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Shinobi Year 320. The Shinobi world saw no wars.
Shinobi Year 330. The Nine-Tailed Beasts traveled across the land, aiding the people. Villages throughout the human world built shrines in their honor, and incense burned before them year after year.
Shinobi Year 340. The Uchiha and Senju Clans finally put ink to paper and signed a ceasefire treaty that would endure for generations.
Inside Mount Myōboku's Historical Records Hall, Black Zetsu lowered his eyes and carefully recorded each event.
"Hah, Fukasaku, I'm done on my end."
But as soon as he looked over the new pages, his face went dark, almost like it had been dipped in ink.
"Fukasaku, tell me, when did the Historical Records Hall start putting pictures in the official records? And more importantly..." Black Zetsu stared at the old photograph and nearly lost his composure. "Why is this still in here?"
He turned toward Fukasaku Sage, who was sitting beside the desk, calmly stroking his brows.
The photo showed Black Zetsu running away on horseback during the Falling Fox Cliff incident. He looked a mess, nothing like his usual calm and gloomy self.
"Heh, heh, heh... It's not every day you get an embarrassing photo of Black Zetsu. That makes it valuable history," Fukasaku joked.
"So when Tobi was running around with a camera back then, I thought he was just bored. Turns out he was gathering blackmail on me the whole time?"
Black Zetsu let out a helpless laugh.
"Actually, I was fooling around and taking pictures at the same time."
A cheeky voice suddenly called out from behind one of the stone pillars.
Tobi, with his unmistakable spiral face, hurried over to the desk and poked the photo with a mischievous finger.
"These are precious memories of the Shinobi world, after all. They have to be preserved properly in the history books, so future generations can see a different side of Sage Black Zetsu!" Tobi grinned.
"Why do you always spawn out of nowhere?" Black Zetsu glared at him and complained.
"Hehe, sorry, sorry…" Tobi just laughed again.
"Eh? Tobi?" Fukasaku looked at him in confusion. "Aren't you supposed to be helping Shima in the Intelligence Division? Why did you run over to the Historical Records Hall?"
"Well, well, well. I'm not the only one back. Sage Shima is back too!" Tobi clapped his hands, almost shaking with excitement. "You two seriously don't know? The Grand Sage's thousandth birthday is coming up! Lady Kaguya and Gamamaru Sage already said they're going to throw the Grand Sage a huge, unforgettable millennial birthday banquet!"
"WHAT??"
"A THOUSANDTH BIRTHDAY BANQUET??"
Both of them shouted in surprise at the same time.
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku snapped their eyes toward each other, both seeing the same stunned look on the other's face.
They had spent all their time buried in bamboo slips and drafts, working on records and missing everything happening outside. Somehow, they hadn't heard a single rumor.
"Huh? You two sages really didn't know?"
Tobi stretched out his words, grinning mischievously as he looked at both of them. "Looks like the two of you have been benched in the Historical Records Hall. Such a big event, and nobody even told you? This was personally decided by Lady Kaguya and Gamamaru Sage. When the day comes, there'll definitely be another huge feast. Hehehe…"
As Tobi spoke, he nearly drooled, his face full of excitement.
Fukasaku paused, scratched his head, and frowned. "But hasn't the Grand Sage been over a thousand for a long time?"
Black Zetsu did not answer. He only lowered his eyes in silence.
No one understood how long those years were better than he did.
From the first time his mother, Kaguya, met Manji on Mount Myōboku, in the primitive age before Ninshū, to the era when the Sage of Six Paths founded his teachings, and then into the endless wars of the Warring States Period, all those turns of history added together came to exactly one thousand years.
Manji was probably already well over a thousand.
"Hehe, why get stuck on the details?"
Tobi shook his head, saw their stiff faces, and grinned even more slyly. "But more importantly, don't tell me... neither of you has a birthday gift ready?"
That question hit both of them right where it hurt.
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku froze. Their hearts skipped a beat, and panic rushed in.
"Damn it! Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Black Zetsu pointed at Tobi and started scolding him. "This is a big deal, and you only tell us now? Right before the event? Were you trying to set us up?"
Fukasaku's face fell too, and he glared at Tobi. "Tobi, that was low. How could you not tell us about something this important sooner?"
"Uh, well…"
Tobi scratched his head and blinked innocently. "I thought you two were always in Mount Myōboku, never leaving or even stepping out of your offices, so I figured you'd already know! Who knew you'd miss something right under your noses?"
"Anyway, don't worry. The Grand Sage has a huge heart. Even if the two of you show up empty-handed, he definitely won't say a single harsh word."
Tobi shook his head, still grinning as he watched their faces fall.
He didn't give them a chance to ask more questions. He quickly changed the subject, waved, and started heading for the door.
"Anyway, I'm not staying here to worry with you! I got a ticket for the noon screening, and if I don't leave now, I'll miss the start!"
Before his last words had even faded, he was already gone, leaving a distant "good luck, you two" behind.
"..." Black Zetsu and Fukasaku stood beside the desk, staring at each other in silence.
Honestly, both of them knew Manji would never care about this kind of formality.
Black Zetsu had lived in Mount Myōboku for centuries. Fukasaku had been with Manji since he first woke up to the world. Calling them Manji's right and left hands wouldn't be an exaggeration.
They were some of his oldest and closest friends. Even if they showed up to the banquet with nothing, or even missed it, Manji would just laugh and tease them a bit. He'd never hold it against them.
But knowing that was one thing. Saving face was another.
They were veterans of Mount Myōboku.
As two of the Grand Sage's longest followers, if they really showed up empty-handed, wouldn't the younger ones laugh at them for ages?
Fukasaku turned to Black Zetsu, sounding helpless. "What do we do, Black Zetsu? We can't embarrass ourselves in front of the juniors!"
Black Zetsu was frowning too, tapping his fingers on the bamboo slip in front of him. Tap, tap, tap. Then he suddenly stopped.
His eyes lit up. "Wait. Fukasaku, I've got an idea!"
..............
Meanwhile, as everyone in Mount Myōboku got ready for Manji's thousandth birthday banquet, the guest of honor looked a bit helpless.
Honestly, Manji wasn't interested in a thousandth-birthday banquet. He'd passed that age a long time ago.
He had never even bothered to figure out his exact age.
When he first arrived, the Naruto world didn't even have a real calendar. The moon wasn't there yet, either.
Manji had never kept track of exactly how long he'd lived.
"I swear, you all just want an excuse for a feast. You're using my birthday to eat and drink as much as you want. If you want to drink yourselves silly, just say so."
Manji rubbed his forehead. After a moment, he sighed and let it go. "Fine. As long as everyone's happy, let them have the banquet."
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