"Shall we go? I'll take you back?"
Everyone had left. Takemi glanced at Ino beside him, thinking for a moment before speaking.
"It's getting late now."
"Then I'll trouble you, senpai."
Ino's light blue eyes blinked, and she said with a smile.
The silver moonlight fell on her hair, the interweaving of gold and silver creating a unique charm.
Her gaze remained fixed on Takemi, which made him feel a little uncomfortable for a moment.
Fortunately, Ino was extremely good at reading people. After all, she was from a prominent clan, and she was also teamed up with someone like Shikamaru.
Their team needed her to communicate and coordinate many things. Otherwise, with Shikamaru and Choji, many tasks probably wouldn't get done.
"Senpai, I didn't expect your dreams to be so simple."
"Isn't it normal for dreams to be simple? Everyone has their own ideas."
Takemi shrugged, walking slowly under the moonlight and the gentle breeze, saying with a smile.
"I don't want to talk about saving the world or definitely becoming Hokage. It's not that it's bad, but there's no need for it."
"Are they too grand of dreams?"
"No, every dream is worth supporting, but looking back, many people will realize that they should give peace a chance."
"Give peace a chance?"
Facing Ino's confusion, Takemi smiled and nodded, as a very old song inexplicably popped into his mind.
His parents loved listening to it when he was a child, and later, as an adult, he also found the song quite interesting.
Perhaps, at that time, he had just broken up?
But no matter what, he remembered this song, and it entered his playlist, though unfortunately, he couldn't listen to it now.
"So, senpai, are you actually like the flowers you cultivate, always the simplest?" Ino asked.
Takemi smiled and shook his head. "Not necessarily. Who doesn't hope to become the most dazzling? But for me, it doesn't seem necessary to strive for that."
After all, the Hokage is destined for him. After all, he was going to 'from now on, I will stand at the top.'
With such 'reality' and 'dreams' existing, he found that there was no need for him to pursue anything else.
It was better to just coast along, which was his happiest thing at the moment.
"So that's how it is."
Ino smiled, and the gentle breeze ruffled her hair, causing her to reach up and tuck it back slightly.
"Senpai, you are inherently a flower that stands on the edge of a cliff, taking a step towards the sky, so naturally, you don't have too many other thoughts."
"Hmm?"
"So, you prefer to grow in the forest, intertwining with other plants?"
"..."
"Am I right?"
"Your interpretation…"
Takemi was a little speechless. Ino seemed to have guessed some of his thoughts, but he ultimately didn't express his stance.
"Don't say that about me. Actually, Naruto and Sasuke are also such flowers."
"They are different from senpai. They are stepping towards the sky, while senpai…"
Ino's smile was bright, but before she could finish, Takemi interrupted her.
"I'm the same as all of you. I attended classes at school, got lectured by teachers, and graduated to become a ninja. Regardless of anything else, we are all the same."
This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go. If it continued like this, he would get a headache.
"So, don't think too much. I'm always here."
"Yes."
Ino playfully stuck out her tongue. She seemed to have gotten the answer she wanted.
Looking up at the sky, silver moonlight filtered down through the lush tree canopy, dappling them with starlight. She really hoped this path could be walked a little slower.
In a wilderness in the Land of Rain, Orochimaru quickly formed hand seals.
"Edo Tensei!"
As the summoning array pattern rapidly spread, a coffin immediately rose from the ground.
'Tch, so he was prepared all along.'
Obito saw this scene and, though he didn't speak, he couldn't help but inwardly curse.
Orochimaru had used Edo Tensei so many times that he naturally understood what was happening. However, he didn't say much at this moment. He had enough confidence in himself.
Bang!
As he pondered, the wooden door of the coffin was shattered with a single punch, and then a figure walked out from within.
Looking at the person's face, everyone present unexpectedly felt their breathing quicken. This person was Madara!
Madara felt his power, then extended his hands in front of him.
"It seems everything went smoothly. I've finally returned to this world."
However, in just a moment, he seemed to sense something and immediately looked up at the people beside him. But upon seeing them, he immediately frowned.
Because he found that something was not quite right. His own consciousness, Obito, and even Nagato were all there.
Moreover, he vaguely noticed that his Chakra seemed to be subtly connected to that overly pale-skinned guy over there.
Most importantly, he didn't seem to feel that true 'living' sensation.
"Is it Edo Tensei?"
After a moment of contemplation, Madara seemed to understand his current situation. He turned his head to look at Obito and the others.
"Could you explain to me what exactly is going on?"
"We encountered some unexpected events, so at this point, this is all we can do." Black Zetsu shook his head helplessly, explaining calmly.
"With your power, and with Obito and Nagato, who possesses the Rinnegan, I think we can smoothly advance these matters."
"Obito, Nagato…"
Madara silently muttered to himself. He understood what Black Zetsu meant by emphasizing those two names.
Obito had probably made some progress, though he couldn't tell what kind of progress, and as for Nagato...
'He has fully activated the power of the Rinnegan, but his body has become stronger. It seems a lot has happened since I died.' Madara muttered to himself.
He found it strange why his 'will' would summon him in front of Nagato. But after all, Nagato was merely a pawn for his revival, and as his will, Black Zetsu must have a reason for doing this.
"It seems a lot of exciting things happened after I died. So, tell me, what exactly happened?"
"Indeed, much has happened. All of this probably began six years ago…"
Black Zetsu sighed, then decided to start from the encounter between Itachi and Jūzō.
One could say that all their bad luck began after that!
Black Zetsu spoke slowly, and Madara listened very carefully. After all, having been dead for so many years, he needed to absorb all the current information.
However, as he listened, his expression became peculiar, and then this peculiarity slowly turned into solemnity.
When Black Zetsu finished explaining everything, his expression became somewhat incredulous.
Not just him, everyone present had an unpleasant look on their faces.
For Madara, these were just a few words, but for them, it was a painful experience.
"So, you're saying…"
After an unknown amount of time, Madara finally spoke, asking in a deep voice.
"Konoha has an incredible person, that guy might be a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths's younger brother, and has awakened unimaginable power?"
"That's right, Dust Release, Wood Release, and even Sage Mode, Flying Thunder God Technique."
Nagato sighed. He wasn't familiar with Madara, though he always felt there was something wrong with him.
Especially since Obito had impersonated him, but at this moment, he was too lazy to think further.
He couldn't defeat Takemi and Ōtsutsuki Takeshiki, but that didn't mean he couldn't handle these people.
"He is truly a prodigy, an incredible person."
"Hmph, why does he sound like a combination of Hashirama and that despicable scoundrel Tobirama?"