Aburame Aoi stared with a completely serious expression at the passing Senju Wakama.
For a good while, Aburame Aoi didn't mention grilled locusts.
"...It seems as long as I don't say his name, I'm normal," Aburame Aoi said in a low voice. "Just looking at him like this, I remember many things, but I must not mention his name."
The two of them had actually run this experiment many times.
"So... what happened to you during the time I was away from the Senju clan?" Tamayo Nara asked, puzzled. "What kind of ninjutsu could make someone's thoughts instantly jump to grilled locusts the moment they mention a name?"
"It must be the Princess..."
Aburame Aoi said in a low voice, "Thinking back, my memory is hazy for a certain period."
Nowadays, the major ninja clans that had been screwed over by the Senju clan didn't dare speak Senju Tsukuyo's name directly behind her back. Filled with awe and fear, they all respectfully referred to her as "Princess."
The power of this princess from the Senju clan was unknown, because she hadn't used her own brute strength to deal with the various ninja clans, nor had she needed to.
Having a Senju Hashirama in the Senju clan was already intimidating enough.
The idea that the Senju Princess might be even more terrifying than Senju Hashirama was something no one was willing to admit.
But within these clan lands, having come into close contact with the Senju Princess, everyone had come to understand one thing: the Senju Princess's authority in the Senju clan was nearly absolute. No one dared to defy her, not even Senju Hashirama, whose power already surpassed human limits.
The Senju clan and the Uchiha clan still had their conflicts.
The Senju clan's lands had been built into a paradise.
But the Senju clan was still fighting with the Uchiha clan over resources.
The world-shattering battles between their top ninja not only terrified the nobles but also struck fear into the hearts of the other ninja clans.
Before Tamayo Nara returned to the Senju clan's hot spring street, her clan head had reminded her that the Senju Princess was unstoppable, and the merger of the major ninja clans was only a matter of time.
Right now, no one was clear on what the Senju Princess truly wanted, so it was best for the Nara clan to keep a low profile.
"...Looking back at everything you've done since you came to the Senju clan," Tamayo Nara said with a frown, "aside from eating grilled insects, it seems you spent most of your time unscrupulously monitoring 'him,' didn't you?"
Tamayo Nara no longer dared to mention the name "Senju Wakama" in front of Aburame Aoi.
"Yes. As I recall, after accepting your commission, I began using my insects to learn everything about him, down to the smallest detail," Aburame Aoi said in a low tone. "Whatever he did, I followed him. The more I learned about him, the more I liked him..."
Hearing the latter part, Tamayo Nara felt something was wrong, and her expression grew somber. "You..."
"Yes... I'm sorry. I became obsessed with her beautiful physical form, and naturally developed feelings that went beyond the normal scope."
Aburame Aoi looked up at Tamayo Nara and said expressionlessly, "As long as I don't mention his name, my memory is a bit confused, but it hasn't been completely erased."
Tamayo Nara fell silent.
She could roughly guess what had happened.
Aburame Aoi had done something that caused the Senju Princess to intervene, leading to the current situation.
"What should we do now?" Aburame Aoi asked in a low voice.
Unexpectedly, Tamayo Nara said thoughtfully, "The girl walking with him just now had a pair of Byakugan. The way they interacted wasn't overly intimate, but they didn't seem like strangers either."
"She's from the Hyuga clan, right?" Aburame Aoi said, completely unconcerned. "Haven't we also walked this street with him before? It's probably just a routine reception duty."
"I just feel like something's strange," Tamayo Nara said faintly.
"Should I investigate that girl from the Hyuga clan?" Aburame Aoi asked cautiously. "Even with her insightful eyes, she might not be able to detect my insects, especially since this is Senju clan territory."
"No need." Tamayo Nara had a feeling that the girl from the Hyuga clan was likely in the same boat as them.
...
As Senju Wakama was reflecting on himself, his state of mind suddenly became open and clear.
No longer dwelling on the things that had troubled him before, his mood changed in an instant.
Today was the same as always: clones did the work while the main body slacked off.
Looking back, it had been a long time since Senju Wakama had been on the front lines.
He didn't know when it started, but all combat-related missions were now handled by his eldest brother, Senju Hashirama.
The division of labor among the four brothers was now very clear.
Senju Hashirama was in charge of combat.
Senju Tobirama was in charge of internal affairs. He had to assist Tsukuyo in managing the Senju clan's domestic matters, but at the same time, he also had to coordinate with Senju Hashirama on combat-related issues. Of all the brothers, he managed the most, was the most competitive, and was the busiest.
The projects Senju Wakama was responsible for were mostly related to diplomacy. His routine work involved opening blind boxes for tourists, and occasionally he needed to host representatives from the major ninja clans.
Their fourth brother, Itama, managed the clan's correspondence, a job which meant Itama rarely appeared in public.
Senju Wakama left the tasks to his clone and quickly returned to his residence.
When he had no duties, Senju Wakama would try his best to sleep, because he had many things to do at night. He would catch up on sleep whenever he could.
After Hyuga Miyu left, Senju Wakama didn't encounter anything special during the day.
But after nightfall, as agreed with Black Zetsu, Senju Wakama sealed the doors and windows of his room shut.
After confirming it was safe, Senju Wakama changed into the modern clothes Black Zetsu had prepared for him and, once again through Black Zetsu, arrived in that modern otherworld.
Standing high above and looking down at the world below, even though he had seen it so many times, Senju Wakama was still filled with emotion.
With Black Zetsu attached to his body, Senju Wakama walked under the bustling night sky.
Ahead was a night market, with an endless line of food stalls and a surging crowd of people.
Even though it was late at night, the food stalls formed a long line, the streets were brightly lit, and customers came and went in a constant stream.
"...It's lively right now. Do you want to eat something, Wakama?"
Zetsu's voice came from beside his ear.
Senju Wakama glanced at the barbecue stalls surrounding him.
"Let's look around first..." he said.
He happened to walk up to a stall selling grilled insects. They weren't just locusts and silkworm pupae, but also centipedes and scorpions, making Senju Wakama's scalp tingle.
He suddenly felt that the Senju clan's current insect banquet business was rather conservative.
The people around him were speaking a language Senju Wakama couldn't understand. Fortunately, he had already learned the written script here, and the mobile phone Black Zetsu gave him could also translate languages.
Senju Wakama's appearance was too striking, so to avoid trouble, he wore a mask.
Fortunately, in this era of this world, many people on the street wore masks.
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