Sara was slightly stunned for a moment before she finally reacted.
For her, a few years was a long wait, but for the person before her... perhaps it was truly just a flick of a finger.
She sighed, comforting herself inwardly; compared to before, now... there was at least something to look forward to, wasn't there?
Just as this sense of relief arose, a trace of curiosity sprouted forth like a spring bud.
Sara raised her eyes, gazing at Takuno with glistening eyes, and asked: "Husband... is it convenient for you to tell me your current age?"
Upon hearing this, Takuno's movements paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.
The passage of time meant little to him; unless it could affect the pinnacle of his power, he never paid attention to such things.
Now that he was asked, when he calculated it carefully, the number... was indeed no longer young.
"It is no matter." His voice was low and steady. "If calculated by the year of birth, it is nearly forty. But if you add that time spent flowing back against the current..."
He paused slightly, then said frankly, "It has indeed passed half a century."
"Hmm?" Sara blinked, calculating quickly in her mind, and a trace of surprise appeared on her beautiful face. "So, Husband, you were only born a few years earlier than me?"
"Oh?" Takuno raised an eyebrow slightly, asking back with a hint of interest, "What age did you think I was?"
Sara pursed her lips and smiled, not answering, her smile hiding a hint of girlish slyness.
Takuno did not press the matter, shifting the topic, and stated the decision he had been brewing for a long time: "In the coming time, I need to leave for a while."
"Hmm?" Sara's smile froze at the corners of her lips, and a trace of surprise and unease swept through her heart.
It was not that he had never left before, but usually, he would return in a few hurried days. This time, he had specifically informed her, so the meaning was clearly different.
"...Will it be a long time? How long will it take?"
"About a year, perhaps longer, perhaps shorter; it is not yet certain." Takuno pondered for a moment before giving his answer.
"A year, then..." Sara repeated the duration softly.
Although she was somewhat reluctant to part, she knew that once the person before her made a decision, it could not be changed. It could be said that it was already quite good that he was willing to tell her about his itinerary.
She quietly suppressed that reluctance: "I understand."
"Hmm." Takuno nodded slightly.
This time, driving the Ryūmyaku to span over a decade of time had consumed far more than he had anticipated.
Even though it only carried him alone, the power to reverse such a long span of time indeed required a sufficiently massive amount.
Fortunately, the amount he had preserved was not small, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Now, the remaining bit of energy, if supplied to that Mini Ten-Tails, would likely be devoured completely in just a few days.
The next step was to go to that Moon Base laboratory.
The final transformation of the Mini Ten-Tails would ultimately be completed there.
...
Time passed quietly. Just as Takuno had anticipated, a few days later, the Mini Ten-Tails, rooted deep beneath Rōran, had completely devoured the last remaining energy of the Ryūmyaku.
Along with the last trace of pure energy being absorbed, this ancient Ryūmyaku, hailed in the original work as having "Endless chakra," finally saw the traces of its existence in this world fall into complete silence.
Admittedly, the Ryūmyaku had a special nature; it was not water without a source, but rather the condensation and manifestation of the great power of this land itself.
Theoretically, in the long river of time, after the accumulation of a millennium or even longer, it might be able to re-gather energy and restore its former appearance.
However, even the Ōtsutsuki Clan could not just wait for a millennium, let alone Takuno.
When he confirmed that the Mini Ten-Tails' absorption had been successfully completed, Takuno took the Mini Ten-Tails and left Rōran silently.
His departure did not disturb anyone.
There were no goodbyes, no omens, just like the countless times he had vanished from people's sight before.
Only Queen Sara, the ruler of Rōran who had a subtle connection to the Ryūmyaku, felt an indescribable sense of emptiness sweep through her heart at one moment.
She subconsciously cast her gaze toward the depths of the palace, to the location symbolizing the Ryūmyaku; the powerful pulse that had once been there now seemed to have been completely withdrawn, leaving only a cold, deathly silence.
"He... has already left." Sara stood by the window of the empty palace, gazing at the familiar cityscape of Rōran outside, and sighed softly.
Takuno's existence, for Rōran, was indeed like a stabilizing force, the greatest and most mysterious reliance in troubled times.
But he had always been detached from worldly affairs, never interfering with the specific governance of Rōran.
The people of Rōran often could not catch even a glimpse of this protector for a year or more, and they had long since become accustomed to it.
Therefore, Sara just hid this realization deep in her heart, not announcing the news of Takuno's departure.
