Inside Mount Myoboku, a group of White Zetsu, the toads of Mount Myoboku, and the higher-ups of Mount Myoboku were celebrating the centennial of the ninja world.
Banners were fluttering everywhere.
The White Zetsu and the toads of Mount Myoboku gathered together.
Black Zetsu sat quietly by a stone bench.
The two toad sages, Fukasaku and Shima, stood side by side.
The aged Gamamaru crouched atop a high platform. All the figures blended into the festive atmosphere filling the hall, and the entire sage mountain was soaked in a warm and cheerful mood.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of breaking air suddenly rang out in succession. Hundreds of streaks of light, carrying blazing golden-red tails, shot up from all corners of Mount Myoboku, soaring straight into the sky like a flock of cranes taking flight.
Dense trails of flame cut across the sky, weaving into a band of light stretching across the heavens. In just an instant, countless bursts of flame exploded high in the air.
Fireworks blazed brilliantly.
"Gamamaru, this new invention of yours, these fireworks, are truly amazing."
Black Zetsu raised his head to gaze at the dazzling sky, his tone full of sincere admiration.
Gamamaru, already frail with age, his white brows and whiskers drooping to his shoulders, his round eyes curved slightly as he smiled, "Just something I made casually in my spare time. As long as it adds to today's liveliness, that's enough."
Fukasaku and Shima held hands tightly, their eyes following the fireworks continuously blooming in the sky.
Shima sighed softly, "Time flies. In the blink of an eye, the ninja world has already reached its hundredth anniversary."
Fukasaku shrugged indifferently, his gaze sweeping over the sky after the fireworks faded, his tone carrying a hint of age and experience.
"I don't feel much about it. It's just… I didn't expect that it's already been a full hundred years since the Ninja Sect was destroyed…"
"Yeah, a hundred years is enough to change everything in the world."
Black Zetsu also let out a soft sigh.
Back when he guarded the graves at Mount Myoboku, time felt long and uneventful.
But now that he had begun organizing and recording the history of the ninja world, he suddenly realized that over these hundred years, the ninja world had already undergone tremendous changes, and everything from the past had become sealed-away old matters.
Laughter, chatter, and the booming of fireworks spread across Mount Myoboku.
Only inside the main hall at the back mountain, Arisu stood there alone.
With his hands behind his back, Arisu stood upright in the hall, looking out through the open doors at the brilliant fireworks filling the sky, yet there was a layer of quiet detachment around him, separating him from the noise.
He did not step into the celebrating crowd. The longer he lived, the less he liked this kind of lively noise.
What's more, among all these living beings, none were his contemporaries. If old acquaintances like White-Brow, White Snake, White Ape, or even Kaguya and Hagoromo were still in the world, perhaps he would have gone to join them and celebrate this moment together.
"The 100th anniversary of the ninja world…"
Arisu's thin lips parted slightly, his voice as light as drifting clouds in the mountains, without a single ripple in his eyes.
To him, a hundred years was just the flick of a finger. Having already lived through several centuries, he felt nothing toward such anniversaries in the human world.
In contrast to Mount Myoboku was the current human world.
The mortal world was plunged into an endless hell of war.
Warlords across the land held their own armies, small nations fought each other endlessly, and the warrior class slaughtered one another over territory and resources.
Refugees were displaced, starving corpses lay everywhere. The misery of this chaotic era was comparable to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms of his previous life.
All living beings in the mortal world struggled desperately amid the flames of war, each day dragging on like a year.
It truly was, the mortal world suffers, while Mount Myoboku enjoys peace.
However, there was also good news.
The Uchiha and Senju remained at peace with each other.
If these two clans were also dragged into the chaos, with their world-destroying ninjutsu power, the ninja world would fall into complete devastation, leaving no chance for life to survive.
The unprecedented great war initiated by Uchiha Katsu back then had brought devastating casualties to both the Uchiha and the Senju.
The deep scars of war were etched into the bones and blood of both clans, making no one dare to easily start another war.
———
[Mount Myoboku History Archive]
Bamboo slips and scrolls were piled like mountains, the scent of ink mixing with the fresh fragrance of immortal wood, lingering all around.
