[Leaf Village]
After the war, the village that was previously tense, for obvious reasons, now found itself in a festive mood. After all, it had initially been five villages against Konoha, with four of them being the major villages of the ninja world. Emerging victorious was something to celebrate. Konoha hadn't enjoyed such prestige since the time of Hashirama, the First Hokage.
"Tanaka-san, my grandmother wishes to speak with you." Tsunade approached him as she saw him in the Senju courtyard as a guest.
Only one shadow clone remained; there was no reason for the others to stay. Hearing what she said, Tanaka didn't disagree and nodded, following her to Mito's quarters.
The courtyard of the Senju Clan estate was vast, like a plaza where many people gathered. Though simple, it had a rustic beauty that made it humble yet charming.
The ground was paved with white stone slabs, which made walking easier compared to other places.
The mansion on the estate had an inverted "U" shape, with Mito's quarters in the left wing, occupying almost the entire edge that formed the U.
The entry hall had wooden flooring, like the rest of the mansion's floor. Footsteps on the wooden floor were neither too loud nor too quiet.
"Come in," said Tsunade, sliding the wooden door open.
Nodding, Tanaka entered, finding himself in a hallway filled with framed pictures on the walls.
The images in the frames showed illustrations of landscapes and animals; only two, at the end of the corridor, were portraits of people, belonging to the First Hokage and Mito Uzumaki.
Halfway down the hall, before reaching the end, Tsunade knocked on the door: "Grandma, Tanaka-san is here."
"Enter."
Hearing her grandmother's voice, Tsunade opened the sliding door.
With the sound of the door moving aside, the hall beyond it became visible.
It was a room full of books, with Mito at the center, seated in a seiza position before a wooden table with some scrolls on it.
Mito seemed to have aged a few years. She looked different from the young and fierce figure Tanaka had seen on the battlefield. It was presumed that this war had shortened her life, which was already quite worn over the years, mainly due to the need to imprison the Nine-Tails within her body.
"You came." Mito smiled. It was the kind smile typical of a gentle grandmother.
"Huh." Tanaka nodded slightly. "Thank you for having me."
"Come, sit down." She gestured to him kindly.
Tanaka did as she asked.
As he sat, a clay cup with a red swirl design was placed before him, filled with a green liquid. It was easy to deduce what it was.
"I assume that, even as a clone, you can drink tea, right?" She smiled.
"Yes, I can." Tanaka didn't deny it.
Unlike others, eating and drinking were actually useful for him, even as a shadow clone.
How did Mito know he was a clone… to begin with, it wasn't even a secret; everyone knew he had returned to Uzushio and left his clones with Shiori, just in case something were to happen. This also suggested that he valued her safety.
Pushing the scrolls on the table toward Tanaka, Mito said, "These are the copies of the jutsus you requested when we made our agreement. And, I hope you won't share them with anyone; after all, this is still Konoha's secret jutsu. Of course, if it's truly necessary, I hope you'll speak with me first or with the current Hokage."
Recalling the deal he made with her back in Uzushio, Tanaka took the scrolls and stored them with a smile: "I understand. I'll do it your way."
As for sharing with others… he had no such intention.
After talking with her for a few more minutes and finishing his cup of tea, Mito said, "Alright, you may go now. And, once again, thank you for your help."
Smiling, Tanaka stood up: "I did what had to be done."
Mito watched him closely upon hearing these words. She understood that they were not mere words; there was hidden depth in them.
'Did he do this for Uzushio?' She arrived at this conclusion but wasn't sure if that was the case or not.
[3+3=VI]
[Arcane Dungeon]
Tanaka looked at the beautiful woman with long white hair before him and still couldn't believe he had actually managed to convince her to live with him in the mansion he had built in the forest.
He knew he had sparked her curiosity, but he wasn't foolish enough to think she had fallen for him or anything like that just because he had been able to destroy the Divine Tree.
While eating in silence, he also checked his inventory. When he saw some scrolls appear, he grabbed them from the air, with no intention of hiding them from Kaguya.
He knew that the more curious she became about him, the higher the chance she would accept his invitation later to join the Revolutionary Army. Until then, he needed to reveal, little by little, things that would spark her curiosity, without exaggerating or trying to change his personality to deceive her. Somewhat contradictory, perhaps.
Upon seeing the content of the scrolls, he smiled: 'Finally…'
Earlier, it was still wartime, and he had left before everything ended, so he hadn't had the time to request this from Mito.
"You seem happy." Kaguya broke the silence, speaking calmly while looking him in the eyes.
Without losing his smile, Tanaka replied, "Yes, you could say that."
Seeing that he didn't intend to share with her what had made him happy or what he had just done, Kaguya returned to silence.
[4x30=120]
[Uzushio, Office of the Uzukage]
A teenager and an adult, seated across from each other, separated by a desk cluttered with paperwork.
"I must say, you're the most amazing and talented person I've ever met." Masashi toyed with the ninja star in his hand as he said this.
The reason for his words was simple: Tanaka had introduced him to a new item he intended to mass-produce and market through him. The function of the ninja star was simple but very special.
Inspired by a game he used to play, he had created a ninja star capable of homing in on its target until it hit.
For optimal use, it was necessary to wear a pair of glasses or a lens to aim before throwing. If thrown normally, it wouldn't be much different from an ordinary ninja star.
Even so, both for less skilled ninjas and elite ninjas, it was a very useful conventional item.
Masashi could see the potential of the item and began calculating the profits.
"Besides that, I've brought more explosive stones," Tanaka said. "If you agree to the previous price, they're yours. I currently have 100,000 of them."
"All of that?" Masashi hadn't expected him to be capable of creating so many.
"Well, after getting the hang of it and using shadow clones, it's easy for me to produce this amount." Tanaka replied.
Masashi responded thoughtfully and then smiled, "Makes sense… Alright, I'll take them all."
As for what he intended to do with them, Tanaka didn't ask. Even if Masashi decided to resell them at a higher price, Tanaka wouldn't mind.
"Changing the subject," Masashi said. "You mentioned that my daughter and your clone are returning, is that right?"
"Yes, with the war over, Shiori-san and my clone will be returning from Konoha early tomorrow morning," Tanaka replied.
"I'm relieved to hear that." He didn't say it just for the sake of it; his face showed just how relieved he was.
[50-40=X]
Hanako and Tatsumaki met with Killua. After moving away from the base, as they flew through the sky, distancing themselves from the other clones, Killua opened the dungeon.
The instant it was done, the usual pattern occurred, with one of the main effects being the disappearance of nearby living beings the moment the dungeon's domain expanded.
Although Hanako could now fly on her own, her fighting style was close combat, and as the zombies began to appear, she descended from the sky, drawing her two daggers.
Her aura shifted. When she murmured "Activate," a green chakra cloak manifested, boosting her strength and agility. She also charged the daggers with lightning, making them appear 5 cm larger than usual.
When she moved, she was faster than a cheetah. Her steps were quick and calculated.
With agile, rapid movements of the daggers, she mostly sliced in a zigzag pattern between the zombies, deeply cutting their throats and granting them a swift death.
In the sky, Tatsumaki observed with an air of superiority, with a certain degree of arrogance, as she levitated stones and, in rapid shots, fired at the zombies, killing them even faster than Hanako.