The daily life of Rōran would continue to run according to its established trajectory; there would be no changes at all.
...
In the core laboratory of the Moon Base, Takuno stood in the center, his gaze calmly fixed on the nine massive entities floating before him.
These were the Tailed Beast chakra sources bound by a pure energy field; although each mass had no physical form, they still took the shape of each Tailed Beast.
Even though they were only a part, each portion contained terrifying power sufficient to shake the Shinobi World, and they were once the existence that countless Shinobi dreamed of.
However, at this moment, in the eyes of Takuno, whose own realm had long since broken through conventional logic, their majestic radiance seemed somewhat insignificant.
Only that mass representing the Nine-Tails chakra made him take a second look.
He was in no rush to wake the Mini Ten-Tails and start the absorption directly.
As his fingertips moved slightly, several specially made Sealing Jutsu scrolls unfolded silently, and countless tiny yet equally pure streams of chakra flowed like stardust into those nine sources.
That was the "wool" he had silently collected from each of the Tailed Beasts over these years.
At this moment, these additional accumulations were injected without reservation, adding nutrients to the upcoming feast.
The preparations were complete.
Takuno's mind focused slightly. In his left eye, the three-tomoe Rinnegan, which had fused with the power of all things, suddenly lit up, and deep purple radiance flowed ceaselessly.
A surge of indescribable, majestic chakra erupted from his body instantly. It was not a violent shockwave, but rather transformed into a channel, connecting toward the Mini Ten-Tails.
"Hum."
The sleeping Mini Ten-Tails was completely awakened by this power.
It raised its head, and its massive mouth suddenly opened wide!
In an instant, nine giant dragons, composed entirely of chakra condensed to the extreme, roared as they surged out from its mouth!
These giant dragons were not flesh and blood; their bodies shone with chakra light, carrying a primitive desire to devour everything.
"Sealing Jutsu: Phantom Dragon Nine Seals!"
Takuno's voice was low and clear, echoing in the empty laboratory.
Although this borrowed the name of the forbidden jutsu of the "Akatsuki" organization, its core had long since been completely reconstructed by him.
The Akatsuki's jutsu required assembling ten top-tier Shinobi and spending great effort and a long time to complete.
And what Takuno was performing was a unique secret technique he had crafted alone.
Its difficulty and power exceeded the original version.
However, for him, this was no longer an obstacle.
Power that transcended limits gave Takuno the capital to look down upon the rules.
The chakra amount of him alone was enough to easily support the operation of this terrifying jutsu capable of sealing the nine Tailed Beast sources, without needing any external assistance.
The nine chakra giant dragons gave a silent roar, scrambling to pounce on the nearest mass of sand-chakra source, which symbolized the One-Tail Shukaku.
The giant dragons' mouths opened wide, greedily devouring that massive, earth-yellow energy mass, tearing the One-Tail's chakra form into pieces, one after another!
The speed of the devouring even exceeded Takuno's expectations; the source power was being stripped away and sucked into the dragons' mouths at a speed visible to the naked eye, surging toward the Mini Ten-Tails along the invisible energy connection.
Takuno observed silently, the purple light of his Rinnegan flickering slightly, precisely monitoring the flow and transformation of every thread of energy.
However, even if the speed exceeded expectations, the total amount of these nine Tailed Beast sources before him was still too vast.
The Mini Ten-Tails could not absorb these Tailed Beast chakra as easily as it absorbed the Ryūmyaku; instead, it needed to integrate them into its own source.
After success, the corresponding eye of those eyes would close.
If it were really just absorbing energy, let alone the Mini Ten-Tails, even if Takuno did it himself, the absorption speed would be far faster than this.
"It can only be done slowly." Takuno sighed softly.
...
Just during the time that Takuno was still sealing the Tailed Beast chakra on the Moon, Konoha welcomed an event that was neither big nor small, but of extraordinary significance.
Naruto had officially graduated from the Shinobi Academy.
However, the Naruto before them had long since shed that boisterous and reckless appearance from the original work.
He stood quietly in the crowd, his short golden hair gleaming in the sunlight, and his deep blue eyes settled with a calmness and steadiness far beyond his peers.
The gazes cast his way were no longer just curious or distant, but also mixed with recognition and admiration.
Because his graduation grades were impressively at the top of the list, exceptionally outstanding.
This was no coincidence.
Naruto's talent might not be the best in the Shinobi World, but it was definitely not dull.
