"Leaving on a mission so soon? It isn't dangerous, is it?" Isamu asked, a trace of genuine concern in his voice. Now that their bond had deepened, he felt it was only right to show a bit of care.
"It's nothing serious," Tsunade replied. "Orochimaru and I are just clearing out some bandits. It's a simple assignment. By the time we're back, you should be out of here."
"Just the two of you? What about Jiraiya?" Hearing that only two of the three were going, a theory began to take shape in Isamu's mind.
"Him? It seems Hiruzen taught him the Summoning Technique, but the idiot tried to use it before he fully understood the mechanics. As a result, he was reverse-summoned to some unknown location. Nobody knows where he is right now."
"I see..." Isamu chuckled. "Well, when I'm out, I'll ask Hiruzen about it myself."
"I have to get going; the mission won't wait. See you soon!" Tsunade picked up the empty lunch box and hurried out.
As he suspected, his guess was right. Jiraiya must have been transported to Mount Myoboku to begin his training in Senjutsu. Senjutsu... Isamu wondered when he would finally get a chance to acquire that power for himself.
Watching Tsunade's retreating figure, he let out a soft sigh. Being a shinobi really is a high-risk profession. With the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars looming on the horizon, who knows how many will fall? Wouldn't it be easier to just live a quiet life?
A Breath of Fresh Air
After a month of confinement, Isamu was finally released. To his surprise, Hiruzen came to pick him up personally.
Standing at the prison gates, Isamu took a deep breath and stretched his limbs until they popped. "Ah, the sun, the earth, the fresh air... it feels so much better out here."
"Now that you've had a taste of the alternative, maybe you'll think twice before causing trouble next time," Hiruzen said, rolling his eyes.
"Alright, Hiruzen, don't be a buzzkill. I just got my freedom back! Come on, you're treating me to a meal," Isamu said, grabbing Hiruzen's arm and pulling him along.
"Wait, didn't you notice there's someone else here for you?"
Isamu looked in the direction Hiruzen was pointing. "Zhan? What are you doing here?"
Uchiha Zhan was the son of the Grand Elder, a capable Jonin, and one of the clansmen who had moved out of the Uchiha compound alongside Isamu. Naturally, where the father went, the son followed.
"I heard you were being released today. My father wouldn't stop nagging me until I agreed to come pick you up," Zhan said, looking thoroughly annoyed. "I actually have things to do, you know."
"You're already here, so quit complaining. You and Hiruzen are buying me the best meal in the village. My palate has been so bored in that cell, I'm practically losing my mind," Isamu laughed, dragging both of them toward a nearby restaurant.
Aside from the Grand Elder, Zhan was the member of the Uchiha clan Isamu got along with best. He didn't mind the man's grumpy attitude; they were close enough that such barbs were just part of their friendship. If someone like Danzo had spoken to him like that, Isamu would have rearranged their face, but with Zhan, it was just business as usual.
The Cost of Peace
The trio arrived at a local eatery and took a seat. Before the waiter could even greet them, Isamu shouted, "Boss! Bring us one of everything delicious on the menu! These two are paying!"
Hiruzen and Zhan stared at him in stunned silence, their foreheads practically twitching with exasperation.
"Is ordering the entire menu really necessary, Isamu? You're acting like you've been starving for years. Didn't Tsunade bring you food?" Zhan asked.
At the mention of that, Isamu's expression soured. "Hiruzen, you have a lot of nerve bringing that up."
"What did I do now?" Hiruzen asked, genuinely confused.
"What did you do? Tsunade had only been bringing me decent food for a few days before you shipped her off on a mission! I had to go back to eating prison slop for the rest of the month. Don't tell me that wasn't your doing."
Hiruzen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't have much of a choice, Isamu. Tsunade and the others have the strength of Chunin now; it's time they gained real field experience. War could break out at any moment. You wouldn't want them to be nothing more than decorative vases, would you?"
"I also heard you managed to lose Jiraiya," Isamu added dryly.
Zhan's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Hiruzen. He knew Jiraiya was the Hokage's personal disciple. He lost his own student?
"It's not what it looks like!" Hiruzen blurted out, seeing Zhan's judgmental stare. "It was the Summoning Technique! He was reverse-summoned! Isamu, don't phrase it like I just dropped him in the woods!"
The restaurant owner arrived and began laying out a spread of steaming dishes. "The food is served. Please, enjoy."
Isamu didn't wait, immediately digging into a plate of grilled meat. "Seriously, Hiruzen, what kind of teacher are you? Letting him use a Summoning Technique without a contract? Weren't you afraid he'd never find his way back?"
"Sigh... I didn't think he'd be so reckless. I had just finished explaining the hand signs, and he went for it immediately. I honestly don't know where he ended up or if he can even return." Hiruzen looked genuinely guilty.
"Well, you're a terrible master," Isamu said around a mouthful of food. "With a teacher like you, who needs enemies? But honestly, this might be a blessing in disguise for him."
"A blessing? How so?"
"That Summoning Technique likely sent him to a sacred land," Isamu explained. "If he survives the training there and returns, I'd bet on him becoming the strongest member of your three-man squad."
Hiruzen's guilt flickered into curiosity. "So it's a good thing? But Isamu, how could you possibly know that?"
"Let's just say I've caught glimpses of that place myself," Isamu lied smoothly—or rather, omitted the truth. "There's a Great Sage there with the ability to foresee the future. He predicted that a 'Child of Prophecy' would arrive one day."
Legends and History
"Predicting the future?" Zhan scoffed. "I don't believe in fairy tales. That's too convenient."
"Believe it or not, it's the truth. When Jiraiya gets back, you can ask him yourself. And here's another fun fact: that Great Sage was practically a mentor to the Sage of Six Paths."
"The Sage of Six Paths? Who's that?" Both Hiruzen and Zhan looked blankly at him.
Isamu nearly choked on his food. He covered his eyes with one hand, exasperated. "Does nobody read history anymore? You don't even know the ancestor of the entire shinobi world?"
Seeing their genuine confusion, Isamu sighed and began to explain.
"The Sage of Six Paths is the legendary figure who discovered the true nature of Chakra. He was a monk who sought to bring peace to a world of endless conflict. Legends say that every Ninjutsu in existence today originated from his teachings. People eventually came to revere him as a god-like figure."
Isamu kept the explanation simple, skipping over the darker details like Kaguya or the Otsutsuki clan. He figured that if he told them the world was actually founded by alien entities, he'd probably be thrown right back into the psych ward of the prison.
-----
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