Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 162

The scorching afternoon sun on Tanabata Street was cut into fragmented spots of light by the dilapidated eaves of the abandoned courtyard, sprinkling onto the dusty stone pavement.

The air was filled with the scent of old wood and weeds, creating a strange contrast with the hustle and bustle of the casino street not far away.

This place became Naruto and Sasuke's temporary training ground.

Sweat soaked through Naruto's orange training uniform as he sat cross-legged atop a stone pier no bigger than a bowl.

The stone pier had an uneven surface and could barely accommodate his buttocks.

His eyes were closed, his brows were furrowed, and his body swayed slightly like a willow branch in the wind.

Every slight sway affects the stability of the stone pier beneath your feet.

He was trying hard to recall his father Minato's words: "A calm mind...feel your breath...the lake is still..."

At the edge of the broken wall not far away, Sasuke was also in a state of high concentration.

He chose an even more treacherous spot—the sharp edge of a broken stone pillar, with only a foothold the size of a palm.

His Sharingan was not activated, but his deep black eyes were unusually focused at the moment.

He stared intently at a small pebble on the ground in front of him, as if trying to see through it.

His breathing was long and steady, and his body was also slightly adjusting its center of gravity.

But the amplitude was much smaller than Naruto's, revealing a calm tenacity.

Inside the sealed space, both Kurama's and Minato's consciousnesses were focused on the tense situation outside.

As for Madara, he seemed bored and had already fallen into a deep sleep on the giant head of the Nine-Tails.

After confirming that the long, straight black man above her was breathing steadily, Kurama lowered her voice and asked, "Hey, Minato, before you ran into this old Madara... how was he described in the history books?"

"Madara-san?"

Minato looked thoughtful: "Just like Jiraiya-sensei said, cold-blooded, ruthless, and indifferent to family ties, willing to do anything to achieve their goals."

"Ha ha……"

Nine-Tailed Fox almost burst out laughing: "Who on earth wrote your history books? That stuff is written exactly like a demon, they practically smeared him blacker than the bottom of a pot!"

I really don't know how much the people who wrote the history books hated him!

A hint of helplessness appeared on Minato's face, but he still nodded: "That's true."

At this moment, Minato recalled the scene of his first meeting with Madara: "So... when I woke up back then, I found that Madara's consciousness was actually inside Naruto's body... at that moment, I was really scared out of my wits."

He paused, his tone tinged with lingering fear: "I was even prepared to self-destruct my spirit and risk my life to expel him."

"But..."

Minato's tone softened, tinged with a hint of emotion: "Over the years, although Madara-san's personality... well, it's quite awkward, and he always speaks with a sharp tongue, his deepest desire for peace is no less than any of ours. It's just that his methods... are too extreme."

The Nine-Tailed Fox's enormous beast eyes shifted slightly, as if it were lost in memories: "Speaking of which, back when I was sealed inside Mito's body, that guy Hashirama would come over and nag me from time to time."

At this point, Nine-Tails' tone was somewhat helpless: "But he just kept repeating the same few sentences: how sorry he was to Old Man Bantou, that he shouldn't have killed him, but he had to do it for the sake of the village... I'm so tired of hearing it."

"The results of it?"

Nine-Tails' tone was tinged with sarcasm, yet also with an indescribable complexity: "Overwork took its toll, and he eventually passed away."

Minato paused, looking somewhat surprised: "Historical records state... didn't the First Hokage die because his old wounds from the battle at the Valley of the End recurred?"

"Died despite treatment?"

Nine-Tailed Fox scoffed, flicking its tail tip impatiently: "Just feel it! How strong are that guy's cells?"

"Even his cells can thrive in other people's bodies and create 'Wood Release,' so how could he possibly 'die' from a mere old injury? Minato, use your brain! He was just suffering from a mental illness; he wore himself down to death!"

Minato fell silent, his phantom flickering slightly, as if digesting this revolutionary information.

After a moment, he sighed softly, with a hint of realization and bitterness: "...It seems that is indeed the case."

In the real world.

"Phew..." Naruto let out a long breath, finally losing his balance and stumbling off the stone block.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said, "I can't take it anymore, I feel like my butt is going to split into eight pieces! Sasuke, how are you?"

Sasuke, also facing the sky with his back to the yellow earth, looked somewhat helpless: "I'm about the same as you, still far from it, but... I can feel the edge of 'stillness' now, and my body's feedback is clearer."

He was referring to the perception of muscle control and external airflow disturbances under extreme focus.

Just as the two were catching their breath and preparing for the next attempt, a cool and somewhat abrupt voice broke the silence of the courtyard:

"Excuse me, is this Tanabata Street?"

Naruto and Sasuke instantly became alert and looked in the direction of the sound.

At the entrance to the dilapidated archway of the courtyard, a young boy stood, seemingly out of nowhere.

He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a slender and upright figure. He was wearing an elegant moon-white kimono with simple bamboo leaf patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs.

