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"Again?!"
Tsunade watched the little one in the courtyard, with its two strange large horns, excitedly chasing after Shizune, yelling 'goo-ya goo-ya', and scurrying with its short legs.
The wine bottle in her hand clattered to the ground.
"Lady Tsunade, you're back?"
Hearing the sound, Sawara Kiri poked his head out of the room and greeted, "Yuki left you some food. If you haven't eaten, just have that for a late-night snack."
Just as he finished speaking and was about to retreat, Tsunade suddenly rushed through the gate and across the dozens of meters into the hall, quickly trotting to him. She wrapped an arm around Sawara Kiri's shoulder, pulling him close to her, and whispered:
"Where did this little thing come from?!"
"This is clearly not a human, is it?"
Sawara Kiri knew that Tsunade's eyesight was much sharper than Yuki's, which was why he thought it better to avoid trouble.
But unfortunately, he had been caught.
"What do you mean not human? This is the only survivor I found among their cultivation products after breaking into an evil organization's underground secret laboratory. Because I felt so sorry for it, I then…"
"Get out of here! Do you think I'm a three-year-old like Yuki?!"
Tsunade suddenly interrupted him, grabbing Sawara Kiri's collar: "Your mission this time was an A-rank escort for a merchant caravan. You returned immediately after delivering them to the Land of Hot Water. Throughout the entire process, the bandits who heard your name fled completely, and the Ninja hired to assassinate the merchant leader gave up the mission after just one encounter. You didn't even experience a single battle! Where did you dig up an evil organization?"
"Did you forget your own mission report?"
"Ugh…"
Sawara Kiri almost forgot that Tsunade was now the Fourth Hokage.
She had the right to review his mission materials at any time.
Speaking of which, even though he made her the Fourth Hokage, why hasn't the final bond path been cleared yet?
He clearly remembered that one of Tsunade's paths was simply becoming the Fourth Hokage, right?
Seeing Sawara Kiri's hesitant, wavering, and very troubled expression, Tsunade seemed to suddenly connect the dots. She abruptly lowered her voice, turned aside, and quietly asked:
"I say, you wouldn't still be in contact with the Hidden Mist Village, would you?"
Her chilling tone was like a miserable original wife asking if her husband had cheated again.
"Absolutely not!"
Sawara Kiri jolted upright in a flash. This was a matter of principle.
Tsunade released his shoulder, crossed her arms, pushing her already proud mountains even higher into more towering peaks, making one feel an impulse to climb them.
Her gaze was scrutinizing.
Her heart, however, was slightly flustered.
After all, even if Kiri was truly still in contact with the Hidden Mist Village, she couldn't do anything about it…
But if it wasn't the Hidden Mist Village where he found this little thing, then where else could Kiri…?
"Hmm?!"
"Speaking of which, I've been wondering for a while now."
"Kiri-kun."
Tsunade stared straight at him, unconsciously lowering her voice again: "You wouldn't happen to be a Konoha Ninja who time-traveled from the future, would you? Only your landing spot was in the Hidden Mist?"
"!?"
Sawara Kiri looked at her in astonishment.
Then he immediately realized.
Tsunade's thinking had been opened up by the future team that had recently time-traveled to this timeline!
Moreover, his own era-transcending jutsu and abilities were indeed a bit too outrageous, but if one added the time-travel setting, then everything seemed so natural.
That makes so much sense!
Sawara Kiri immediately put on a cooperative expression, looking profound, his gaze seemingly shifting slightly under Tsunade's scrutiny:
"Yes."
"Since you've discovered me, then even I have to admit it."
"Actually, I am a personality descender born from the Seireitei in the M78 Nebula of another worldline, who time-traveled to this worldline with the goal of saving the world, which is why I…"
"Alright, alright."
Tsunade covered her face with one hand, extending the other to stop him, her tone helpless as she interrupted: "It seems I really was confused…"
"Hmm?"
Sawara Kiri asked in confusion, "How did you figure it out?"
