"Your ramen's here. Please enjoy."
Kakuzu wore a perfectly professional smile as he brought the bowls over.
Arisu watched the group getting along so harmoniously, and his brow lifted slightly without him noticing.
After his interference, Madara and Hashirama probably wouldn't end up fighting at all.
And if that happened, the outcome of this contest would become impossible to judge. As the referee, who exactly was he supposed to declare the winner?
Should he intervene?
Send Black Zetsu to manipulate Madara and stir up the conflict between the two again?
But the moment the thought surfaced, Arisu suppressed it.
He didn't want to be the one ruining everything, nor could he bear to let Madara or Izuna lose their lives over a thousand-year-old promise.
After spending so much time together, they had already become family to him.
Everyone knew that Arisu cared deeply about his family.
Anyone he acknowledged as family usually ended up living pretty well.
Arisu would always protect them.
"But if the four of them want to unify the ninja world, that still won't do…"
Arisu narrowed his eyes slightly.
He was the Sage of Six Paths, but not merely Konoha's Sage of Six Paths.
He was the Sage of Six Paths of the entire world.
Arisu would treat every major power equally.
A righteous lord of the heavens would never mistreat any struggling faction.
After finishing their ramen, all four of them were full of praise for Kakuzu's cooking.
"Boss, what's your name? This ramen is seriously incredible!" Senju Hashirama laughed heartily while patting his stomach.
"You may all call me Shopkeeper Seru.", Arisu answered casually.
"Shopkeeper Seru? That's a pretty unusual name. Don't hear it often…" Uchiha Madara looked at Arisu with interest.
Arisu simply smiled faintly in return.
"Alright, we've eaten and drunk our fill. Time to go."
Hashirama wiped his mouth and prepared to stand.
Just then, Arisu spoke with a smile.
"Everyone, you haven't paid yet."
The group froze, then all turned toward Hashirama.
Hashirama dug through his pockets, and suddenly his expression changed. He slapped his forehead hard.
"Ah! Mito keeps all my money. Ever since that gambling debt incident, she hasn't let me touch any cash. I'm broke right now!"
"Tobirama, cover me for now."
Tobirama's face stiffened, "Brother, did you forget? All my money went to paying off your gambling debts too. I'm still waiting for Konoha's treasury to pay my salary."
Hashirama blanked for a second, then turned toward Uchiha Madara with a pleading look.
Madara was equally stunned.
'What? The four of us actually have to pay for food?'
"We don't have any money," Madara said.
Kakuzu's face darkened instantly.
'What?!'
'No money?!'
'So they came to dine and dash?!'
"Um, Shopkeeper Seru, do you think we could put it on a tab?", Hashirama said awkwardly.
Arisu smiled without quite smiling, "Lord Hokage, we don't offer credit here…"
———
[Mount Myoboku]
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku had received the latest and highest-level order from the Great Sage.
The moment they saw the contents of the mission, both of them were visibly shocked.
"What does the Great Sage mean by this?" Fukasaku couldn't help asking.
Black Zetsu shook his head.
"The Great Sage wants to set things right again. Well, since it's the Sage's decree, we'll carry it out."
Fukasaku nodded, somewhat excited, "Brother Black Zetsu, looks like we finally get to play this game together."
———
[Several Days Later]
Fukasaku and Black Zetsu finished preparing and were about to head down to the human world.
"Wow, Brother Black Zetsu, this old man can finally leave the mountain! I've accumulated knowledge for so many years, and now I finally get to put it to use.", Fukasaku laughed.
Black Zetsu rubbed his forehead and warned in a deep voice, "Fukasaku, don't underestimate this mission. What the Sage assigned us this time is far trickier than the Crane incident before. After all, our opponents are those four…"
"Heh, I just hope the enemy won't be too weak."
Fukasaku's smile never faded, and there was obvious eagerness in his tone.
Just as the two were about to descend the mountain, Gamabunta came rushing over in a panic.
"Seniors!"
He charged over at full speed.
"Hm? Gamabunta, what are you here for?" Black Zetsu asked.
Gamabunta smugly brushed back hair that didn't even exist, looking unbearably pleased with himself.
"I'm going too."
Fukasaku and Black Zetsu both frowned
"Isn't this nonsense? If you come down with us, who's guarding the Southern Gate?", Black Zetsu said, half-joking and half-serious.
"Yeah, did the Great Sage even approve this?", Fukasaku asked as well.
Gamabunta hooked a finger lightly, and a Mount Myoboku scroll slid out from his sleeve.
Tilting his chin up, he flashed a bold grin.
"Not only did the Sage approve it, this is actually part of my Sage promotion test! If I do well, I'll be Sage Gamabunta from now on!"
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku exchanged glances, surprise flashing through their eyes.
The Great Sage actually trusted this unreliable guy enough to let him leave the mountain?
"Gamabunta, your sage arts… you finished training them?" Black Zetsu asked.
Gamabunta chuckled softly, dragging out the last syllable with a teasing tone.
"Of course. And my sage art is pretty much 'invincible.'"
"What exactly is it?" Fukasaku frowned and pressed further.
Gamabunta's smile faded slightly as he answered casually, "Try hitting me."
Fukasaku frowned harder, clearly not taking the statement seriously.
But Black Zetsu had always been direct. Without another word, he threw a punch immediately.
The moment his fist touched Gamabunta's body... Something strange happened.
Black Zetsu's fist passed straight through him as though the figure before him were only an illusion.
"What's going on?"
Black Zetsu paused slightly, shock flashing in his eyes.
Fukasaku's eyes widened too. He immediately formed hand seals as senjutsu chakra surged through his body.
"Sage Art: Water Frog Slash!"
A cyan slash wrapped in fierce water vapor tore through the air and cleaved toward Gamabunta.
But that attack also passed cleanly through Gamabunta's body without resistance, not even causing the slightest ripple.
At that moment, Gamabunta resembled a wisp of smoke, completely intangible.
"Your body… what exactly happened to it?", Black Zetsu couldn't help asking.
Seeing their reactions only made Gamabunta look smugger. Raising his brows, he declared, "This is my unique sage art: Merge With Nature!
"To put it simply, I've transformed my body into the airflow of heaven and earth itself. Right now, I'm literally in a state of 'cannot be targeted.'"
"You could also call it intangibility."
"How terrifying! Doesn't that mean all ninjutsu and taijutsu are completely ineffective against you?!", Fukasaku exclaimed in shock.
"Mhm." Gamabunta nodded proudly, wearing an expression that said, "You're only noticing now?"
"And the region you're responsible for is?", Black Zetsu asked gravely.
Gamabunta slowly raised his eyes and answered solemnly, "The Land of Rain."
"..."
"Good. Perfect, then. Konoha F4 against our Mount Myoboku F3. Let's see who comes out on top.", Fukasaku clapped his hands as he spoke.
After discussing things, the three immediately began drinking their farewell wine before departing the mountain.
"Well then, this is where we part."
Once they finished drinking, they immediately split up and set off.
Gamabunta headed for the Land of Rain, Black Zetsu for the Land of Earth, and Fukasaku for the Land of Water.