Konoha Year 24, Konoha Village Civilian Cemetery, before an unmarked gravestone.
Dressed in black, Rinjin sat cross-legged in front of the gravestone, a cup and a jug of sake placed before him.
"Hey, Mizuguma, how have you been lately?"
The gravestone remained cold and silent, offering no response.
"You're not even showing up in my dreams. Guess things aren't going too well for you, huh...
That so-called Pure Land must be full of strong folks. You better keep a low profile there, alright? Don't go chasing after women just to 'strengthen your resolve.'
And also..."
Rinjin slowly poured a cup of sake and gently spilled it over the gravestone. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.
"Just wait a little longer, alright? Once I pull off something big, take over Amegakure, I'll drag you out of that ghostly place!
Though, I wonder if those legendary eyes can really bring you back to life..."
As he spoke, Rinjin casually picked his nose, showing no regard for appearances, and took a swig directly from the sake jug.
"Just hang tight, alright? You idiot. You wouldn't listen to me, and I went through all that trouble to find you two wives!
You moron..."
Konoha Village.
Having bid farewell to Mizuguma, Rinjin strolled leisurely down the bustling streets.
It had been over four years since the Eight-Tails incident, and during that time, he had seldom returned to Konoha.
Buying a skewer of takoyaki for old times' sake, Rinjin politely knocked on the door of the Senju Clan's residence.
Before long, the sound of hurried, light footsteps approached from the other side.
"Creak~"
The door opened, and a curious face peeked out. Upon seeing Rinjin, Rii let out a cheer and leapt into his arms.
"Big brother! You actually remembered to come back!"
Ah, the opening attack—straight to the heart!
Setting Rii down, Rinjin habitually patted her head and gave her a once-over.
Dressed in a light blue fitted kimono with a cute bun hairstyle, she stood before him, radiating youthful charm.
In the blink of an eye, the chubby little girl he once knew had grown into a graceful young lady.
"Alright, let's go. You wouldn't want to be late for your ninja academy graduation exam, would you?"
Hearing Rinjin's words, Rii nodded enthusiastically, instinctively grabbing her brother's hand as she closed the door behind them.
On the way to the ninja academy, Rii bounced along, her face brimming with joy as she chattered non-stop.
"Big brother, what have you been up to all these years?
You didn't come back when Tsunade graduated from the academy, you didn't come back when I enrolled, and you still didn't come back when Tsunade became a Chūnin! What on earth have you been doing?"
"Business matters. Kids shouldn't ask too many questions," Rinjin replied, flicking her forehead lightly.
"Ugh, fine~" Rii pouted, rubbing her forehead with a look of mock grievance.
"All you care about is business. You're never home. Other kids have their parents pick them up after school, but not me!"
Rinjin rolled his eyes at her words, thinking to himself: If I didn't know better, I might've been fooled by that act.
Even the academy teachers had complained countless times about the "gang" of shady characters who regularly gathered at the school gates after class—waiting to escort their "boss," Rii.
Me picking you up? I'd be the errand boy for the queen bee herself.
Suppressing the urge to retort, Rinjin kept his gaze forward and put on a serious expression.
"It's not that I don't want to pick you up; I'm just really busy. Think about it!
Once we make it big, we'll build a massive mansion. Every morning, we'll wake up on a bed the size of seven or eight tennis courts.
We'll ride bicycles to the bathroom, sit on toilets made of solid gold, and use ten-thousand-ryō bills as toilet paper.
And if enemies show up, we won't bother with jutsu. We'll just smack them in the face with stacks of cash.
How's that for a life?"
Rii gave him a disdainful side-eye, her tone deadpan:
"Sounds great, but your aspirations are... hard to describe."
Rinjin shrugged, patting her head nonchalantly.
"Don't sweat the details."
Before long, they arrived at the ninja academy.
The gates were open, and parents accompanied their children inside, creating a lively and cheerful scene.
For some reason, this year's graduation exam wasn't the usual Three Basic Techniques test that Rinjin was familiar with. Instead, it was a combat-based assessment, much like those in Kumogakure.
At the academy's rear training grounds, rows of simple seating had been set up around a large dueling platform.
Rii had already run off to find her teacher, while Rinjin casually found a seat and settled in to wait for the matches to begin.
Not long after, a familiar figure approached him.
"Yo~ Long time no see, Kagami," Rinjin greeted, raising a hand.
