Chapter 71:
The morning wind on the Hokage Rock carried the chill of January.
The golden rays of the rising sun bathed the four statues.
The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama; the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama; the broken remnants of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi; and the newly completed statue of the Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Sanpō's long black hair fluttered gently in the morning breeze.
"With this money, we can finally develop Konoha Village. Lord First, would you like to go see Tsunade? She should miss you very much."
Senju Hashirama stood beside him. His Impure World Reincarnated body looked somewhat illusory in the sunlight.
He gazed at Konoha Village and remained silent for a moment: "Let's wait until the day Konoha truly revives… I am merely a dead man. It is not appropriate for me to interfere in the lives of the living!"
Uchiha Sanpō did not try to persuade him further. He simply nodded: "Then when I have rebuilt Konoha Village, I will summon you again so you can see the new Konoha with your own eyes."
Senju Hashirama smiled gently and did not reply.
The next second, the Impure World Reincarnation technique began to解除 itself. His body gradually disintegrated, turning into countless tiny paper fragments that scattered with the wind.
Matsui Ishine's corpse was also revealed. The flesh rapidly turned wooden, and in the blink of an eye, it grew into a tall, straight tree.
Uchiha Sanpō reached out and stroked the rough bark, murmuring: "Now I don't even need to dispose of the body. The First's Wood Release is truly convenient."
...
In the early morning, Konoha Village was gradually becoming lively. Early-rising vendors had already started setting up their stalls, and ninjas walked in small groups toward the mission assembly point.
Uchiha Sanpō formed seals with both hands and summoned a shadow clone.
He gave the shadow clone an order: "Go to the Police Force and handle the daily affairs. Contact me if anything important comes up."
The shadow clone nodded and disappeared with Body Flicker.
Uchiha Sanpō's main body stretched his muscles and headed toward the Uchiha clan grounds.
After a night of action, he was somewhat tired. What he needed most now was a hot bath and a soft bed.
Passing through the bustling streets, he soon arrived at the Uchiha clan grounds.
Pushing open the front door of his house, the fragrant smell of fried eggs immediately greeted him.
Uzumaki Huiyi was walking out of the kitchen carrying breakfast.
Her bright red hair was tied up high, and she wore a white apron around her waist, looking both gentle and capable.
When her gaze landed on Sanpō, gentleness instantly turned into annoyance.
She quickly stepped forward, grabbed both of his hands with a force that was neither too light nor too heavy, her eyes gentle yet filled with grievance.
"Where did you go fooling around last night? You didn't come home again. Which woman was it this time?"
Uchiha Sanpō smiled helplessly and gently rubbed her hands: "Huiyi, it was official business."
"I don't believe you!"
Uzumaki Huiyi stamped her foot. Her apron swayed lightly with the movement.
Uchiha Sanpō patted her shoulder and said: "Huiyi, you should know that ninjas have confidentiality protocols. Don't ask about things you shouldn't."
Uzumaki Huiyi narrowed her eyes like a vigilant cat and leaned in close, sniffing carefully.
Her delicate nostrils twitched slightly. Then she let go with a look of disgust: "Sweat, bloodstains, and… wood chips? Looks like you really weren't with a woman. Go take a bath. I'll get you some clean clothes."
Uchiha Sanpō rubbed his slightly red ears and walked toward the dining table: "Let's eat breakfast first. I'm hungry."
On the dining table were fried fish, stir-fried vegetables, pan-fried lean meat, seaweed and egg soup, and two bowls of rice — simple yet warm.
Uchiha Sanpō wolfed down the food, clearly starving. Uzumaki Huiyi sat across from him, resting her cheeks on her hands as she watched him, her face full of curiosity: "What exactly did you do last night?"
Uchiha Sanpō swallowed the food in his mouth and looked up at her: "I handled some official business."
Uzumaki Huiyi pouted, clearly unconvinced, but since he didn't want to say, she naturally had her reasons for not pressing.
"Huiyi, you possess the Uzumaki clan's Sage Body and still have a lot of untapped potential. I want to take you to Tsunade's place to learn medical ninjutsu and the Strange Strength Technique. It should help you reach jōnin level quite quickly!"
