"Big brother, this is for you. Come back safely."
The image of his younger sister's upturned face in his memory, her smile so pure and without a trace of gloom, gradually overlaps with the simple wooden plaque in front of me.
"It seems you've found it."
His master nodded. "Then hold it tight and carve it with your sword!"
"Understood!"
From that day on, Genya Yamagami developed the habit of carving in his spare time from practicing swordsmanship.
The Buddha image he carved was the one on the amulet his sister gave him.
When his master saw this, he jokingly said, "You're a Buddhist sculptor, right? I might as well give you the nickname Bounding Monkey of the Sunken Valley or Orangutan from now on."
Genya Yamagami didn't quite understand what his teacher meant, nor did he know what the nicknames Bounding Monkey of the Sunken Valley and Orangutan were.
But he could feel that when he held the sword and immersed himself completely in the intricate carving, the burning resentment in his chest would indeed subside temporarily.
Focusing his sword and mind on a single point, he traced the grain of the wood, and the surging hatred, anxiety, and pain seemed to be peeled away little by little along with the falling wood chips.
"Snap."
The last bit of excess sawdust was gently picked off by the tip of the sword.
Genya Yamagami stopped what he was doing and slowly exhaled a long breath at the wooden Buddha statue in his palm, which was no more than half a foot tall, carved from the tip of the sword, and had a calm expression.
He extended his thumb and gently brushed away the fine dust clinging to the Buddha statue's eyebrows and eyes, his movements so light as if afraid of disturbing a fragile dream.
At the other end of the corridor, Isshin stood with his arms crossed, silently watching this scene.
His gaze first lingered on Genya Yamagami, who was focused on carving, then glanced at Tadayoshi Yagyu, or rather, Owl, who was scratching his head with a curious expression, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
The Sculptor, and the Owl... Well, now he has half of the four generals of the Ashina Clan. Oh, right, there are also the Seven Ashina Spears.
So does that mean he has really become Isshin?
Isshin secretly rolled his eyes.
Could it be that in the future, he will also launch a war to seize a nation, and then shout, sever the ties of immortality?
But.... Which nation will he seize? The Land of Iron? Or the Land of Hot Water?
And whose immortality would he sever? That so-called Immortal Holy Spirit preached by that cult?
The thought flashed through his mind, and even he found it a bit absurd.
At this moment, Genya Yamagami finally noticed Isshin standing in the corridor. He quickly put down the wooden Buddha and sword in his hands, stood up, and bowed respectfully.
"Master."
Isshin nodded, his gaze sweeping over him and Tadayoshi Yagyu beside him, and said succinctly, "I'm going out for a while. You two will be training on your own while I'm gone."
"Understood!"
The two replied in unison.
Without saying another word, Isshin turned and strode out, the hem of his clothes drawing a clean arc in the air.
"Master!"
Tadayoshi Yagyu, or rather, Owl, couldn't help but raise his voice at the retreating figure and ask, "Where are you going?"
Isshin's steps never faltered, but only one word drifted back clearly with his departing footsteps: "Konoha!"
Konoha!?
Upon hearing this, Tadayoshi's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with envy and longing.
Konoha! That was the sacred ninja land he had always longed for!
…
October, Konoha Year 46.
Although it was already autumn, the air was still so stuffy it felt like it was solid. Even in the lush greenery of Konoha, it was difficult to completely dispel the unsettling heat that permeated from all directions of the Shinobi World.
The tension is high.
The Raikage of the Village Hidden in the Cloud's public pronouncements grew increasingly forceful, while the Tsuchikage of the Village Hidden in the Stones, Onoki, maintained an enigmatic silence.
The Mizukage remained shrouded in seclusion within the Village Hidden in the Mist, but the scattered intelligence emanating from that sea area revealed an even deeper and more sinister nature.
Although the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand has not made a clear statement, he has not made a public appearance for some time.
However, the frequent military mobilizations within its borders and the expansion of its ninja forces have already revealed its true intentions.
That said, for the Kage of a village not to appear publicly for over a month was rare in the Shinobi World. The Village Hidden in the Sand's explanation was that he had gained some insight and was in seclusion for training.
The reason sounded perfectly legitimate.
However, a small number of people privately speculated that something might have happened to the third Kazekage since he did not show up at this critical moment.
He hasn't made a public appearance for so long that it's possible he's gone missing, and his fate is currently unknown.
Ah, since his fate is unknown, then he must be dead.
Of course, this statement is limited to a small group of people who make malicious speculations and is regarded as a joke by the general public.
After all, the third Kazekage is known as the strongest Kazekage in the history of the Village Hidden in the Sand. How could something happen to him on his own turf?
However, all those with a keen sense of smell know that the curtain of peace is being slowly drawn back by an invisible hand, revealing the cold glint of swords behind it.
However, amidst this oppressive atmosphere of impending doom, a completely different trend, imbued with the warmth of everyday life and scorching heat, swept through the streets and alleys of the Land of Fire at an astonishing speed.
At first, the children were excitedly passing around a novel manga called Cooking Master Boy with a unique art style that tells the story of cooking battles, and discussing the young chef in the story who shares the same name as the real-life genius ninja.
Then, some adults who already loved manga and cooking were also drawn in. They were amazed by the almost obsessive detail in the manga about the cooking process and how the dish called Mabo Dofu was described as so enticing.
Then, a restaurant owner in Taiyoto, a seasoned manga fan and chef, decided to give it a try and meticulously recreated the Mabo Dofu recipe from the detailed appendix of the first volume of the manga.
When that plate of glistening, spicy, and fragrant dofu was served, everything changed.
The diners' exclamations, the word-of-mouth praise, and the imitation by other restaurants... All exploded like a drop of water thrown into a hot oil pan!
In just over four months, Mabo Dofu and the Cooking Master Boy manga spread like wildfire from Taiyoto to major towns in the Land of Fire.
Restaurants are launching truly top-notch Mabo Dofu to attract customers, and housewives are studying the recipes in the manga appendix and trying to recreate them.
The name Shinichi Higashino has been firmly linked to the new, very approachable title of culinary manga author, who created new dishes inspired by Konoha's genius ninja and Master Chef.
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