Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 163: Sasuke: I Kinda Miss My Mom

With Sasuke's squad returning, all the original members of Lockfront Village moved to the Land of Waves without exception.

During the reception of Sasuke's team, while Hagoromo Gengetsu noticed a different kind of look in their eyes compared to before, as long as it wasn't malicious, he couldn't be bothered to care. After signaling the squad to disperse, he continued to focus on integrating the Truth-Seeking Ball.

In the now quiet office, Hagoromo Gengetsu extended his hand, and as before, a black sphere quickly formed under Yin-Yang Release, infused with the power of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.

Compared to when the black sphere would explode after just a few breaths in the beginning, the prototype of the Truth-Seeking Ball in Hagoromo Gengetsu's hand could now last for half a minute. Even though it would still explode afterward, he could extract the various chakra attributes from within the black sphere in advance, preventing a catastrophic explosion each time.

Although there had been considerable progress, there were still many flaws. During the half minute it persisted, the seemingly identical black sphere lacked the power of a true Truth-Seeking Ball and couldn't change forms at will. Additionally, his previous experiments showed that even if the black sphere hit a Reanimation body, the latter could still regenerate.

Thus, Hagoromo Gengetsu did not incorporate this nascent, immature technique into his combat system. However, this didn't mean it was useless. With continuous attempts, he made constant progress in the fusion of the seven chakra attributes. Each step forward also signified deeper progress on the path of Bloodline Encompassing.

Hagoromo Gengetsu believed that once he officially completed the Truth-Seeking Ball, the Bloodline Encompassing would fully open its doors to him. In some sense, the prototype of the Truth-Seeking Ball in his hand was a measure of his Bloodline Encompassing completion. Like a system's data, whether progress or research errors occurred, it provided him with accurate feedback.

So, what was he waiting for? Get back to work!

Meanwhile, Hagoromo Anki, Uchiha Kei, and Sasuke exchanged glances as they walked out of Hagoromo Gengetsu's office.

"What's up? Do you think the leader and Izumi have something going on?"

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"Only dated once. Not enough experience to tell."

"Sasuke, what about you?"

"I have no experience. Captain, can you tell?"

"I don't dare to look."

"..."

Noticing the three men exchanging glances, Uchiha Izumi, who clearly understood their conversation, had a few black lines on her face.

"Isn't this boring?" Leaving them with that remark, Uchiha Izumi turned and left.

Seeing this, the three stopped their silent communication. Since the person involved had left, continuing the discussion felt pointless.

Uchiha Kei was the first to wave goodbye, "My wife is waiting at home, I'll head off first."

"Remember to bring my sister over tomorrow; I'm cooking myself," Hagoromo Anki reminded Uchiha Kei and then turned to Sasuke, "Sasuke, you come too. I'll introduce my youngest sister to you. If you prefer someone a bit older, I have two other sisters who would be suitable. If you like someone much more mature, I have another sister who fits that type too. Good luck, hope you find the right one. Our family is very open-minded, no need for betrothal gifts."

Just wanting all his sisters to find suitable partners, Hagoromo Anki was willing to negotiate anything. Before Sasuke could refuse, Hagoromo Anki had already turned and left quickly, not giving him a chance to speak.

Sasuke swallowed his words of refusal, pondering, "Is this considered a matchmaking event?"

With his parents and relatives gone for a long time, he was clueless about many social customs. "If Mom were here, she would definitely give me a lot of advice if I went to a matchmaking event, right?"

For a moment, Sasuke felt a twinge of longing for his mother. However, the moment quickly passed as a group of children ran by, and he swiftly lifted his head, closed his eyes, and suppressed the sudden thoughts.

After a few breaths, Sasuke returned to his usual calm demeanor, watching the children play before walking away. Typically, at this time, with nothing to do and an empty home, he would spend his time at the training ground. But now, for some reason, he felt like walking around.

"The next stop is the Land of Waves."

Sasuke thought about the mission in the Land of Waves, remembered Zabuza and Haku, and thought about Naruto and himself. So he decided to go and take a look.

Sasuke arrived at the village's edge. While the village in the sky had many advantages, it was inconvenient for traveling to and from the ground. Back in the Sky Ninja Village days, people had to wear flying gear to get to the ground. But now, with Hagoromo Gengetsu's immense power, they quickly established an elevator-like barrier powered by Wind-Style Chakra.

Sasuke arrived at what Hagoromo Gengetsu called the "Sky Elevator." After receiving instructions from the guard, he stepped into the center of the formation. Instantly, he began to descend rapidly. Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke saw that although there appeared to be nothing around him, a layer of strong wind surrounded the center to prevent travelers from veering off.

As the ground approached, an upward force cushioned his fall. Soon, Sasuke landed steadily. Looking around, this was a hidden base set up by Lockfront Village on the ground. Due to its remote location, except for the guards, it was largely unvisited.

Sasuke oriented himself towards the Naruto Bridge and started walking. On the way, he happened to pass by the graves of Zabuza and Haku and paused for a moment. It was through them that he had understood the bonds between ninjas. Although the old bonds had faded, new ones had formed, and there were quite a few.

After paying his respects, Sasuke continued and soon arrived at the Naruto Bridge. Despite the absence of the tax collectors, the lively and bustling bridge scene persisted, even with many places covered in black cloth.

Sasuke watched for a long time. It wasn't until he heard footsteps behind him that he turned to look, only to vanish instantly.

"Huh? That person seemed familiar. Was I seeing things?"

Tazuna, feeling much better in recent days, came to the Naruto Bridge daily. As he was about to continue admiring his "child," he thought he saw a familiar face but quickly lost sight of it. Rubbing his eyes, he assumed it was just his imagination.

"People get old and can't deny it," Tazuna thought, reminiscing about the daimyo who insisted on drinking and ended up dead. He fully believed this was the cause.

As for the unknown ninja who once inquired about the daimyo, Tazuna chalked it up to coincidence. It was all just a coincidence.