After leaving the Land of Wind, Rorin decided that, for the sake of traveling between the major nations more conveniently in the future, he would traverse all Five Great Nations on foot. He secretly left behind bones marked with his Flying Thunder God technique in the Land of Wind, the Land of Water, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Earth. As for the Land of Fire, once Rorin returned to the Hidden Leaf Village, he would simply leave a mark in his own home.
Since Rorin also had business in the Land of Mountain Streams, he crossed the sea and left a marker inside his own shop there. That way, whenever he came back to pick up clothes in the future, it would greatly reduce the travel time.
Originally, Rorin had planned to leave Flying Thunder God markers in smaller countries as well, especially the Land of Rain. However, due to time constraints, by the time he had placed all the necessary markers, more than two months had already passed. There was now less than a year left before Naruto would return to the Hidden Leaf Village. Rorin still had many areas of research to complete, so he needed to reserve enough time to focus on improving his strength.
Further development of Shikotsumyaku, better utilization of Curse Mark power, physical training, and finally, improvements to the Leaf Dragon God.
At first, Rorin had intended to improve the Leaf Dragon God technique, but because he had been targeted by Shimura Danzō, he was forced to spend a large amount of time mastering the Flying Thunder God instead.
Now that he finally had time, Rorin decided to make up for the shortcomings of the Leaf Dragon God, turning it into a unique taijutsu specifically for opening the Gate of Wonder, the seventh gate of the Eight Gates.
Very quickly, Rorin began his long path of training.
Time passed swiftly; spring went, and autumn returned.
At the end of Year 63 of the Hidden Leaf Village, Rorin completed his training.
He had honed himself into his ideal state. Now, he stood at 185 cm tall, his physique even more robust and well-built.
After packing up his belongings in the cave and changing into fresh clothes, Rorin set off on his journey back to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Five days later, Rorin arrived at the village gates. Since he hadn't left a Flying Thunder God mark at home before leaving, he had no choice but to travel back on foot.
Looking up into the distance, he saw that Tsunade's Hokage Rock had already been carved. Everything felt so familiar. The two gate guardians of the Hidden Leaf Village were still the same as ever. Rorin walked over, greeted them, and handed each of them a small gift.
Then he stepped into the village. The two gate guards watched his departing figure.
Kamizuki Izumo sighed, "Time really flies. I remember when I first met this kid—he was a bit shorter than me. Now he's almost a head taller."
Hagane Kotetsu nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it. Being young is great!"
The two smiled at each other while holding the gifts Rorin had brought them, then continued guarding the gate.
Rorin strolled leisurely through the village. The first thing he did upon returning was head to Ichiraku Ramen for a hearty meal.
Lifting the curtain, Rorin stepped inside. Teuchi noticed him and turned his head, calling out in surprise,
"Yo, kid Rorin, you're back!"
Rorin smiled and nodded. "Long time no see, Teuchi-san. Still the same as ever."
At that moment, a familiar voice came from deeper inside the shop.
"You're back, huh? Has your shogi improved?"
Rorin turned his head and saw Nara Shikamaru. He walked straight over and sat beside him.
"Sorry, I haven't had time to study shogi this past year. Long time no see, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru clicked his tongue, then smiled. "Good to have you back."
After finishing two bowls of ramen, they said goodbye to Teuchi and left Ichiraku Ramen.
"Got any plans now that you're back?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yeah, there are a few things I need to take care of. But first, I'll go see Tsunade-sama."
After that, Shikamaru parted ways with Rorin. He still had things to do. Before leaving, he turned back and said slowly,
"It might be troublesome, but Rorin, if you need any help, just say the word."
After saying that, Shikamaru waved and left. Watching him go, Rorin felt a warmth in his heart.
Rorin first went to complete his return registration, then headed to the Hokage's office.
Standing before the door, he knocked. Only after hearing Tsunade's response did he push it open and enter.
Tsunade looked up at him, arms crossed, smiling brightly.
"Well, looks like you've gotten sturdier. You're in good shape."
Rorin scratched the back of his head and smiled.
"Not really, I've just grown a bit taller."
After chatting for a while, Tsunade's expression turned serious.
"While you were away, Danzō's activities decreased quite a bit. Looks like your decision to leave back then was the right one. Now that you're back, you still need to be careful. But no matter what, you should at least have the ability to protect yourself now."
Rorin nodded. "Thank you for your concern. I am a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village after all—I can't just keep wandering outside forever."
Since Tsunade had official duties to attend to, Rorin left the Hokage's office.
He returned home and did some cleaning. After all, the house had been vacant for a year, and dust had accumulated everywhere.
After cleaning, Rorin left a Flying Thunder God mark in his home, then went to take a bath.
After finishing his bath, he sensed something unusual nearby. He activated his Byakugan, and after scanning the area, he covered his head helplessly and muttered,
"Sigh… why are these flies so damn annoying?"
Outside, the Root members confirmed that Rorin had returned home and then used the Body Flicker to leave.
...
At the Root headquarters.
Shimura Danzō frowned slightly and ordered,
"Conduct a covert investigation. Inform me when he's alone. This time, I'll act personally."
The next day, after waking up, Rorin stretched lazily. Using his Byakugan, he sensed that Root's surveillance was still present nearby. Sighing, he got up, washed up, and then headed alone into the forest. Finding a shaded spot under a tree, he lay down and closed his eyes to rest.
After a while, Shimura Danzō arrived in the forest. Rorin slowly opened his eyes, rubbed them, and said calmly, "What took you so long? I almost fell asleep again."
Danzō tapped his cane, his expression cold.
"Kaguya Rorin, join Root. I will properly cultivate your talents."
Rorin stared blankly for a moment, then casually picked at his ear and said indifferently,
"First, I'm not interested in you or your Root organization, so stop bothering me. Second, I don't need your 'cultivation.' That's all I wanted to say."
Danzō's expression darkened.
"That's not up to you!" he snapped, preparing to attack.
But Rorin looked at him as if he were a clown, smiled, and waved his hand teasingly.
"Bye-bye!"
In the next instant, Rorin disappeared using Flying Thunder God, leaving Danzō standing there awkwardly alone.
Danzō flew into a rage, smashing his cane to pieces with one strike. By now, how could he not realize that Rorin had deliberately come here just to toy with him?
The fact that Rorin could use Flying Thunder God made Danzō extremely troubled. There was simply nothing he could do.
"Damn Tsunade… damn it!" Even without thinking, Danzō could guess that it was Tsunade who had arranged for Rorin to learn Flying Thunder God.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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