Holding a wolf-hair brush, Black Zetsu wrote neatly on the yellowed historical scroll. The ink spread as the characters recorded major events of the ninja world era.
[Ninja Calendar Year 100, Uchiha Katsu died.]
[Ninja Calendar Year 115, all ninja clans continued to fight in chaos, but the Senju and Uchiha had no conflict.]
[Ninja Calendar Year 130, the Uchiha and Senju resumed warfare.]
[Ninja Calendar Year 175, the Hatake clan leader fell into a Cliff during battle and discovered mysterious swordsmanship carvings left by an unknown expert on the cliff wall, using them to establish the Hatake sword style.]
[Ninja Calendar Year 230, the Uchiha clan welcomed its first female clan head.]
Just as the brush paused, light footsteps sounded from behind. Fukasaku the toad swayed as he walked into the archive.
"Black Zetsu, writing ninja world history is easier, right? Another hundred years passed in a flash. How about we switch?"
"You go sort out that mess of the mortal world, and I'll keep writing my ninja world history?", Fukasaku grinned as he joked.
Black Zetsu put down his brush, turned his head, and smiled while shaking it. "No way. These past years, the warlords and small nations in the mortal world have been fighting like mad."
"Power shifts faster than flipping pages. Just sorting out their relationships is enough to give me a headache. I'm not going through that trouble."
"Hahaha, I knew you wouldn't switch."
"Oh right, the matter you applied for earlier about cultivating sage arts, has it been approved yet?"
Fukasaku walked to the table, raised his hand to brew a cup of sage tea, and pushed it in front of Black Zetsu as he asked casually.
Black Zetsu picked up the teacup and took a light sip, his tone calm and relaxed. "Not yet, but now I feel that whether I have power or not doesn't really matter."
"Living peacefully in Mount Myoboku is enough. With the Great Sage here, no one can break in. It's absolutely safe."
Fukasaku nodded, deeply agreeing. "That's true. Mount Myoboku has always been a pure land outside the world."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fukasaku suddenly raised his brows, his smile widening. "Black Zetsu, I've actually got some great news recently."
"Oh? What good news?"
Black Zetsu looked up, puzzled.
"Hehe! Take a look!"
The next moment, Fukasaku waved his hand, and a plain white robe adorned with golden patterns slowly draped over his body. The sleeves fluttered lightly, carrying a sense of solemn authority.
After putting it on, Fukasaku looked at Black Zetsu with a smile. "The sage position I applied for with the Great Sage has been approved. From now on, you'll have to call me Sage Fukasaku."
The "sage" of Mount Myoboku was not simply a title of strength, but an official position established when Arisu reformed the sage mountain in his youth.
Only those personally assessed by the Great Sage Arisu, whose qualifications and strength both met the standard, could be promoted to sage, wearing the exclusive white robe and taking charge of Mount Myoboku's affairs.
At present, there were only two registered sages in Mount Myoboku. One was the aged Gamamaru, and the other was the newly promoted Fukasaku.
Above the sages was the Great Sage, a position belonging solely to Arisu. There was also one posthumously honored Great Sage, White-Brow, who had been granted the title by Arisu in recognition of his contributions after death, and had long since passed away.
"Congratulations! You actually got promoted. That's great news!"
Black Zetsu quickly cupped his hands, sincerely congratulating Fukasaku.
Fukasaku waved his hand with a smile. "Same to you, same to you. I hope Brother Black Zetsu gets promoted to sage soon as well, so we can serve together."
Hearing this, a trace of barely noticeable disappointment passed through Black Zetsu's heart.
In terms of seniority, he was of the same generation as Otsutsuki Hagoromo, far above Fukasaku.
But his own strength was weak, and combined with his special origin, he had never had the chance to obtain a sage position.
Seeing Fukasaku achieve his wish filled him with joy just now, but when he thought of himself, he couldn't help feeling a bit down.
Still, he was a remnant of the previous era. Being allowed to live was already Arisu's kindness.
Just as Black Zetsu's mood sank slightly, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the archive.
"Senior Black Zetsu!! Senior Black Zetsu!!"
A white figure rushed in at full speed. The newcomer was a particularly distinctive curly-haired White Zetsu, Uzumaki Ken.