The predicament he had in controlling chakra in the original work stemmed from the constant interference of the Nine-Tails Demon Fox raging within his body.
But now, his situation was completely different.
At home, there were two top-tier Sealing Jutsu masters; his father, Minato, this "Yellow Flash," was one of the most powerful Shinobi recognized in the Shinobi World;
His mother, Kushina, was also a powerhouse whose strength reached the Kage-level.
Under their careful instruction and the suppression of powerful Sealing Jutsu, the negative influence of the Nine-Tails had long been reduced to the minimum, and Naruto's talent was naturally able to be fully released.
How could a child growing up in such an exceptionally favorable environment repeat the mistakes of being a "perennial dead-last"?
If Takuno were in Konoha at this time, he would surely keenly perceive how similar this calm and confident Naruto before him was to that excellent version displayed in the "Tenten Infinite Tsukuyomi" in his memory.
Compared to Naruto's significant changes, Sasuke's trajectory did not seem to have deviated much.
He was still that handsome and cold-tempered second young master of the Uchiha Clan.
Although the aura of "no strangers allowed" no longer followed him like a shadow, that pride deep in his bones had not changed.
At this moment, Sasuke stared fixedly at the grade list; the second-place position was like a thin thorn.
His gaze swept to the golden-haired figure beside him, the Naruto who firmly occupied the first place, and a sound of unconvinced snorting came from his nose, his voice carrying the stubbornness peculiar to a young person:
"Naruto, next time I will definitely surpass you!"
Naruto appeared very calm about his grades, as if this were just a matter-of-course result among countless tests.
Hearing Sasuke's declaration full of fighting spirit, he turned his head, looking at his childhood friend with whom he had grown up, the corners of his mouth curving into a very faint but confident arc, his voice steady and clear.
"I won't stop to wait for you."
This calm response instantly ignited Sasuke's pride. He immediately raised his head, his black eyes burning with an even more intense fighting spirit, and he responded decisively:
"I don't need you to stop and wait for me!"
The two's gazes met briefly, and it seemed as if invisible sparks of electricity flashed in the air.
On the other side, Minato also stood with Fugaku; they had also heard the exchange between the children and also revealed smiles.
On the road of growth, being able to have companions together was indeed a very good thing.
Fugaku turned to the Fourth Hokage beside him, his tone steady: "Hokage-sama, regarding the upcoming Genin team assignments, I wonder if they have been finalized?"
He paused slightly, proposing with cautious wording but clear intent, "If possible, could you consider placing Sasuke and Naruto in the same team?"
Although he inferred in his heart that, given Minato's understanding of his son Naruto and his emphasis on the children's deep friendship, putting them together was almost a certainty.
However, when it came to his son's future, this Uchiha patriarch, who was always thoughtful, believed that actively expressing expectations was always more secure than passively waiting for the result.
If things ultimately turned out otherwise, at least he had fulfilled his duty as a father, so he would not regret it afterwards.
He hoped for Sasuke and Naruto to be in the same team; on one hand, he genuinely recognized Naruto's talent;
On the other hand, as the leader of the Uchiha Clan, it also contained far-reaching considerations for the family's future network of relationships.
Building a closer bond with the Hokage's son was crucial for the Uchiha Clan's status in Konoha.
Minato heard this, a smile appearing on his face, as if he had long anticipated this question.
"Rest assured," he said, his tone relaxed yet carrying unquestionable certainty, "The team assignment list has already been finalized. I also know the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke, so naturally, I will not separate them."
As he spoke, his gaze turned to a figure standing quietly not far away.
"As for the third member of their team, it is this young girl."
"Hmm?" Fugaku followed the direction Minato pointed to, and when he saw the white-eyed girl who looked a bit shy with her head down, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned, "The eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan... Hyuga Hinata?"
Almost instantly, he understood Minato's deeper intention.
The current relationship between the Uchiha and the Hyuga, these two major prestigious clans of Konoha, was quite subtle, or even cold and distant.
The Hokage's move was clearly intended to use the opportunity of the younger generation spending time together during missions as a bridge to subtly draw the two ancient families closer.
A sharp glint flashed in Fugaku's eyes; he weighed the pros and cons in an instant and nodded solemnly to Minato in acknowledgment.
"I understand. Hokage-sama's arrangement is well-thought-out and very reasonable."
Minato also nodded upon hearing this; it was good that he agreed, and he believed the other party could understand the reason for his arrangement.