Chapter 256: Is This the Main Point?  

"Sensei, I really didn't expect you to have been deceiving me all along." 

In the Konohagakure hospital, Uzumaki Nagato, who had just regained consciousness, quietly looked at Suisei in front of him and spoke softly. 

"I'm sorry." 

Hearing this, Suisei pressed her lips together. She had countless reasons ready, but none of them came out. 

What reason could there be? 

If you deceive someone, you apologize. 

It doesn't matter why—it's as simple as that. 

"Sensei… was there something you couldn't avoid?" 

Looking at Suisei, who had her head lowered and seemed visibly disheartened, Nagato let out a bitter smile, a hint of hope in his eyes. 

Nagato wanted Suisei to have an unavoidable reason. 

Otherwise, his entire life up to this point would feel utterly meaningless. 

He would have been nothing more than a disposable pawn, living inside a carefully woven lie. 

"I had no choice." 

Looking at the pale and frail Uzumaki Nagato in front of herim, Suisei pressed her lips together and spoke quietly. 

Just a kid of fifteen or sixteen years old. 

The age when a ninja's talent begins to shine, ready to leave their mark on the world. 

But now, lying in a hospital bed, his body drained of nearly all its vitality, he could only rely on cold machines to sustain him. 

There was no other way. The severe loss of life force meant that even Tsunade could only stabilize his condition temporarily. 

Senjutsu could save Uzumaki Nagato. 

But it wasn't a magic cure that could instantly bring him back to health. 

In his current state, it was as if Uzumaki Nagato were a character in a fantasy world, needing a rare elixir to survive. 

Even Tsunade, the top medical ninja, could only use natural energy to slowly restore his vitality. 

This process would take a long time. 

After all, Uzumaki Nagato's body wasn't capable of handling a large amount of natural energy in a short period, even if it was beneficial. 

Draining and replenishing are two very different concepts. 

"Because I lost. I lost to Kumogakure, and so I lost my right to choose." 

Uchiha Suisei shook her head and let out a long sigh. 

"So, sensei never meant to deceive me from the beginning?" 

Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Uzumaki Nagato's face. 

That answer was enough. 

"Come on… I didn't even know who you were at first." 

Suisei shook her head helplessly. 

"Teaching you was a task assigned to me. I had to complete it." 

After saying this, Suisei paused, then added to Uzumaki Nagato. 

"I see… So that's why you were so cold to me when I was a kid." 

Nagato suddenly understood, and some of the questions he had as a child were finally answered. 

Thinking back now, it wasn't indifference at all… 

It was killing intent! 

"Take good care of yourself. Your parents are waiting for you to come home." 

Pressing her lips together, Suisei stood up and spoke to Uzumaki Nagato. 

After saying this,s he turned and left Nagato's hospital room. 

"Parents, huh?" 

Watching Suisei's departing figure, Uzumaki Nagato muttered to himself. 

What a… unfamiliar word. 

… 

At the central lake. 

Tsunade was guiding Ryuri and Tatsuki in their training. 

Meanwhile, Raijin was marking a map with his finger. 

The ninja world was vast, and finding a passage to the moon was almost impossible. 

So Raijin had no choice but to explore the entire ninja world. 

If possible, he wanted to do it all in one go. 

By combining sensory abilities from natural energy and his mind network, he could achieve an extremely powerful perception. 

If he used his elemental form to travel through the atmosphere, theoretically, he should be able to explore the entire ninja world in a very short time. 

It's just… it uses up quite a bit of Senjutsu chakra. 

"Whew~" 

Using the map, Raijin roughly calculated how many shadow clones would be needed to accomplish this feat. 

Closing his eyes to focus, Raijin formed a hand seal with both hands. 

Seal of Yin, release! 

The current Yin Seal was no longer the same as before. 

In the past, it stored regular chakra, but now, it stored Senjutsu chakra. 

The reason he reached this level was thanks to Uzumaki Mito. 

