked out.

*'Just as I thought,'* Tenchi mused. *'Jiraiya must have ended up at Mount Myōboku to learn Sage Mode. I wonder when I'll get a chance to learn senjutsu.'*

Watching Tsunade leave, he let out a quiet sigh. *'Being a shinobi is such a high-risk job. In the coming Second and Third Great Wars, who knows how many will die? Wouldn't it be better to just live a quiet, peaceful life?'*

***

A full month after his imprisonment, Tenchi was finally released. Hiruzen Sarutobi came to the prison gates to collect him personally.

"Ah! The sun! The fresh air! It's so good to be outside again!" Tenchi exclaimed, stretching his arms wide.

"Now you appreciate it? Let's see if you dare to cause this much trouble again," Hiruzen said, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Brother Sarutobi, I just got out. Don't be such a downer. Let's go get something to eat." Tenchi started pulling Hiruzen toward the village.

"Wait. You didn't notice? There's someone else here to pick you up."

Tenchi looked in the direction Hiruzen pointed. "Zhan? What are you doing here?" The man was Uchiha Zhan, the son of the Great Elder and a capable Jōnin in his own right. He was also one of the Uchiha who had moved out of the clan compound with Tenchi.

"My father heard you were being released today and insisted I come get you. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. I have plenty of my own work to do, you know?" Zhan said, his tone feigning annoyance.

"You're already here, so stop complaining. Today, you and Brother Sarutobi are treating me to a proper meal. I've almost forgotten what real food tastes like after a month in there." Without waiting for a reply, he began dragging both men toward the nearest restaurant.

Zhan was one of the people Tenchi got along with best in the Uchiha clan, aside from the elder himself. He never took Zhan's grumbling seriously; they were close friends.

With people he liked, Tenchi was very casual. If someone like Danzo had spoken to him that way, it would have been a different story entirely.

Soon, the three of them were seated in a restaurant. The moment he sat down, Tenchi yelled out, "Boss! Bring us all your best dishes! These two gentlemen are paying!"

Hiruzen and Zhan both had metaphorical black lines running down their faces.

"Tenchi, do you have to order the entire menu? It's not like you've been starving. Didn't Tsunade bring you food?" Hiruzen asked.

At the mention of this, Tenchi's face soured. "Brother Sarutobi, how can you even bring that up?"

"What did I do?" Hiruzen was genuinely confused.

"What did you do? Aren't you ashamed? After Tsunade brought me food for a few days, you sent her off on a mission! For the rest of the month, I was back to eating prison slop! And you dare say it has nothing to do with you?" Tenchi glared at Hiruzen, his expression full of grievance.

"Oh..." Hiruzen finally understood. It really was his fault. "Tenchi, what could I do? Tsunade and the others have reached Chunin level. They need to start gaining real experience. A war could break out any day. You don't want them to be useless in a real fight, do you?"

"By the way, I heard from Tsunade that you ruined Jiraiya."

*'Huh?'* Hearing this sudden comment, Zhan looked at Hiruzen with a strange expression. He knew Jiraiya was the Hokage's student. Did he 'ruin' all his students? Hiruzen Sarutobi's tastes were... concerning.

"Don't get the wrong idea!" Hiruzen quickly clarified, seeing the look on Zhan's face. He couldn't have the Hokage's reputation sullied like that. "It was the Summoning Jutsu! He used the Summoning Jutsu without a contract and got teleported away! Tenchi, explain it properly!"

Just then, the server arrived with their food. "Your dishes are here. Please enjoy."

"Right, right. How exactly did you teach him?" Tenchi asked, already digging into his food. "Letting him use a summoning jutsu without a pre-established contract... Weren't you afraid he'd never come back?"

"Sigh... I didn't expect the boy to be so reckless," Hiruzen admitted, guilt creeping back into his voice. "I'd just explained the hand seals, and he tried it on the spot. I have no idea where he ended up, or if he can even get back." He truly felt responsible for this.

"You're really a menace as a teacher. The master is the biggest danger of all. But in this case, it might be a blessing in disguise."

"Oh? A blessing? How so?" Hearing Tenchi's words, Hiruzen's guilt began to fade, replaced by curiosity.

"That summoning likely took Jiraiya to one of the sage regions. If he can return from there, I believe he will become the strongest member of their three-man team."

"So, not only is it not a bad thing, it's a good thing! Hahaha! I knew teaching him summoning was the right call!" Hiruzen's guilt vanished completely, replaced by relief. "But... how did you know that, Tenchi?"

"Um... Well," Tenchi scrambled for an explanation. He couldn't reveal the real reason. "Because I've been to that sage region before. There's an old sage there who can see the future. He predicted Jiraiya would arrive one day." Prophecy was a convenient excuse.

"See the future?!" Both Hiruzen and Zhan were stunned.

"How can anyone in this world see the future? I don't believe in such things," Zhan stated flatly.

"I find it hard to believe as well," Hiruzen agreed. "Fortune-telling is a bit too fantastical."

"Believe it or not, it's the truth. You can ask Jiraiya yourself when he gets back. But I'll tell you another surprise. That old sage can be considered half a disciple of the Shinobi始祖 (Shinobi Ancestor)." Tenchi said this casually between bites of food.

"The Shinobi Ancestor? What's that?" The two men looked confused. It was the first time they had heard this term.

"For heaven's sake! Doesn't anyone pay attention to history anymore? You don't even know about the ancestor of the entire shinobi world?" Tenchi facepalmed, lamenting their ignorance, and then launched into an explanation.

"The Sage of the Six Paths. He's known as the ancestor of shinobi. He was originally a monk in the Era of Warring States. He discovered the true meaning of chakra and wanted to use it to bring peace. It's said that all ninjutsu was created by the Sage of the Six Paths. Because of his monumental contributions, he was later revered as the 'Sage of the Six Paths.' At least, that's what the legends from that chaotic era say."

Tenchi didn't tell them the whole truth. He carefully omitted any mention of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, fearing that the full story would be too much for them to handle.

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