"Kiri-kun, you probably haven't noticed, have you?" Tsunade slowly sighed, looking up at him, and lamented, "You, ah, only stare directly into other people's eyes when you're lying."
"At least, that's how it is with me."
Sawara Kiri's expression immediately stiffened, and he re-shifted his gaze upwards to Tsunade's face, closing his mouth solemnly.
Seeing his unwillingness to say more, Tsunade had no intention of pressing him: "In short, you have a personal channel that occasionally allows you to acquire special existences, right?"
"What's that little one outside? Human?"
"Similar to a Tailed Beast, it just happens to look more like a human in this form."
Somehow, hearing Tsunade's self-provided explanation, Sawara Kiri actually felt a slight sense of relief.
In the future, the various little gadgets that suddenly appeared from him would probably have a reasonable source.
"A Tailed Beast?!"
Tsunade was stunned at first, then suddenly turned her head towards the direction of the 'little Tia' who was bouncing around outside with Shizune, then abruptly turned back, asking again:
"Kiri-kun, not everything with a tail in this world can be called a Tailed Beast."
Sawara Kiri also sighed slightly upon hearing this: "That's because it's still in its growth phase. Once it grows a little bigger… well, you'll see."
"Then what does she eat to grow? Tailed Beasts shouldn't eat regular food, right?" Tsunade looked at him in confusion.
In fact, not only do Tailed Beasts not eat regular food, but she had never heard of how Tailed Beasts grew from small to large.
Sawara Kiri thought for a moment, then leaned out halfway and called out to little Tia, who was playing dirtily outside:
"Tia!"
"Goo-ya~"
Little Tia, who was following behind Shizune, paused for two steps, then scurried towards Sawara Kiri, finally diving into his arms with a 'plop"Her two large green horns dug into him painfully, but her two small hands gently tugged at his clothes, and her body rolled around on his thigh, acting spoiled.
Sawara Kiri first rubbed her little head, then spread both hands, one holding a small cake, and in the other palm, a chaotic, unformed Chakra sphere gradually emerged. He asked:
"Tia, which one do you like to eat?"
Tsunade was stunned at the sight, looking at him in confusion—she's so tiny, aren't you afraid of hurting her?
Little Tia, nestled in Sawara Kiri's arms, listened to his question and looked around strangely.
Then she suddenly opened her mouth wide and, with two 'aw-Wahhh aw-Wahhh' bites, stuffed both into her mouth.
"Burp."
She even let out a small burp.
However, compared to the small cake, the little one clearly preferred Chakra. She patted Sawara Kiri's left hand with her soft little hand, while raising her small head and looking at him with hopeful eyes, signaling him for another one.
Tsunade's expression turned blank at this sight.
Ate it?
Sawara Kiri, however, looked completely calm.
Are you kidding? What if it's a projected infant? Its prototype is the Mother of Creation, alright?
Isn't it only natural for it to be able to do such a small thing?
Noticing little Tia's subtle movements, Sawara Kiri casually condensed a Rasengan for her, which hummed as it spun in his hand.
"Yay!"
Little Tia's eyes lit up when she saw the swirling ball in Kiri's hand. Her pink cross-shaped pupils sparkled with 'bika-bika' lights. She tugged at Kiri's wrist, then opened her mouth wide and swallowed the entire Rasengan into her cheeks.
"Aw-ahhh!"
The Rasengan instantly fell silent.
A blissful expression appeared on little Tia's face.
Sawara Kiri looked as if it was only natural, but to be safe, he still extended a finger, pulled back little Tia's lips, and peeked inside.
The snake-like tip of her tongue slithered and licked his finger. Her gums and teeth were perfectly intact, clearly a good child who brushed her teeth every day.
Very good.
Completely fine.
"Goo."
With Sawara Kiri pulling back her lips, little Tia hadn't quite realized what he was doing. Only when she noticed his face getting close did she seem to suddenly understand.