Uzumaki Huiyi blinked, then pretended to be angry: "You're嫌棄 me for being weak, so you want me to learn from that old woman. I know you two have something going on, so I… won't… go."
Uchiha Sanpō put down his chopsticks and said seriously: "Fine then. I'll let Terumī Mei learn from her instead. Tsunade also knows the Yin Seal. Once you learn the Yin Seal, you can stay young forever."
Uzumaki Huiyi was stunned for a moment but still stubbornly said: "I… won't… go!"
Seeing her throwing a little tantrum, she actually looked quite cute.
Uchiha Sanpō smiled: "The Yin Seal was originally a secret technique of your Uzumaki clan. Are you really not going to learn it?"
Uzumaki Huiyi turned her face away. Her voice had clearly softened: "Since it's a secret technique of our Uzumaki clan, of course I should learn it back! But she's now Konoha's advisor elder and head of the Medical Department. She probably doesn't have time… to teach anyone…"
Uchiha Sanpō finished his breakfast in big gulps.
He put down his chopsticks and said: "Tsunade owed a huge amount of gambling debts before, so she sold off all the real estate in the Senju clan grounds. She's currently staying at a Konoha inn. At lunchtime, she should be at the izakaya. I'll accompany you there then."
Uzumaki Huiyi put down her chopsticks and sighed: "Fine. I'll go with you then. Sanpō, go take a bath. I'll get you some clean clothes."
Inside the bathroom, the sound of running water could be heard.
Uzumaki Huiyi held a pile of clothes and called through the door: "Sanpō, I've left your clean clothes outside the door!"
"Huiyi, come in and scrub my back!" Uchiha Sanpō deliberately raised his voice.
The door was gently pushed open. Uzumaki Huiyi walked in with a flushed face: "You really are…"
Before she could finish, Uchiha Sanpō pulled her into the shower.
Uzumaki Huiyi let out a startled cry but didn't really struggle: "Ah! Sanpō, what are you doing? You got my clothes all wet!"
Uchiha Sanpō pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear: "Huiyi… I want you to help me with my cultivation."
In the warm stream of water, the two figures gradually overlapped.
"You bad guy… Ah… Ee… Ee… Ah…"
At this intimate moment, a familiar system notification sounded in Uchiha Sanpō's mind:
"Ding! Host has performed dual cultivation once with Dao Companion: Uzumaki Huiyi. Mid-level Uzumaki Sage Body experience +25, Chakra limit +3, Yang attribute +0.01%."
"Ding! Host has performed dual cultivation once with Dao Companion: Uzumaki Huiyi…"
"Ding! Host has performed dual cultivation once with Dao Companion: Uzumaki Huiyi…"
"Ding! Dao Companion: Uzumaki Huiyi's Sage Body has advanced to: High-level Uzumaki Sage Body!"
Suddenly, faint red patterns appeared on Uzumaki Huiyi's skin.
An unprecedented surge of energy suddenly erupted from within Uzumaki Huiyi's body!
She lightly clenched her fist and punched forward. The air actually produced a loud crack: "Sanpō, my chakra amount seems to have increased several times, and my physique feels much stronger!"
Uchiha Sanpō immediately smiled: "Huiyi, your Sage Body unexpectedly advanced."
Uzumaki Huiyi looked down at her own hands. A faint chakra glow appeared in her palms: "This is… the power of a high-level Sage Body?"
"Huiyi, let's do it again. I want to feel how strong you've become!"
"Sanpō, you're such a pervert… Ee… Ee… Ah…"
"Ding! Host has performed dual cultivation once with Dao Companion: Uzumaki Huiyi. Mid-level Uzumaki Sage Body experience +50, Chakra limit +5, Yang attribute +0.01%."
As expected, the stronger the dual cultivation partner, the greater the benefits obtained afterward.
Early access to upcoming chapters is available on Patreon.
Support the translator and binge ahead! patreon.com/arthursink Means a lot – thank you! ✍️