A large amount of Senjutsu chakra surged, creating immense pressure. Tsunade quickly moved in front of Tatsu and Ryuri to shield them. 

At the same time, golden chakra lit up, forming a protective barrier around herself, Tatsu, and Ryuri. 

As for Suisei, who had just arrived, he instantly shifted into a phased state. 

To be honest, Suisei truly felt that Kamui was incredibly useful. 

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" 

A massive amount of Senjutsu chakra was evenly split, and in the next moment, hundreds of shadow clones appeared around them. 

Without any hesitation, 

almost instantly, all the clones transformed into lightning and disappeared from Raijin's side. 

"Making such a big show just to use Shadow Clone Jutsu? Only you could pull this off, Raijin-san." 

Suisei looked at Raijin with a mocking tone. 

"Hmph." 

Raijin glanced at Suisei dismissively without saying a word. 

In truth, these shadow clones weren't enough to fully explore the entire ninja world in one go. 

After all, the ninja world was vast. 

But this was already Raijin's limit. 

On one hand, he had to account for his own limits. On the other, he had to stay alert to the threats of Madara and the unknown ninja. 

Raijin needed to maintain enough strength to deal with them. 

"Teach me!" 

Before Suisei could say anything else, a voice suddenly called out. 

Feeling his hand being grabbed, Raijin chuckled softly and looked down to see Tatsu's eager expression. 

Looking up slightly, Raijin saw the same longing in Ryuri's eyes. 

To be honest, Raijin felt a little disappointed. 

If only it were Ryuri holding onto him instead of Tatsu. 

Wouldn't it be better to have his adorable daughter clinging to his arm and begging than his son? 

But the reality was that Tatsu, despite being a boy, had inherited Tsunade's temper and talent. 

He was great at using superhuman strength, and compared to a young Tsunade, 

his mental focus and Sharingan made him far superior. 

On the other hand, Ryuri, being a girl, had inherited Raijin's abilities. 

She was incredibly skilled with Lightning Release, and her reaction speed was unbelievable. 

More importantly, her physical constitution, at least twice as strong as Raijin's at her age, made her exceptionally powerful. 

Raijin was already planning to teach Ryuri Senjutsu in the near future. 

But her personality was a bit too reserved. 

Still, Ryuri's quiet nature was part of what made her so endearing. 

Lowering his head again, Raijin looked at Tatsu with a playful glint in his eyes. 

"Oh? Do you think our relationship is at the point where I'll just teach you anything you ask for, young master?" 

"Ah!!! Teach me already!" 

"Hahaha…" 

Raijin laughed heartily. Actually, having a son who could act spoiled wasn't so bad. 

"But this is just a Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. The reason it looked so impressive is because your dad is really strong." 

Looking down at Tatsu's head, Raijin shrugged helplessly and spoke to him. 

Is it because Dad is that strong? 

Ryuri watched the scene, reflecting on Raijin's words just now. 

"So, if you want to do something like I just did, you'll need to train hard." 

Raijin gently broke free from Tatsu's hold and sat on the ground. With one hand around Tatsu's waist, he extended the other toward Ryuri.

"…"

Seeing his outstretched hand, Ryuri's face turned slightly red—a rare sight. But after a moment of thought, she stepped into Raijin's arms.

"You two have way more talent than your mom and I did when we were kids. It took me almost thirty years to get this far. Now, let's see if you can break my record."

With his son on one side and his daughter on the other, Raijin couldn't help but smile brightly, just like Might Duy. 

"Kids need encouragement," he said to Ryuri and Tatsu. 

As for whether they would grow up to be successful... 

That didn't matter. Living a happy life was what mattered most. 

Raijin had never wanted his children to bear any burdens. His own dreams were his to fulfill. Why pressure his kids? 

"Hmph! I'll surpass you in just ten years!" 

Tatsu immediately declared, turning to Uchiha Raijin. 

"Oh? Feeling confident, are we?" 

Raijin glanced at him with curiosity. 

"I'll do my best," Ryuri said softly, her lips pressing together. 