The usually composed Kagami Uchiha plopped down beside him, looking visibly drained. He gave a weak nod in response.
"Rinjin, what brings you here? Is Rii graduating today?"
Rinjin nodded, subtly observing Kagami's expression before casually asking:
"Hey, Kagami, you don't look so good. Did your wife kick you to the couch again?"
Kagami forced a bitter smile, shaking his head. After quickly scanning their surroundings to ensure no one was eavesdropping, he sighed heavily.
"It's not about my wife. Lately, it's... the Uchiha clan. We're dealing with internal and external troubles."
Hearing this, Rinjin's interest was piqued. He leaned in closer and whispered:
"What's going on? Spill the beans—I could use some entertainment!"
Kagami rolled his eyes but, being familiar with Rinjin's antics, began to explain:
"You know how I've been working to improve our clan's image among the villagers, right?
For a while, things were going well. The villagers were warming up to us, and many even started interacting with our clan members.
But in the past year or so, things have taken a strange turn.
Some within the clan have started accusing me of pandering to the weak and disgracing the Uchiha name.
That's bad enough, but now some villagers are giving me strange looks too.
There are even rumors that my efforts are part of some grand conspiracy to seize the Hokage's position. And then there's..."
Kagami's expression became conflicted, as if he were reluctant to continue.
"And then what?" Rinjin pressed, his curiosity growing.
After a moment's hesitation, Kagami sighed and muttered:
"There are even accusations that saving Lady Tsunade back then was part of a staged plot. They're saying I... that I colluded with Kumogakure to pull it off."
"And you didn't refute them?"
Kagami shook his head.
Rinjin narrowed his eyes, clicking his tongue in thought.
No doubt about it—the higher-ups are making their move.
Not only that, but they were likely colluding with the Uchiha elders, offering them promises of power or influence.
It was clear that Kagami's efforts had drawn the attention of those with ulterior motives.
But Rinjin said nothing. He had already given Kagami his warnings and offered his help in the past. Now, it was up to Kagami to weather the storm.
Meanwhile, on the dueling platform, the graduation matches had begun.
Watching the kids sparring, Rinjin found it hard to muster any interest. Most of them could barely perform a single jutsu.
Kagami, however, seemed to find some solace in the spectacle, as if it offered a brief escape from his troubles.
Before long, it was Rii's turn.
The moment she stepped onto the platform, a chorus of cheers erupted from the sidelines.
"Lady Rii!"
"Boss, crush that ice-cube face!"
"Go, big sis Rii!"
Both the supervising teacher and Rinjin facepalmed simultaneously, their expressions darkening.
Across from Rii stood her opponent—a stoic-looking boy from the Hyūga clan.
After the two exchanged formal bows, they assumed their stances.
At the teacher's signal, the Hyūga boy charged forward, closing the distance with impressive speed.
Rii, however, remained calm, retreating while forming hand seals.
"Water Release: Syrup Water Bullet!"
A glob of sticky blue liquid shot from her mouth toward her opponent.
Rinjin's eye twitched involuntarily at the sight.
The Hyūga boy instinctively sidestepped, his movements agile and precise.
But Rii didn't stop. Her small hands blurred as she formed seals at lightning speed.
"Water Release: Syrup Water Barrage!"
Streams of viscous water bullets rained down, splattering across the platform and creating a sticky mess.
Beside Rinjin, Kagami rested his chin on his hand, nodding in approval.
"Impressive. Rii-chan's chakra control is excellent. She's using the syrup to restrict her opponent's movements.
Did you teach her this, Rinjin?"
Blushing slightly, Rinjin shook his head.
"Even more impressive," Kagami continued, clearly impressed.
"It's a clever strategy against a close-combat specialist like a Hyūga. The syrup not only attacks but also disrupts the opponent's footing."
As if on cue, the Hyūga boy slipped on the sticky water, losing his balance.
Cheers erupted from the sidelines as the other kids shouted:
"Boss Rii, finish him off!"
Smirking, Rii formed another set of seals.
"Water Release: Syrup Binding Rope!"
A rubbery rope emerged from the sticky puddle, coiling around the Hyūga boy and binding him tightly.
Kagami couldn't help but marvel:
"Rii-chan has real talent! Her chakra reserves are impressive, and these jutsu—did she create them herself? Very creative!"
Rinjin's face burned with embarrassment.
Creative, my ass! She's just spitting everywhere! How did this turn into a chakra lesson?!
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