The night deepened, and the entire city seemed to have pressed the pause button, falling into a deep slumber.
Little Nao curled up under the covers, her small face buried in the pillow. Her breathing was steady, like a sleeping kitten, and her fingertips still clutched the plush toy she had won at the amusement park during the day.
Aoki Yoru sat at the desk, picking up a pen by the dim light of an oil lamp. The tip of his pen flew across the letter paper as he wrote to his teacher and teammates.
He had been out for over half a year and hadn't written to them to let them know he was safe. Before he left, Kenta and the others had kept urging him to share his experiences traveling the Ninja World so they could broaden their horizons. Now, he could finally settle down to share them.
Finally, Aoki Yoru placed the three letters into their respective envelopes, ready to mail them tomorrow.
The express delivery channel from the Land of Fire to Konoha Village was quite convenient, arriving in about three days. Of course, one could also pay extra for expedited delivery, which usually involved hiring a Ninja to deliver it urgently.
Closing the pen cap, Aoki Yoru looked up at the night sky outside the window. Everything was silent; only the stars and moonlight embraced gently, appearing soft and peaceful.
"I still need to speed up."
He pressed his hand against his chest. Inside was an energy cluster provided by the White Zetsu cells, which was continuously supplying him with life force.
Although he had used a Sealing Technique to seal it, preventing any aura from leaking out, and Tsunade had even cleared away the physical symptoms on his body.
It still wasn't enough. Who could tolerate having a foreign object inside their body, especially one that was not under their control?
Of course, women were the exception.
Although his research on the White Zetsu was deep enough, it ultimately wasn't his own. Who knew what hidden dangers there might be? Moreover, things that weren't one's own always had their limits.
The other ultimate Yang Release that could replenish life force was in the realm of the Six Paths, which he couldn't touch yet.
"However, although I was seriously injured this time, it wasn't without gains." A faint smile tugged at the corners of Aoki Yoru's mouth.
At the very last moment, he had caught a glimpse of the Jashin's essence. Although it was elusive, as long as he saw it again, he would be able to fully analyze it.
Of course, he wouldn't be so reckless. This served as a warning to him; he wouldn't act rashly until he had a foolproof plan.
He immediately shook his head to shake off his worries; there was no way to solve it in the short term.
He walked to the bedside to tuck in the corner of the blanket for Nao, who had kicked it off, before lying down on the bed and closing his eyes, sinking into a peaceful slumber.
Rumble—
Heavy wheels ground over the dirt road. A caravan was slowly moving along the main road, dust rising gently beneath the hooves and wheels.
Aoki Yoru sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, resting his mind and training his mental energy. Ever since he had transplanted the White Zetsu cells, his mental energy had seen explosive growth.
But it also caused him to lose the feeling of having it at his beck and call, so he trained his mental energy whenever he had time.
Inside the carriage, Nao held a pastry from the Yandu Imperial Garden in each of her small hands, nibbling on them happily. A pile of snacks, gifted by the caravan manager, sat in front of her.
This caravan was traveling the trade route from the Land of Fire to the Land of Whirlpools. If he were alone, he wouldn't mind sleeping in the wilderness, but he couldn't do that with Nao, so Aoki Yoru paid a fee to get a ride with them.
"Um, Lord Ninja, the manager asked me to bring you dinner." Outside the carriage, a member of the caravan said politely.
Aoki Yoru lifted the curtain, took the tray, and thanked him gently: "Thank you for your hard work."
The reason the caravan was so polite was that a few days ago, some wandering Ninja had tried to rob them. The caravan's guards were no match for them, so Aoki Yoru had stepped in to take care of them.
Afterward, the manager sent a reward and cleared this carriage for them. The caravan delivered their meals morning and night, and they even brought Nao snacks and small toys from time to time.
Aoki Yoru accepted it with peace of mind; he certainly wouldn't refuse if it meant he could live comfortably.
Of course, he also knew that he would have to step in if they encountered difficult enemies later; this was the tacit understanding between them.
Seven days later, the Village of Whirlpools.
Aoki Yoru stood on the seaside cliff, looking at the ruins before him from afar.
Broken walls and dilapidated ruins stood scattered about. The iconic Sealing Technique stone carvings of the Uzumaki Clan had long since weathered and peeled, and weeds grew wildly from the cracks in the stone.
The sound of waves crashing against the shore was the only movement here. The entire Ninja village was deserted, leaving only the ruins eroded by time, revealing an endless desolation amidst the sea mist.
Aoki Yoru looked at everything before him with disappointment. He had originally planned to rely on his sensory abilities to see if there were any hidden vaults or the like; after all, it was quite possible given the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique.
Unfortunately, after searching repeatedly three times, he only found a few yellowed scraps of paper and half a Sealing Technique scroll buried underground. The writing had long been blurred by moisture, and he couldn't even piece together a complete rune.
"Sigh! As expected, there's nothing."
Aoki Yoru sighed in disappointment. He also knew it was normal to have no gains.
He didn't know how many times this place had been looted. The Five Great Ninja Villages weren't just sitting around, and there were plenty of Ninja skilled in sensing; how could they not have thought of this?
The reason he had come to the Land of Whirlpools was that he had his sights set on their Sealing Technique.
After being taught a lesson by Jashin, he knew that he was still far from being able to deal with these legendary gods. The effective methods he knew of now were Sage Jutsu and Sealing Technique.
Now that the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed, the place with the most complete Sealing Technique was Konoha Village, and even the ancestral mask shrine had been moved to Konoha.
Unfortunately, he was not Orochimaru. How could the Third Hokage possibly give him the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique? Unless he performed a great service, he wouldn't be rewarded with one or two Sealing Technique.
"It seems I have to wait until Tsunade ascends to the position." Aoki Yoru shook his head helplessly.
"Given Tsunade's magnanimity, she surely wouldn't be stingy with her knowledge!"
He turned his head to look at Nao, who was catching crabs on the beach, and shouted: "Let's go, Nao. It's lunchtime; let's find a place to eat."
Nao, who was having a great time catching crabs, heard him and reluctantly walked over with her small bucket. It was her first time at the seaside, and everything was novel to her.
Upon reaching him, Nao lifted the bucket to show him off: "Big Brother Yoru, look, these are the crabs I caught. We can roast them and eat them later."
Looking at the thumb-sized square crabs, he ruffled her hair: "These are too small; let's keep them for now."
"Oh!" She lowered her head in disappointment; she had wanted to share the taste of the crabs with Big Brother Yoru.
"Let's go." He took her hand and walked towards the commercial street.
The Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed for over twenty years. Although no one dared to go to the Village of Whirlpools, scattered villages and towns had gradually formed outside the village.
After all, the land of the Land of Whirlpools was extremely fertile; it couldn't just be left to waste. Now, the Land of Whirlpools was slowly recovering under the trusteeship of the Land of Fire.
"Hmm, although it's not as good as Ichiraku Ramen, it's passable. At least it's more cost-effective than Lanzhou ramen, and there are plenty of ingredients."
Aoki Yoru slowly slurped his noodles by himself. As for Nao, she had eaten too many snacks, so she only ate a few bites before running outside.
She was now chatting with a fortune teller at the door. The old man tremblingly touched her hair, shaking his head as he gave her a fortune, which made her laugh out loud.