Chapter 123 — Farewell to the Old, Welcome the New
The group of five swept aside the curtain and strode into the shop in high spirits. Fortunately, there were no other customers at the moment—otherwise, the five of them wouldn't have even had enough seats.
Seeing so many guests arrive at once, Uncle Teuchi immediately broke into a broad smile. Just as he was about to ask for their order, Obito's loud shout cut him off.
"Boss! Five large bowls of tonkotsu ramen first!"
He then turned to the others with a provocative grin. "How about it—same choice for everyone, fair and square?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison, clearly signaling: Your voice is the loudest, you decide.
Obito was visibly eager, brimming with confidence about the competition. He stretched his jaw, hopped in place a couple of times, and even loosened his belt—fully prepared to eat as much as humanly possible.
Watching Obito's pre-meal ritual, Kakashi felt a wave of speechless disbelief wash over him. He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Idiot."
At that moment, Guy's innocent voice drifted up from behind him.
"Kakashi… were you talking about me?"
Everyone turned around—only to discover that not only Obito, but Guy as well, was warming up. And Guy was far more extreme: this was straight-up pre-training calisthenics.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Kakashi's forehead. Rin covered her mouth, barely suppressing her laughter.
"Kakashi," Taichi chimed in gleefully from the sidelines, fully enjoying the chaos, "looks like both of them are aiming straight at you. Aren't you going to prepare too?"
"Aren't you competing as well?" Kakashi shot back, refusing to back down, before muttering under his breath, "These two idiots…"
He might have sounded indifferent, but Taichi noticed Kakashi subtly shifting on his seat—and although the mask hid most of his face, his mouth was clearly opening and closing repeatedly. He was preparing too.
Before long, five steaming bowls of ramen were set down in front of them.
Milky-white, rich broth.
Perfectly glossy noodles.
Tender bamboo shoots and glistening slices of chashu pork.
The aroma alone was enough to ignite everyone's appetite.
They exchanged a glance—no signal was needed. Years of shared experience kicked in, and all five started devouring their ramen at the same time.
Obito lifted the bowl and shoveled noodles straight into his mouth, only to yelp and hop in place from the heat. Kakashi ate calmly, one bite at a time, earning Obito's ridicule for "eating like a grandma." Guy slurped noisily while shouting, "This is the taste of youth!"
"Boss! One more bowl here!" Obito was the first to call out, casting a smug look at Kakashi afterward.
"Comin' right up!"
"Boss, over here too!" Guy followed closely behind, refusing to be outdone.
Soon enough, everyone had ordered a second bowl, and Uncle Teuchi was so busy—and so happy—that his grin nearly reached his ears.
After the second bowl, Rin was the first to bow out. Taichi followed shortly after. That left only Kakashi, Obito, and Guy still battling it out.
This was already their fourth bowl. It was obvious they were at their limit, pushing forward on sheer willpower alone.
Sure enough, before even finishing half of the fourth bowl, Kakashi raised his hand in surrender. He leaned back, belly bulging, declaring that he physically could not eat another bite.
That left Obito and Guy, locked in a silent stare-down, slowly—painfully slowly—feeding noodles into their mouths. The pace was hard to watch.
Even Uncle Teuchi grew concerned. "You two, if you can't eat anymore, it's fine to stop. Don't hurt your stomachs."
Those words were like a pin popping a balloon.
Both Obito and Guy dropped their chopsticks at the same time, clamping hands over their mouths as they desperately suppressed the wave of nausea rising from their stomachs.
Taichi stepped forward, green chakra glowing from his hands as he gently massaged their abdomens. Dense Yang chakra stimulated digestion, accelerating stomach movement and easing their discomfort.
After a long while, the two finally recovered enough to glare at each other again, neither willing to admit defeat.
In the end, Rin stepped in as mediator, declaring a tie—joint first place.
Obito immediately started showing off in front of Kakashi, mocking him for losing.
Then Uncle Teuchi casually added, "I remember a little girl once ate six bowls all by herself."
Everyone froze.
"And," he continued thoughtfully, pointing at Taichi, "this young man was with her that time, wasn't he?"
Obito turned to stone.
"S–Six bowls?!"
