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"Who wants to go first?"
Manji smiled and looked at the guests around him.
Almost every head turned toward Kaguya.
Kaguya stood tall in a simple pale dress, apart from the crowd with her usual calm elegance. She had known Manji longer than anyone else in the Shinobi world, and everyone at Mount Myōboku knew about their complicated history. It made sense that she would give the first gift.
Gamamaru also glanced in her direction.
Kaguya hid a small, satisfied smile. She had come to the same conclusion and stepped forward, ready to speak.
"I'll go first!" A cheerful voice interrupted her.
"..." Kaguya stopped. She frowned slightly as she turned toward the voice.
A pale blue mist rose at the edge of the plaza. A huge red serpent appeared, with four people standing on its head.
The woman in front wore a pink-and-white dress that fluttered in the wind. She was slender, with smooth skin and delicate, youthful features. Manji looked surprised when he saw her.
"So she came after all..."
He stood up and walked over to greet her.
"White Snake Sage... I didn't expect you to come in person. You've certainly made the celebration livelier."
The visitor was the ruler of Ryūchi Cave. She and Manji had been friends for nearly a thousand years, and their relationship was stronger than most people knew. When she got the invitation to his thousandth birthday, she chose to come herself.
The White Snake Sage floated down from Garaga's head and landed in front of the platform, moving gracefully. She walked up to Manji without the usual distance or formality expected from another sacred land's ruler.
"Manji, we may live on separate mountains and rarely have the chance to meet, but how could I miss something as important as your thousandth birthday?"
Her warm smile showed how close they were. Unlike the others, she didn't call him the Great Sage. She just called him Manji.
He laughed and waved away the breach of etiquette.
The White Snake Sage turned toward the four figures behind her. "These are the four students Ryūchi Cave has trained under my care: Tagorihime, Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Garaga. Come and pay your respects to the Great Sage."
The three women climbed down Garaga's huge body, their eyes curious as they walked toward the legendary figure their teacher had talked about for years.
"Greetings, Great Sage!"
All three bowed respectfully.
Even Garaga, known for his bad temper and pride in Ryūchi Cave, lowered his head. "This humble snake greets the Great Sage."
"There's no need for all this ceremony." Manji moved forward with a friendly smile. "Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku have been connected for generations. We're almost like family, and you're all juniors here. Please relax and enjoy the celebration."
Kaguya remained where she stood, watching the entire exchange in silence.
Manji had stood up to welcome the White Snake Sage himself. The two talked easily, showing the trust built over centuries, and Kaguya grew increasingly annoyed as she watched.
The excitement that had pushed her forward faded. She stopped, folded her hands, and didn't try to get back to the front of the line.
The White Snake Sage glanced at Kaguya but said nothing. She took out a blue scroll from her sleeve and handed it to Manji with both hands.
"I didn't bring any priceless treasure for your thousandth birthday. I remembered that you've always enjoyed poetry, so I wrote this for you myself. It may not be a masterpiece, but every word is sincere. May your years be long and your happiness even longer."
She opened the scroll.
Her handwriting was light and graceful, each character flowing smoothly. The poem praised Manji's deeds over the centuries and gave her blessings for his future.
...
For a thousand years, you guarded the mortal world
Sheltering its people beneath your watch
You ended Isshiki's terror and silenced the flames of war
Broke the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and sealed Kaguya away
You passed down your teachings and raised generations of talent
Preserving the ages within the pages of history
Today we honor the thousand years behind you
May peace and joy remain at your side forever
...
"Very good." Manji applauded, laughing as he praised the poem.
"..." Kaguya kept her face calm, but the mention of her sealing made her feel bitter. Of all the things the White Snake Sage could have mentioned, she chose that one.
After Ryūchi Cave gave its gift, the group from Shikkotsu Forest arrived. Manji had learned their senjutsu long ago, so they saw him as one of their own. The Enma Clan came next. Manji had also learned from them and mastered their senjutsu, so they felt just as close to him.
The gift ceremony went on as each guest came forward to offer congratulations.
Eventually, Kaguya approached the platform, holding a framed canvas in both hands.
"I painted this myself," she said, presenting it to Manji. "Happy birthday."
Manji accepted the painting and unfolded its protective covering.
It wasn't the usual ink art seen in the Shinobi world, but a bright oil painting. Manji stood in the center holding the Six Paths Sword, his robes flowing behind him, and the golden staff from the White Ape King hovered at his back.
The Ten-Tails crouched at his feet with its head down, while glowing energy surrounded him like a halo. The painting made him look powerful, heroic, and almost unbelievably majestic.
It was also much more flattering than the portrait Hagoromo had painted of him centuries earlier.
Manji looked at it for a moment, then a real smile appeared on his face. "You painted me well, Kaguya. I like it."
Kaguya's tense expression softened.
Gamamaru came next, carrying a storage scroll. "Teacher, I made you a small car. It moves by itself. It's not fast enough to travel a thousand miles in a day, but I thought you might like it as a toy."
He handed him the scroll, smiling with pride.
Manji took it and nodded. "Thank you. I'll test it out later."
Fukasaku and Black Zetsu brought their gift together. It was a huge book, so heavy that both of them had to carry it onto the platform.
"Great Sage, we compiled this together," Fukasaku said.
"It's a complete encyclopedia of the Shinobi world," Black Zetsu added. "It has the history, clans, geography, customs, and every major event we could confirm."
Manji put his hand on the cover and smiled. "This must have taken a lot of work. You both did a great job."
Shima and Tobi came next, followed by the younger generations of Mount Myōboku. Many were descended from the toads who had helped Manji record the earliest Shinobi history. One by one, they brought gifts, blessings, and stories from the mountain's long past.
As the ceremony went on, Manji's mind started to wander.
The Nine-Tailed beasts had not come.
He clearly remembered telling White Zetsu to send invitations to each of them. Of all his birthday guests, they were the ones he wanted to see most.
Manji kept glancing toward the entrance, expecting Kurama or one of the others to show up at any moment.
None of them did.
While Mount Myōboku celebrated Manji's thousandth birthday, a crisis was already starting across the Shinobi world.
Eight powerful clans had united.
Together, they had started a plan to capture the tailed beasts.
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Don't forget to drop some power stones!
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