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Deep within Ryūchi Cave
The cavern was silent except for the gentle sound of water dripping from the stalactites.
In the middle of the chamber was an old stone throne, and on it lay a huge white serpent, loosely coiled. Her eyes were half-closed, and her posture looked tired, bearing the weight of a life that had lasted for centuries.
She was the White Snake Sage, ruler of Ryūchi Cave.
She hardly moved anymore. Most of the time, she rested with her eyes closed, and the mood around her was so serious that none of Ryūchi Cave's students would bother her unless they had a good reason.
Three slender figures moved quietly through the mist and stopped in front of the stone throne. Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime looked at each other carefully, then bowed their heads.
Tagorihime stepped forward and bowed, making sure not to bother the ancient sage more than she had to.
"Great Sage, a letter has arrived from Mount Myōboku."
"Mm..." The White Snake Sage kept her eyes closed and didn't move. Her voice sounded dry and old as she spoke.
"What is it?"
Tagorihime lowered her head further. "The Great Sage of Mount Myōboku will soon celebrate his thousandth birthday. An invitation was sent asking you to attend the banquet."
"..." The White Snake Sage's eyes snapped open.
The dull look in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a bright spark. All signs of tiredness left her at once.
"What did you say? Manji holding a birthday banquet? His thousandth?"
She uncoiled herself and looked at her students with surprise.
"Yes," Tagorihime confirmed. "The invitation clearly states that Mount Myōboku is celebrating the Great Sage's thousandth birthday."
As soon as she heard the answer, the White Snake Sage seemed like a different person. The usual heavy silence around her was gone, and she was suddenly full of energy her students had never seen.
She lifted her head and laughed, clearly happy. "The three of you should get ready. Find Garaga too. You're all coming with me to Mount Myōboku!"
Before her laughter faded, pale mist swirled around her huge body.
Light shone through the mist as the ancient serpent started to shrink and change. Soon, the mist cleared, and a beautiful young woman stood in front of the throne.
She wore a pale pink dress, and her smooth skin seemed to shine in the cavern's light. Her bright eyes showed her happiness, and her tall, graceful figure was full of youthful energy. She looked nothing like the ancient serpent from moments before.
"Great Sage??"
"Whoa..."
Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime stared at her, eyes wide and mouths open.
They remembered the White Snake Sage as always looking old. Her real form was a huge, elderly serpent, and even her human form looked like an old woman. She always seemed quiet and a little musty, like someone who had lived much longer than most.
They had never seen her look so young, bright, and openly happy before.
(Note: The White Snake Sage appears in Boruto. Her face was never shown in Naruto Shippuden.)
The White Snake Sage saw their shocked faces and brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"What?" she asked with an amused smile. "Do I look so different that you no longer recognize me?"
All three students nodded right away.
She laughed quietly. "This is Manji we're talking about. How could I show up to his thousandth birthday looking like an old woman?"
..............
A few days later, the long-awaited celebration finally started.
Mount Myōboku was more crowded than ever. Almost everyone had gathered in the central plaza, leaving the rest of the mountain nearly empty.
The celebration began with a grand parade.
"Mount Myōboku owes everything to the Great Sage!"
"We will follow the Great Sage forever and protect the peace of the Shinobi world!"
"May the Great Sage enjoy health and happiness on his thousandth birthday!"
Over ten thousand White Zetsu marched through the plaza in perfect lines, their steps matching each other. Each group carried a huge banner made for the event, with golden letters shining on a red background as it waved in the wind.
Their chants echoed across the plaza, loud enough to shake the nearby mountains.
Toads of all sizes crowded both sides of the parade route, waving bright sage flowers as the parade went by. At the peak of the celebration, several ceremonial cannons fired together.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The blasts boomed into the sky.
Manji sat in the seat of honor on the raised platform, watching the parade below with a warm smile. When the last group passed, the whole plaza went quiet.
Then Mount Myōboku's Grand Barrier activated.
The clear blue sky disappeared in a moment. Day became night, and a sky full of stars appeared above the mountain, ready for the next part of the celebration.
Mount Myōboku used to be in daylight all the time. But after Manji gained control of the Dragon Vein, he changed the mountain's environment so it could have both night and day, and even changing seasons.
A thousand streaks of light shot into the dark sky from every corner of the plaza.
The fireworks rose with bright tails and then exploded across the sky. Red, gold, green, blue, violet, and silver lights filled the night again and again, lighting up the whole mountain.
Manji looked up at the fireworks, and his eyes slowly drifted out of focus.
"It really does look the same..."
The fireworks made him think of another world.
They looked like New Year nights, when families gathered under a sky full of color. The fireworks also had the size and excitement of the big national celebrations he remembered from Earth.
This was what Manji meant all those years ago. He hadn't stayed hidden on Mount Myōboku because he was afraid of Kaguya. The mountain had just become the closest thing to the home he lost, and tonight, under the familiar fireworks, it felt more like home than ever.
"So much time has gone by..." Manji spoke so quietly that no one else could hear him.
When he first came to this world, there was no moon and no calendar to count the years. Since then, he had seen Ninshū rise, watched wars start and finish, and helped turn Mount Myōboku from a lonely sacred place into a busy, thriving civilization.
Many seasons had gone by before he even noticed.
The fireworks went on for a long time. By the time the last lights faded from the sky, Manji had already thought back to memories from another life.
He looked back at the plaza and saw that everyone was still waiting for him.
"Don't keep everyone standing around," he said with a smile. "They've worked hard enough preparing all this. Let the banquet begin."
The plaza burst into excitement.
White Zetsu cheered together, and the toads jumped up and shouted with joy. Excited voices filled the mountain as thousands of tables were set up all over the plaza.
The banquet tables stretched from the central square all the way to the bottom of the mountain, row after row fading into the distance.
Manji looked over the endless tables and laughed. "The kitchens must be about to collapse at this rate. I'm amazed they made enough food for so many people."
He looked over at Gamamaru. "I should go thank the kitchen staff myself once things calm down."
Gamamaru stepped forward and bowed. "Teacher, let me handle that. You don't need to go yourself."
He looked up with an eager smile.
"The banquet is ready, but before everyone eats, it's time for the guests to give their congratulations and present their gifts."
Manji chuckled. "That's fair. It is my birthday, after all."
He leaned back in his seat and looked at all the guests.
"All right then. Who wants to go first?"
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Don't forget to drop some power stones!
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