He stared at Taichi in disbelief, only to receive a firm nod in response.
The group burst into laughter at Obito's stunned expression.
"Look!" Rin suddenly pointed out the window. "It's snowing again!"
Everyone turned to see delicate snowflakes drifting down once more. A few mischievous children darted through the street, chasing the falling snow.
Konoha had seen a lot of snowfall this year—a good omen for a bountiful year ahead.
Laughing and chatting, they stepped out of Ichiraku Ramen, discussing where to go next—only to bump straight into Asuma and Kurenai, who were out strolling together.
"Well, if it isn't Asuma!" Obito waggled his eyebrows teasingly. "Out on a date?"
Kurenai nodded shyly, while Asuma glared at Obito with open resentment.
"Shut up, dead last."
"Since we ran into each other, why not hang out together?" Rin suggested gently.
This time it was Obito's turn to look aggrieved. There were already enough people—and now two more? Rin's attention would be even more divided.
"Sure!" Kurenai agreed cheerfully.
Asuma hesitated, clearly wanting to object, but could only sigh in resignation. His carefully planned date had just evaporated.
"Youth is meant to be lively!" Guy proclaimed enthusiastically.
Kakashi rolled his eyes.
"Idiot."
The seven of them continued their outing in a lively group.
Only Asuma wore a gloomy expression as he followed behind Kurenai, occasionally shooting resentful looks at Obito—
—All because that loudmouth couldn't keep his mouth shut!
Walking at the very back of the group, Taichi watched Asuma's back with a strange expression.
Poor kid…
He couldn't help thinking that if Asuma ever found out he'd been "sold" to the Daimyō by his own father at such an early age, he really didn't know what kind of face Asuma would make then.
They played to their hearts' content all afternoon. It wasn't until eight in the evening that Taichi finally returned home. After enjoying a long, relaxing hot shower, he collapsed onto his bed.
Once everything was settled, Taichi formed a hand seal and released all the shadow clones he'd dispatched throughout the day.
In an instant, a tidal wave of memories crashed into his mind—
Training taijutsu.
Researching ninjutsu.
Playing with the children at the orphanage.
Helping out at the hospital.
Along with the flood of insights came an overwhelming surge of exhaustion. Taichi's mind stalled completely; even his thoughts froze.
In a daze, he vaguely sensed a summoning call coming from Shikkotsu Forest. But by then, he had no strength left to respond. The last thought before losing consciousness was:
Looks like five shadow clones really was pushing it…
---
The next morning, chirping birds echoed outside the window.
Taichi snapped awake and glanced at the clock by his bed.
8:00 a.m.
So he really had been exhausted yesterday—so much so that even his usually unstoppable biological clock hadn't been able to wake him.
He shook his still-heavy head and got up to wash up.
After tidying himself and chewing on a piece of bread, his mind gradually cleared. Only then did he remember—
Didn't I feel a summons from Shikkotsu Forest yesterday?
What, had Teacher Tsunade replied that quickly? Normally she took ages to write back.
…Unless she'd gambled away all her money over the holidays?
Still completely unaware that he'd accidentally guessed the truth, Taichi formed a hand seal and summoned Katsuyu.
"Happy New Year, Katsuyu."
"Happy New Year, Taichi-sama. This letter was entrusted to me by Tsunade-sama."
As the words fell, an envelope emerged from Katsuyu's body. The moment Taichi took it, he felt something was off. He squeezed the envelope lightly.
Sure enough—there was something else inside.
He glanced at Katsuyu, but she offered no further explanation. Taichi dismissed the summoning and opened the envelope.
A key slid into his palm.
Holding it up, Taichi examined it from every angle, completely baffled. He then unfolded the letter, greeted by Tsunade's messy yet forceful handwriting.
---
Brat,
Got your New Year's gift. At least you still have a conscience.
Since you mentioned wanting a bigger place, there happens to be an unused old house in the Senju clan grounds. The key is enclosed.
The house is old and hasn't been maintained—clean it up yourself.
Also: Don't you dare neglect your medical ninjutsu. I'll be checking next time we meet.
—Tsunade
---
Aside from the opening about the house, the rest of the letter was mostly complaints—about where she'd lost money, who was chasing her for debts, and how no one cared about her during the New Year except her one disciple.
