Ninja Calendar Year 380, after more than ten years of recovery, the ninja world was well-governed and harmonious, all nations lived in peace, and an unprecedented golden age had arrived!
Ninja Calendar Year 500, there were no large-scale wars in the ninja world.
Ninja Calendar Year 641, it had been three hundred years since that grand Six Paths Demon Suppression, yet people could still learn about that event through the official histories of various nations. The battle sites from back then still served as a warning to everyone.
Ninja Calendar Year 800, what was bound to come finally came. We enjoyed five hundred years of prosperity, but there is no feast that lasts forever. Fortunately, it was only unrest among the ninja clans...
In the Mount Myoboku History Archive, Black Zetsu and Fukasaku were tapping on keyboards together, recording history into computers.
———
At the same time, in the human world, deep within the Uchiha clan's territory, a courtyard filled with cherry blossom trees.
Late spring, pink and white cherry blossoms drifted down in clusters.
On the tatami in the center of the courtyard sat an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a plain kimono. Between his brows was a calmness and loneliness shaped by a thousand years. It was Arisu.
Arisu held an old scroll in his hands, yet his gaze was not on the words.
He simply looked at the falling cherry blossoms, his fingers brushing along the edge of the pages as he softly sighed, "Another five hundred years have passed… the time of Hashirama and Madara's birth is getting closer and closer."
For these five hundred years, Arisu had wandered through the human world of the ninja world, walking every inch of land across the five great nations.
He had seen the prosperity of peaceful times and the everyday life of ordinary people. His immortal body had let him witness too many separations and changes.
Only in recent years had he found this quiet place and settled down temporarily within the Uchiha clan.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he used subtle genjutsu. In the perception of the Uchiha clan leader and elders, he was just a long-lived old man of the clan.
A respected elder within the clan, no one knew his true origin or the length of his years.
The wind gently blew, and a petal drifted down, landing right in his open palm.
"How dull…"
Arisu lightly pinched the soft petal and let out another quiet sigh.
Living too long, already standing at the peak of the ninja world's power, the years of being unmatched had smoothed out all waves, leaving only loneliness.
Before, he always thought "being invincible is lonely" was just a joke.
Now he felt it was truly lonely.
A thousand years ago, as a sage, he had always felt that a thousand years was just the blink of an eye. With an immortal lifespan, he had no sense of time passing, treating it as ordinary days.
But after truly living through this thousand years, he realized time could stretch so long that it felt suffocating.
He knew clearly that in the original story's ninja world, from Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara joining hands to establish Konoha to the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, it was only about a hundred years.
It was like scenes from his previous life's memory.
In just a few decades, the world could change completely, yet his thousand years were nothing but repetitive days and waiting.
Having seen the vastness of the world, one still cherishes the small green of grass and trees...
When he had lived for a hundred years, Arisu felt the future was bright, that he had plenty of time to do what he wanted.
After three hundred years, Arisu gradually became calm…
After five hundred years, Arisu gradually became indifferent. His only obsession was breaking through the Six Paths.
After eight hundred years, Arisu began to grow sentimental, starting to feel that a thousand years was truly too long…
"Grandpa, Grandpa, what are you thinking about?"
A soft and childish voice suddenly came from behind, interrupting Arisu's thoughts.
Two small arms gently wrapped around his neck, carrying a faint scent of ink.
Arisu came back to his senses. The loneliness on his face instantly faded, replaced by a gentle smile as he slowly turned to look behind him.
Holding onto him was a delicate-looking Uchiha child. His small Sharingan had not yet awakened, and his eyes were full of a child's innocence and dependence.
"Tajima, back from the clan school?"
Arisu raised his hand and gently rubbed the child's soft hair.
This child was someone he had met when he first came to the Uchiha clan.
At that time, Uchiha Tajima had just been born, and his parents had already passed away.
When Arisu heard his name, a thought stirred in his heart, and he immediately decided to adopt this lonely child.
Arisu thought that since they had met, it must be fate. Besides, the Uchiha Tajima before him was the father of Uchiha Madara.
In these thousand years, it was rare for such a small life to enter his lonely time.
"Mm, Grandpa! Today in school we learned the Uchiha clan's ancestral throwing technique. I've completely mastered how to throw kunai."
"I did better than all my classmates. Let me show you!", Uchiha Tajima immediately raised his little face, full of pride.
As he spoke, without waiting for Arisu to respond, Tajima reached out with his small hand, grabbed Arisu's sleeve, and gently pulled him to stand up.
He dragged Arisu toward the open space at the end of the courtyard.
Then Uchiha Tajima bent down and picked up a few smooth stones from the ground, using them as kunai.
He first stood firmly, clenched the stones in his small hand, lowered his shoulder, raised his arm, and aimed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three crisp sounds cutting through the air rang out one after another.
Tajima's wrist flicked rapidly, and the three stones shot out instantly, carrying a faint force as they flew straight toward the wall ahead.
Only three soft "thud thud thud" sounds were heard.
All three stones landed perfectly on the marked center of the target on the wall without the slightest deviation.
After finishing, Tajima immediately turned around, placing his hands behind his back, puffing out his chest, looking at Arisu expectantly, waiting for praise, unable to hide the pride on his little face.
Arisu looked at his grown-up-like manner, the smile in his eyes deepening. He nodded slightly, his tone full of genuine praise, "Not bad, not bad."
"At such a young age, to practice throwing to this level of precision, your strength, accuracy, and control are all just right, far beyond children your age."
"With talent like yours, Tajima, your future in ninjutsu will definitely be bright. You will surely become one of the outstanding members of the Uchiha clan."
Hearing his grandfather's approval, Tajima instantly beamed with joy, his round eyes curving into crescents as he happily bounced lightly in place.
"Then, Grandpa, Grandpa, am I the most talented kid you've ever seen?"
Uchiha Tajima quickly moved closer to Arisu again, raising his little face as he asked curiously.
Arisu looked at his hopeful expression and naturally understood.
In terms of true talent in the ninja world, Tajima could not compare to Otsutsuki Hagoromo or Hamura, nor to Asura and Indra, who were born as sage descendants. But facing this happy little child, how could he say that?
It was just coaxing a child.
Arisu deliberately paused, then said with a teasing smile, "No, you are the second most talented I've seen."
"Oh?"
Tajima's happiness faded a little at first, then curiosity quickly surged up.
Uchiha Tajima grabbed Arisu's clothes and shook them, eagerly asking, "Second? Then who is the number one genius? Grandpa, tell me quickly!"
Seeing the child's impatient look, Arisu pretended to think, gently stroking his chin, then slowly said, "As for the first… the title of number one genius in the ninja world naturally belongs to your grandpa, me!"
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