Chapter 363: Ancestor Worship
January 1st, Konoha Year 55, early morning. The Land of Whirlpools Cemetery.
Masahiko sat beside his own tomb, watching a multitude of Uzumaki clan members coming and going to pay respects to their deceased ancestors.
Every year on the morning of January 1st, the Land of Whirlpools held a large-scale ancestor worship event. This was Masahiko's first time participating, because he truly didn't have any ancestors to worship...
Among the Uzumaki clan members buried in this cemetery, the one with the highest seniority was Itomi's grandfather, Masahiro Uzumaki. He was of the same generation as Masahiko, and everyone else was Masahiko's junior. Therefore, Masahiko could only come here to pay respects to his eldest nephew and three disciples... oh, and himself.
"Great Ancestor Masahiko Uzumaki, please bless me with a smooth year ahead and make all my wishes come true." Masahiko half-knelt in front of his own tomb.
"Great-grandfather, what are you doing?" Kushina's exasperated voice came from behind him.
Masahiko turned his head and said, "Aren't you going to pay your respects? It's very effective."
"Then I might as well just pay my respects to you directly. What's the use of paying respects to an empty tomb?" Kushina was helpless.
"Sincerity brings results," Masahiko smiled and stood up.
Looking up at Minato guiding Naruto to pay respects to Nanako, then looking at Nagato and Konan in front of Yoriko's tomb, Masahiko's gaze finally settled on the three innocent-looking children in front of Itomi's tomb—Kimimaro, Haku, and Toneri.
Itomi, this single dog, had no one to love him. His close friends Dai and Guy were both in Konoha, so Masahiko forcefully shoved all the children he picked up onto him, while also giving the three children the identity of the Uzumaki clan.
"Does this count as accepting grandsons on behalf of my disciple?" Masahiko shook his head and laughed. "Whatever, anyway, Itomi won't have to worry about no one paying respects to him in the future. Where else can you find such a good teacher like me?"
As time passed, the ancestor worship activities gradually ended, and everyone gathered in front of Masahiko.
Masahiko's gaze swept over everyone, and he smiled. "A long-awaited reunion. Let's go, let's head to Ichiraku Ramen to help Sara prepare the reunion dinner."
...
At the same time, at the entrance of Konoha Village.
A small squad of people from both the Senju and Uchiha clans hurriedly left Konoha. The ninjas in these two small squads were the true high-level elites of both clans.
The Senju clan was led by Nawaki, with Michiyama and Itachi beside him, and three Senju clan elite Jonin following behind.
The Uchiha clan's lineup was even more formidable. Kagami personally led the team, followed by Fugaku and Fugaku's eldest son, as well as Obito, Shisui, and two Uchiha clan elders.
The two squads of people walked out of Konoha almost simultaneously and headed west all the way. Those who didn't know would have thought they were looking for a place to duel.
However, they weren't. What kind of duel would they have during the New Year? Their two clans also needed to perform ancestor worship...
Since the establishment of Konoha, the Senju and Uchiha clan members who died in battle or of old age were basically buried in Konoha's Hero's Monument. However, the tombs of those ancestors from the Warring States period were left in the ancestral lands of the two clans and couldn't be relocated to Konoha.
Every year at this time, the clan heads of both clans needed to lead a team to pay their respects. Of course, because it was so long ago, there was no need for too many people in the worship team; bringing a small number of elites from the clan was sufficient.
Two kilometers west of Konoha Village, the Senju team turned north, while the Uchiha team turned south, each heading towards their respective clan's ancestral land.
As the distance between the two clan's teams widened, Obito also quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't stand that heavy atmosphere.
Looking up at the Clan Head Kagami Uchiha leading the way, Obito leaned close to Shisui, his face full of curiosity. "Little bro, what does the ancestral land of our Uchiha clan look like?"
As the 'dead last' and an orphan of the Uchiha clan, this was Obito's first time having the honor of joining this team.
"Apart from the tombs of our ancestors, there's nothing else," Shisui replied softly.
"I see," Obito showed disappointment.
"Obito Uchiha, remember to be more serious when paying respects to our ancestors!" An Uchiha clan elder in the team reminded him.
Obito showed a hint of helplessness. The stubborn old men in the clan always picked on him... but he quickly adjusted his expression and became solemn. "Got it!"
A few minutes later, the group arrived in front of the Uchiha ancestral land, but Kagami abruptly stopped, frowning and looking around.
The two Uchiha clan elders also stepped forward with frowns. "Clan Head..."
"Mm, I know."
Kagami nodded and interrupted. He naturally noticed that the two clan members guarding the ancestral land were missing. Those two knew he would lead a team here today to pay respects to the ancestors. The fact that they hadn't appeared before everyone meant that something had probably happened to the ancestral land.
"Obito, use your space ninjutsu to investigate first... Hmm?" Kagami stopped mid-sentence.
A person slowly walked out from the Uchiha ancestral land. "I've waited all morning, you're finally here? Now even the brats of the Uchiha aren't so proactive about paying respects to their ancestors, huh."
The two Uchiha clan elders were slightly stunned, revealing looks of horror. "Clan Head, he is..."
Obito looked puzzled and exchanged a glance with Shisui. "Who is it?"
Fugaku turned slightly, shielding his eldest son behind him. "If a fight breaks out later, quickly return to Konoha for reinforcements."
Kagami's expression was grave. "It's been a long time, Lord... Madara Uchiha."
Madara was startled. He frowned and sized Kagami up. "Are you that Kagami brat from Izuna's family? You've gotten incredibly old too."
"You, on the other hand, haven't changed at all. This should be Sensei Tobirama's forbidden jutsu—Edo Tensei, right? Who is the caster?" Kagami took two steps forward, shielding everyone behind him.
Madara took down the Uchiha Gunbai from his back and propped it on the ground. "No need to be so tense. I came here just to pay my respects to my ancestors and to take a look at the current brats of the Uchiha clan."
Kagami Uchiha's eyes narrowed slightly. "The caster isn't here? Then they must be over at the Senju's side."
"Smart brat." Madara's expression was calm, and he didn't deny it.
Through this brief exchange, Obito and Shisui also gradually understood the identity of the person in front of them.
"Ancestor worship, ancestor worship, we actually worshipped the ancestor until he manifested," Obito muttered softly.
"Oh?" Madara's gaze landed on Obito. For some reason, the more he looked, the more displeased he felt. "The aura of that old geezer..."
A sudden explosion in the distance drew everyone's attention.
"Has it started?" Madara's expression was calm.
"Clan Head, what should we do?" An Uchiha clan elder asked.
Kagami took a deep breath. "The disputes with the Senju are all internal conflicts. When facing foreign enemies, we must advance and retreat together. Prepare to fight!"
Madara showed a slight look of surprise. "You're saying... I am a foreign enemy?"
Kagami nodded with a heavy expression. "From the day you defected from Konoha, you became a foreign enemy!"
Madara looked at the Uchiha crowd in front of him sharing a bitter hatred for the enemy, and started laughing. The Susanoo cloak slowly rose on his body. "To think the current Uchiha has turned into such a docile appearance..."
Kagami shook his head and raised his voice. "It's not docility, but a yearning for peace and stability. Shisui, do it!"
Shisui was stunned for a moment. Seeing Kagami nod slightly at him, he hesitated no longer.
The Mangekyou in his eyes spun wildly as he met Madara's eyes. "Kotoamatsukami!"
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