Year 320 of the Ninja Calendar, there was no war in the ninja world.
Year 330 of the Ninja Calendar, the nine Tailed Beasts traveled across the land to aid the people, and villages in the mortal world built shrines for them, offering incense without end.
Year 340 of the Ninja Calendar, the Uchiha and Senju clans finally put pen to paper, signing a ceasefire alliance that would last for generations.
Inside the Historical Archive Hall of Mount Myoboku.
Black Zetsu lowered his eyes as he recorded what had happened.
"Phew, Fukasaku, I'm done writing on my side."
But when his gaze swept over the compiled and bound pages of the history records, his face instantly turned as dark as ink.
"Fukasaku, tell me this... since when did this Historical Archive Hall start doing illustrations? And..."
Black Zetsu looked at the photo from back then and couldn't hold it in, "Why is this thing of mine still in here?!"
Black Zetsu turned his head to look at Sage Fukasaku, who was squatting beside the desk stroking his eyebrows.
That photo was from when he fled at Fox Cliff, the moment he was riding a horse and running for his life in panic.
The appearance of him scrambling away in such a sorry state was completely different from his usual gloomy and restrained demeanor.
"Hehehe... Black Zetsu's ugly photos aren't something you see often. That's rare historical material!"
Fukasaku said with a teasing smile.
"So back then, when Gamabunta was running around with a camera, I thought he was just messing around out of boredom. Turns out he was collecting my embarrassing history, huh?"
Black Zetsu gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Yep, taking photos while playing around~", A cheeky voice suddenly popped out from behind a stone pillar in the chamber.
Gamabunta, wearing that signature spiral mask, zipped over to the desk in a flash, his finger poking mischievously at the photo.
"These are all precious historical memories of the ninja world. Of course they have to be properly included in the records, so future generations can see a different side of Lord Black Zetsu!", Gamabunta said with a grin.
"You guy, why do you always pop up out of nowhere every single time!"
Black Zetsu complained as he looked at Gamabunta.
"Hehe, sorry, sorry..."
Gamabunta just laughed a couple of times.
"Huh, Gamabunta?"
Fukasaku looked at him strangely, full of confusion, "Weren't you helping over at Shima's intelligence department? Why did you come to the archive hall?"
"Well, well, it's not just me who came back. Lady Shima has returned too!"
Gamabunta clapped his hands, his whole body brimming with barely contained excitement.
"Don't you guys know? It's about to be the Great Sage's thousand-year birthday!"
"Lady Kaguya and Sage Gamamaru have already decided... they're going to hold a grand thousand-year birthday banquet for the Great Sage!"
"What?!"
"A thousand-year birthday banquet?!"
Two exclamations burst out in the stone chamber at the same time.
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku suddenly looked at each other, both seeing the same shock in each other's eyes.
These two had been buried in piles of bamboo scrolls all this time, revising historical texts every day, completely ignoring what was happening outside. They hadn't heard a single bit of news.
"Huh? You two sages really didn't know?"
Gamabunta dragged out his tone, a mischievous grin on his face as his gaze moved back and forth between them.
"Looks like you two have been sidelined in the archive hall. You didn't even get news of something this big."
"This date was personally set by Lady Kaguya and Sage Gamamaru. When the time comes, we'll get to eat a big feast again, hehe...", As Gamabunta spoke, he was practically drooling, his face full of satisfaction.
Fukasaku was stunned for a long time before scratching his head and frowning as he spoke, "But… hasn't the Great Sage's age already exceeded a thousand years long ago?"
Black Zetsu, standing beside him, didn't respond. He just lowered his eyes in silence.
No one understood the span of time better than he did.
From the moment his mother Kaguya first met the Great Sage Arisu at Mount Myoboku, from the ignorant era before the Ninja Sect existed, to the time when the Sage of Six Paths established his teachings, and then to the endless wars of the Warring States era... after all the twists and turns, it added up to exactly one thousand years.
Arisu's true lifespan might have long surpassed a thousand years.
"Hehe, why bother thinking about that."
Gamabunta shook his head, his gaze sweeping across their stiff faces, his smile growing even more sly. "I say, you two… don't tell me you haven't even prepared birthday gifts yet?"
That single sentence struck right at their weak point.
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku both froze at the same time, their hearts skipping a beat as panic surged up instantly.
"Damn it! Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Black Zetsu pointed at Gamabunta and started complaining, "Something this big and you're only telling us now? You waited until the last moment to give us a heads-up?! Were you trying to mess with us on purpose?"
"Gamabunta! You need to have some conscience as a White Zetsu!"
Fukasaku's face fell as well, looking at Gamabunta with resentment. "Gamabunta, this is really not right of you. Something this big, and you didn't think to tell us in advance?"
"Ah, well…"
Gamabunta scratched his head, blinking innocently. "I thought you two sages stay in Mount Myoboku every day, never stepping out, so you must have known already! Didn't expect this kind of blind spot right under your noses!"
"But don't worry, the Great Sage is very broad-minded. Even if you two show up empty-handed, he definitely won't say a single harsh word!"
Gamabunta shook his head, grinning as he watched their expressions collapse.
He didn't give them a chance to ask more. Changing the topic, he waved his hand, already stepping toward the door, "Anyway, in short, I'm not sticking around worrying with you two! I grabbed a ticket for the limited noon screening. If I don't leave now, I'll miss the opening!"
Before his words had even fully landed...
He had already disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only a distant drifting voice, "Good luck to you two!"
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku stood by the desk, looking at each other, then back again, both silent for a moment.
In truth, both of them knew it clearly... Arisu wouldn't care about such formalities at all.
Black Zetsu had always been at Mount Myoboku, and Fukasaku had been by Arisu's side since he could remember. Calling them his right and left hands wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Both of them were among Arisu's most trusted confidants. Even if they went to the banquet empty-handed, or even overslept and missed the entire event, Arisu would at most laugh and tease them a bit, never taking it to heart.
But even if that was the truth, they couldn't get past the embarrassment.
After all, they were veterans of Mount Myoboku.
If the two of them, who had followed the Great Sage the longest, really showed up empty-handed, wouldn't they be laughed at by those juniors afterward?
Fukasaku turned to look at Black Zetsu, his tone full of helplessness, "What do we do, Old Brother Black Zetsu? We can't lose face in front of the younger generation!"
Black Zetsu had been frowning too, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the bamboo scroll in front of him. As he tapped, his movement suddenly stopped.
His eyes lit up instantly, and he slapped his thigh, "Hey! Fukasaku, I've got an idea!"
———
Just as Mount Myoboku was busy beyond measure preparing for Arisu's upcoming thousand-year birthday banquet, the main character of this banquet, Arisu himself, felt somewhat helpless.
To be honest, Arisu didn't want to hold a thousand-year birthday banquet, because his lifespan had long exceeded a thousand years.
Arisu hadn't actually calculated it precisely.
Because when he first arrived, the world of Naruto didn't even have a calendar yet. There wasn't even a moon.
He himself had never counted how long he had lived.
"I think it's just you people wanting to eat a feast, using my birthday as an excuse to have a big meal. If you want to drink freely, just say it..."
Arisu rubbed his forehead slightly.
"Forget it, as long as everyone's happy, let them go ahead and organize it…"