socalfunplaces Chapter 134: Preparing for the Birthday Banquet
Chapter 134: Preparing for the Birthday Banquet
For 320 years, there was no war in the ninja world.
In the 330th year of the Ninja Era, the nine tailed beasts traveled far and wide to help people. Shrines were built for them in villages and towns, and incense was offered to them without ceasing.
In the 340th year of the Ninja Era, the Uchiha and Senju clans finally signed a ceasefire agreement that would last for generations.
Inside the Myobokusan History Museum.
Black Zetsu lowered his eyes and recorded what had happened.
"Phew, Fukasaku, I've finished writing this."
But as his gaze swept over the newly compiled volumes of history books, his face instantly turned as black as ink.
"Fukasaku, let me ask you, when did the Myoboku-san Historiography Institute start doing this kind of illustrated stuff? And—"
Black Zetsu, staring at the old photo, couldn't help but exclaim, "How come this thing of mine is still in there?!"
Black Zetsu turned to look at Fukasaku, who was squatting beside the desk, stroking his eyebrows.
That photo showed him fleeing for his life on horseback when he was escaping from Luohu Cliff.
His disheveled and embarrassed escape was a stark contrast to his usual gloomy and reserved demeanor.
"Hehehe... Ugly photos of Black Zetsu are quite rare, they're precious historical material!"
Fukasaku chuckled and joked.
"So, back then, when Ah Fei was running around with a camera, I thought he was just messing around with nothing better to do. Turns out he was taking all sorts of embarrassing photos of me, huh?"
Black Zetsu shook his head with a wry smile.
"It was definitely taken while playing!"
A grinning voice suddenly came from behind a stone pillar in the stone chamber.
With his signature swirling face, Ah Fei darted to the table in a flash, his finger playfully poking at the photograph.
"These are all precious historical memories of the ninja world, so of course they should be properly recorded in the annals of history, so that future generations can see a different side of Lord Black Zetsu!"
Ah Fei said with a grin.
"How come you always pop up out of nowhere?!"
Black Zetsu looked at A Fei and complained.
"Hehe, sorry, sorry..."
Ah Fei just chuckled twice.
"Hey, Ah Fei?"
Fukasaku looked at him strangely, his face full of doubt: "Weren't you helping out in the intelligence department on Shima's side? What are you doing at the History Museum?"
"Oh my gosh, not only am I back, Master Shima is back too!"
Ah Fei clapped his hands, his whole being radiating barely contained excitement.
"Don't you all know? The Great Immortal's thousandth birthday is just around the corner!"
Lady Kaguya and Sage Gamamaru have both declared that they will hold a grand and spectacular birthday banquet for the Great Sage!
"What?!"
A "thousand-year birthday banquet?!"
Two exclamations rang out simultaneously in the stone chamber.
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku exchanged a sudden glance, both seeing utter astonishment in each other's eyes.
These two guys have been buried in bamboo slips every day, proofreading historical books, completely oblivious to what's going on outside, and haven't heard a thing.
"Huh? Neither of you immortals knew?"
Ah Fei dragged out his words, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he looked them over.
"It seems you two are sitting on the sidelines at the history museum, not even receiving news of something this important."
This date was personally set by Lady Kaguya and Sage Gamamaru, so we'll be able to have a big feast then, hehehe..."
As Afei spoke, his mouth was practically watering, and he smiled with a satisfied expression.
Fukasaku was stunned for a long time before he couldn't help but scratch his head and frown as he asked, "But... isn't the Great Immortal already over a thousand years old?"
Black Zetsu beside him didn't respond, but just silently lowered his eyes.
No one knows the span of time better than him.
From the time Kaguya first met the Great Sage Manji at Mount Myōboku, through the primitive era of the former Shinobi Sect, to the time when the Sage of Six Paths founded his sect, and then to the Warring States period of endless war, it has been exactly one thousand years.
The actual lifespan of 10,000 cycles may have already far exceeded a thousand years.
"Hehe, why worry about this?"
Ah Fei shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the two stiff faces before his smile widened. "Hey you two, you haven't... even prepared birthday gifts yet, have you?"
In one sentence, he accurately hit the two people's weak points.
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku froze simultaneously, their hearts skipping a beat, a wave of panic washing over them.
"Damn it! Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Black Zetsu pointed at Tobi and started complaining, "You're only telling us about something this big now? You're only letting us know when it's almost here?! Are you trying to trick us on purpose?"
"Hey Fei! You have to have a conscience to be a White Zetsu!"
Fukasaku's face fell, and he looked at Afei with a resentful expression: "Afei, Afei, you're so unreliable. How could you not tell us about something so important beforehand?"
"Oh, this..."
Afei scratched his head, blinked innocently, and said, "I thought those two immortals, who stay on Mount Myōboku every day and never leave the mountain, must have known long ago! I didn't expect it was all hidden from view!"
"But don't worry, the Great Immortal is very magnanimous. Even if you two go to the banquet empty-handed, he won't say a single harsh word!"
Ah Fei shook his head, looking at the two men's faces that instantly fell apart, and said with a grin.
He didn't give them a chance to ask further questions, abruptly changing the subject with a wave of his hand, his feet already moving towards the door:
"In short, I'm not going to waste my time worrying with you guys! I snagged tickets for a limited-time noon showing, and if I don't leave now, I'll miss the start!"
The words hadn't even fully landed.
The person had vanished without a trace, leaving only a distant "Good luck to you two."
Black Zetsu and Fukasaku stood by the table, looking at each other in silence.
In truth, both of them knew perfectly well that Wanci wouldn't care about such formalities.
Black Zetsu has always been at Mount Myōboku, and Fukasaku has been by Manji's side since he can remember. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is Manji's right-hand man.
Both of them were extremely close to Manji, his most trusted confidants. Even if they overslept and missed the entire birthday banquet, Manji would at most make a few jokes and wouldn't take it to heart.
That's the logic, but I just can't help but feel embarrassed.
After all, the two were veterans of Mount Myōboku.
These two are the most senior members who have followed the Great Immortal the longest. If they really go empty-handed, wouldn't they be laughed at by the younger generation?
Fukasaku turned to Black Zetsu, his voice pleading, "What do we do, Black Zetsu? We can't lose face in front of the younger generation!"
Black Zetsu had been frowning, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the bamboo slip in front of him. Suddenly, he stopped tapping!
His eyes lit up instantly, and he slapped his thigh: "Hey! Fukasaku, I've got it!"
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Just as Mount Myoboku was busy preparing for the next 10,000th birthday banquet.
The protagonist of this birthday banquet, Wanci, seemed somewhat helpless.
To be honest, Wanci didn't want to hold a birthday banquet for his 1000th birthday, because his lifespan had already exceeded 1,000 years.
I haven't actually calculated it to be tens of thousands of times.
When I first arrived, the Naruto world didn't even have a calendar, and there wasn't even a moon.
Wanci himself has never counted how long he has lived.
"I think it's just that you people want to eat at a banquet, using my birthday celebration as an excuse to have a big feast. If you want to throw a big toast, just say so..."
Wanci gently touched his forehead.
"Fine, as long as everyone's happy, let them do it..."