What is most striking is his rare, pure white long hair that flows down like moonlight, casually tied behind his head.

A few strands of hair fell beside her fair, almost translucent cheeks.

His face was delicate and handsome, with a calmness beyond his years.

But deep within those grey-green eyes lay an indescribable emptiness and alienation, as if they did not belong to this noisy world.

The boy stood there quietly, his gaze calmly fixed on Naruto and Sasuke, as if waiting for an answer.

The faint aura emanating from the other person almost made Sasuke subconsciously activate his Sharingan.

Fortunately, Sasuke held back, his dark eyes sharply scrutinizing the stranger who had suddenly appeared.

There was no obvious chakra fluctuation from the other party, and their temperament was so calm that they didn't seem like a ninja.

But his excessively pale skin, even in the sunlight, and his empty eyes exuded an aura of danger that was hard to ignore.

He subconsciously took half a step forward, subtly shielding the still-breathing Naruto behind him.

His voice carried its usual coldness and wariness: "Who are you?"

The white-haired boy's gray-green eyes remained calm and undisturbed as he bowed slightly.

His movements carried an ancient sense of etiquette, and his voice was calm and even: "I am just a traveler. I came to Tanabata Street to find someone."

His words were concise, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, yet they inexplicably made Naruto feel somewhat uncomfortable.

It's like facing a piece of jade that has no warmth.

Sasuke's inner alarm bells rang loudly.

This quality, this ability to pinpoint this remote and abandoned courtyard?

He would never believe it.

But since the other party showed no hostility for the time being, he decided to stabilize the situation first.

Chapter 183 Kanbaru Takuya and Ishida Uryu

To keep the other party calm, Sasuke put on a smile that could be described as "friendly".

Despite the undiminished wariness in his eyes: "I see, we're also looking for someone in Tanabata Street. Hello, my name is Ishida Uryu."

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Jiraiya had previously agreed with them on aliases.

At the same time, Sasuke subtly nudged Naruto with his elbow, who was still observing Kimimaro's white hair.

Naruto snapped back to reality and received Sasuke's signal.

He immediately flashed a big, slightly silly smile, trying to imitate Sasuke's "friendliness": "Huh? Oh! Oh! My name is Kanbara Takuya! Hello, white-haired big brother!"

He tried to make his voice sound relaxed and natural.

Although even he himself found the name "Kamihara Takuya" a bit difficult to pronounce.

Kimimaro's gaze slowly swept across the two faces, as if confirming something.

He nodded slightly, his voice still steady: "Greetings, both of you. My name is Kimimaro."

He paused, his gaze seemingly sweeping over Naruto's sweat-soaked training clothes and the sharp, jagged edges of the stone pillar beneath Sasuke's feet.

A faint, almost imperceptible hint of inquiry flickered in his grey-green eyes.

His tone remained calm: "Judging from your appearance, you two don't seem to be here for leisure. Tanabata Street is famous for gambling; are you here... to see for yourselves?"

He cleverly avoided the more direct word "gambling".

Naruto was about to say, "We're looking for a blonde with big breasts...", but before he could finish, Sasuke interrupted him.

"exactly."

Sasuke's smile remained unchanged, his tone carrying a perfectly balanced blend of youthful curiosity and reserve: "I've long heard that Tanabata Street is known as the 'Gambling City of the Land of Fire,' and out of youthful curiosity, we came here specifically to see its bustling and vibrant atmosphere. However,"

He changed the subject, with a hint of "sensible" helplessness: "We really only know the basics of gambling, and our elders have warned us against it, so we haven't tried it ourselves. We've just watched and experienced the atmosphere."

His words were perfectly succinct, explaining his reason for being in Las Vegas.

They also cleared themselves of suspicion of gambling, which fits the persona of two "curious teenagers".

Kimimaro listened quietly, his face expressionless, as if Sasuke's words were merely a gentle breeze across the water.

He nodded slightly, seemingly accepting the explanation, and then subtly changed the subject.

A hint of melancholy crept into his voice: "It's good... to be able to freely choose 'experience' rather than 'indulge'."

He paused, his grey-green eyes gazing towards the noisy direction outside the courtyard: "I'm different. I'm here on orders from my lord to find someone."

"Unfortunately, the master did not tell me the man's detailed physical characteristics, only that... he was a gambling addict and must be a regular here."

"Oh? Looking for someone?"

Naruto scratched his head, trying his best to play the helpful role of "Kanbara Takuya": "That's similar to us! We're also looking for someone! The person we're looking for..."

He was about to say, "The features are very obvious," but immediately realized he shouldn't say that carelessly, so he quickly swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Finally, he gave a couple of awkward laughs.

Kimimaro's gaze fell on the two of them again, this time lingering a little longer.

On his handsome but lifeless face, the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly upwards, forming an extremely brief, almost illusory arc.

"I see."