Taichi felt both heartache and helpless amusement reading it. For a moment, he genuinely wanted to go find her and drag her back to Konoha.
But he knew that wasn't possible. Not yet.
Still, judging by the current situation, at least half of his long-term plan had already succeeded. The chances of bringing Tsunade back earlier than expected were looking better and better.
Setting those thoughts aside, Taichi stared at the brass key in his hand, excitement bubbling up.
A Senju clan residence.
As one of Konoha's founding clans, any property still in Tsunade's possession was almost certainly a former core residence of the clan.
Flipping the letter over, he found an address written on the back:
7 Aoyama Lane, Southeast Senju District
An unfamiliar location—but the Senju district itself, Taichi knew well.
Most of the area had long since been redistributed to ordinary villagers, with only a few central estates preserved as private Senju property.
This had to be one of them.
Taichi carefully tucked the key into the hidden inner pocket of his ninja pouch. He finished his now-cold breakfast in a few bites, grabbed his coat, and rushed out the door.
After crossing three commercial streets, the architecture around him gradually grew more antiquated. When he spotted a stone monument carved with the Senju crest, his steps unconsciously slowed.
In the past, this place had been bustling with Senju clan members.
Now, most of the people passing by were ordinary civilians without chakra.
Unlike the Uchiha, who lived clustered together, the Senju had chosen full integration into Konoha. Any child running past on the street might have Senju blood in their veins without even knowing it.
Following the signs, Taichi reached Aoyama Lane.
The residences here were noticeably larger.
The moment he turned into the lane, his breath caught.
Number 7 was far more massive than he'd imagined.
The outer wall was overgrown with vines and looked weathered, but the green tiles along the eaves were still neatly aligned, and the paint on the pillars beneath the veranda glimmered dark red in the sunlight.
Taichi took out the key.
Click.
As the lock turned, the long-sealed estate finally welcomed its new owner.
He pushed open the heavy gates. The hinges groaned in protest.
Needs oil, Taichi noted mentally.
Dust cascaded down from the doorframe. With a casual wave, his chakra stirred into a gust of wind, sweeping the dust aside.
One hell of a welcome.
The courtyard was blanketed with dead leaves and fallen branches—clearly neglected for years. Taichi stepped inside, inspecting what would soon be his home.
The estate was enormous. Just walking through it all took ten minutes.
Over thirty rooms.
Four courtyards.
The largest courtyard alone spanned nearly a thousand square meters, complete with a pool of flowing water connected to the Naka River that ran through the village.
This was the one Taichi liked the most.
With a bit of cleanup, it would make a perfect training ground. No more worrying about wrecking the house during ninjutsu practice.
More importantly, training at home meant far greater safety and secrecy than public grounds. Once his sealing techniques improved, he could even set up barrier arrays—
—ones that even the Hokage's telescope technique wouldn't be able to see through.
As for the surplus rooms, aside from basic living space, Taichi planned to convert one into a laboratory for future research. The rest would be sealed off.
A house this big… living alone would be a bit lonely.
Having mapped everything out, Taichi returned to the front courtyard and formed hand seals, creating over a dozen shadow clones.
"You handle the main house. You clean the back courtyard. The rest of you prepare the training ground," he ordered.
"This is our territory now—let's get it cleaned up today!"
The clones scattered, and soon the estate echoed with the sounds of cleaning.
Standing in the courtyard, Taichi looked around at the house about to be reborn, a smile creeping onto his face.
Even with over ten shadow clones working all day, they still couldn't finish everything. But Taichi was more than satisfied—one more day would be enough to complete it and move in.
That night, after returning to his old place, Taichi immediately wrote to Tsunade, sharing the day's events and thanking her for the house.
At the end of the letter, he casually added that he hoped she'd come back sometime to see how he'd restored the estate—and maybe offer some advice.
The next morning, Taichi woke early, completed his usual training, and rushed straight back to his new home.
By noon, with the help of his shadow clones, the basic cleanup was finally complete.
Taichi's new home was officially livable.
That very afternoon, he packed up everything useful from his old house, locked the door behind him—
—and moved into his new estate.