"Don't push yourself too hard. You're already doing great. From what I've heard, there's no one at the ninja academy who can beat you, Ryuri." 

Raijin turned to her with a smile. 

"Exactly! I remember that genius Kakashi couldn't even last three rounds against you!" 

Tatsu eagerly nodded, chiming in with Raijin. 

"If I couldn't defeat him within three rounds with my combined Senju and Uchiha bloodline, it'd be embarrassing," Ryuri said quietly, shaking her head. 

"Ryuri, you're amazing," Raijin said, looking at her warmly. 

But at that moment, Raijin had a sudden realization—Ryuri might need to experience some failure. 

If she kept winning all the time, losing at a critical moment could deal her a devastating blow. 

"It's been a while since we trained together, hasn't it? How about it? Interested in sparring with me?" 

Raijin tilted his head toward Ryuri, asking. 

"Really?" 

Ryuri's eyes lit up instantly. 

To her, the ninja academy had become boring. Her classmates no longer posed a challenge, and her elders could easily defeat her in an instant. 

But her father, Uchiha Raijin, was her favorite opponent. 

Ryuri missed the days when she and Raijin practiced sword techniques together—the intense speed and exhilarating battles! 

Yet, as she grew older, her father sparred with her less and less. 

Still, she understood. Her father was busy with many responsibilities. 

Because of that, Ryuri never voiced her desire to spar with him again. 

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" 

Raijin looked surprised for a moment before laughing softly. 

"If you want to spar with me, just say so. Or, you could even attack me directly!" 

Shaking his head, Raijin stood up, set his sword aside, and took a wooden sword that Tsunade handed him. 

"I thought you were too busy..." Ryuri said, pulling out the wooden sword at her waist. 

"You probably don't know this, but I handle most of my duties using shadow clones," 

Raijin chuckled, looking at Ryuri. 

He hadn't realized there was a gap between him and his daughter. 

It was a completely new experience for him. 

The words, *"You're more important than my duties,"* almost slipped out of his mouth, but Raijin held them back. 

Raijin's intuition told him that saying it outright might only deepen the gap. 

So, he decided to directly explain to Ryuri how he handled official matters. 

Focus more on objectivity and less on subjectivity. 

"Is that so?" 

Ryuri was stunned for a moment, then let out a chuckle, realizing he had overthought things. 

In that case… 

"Then I hope we can spar more often." 

"Sure." 

Raijin nodded, lightly swinging the wooden sword in his hand. In an instant, his figure lunged toward Uchiha Ryuri. 

A strike aimed at the throat! 

It was a speed Uchiha Ryuri could definitely react to. 

"You're underestimating me too much." 

The crimson Sharingan with three tomoe spun into view. Ryuri raised his sword to block, sidestepping as he advanced, aiming straight for Raijin's vital spot. 

"Impressive." 

Seeing this, Raijin increased his speed, countering Ryuri's moves while still leaving room for him to respond. 

To be honest, sparring in swordsmanship with Uchiha Ryuri was quite exhausting. 

… 

"Madara, let's work together." 

As a space-time vortex appeared, Otsutsuki Isshiki's figure emerged before Uchiha Madara. 

After careful thought, Isshiki had finally decided to approach Madara. 

He couldn't wait any longer. 

The more time passed, the stronger Konohagakure would become. 

This was something Isshiki couldn't allow. 

Now, he was desperate. 

"Work together?" 

Madara blinked, his expression calm as he questioned Isshiki. 

Although Madara appeared calm on the surface, inwardly he was on high alert. 

How did this guy figure out where I was? 

"I can help you hold off Konohagakure's top ninjas and give you the chance to capture the tailed beasts." 

Otsutsuki Isshiki nodded, laying out his proposal to Madara. 

"And how do you know I need the tailed beasts?" 

Madara chuckled softly, not revealing his intentions but instead questioning Isshiki in return. 

"Huh?" 

Isshiki froze, staring at Madara in disbelief. 

Wait, is that really the main point here? 

(End of Chapter) 

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