The next morning at the entrance of Sunagakure, Team One was saying their farewells to everyone.
Shen felt incredibly relieved not having to deal with Sunagakure's usual nonsense every day. "Uncle Geri, you don't have to miss me. I'll come visit often when I get the chance!"
Geri gave him a warm hug. "Little Shen, I heard from Little Nawaki that you really like those things. I poured everything I had into preparing this scroll just for you!"
Looking at the familiar little scroll in his hand, Shen immediately knew who was behind this.
He took it and shot a glare at a certain grinning idiot, speaking through gritted teeth: "I absolutely adore these amazing things! Thank you so much, Uncle Geri!"
"Don't be polite, Little Shen! Now that Suna and Konoha are friends, I'd love to visit your village someday and experience that 'clubbing' thing."
"Uncle Geri, that's called *clubbing*—I guarantee you'll love it!"
Kazushi knew something bad was coming the moment he heard "clubbing." Sure enough, his brat had only been gone a few months and already corrupted people in Sunagakure.
All he could do now was beg the Sage of Six Paths to protect the poor, innocent souls of Sunagakure.
(The Sage of Six Paths cursed in an alien language and stormed out of the live stream.)
Meanwhile, Hyuga and his daughter were also exchanging their goodbyes.
"Nayou, watch out for that kid. He's been out of the village for just a few months and already got the people of Sunagakure wrapped around his finger. Don't let him take advantage of you!"
"I understand, Father."
"Little Nayou, you've changed. You never used to respond so half-heartedly before."
...
Nayou glanced uncomfortably at her father, who was pulling a pitifully exaggerated pouting face. As usual, she chose to ignore it.
"Little Nayou, don't ignore me!"
Nearby, Tsunade, who had been lazily yawning, suddenly shivered.
She turned sharply and warned Nawaki sternly, "You heard what that Hyuga uncle said, right? Promise me you won't grow up to become some greasy middle-aged man!"
"Got it, sis," Nawaki replied helplessly, with no choice but to agree.
Orochimaru, noticing the time, reminded everyone, "Alright then, kids from Team One, it's time to go."
At that, Shen immediately reached into his grandfather Kabuto's pocket and pulled out a small scroll.
Then he slipped into full drama mode—right thumb gently tapping his lips, his hands theatrically weaving a series of seals.
[Summoning Technique!] Declaring loudly, he unfurled the scroll and slammed it onto the ground.
*Poof!* With a burst of smoke and a loud boom, a grimy, wheeled iron hunk materialized at the entrance of Sunagakure.
"???…"
Everyone except the self-proclaimed drama king stared on in total confusion.
"Ahhahaha! What do you all think? Totally shocked by my summoned beast?"
"Hmph!"
They nearly choked trying not to laugh after hearing those words. Looking at the overacting showoff in front of them, they all mentally expressed their deepest admiration.
After his arrogant laughter faded, Shen Uchiha turned serious. "No time to explain, Team One—quick, get in the car!"
The group stood silently in the wind, completely caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.
In one swift motion, Shen opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat. He mimicked a horn sound, "Bee-beep! Veteran driver Shen Uchiha is here to fly you all away, bee-beep!"
Kazushi covered his face with one hand, as if refusing to acknowledge this mischievous kid from his own clan. At that moment, he finally understood the full power of the Uchiha family's legendary Acting No Jutsu when mixed with silly antics.
"Ahem, ahem—we should probably get on board," an embarrassed Orochimaru muttered before quickly slipping into the back seat, trying hard to pretend he wasn't involved.
Nawaki, lips pursed, reluctantly opened the car door and sat beside Orochimaru. There was no way he was sitting next to *that* drama king.
Only Nayou, the Little Iceberg, could sit calmly in the front passenger seat without batting an eye. Perhaps out of habit, her expression remained unchanged even after getting in the car.
Seeing his beloved daughter silently sitting beside some cheeky brat made Meide heartbroken beyond words.
He tilted his head up, doing his best to keep the tears from falling. Suddenly recalling a famous line from a "youth tear-jerker" movie she had fought tooth and nail with Saiya to watch: "*So* this is what they mean by staring up at the sky at a 45-degree angle to stop yourself from crying."
Meanwhile, newly-minted veteran driver Shen didn't give a thought to what was going on outside. With his previous-life experience pretending to be a car while just typing on a keyboard, he immediately floored the gas pedal for a drag racing start.
"VROOOOM!"
Powered by chakra, the vehicle instantly accelerated to 120 miles per hour. Watching from the entrance of Sunagakure, Elder Kazushi couldn't help but nod in admiration.
"Ahem, ahem—" Still deep in melancholy, Meide got a mouthful of sand whipped at him by the prototype vehicle cutting through the air at high speed.
"Pfft, so the old fossil has met his match too, huh? HAHAHA!" Laughing toward the sky, Elder Kazushi inwardly wished he could give his mischievous son a real pat on the back.
"Old man, are you looking for a fight?"
"We're both ancient relics already—who needs this drama? I'm outta here, HAHAHA!"
Our lovely Clan Leader Kazushi, watching his furious rival, chose to run right away. The smug way he laughed while running truly showed how much he was enjoying himself.
Meide took off chasing him instantly, muttering all the while, "Old fossil, if you're so brave, then don't run away!"
"Old man, if you've got guts, don't chase me!"
Kazushi finally experienced firsthand the feeling of being in a father-and-son showdown scenario.
This kind of dynamic—where the other guy flew into a rage while he stayed cool and fired back sarcastically—felt absolutely exhilarating. It thrilled him from head to toe.
"Old man, are you a rabbit? How come you run so fast?"
"Old fossil, if you can't keep up, just say so. Don't worry—I won't judge!"
Kazushi kept teasing Meide relentlessly, and his mood lifted considerably. At this point, he started thinking this exciting game of cat and mouse was actually loads of fun.
More importantly, *he* was the one leading the chase. Recalling his mischievous boy's usual behavior, he immediately kept a solid five-meter "social distancing gap" between them the whole time.
That night, Sunagakure was thrown into chaos by the two middle-aged men's drinking session.
In the Land of Earth, just a small country away from the Land of Wind, a dark-clothed ninja who had struck a deal with the Tsuchikage arrived here.
"Both Mist Village and Iwagakure have reached agreements. Too bad Konoha and Sunagakure seem to have some kind of cooperation. Otherwise, with four major villages involved, Lord Hanzo's plan would definitely succeed one hundred percent," the black-cloaked ninja mused while gazing at the vast desert beyond the border.
"Although Sunagakure wouldn't necessarily expose our plan, we still need to stay cautious. I heard someone discovered the Sword of Kusanagi in northern Fire Country. If we could offer it to Lord Hanzo, he might be quite pleased." The ninja seemed indifferent to whether this tip turned out to be real or not.
It appeared that his position within Amegakure was far from lowly.
After all, even a so-called 'half-god' among shinobi wouldn't entrust such secret negotiations to just any subordinate, would he?
"First, go to the base and report the news, then head toward the Land of Fire."
Under the scorching sun, the black-clad ninja, fully covered by a hooded cloak, strode steadily toward the designated meeting base where he would meet his comrades.
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