After he withdrew his finger, little Tia instantly scurried up Kiri's shoulder like climbing a tree, then hugged his head and gave him a series of kisses.
"Smooch, smooch, smooch, smooch, smooch, smooch!"
"Alright, alright, one kiss is enough."
"Smooch, smooch."
Sawara Kiri helplessly held the little one down, securing her in his arms to prevent her from running around again.
Tsunade, across from him, was already somewhat numb.
She even ate a Rasengan raw…
"Sigh."
"Anyway, do as you see fit."
Tsunade had a bit of a headache and didn't really want to deal with his matters anymore.
However, just as she was about to get up for a late-night snack and then go straight to bed, Sawara Kiri seemed to remember something, took out a small, pale pink bead from his Pregnant, and said, "Right, Lady Tsunade!"
"There's one more thing I'd like to trouble you with."
"Huh?"
Tsunade turned her head back impatiently, and then her gaze was drawn to the small bead in his hand.
"What is this now?"
"Shikon no Tama (A)"
"Information localized, complete."
"Details: A special substance capable of holding a massive amount of Chakra. When integrated into the body, it can grant incredible power—however, this unique property will also actively attract countless extreme souls to contend for it."
"This item originates from 'Inuyasha"..."
"Cannot be upgraded."
Just by staring at it for a couple of seconds, Tsunade seemed to suddenly realize something, and her brows furrowed.
Despite being very subtle, the moment she saw this small bead, an extremely subtle urge arose within her—to snatch it away.
Although this impulse was quickly suppressed, it still made her perk up considerably.
Ninja of their caliber possess self-control that is difficult for ordinary people to fathom.
If such a sudden, inexplicable urge arose, it must have been due to some special influence from an external object.
"Was that its property just now?"
Sawara Kiri noticed Tsunade's expression and felt a slight sense of relief. It seemed the Shikon no Tama's influence on strong individuals wasn't that obvious.
"Yes!"
"This should be considered a passive hypnotic property, but it's merely one of its inherent side effects."
"Try injecting a little Chakra into it and see?"
Tsunade took it, then frowned and did as she was told.
Almost the instant she probed the inside of this bead with Chakra, Tsunade suddenly perceived a vast, boundless space, like an ocean, within her mind.
And the wisp of Chakra she had probed in was as minuscule as a river compared to this hollow space; she couldn't sense the end of this space at all.
Tsunade's gaze suddenly sharpened.
This was a priceless treasure that could be used to impulsively 'store Yin Seal outside the body'!
However, with such a large space, how long would it take to fill it?
Thinking of this, Tsunade immediately looked up with understanding and asked Sawara Kiri, "So, you want me to gather people to help you fill this bead?"
"Yes."
Sawara Kiri was quite honest: "As you know, my biggest weakness right now is my total Chakra reserves. If I have this external object as support, my strength limit should get a considerable leap."
"It's just that I don't know how long it will take to solve this problem, which is why…"
"Got it."
"I'll find Orochimaru tomorrow and ask him."
For such important matters, Tsunade never had any thought of refusal. She casually put away the necklace, tucked it into her deep bosom, and then lazily returned to her room.
This kid has quite a few flashy little things.
Sawara Kiri, on the other hand, painstakingly coaxed both little ones to sleep before finally having some free time.
He activated his Six Eyes and carefully scanned the house, then quietly slipped out of the room and into the shadows.
He still had to try out other new moves tonight.
"Evil Degeneration (B)"
"Information localized, complete."
"Details: A miraculous talent that can obliterate all malice through physical impact, even capable of eliminating gods and demons—while also providing multiple benefits such as strengthening essence and kidney, perpetual erection, high temperature and pressure, and instantaneous engorgement."
"This talent originates from 'Hanako in the Toilet vs. The Strong Exorcist"..."
"Cannot be upgraded."
Just as Sawara Kiri was preparing to begin his strenuous efforts at Megumi's residence.
On the other side, someone else was working overtime for him.
"Have you investigated thoroughly?"
Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki stood in the center of a golden forest, turning to look at the burly man behind him.
In front of him was a forest village that had been completely massacred, his pale palms still stained with blood, dripping onto the ground.
Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki, behind him, seemed completely oblivious to the scene before him, and said steadily, "Yes, Momoshiki-sama. It has now been confirmed that Konoha only just won the Second Shinobi World War last year, completely consistent with the process in 'main history', with no excessive spatial interference traces in between—this is Urashiki-sama's conclusion."
"Very good."
Momoshiki suddenly clenched his fists, his eyelids lowered slightly.
This was the closest they had come to achieving their goal of 'erasing Sawara Kiri' since they had leaped so many times.
He turned his head, looking at Urashiki and Shibai, who were also busy behind him, and couldn't help but feel sorrow.
The entire large squad composed of ten groups of clansmen was now reduced to just a few stragglers, with not much power left for world-leaping.
However, Momoshiki's will remained firm.
He wasn't fighting for his own life, but for the entire Ōtsutsuki clan—as long as one of the Shibai-samas from so many worldlines could survive, there would be a chance to reverse the fate of the entire clan.
However, due to the influence of various world interference laws, if they ever established direct contact with the Ōtsutsuki in this world, it would inevitably lead to 'that person' breaking through the worldline and directly taking action, so much so that they didn't even dare to contact Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who had existed in this world for a long time—they had already tasted the consequences of such an action once.
Clearly, this was a form of protection for their own 'origin'.
No matter how much Momoshiki disparaged Sawara Kiri, he knew in his heart—that lower-class being was already a high-dimensional existence comparable to Shibai-sama.
Therefore, no matter how careful their actions were, it would not be excessive.
"Momoshiki, isn't this a bit too hasty?"
Urashiki was treading on the blood spilled from the villagers, drawing runes on the empty ground—these were super-large arrays for ultra-long-range teleportation and spatial sealing.
Looking down from above, one could see circles of bloody traces, almost encompassing half of the forest within the Land of Lightning, with a diameter exceeding ten kilometers.
Urashiki also asked him from a distance:
"Although it's him during the Second Shinobi World War, and his strength is still weak, if something unexpected happens again at such a close distance, the few of us will definitely be finished."
"Why don't we still use the direct flood method, as discussed before?"
"Haven't we already tested that method!"
Momoshiki's tone unceremoniously interrupted his voice. Urashiki's action of drawing runes paused, and he curled his lips in disdain.
Momoshiki's words, however, did not stop: "Moonfall, planting the God Tree, floods, storms, volcanic eruptions… Which time did a large-scale environmental change not attract that guy's worldline-transcending attack?"
"Because of these messed-up ideas, how many of us have died?"
Urashiki's movements completely stopped. His resentment was also considerable: "And what was the result of the close-range ambush? In Konoha Year 53, ten people surrounded him, and that guy suddenly yelled something about bonds and inner demons and charged forward. That team immediately lost three, and in Year 59, he killed three more with one slash…"
"And now? Year 41 is a bit early, but isn't the human growth period only a few years? We only have four people left."
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki said, glancing at the woman behind him and Kinshiki's direction, and sneered:
"And two wastes."
Kinshiki and Shibai looked at him but said nothing.
Momoshiki, however, remained expressionless, his voice cold: "This time, I'm confident."
As he spoke, he took out a golden birdcage from his sleeve.
Urashiki initially didn't pay much attention to his movements, but when the birdcage appeared before him, Urashiki's movements paused, and he said in a daze:
"Cage?"
"Where did you get it?"
That was a magical artifact of the same level as the 'Plough' in his hand.
Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki scoffed: "In the previous worldline, I went to great lengths to steal it from the clan territory. I almost got caught by 'myself"..."
As for what punishment his past self on that worldline would receive for failing to guard the artifact—he no longer cared at all.
Upon hearing this, and seeing the golden birdcage, even Urashiki felt a surge of confidence.
If they had this…
Perhaps, there really was a chance!
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr