novelraw Chapter 527 Farewell Dinner
Chapter 527 Farewell Dinner
Chapter 527 Farewell Dinner
In the courtyard of Kimimaro's family in the residential area east of the Yuhe River in the Star City.
In the antique-style veranda of the backyard, Kimimaro, dressed in a white kimono, was playing Go with Shikamaru while chatting about ninja clans.
"If you want to accommodate a lot of people, your house is indeed not big enough, but you said you want to set it up like a dojo? I've never seen anything like it." Shikamaru placed a black stone in one corner of the board and looked up at Kimimaro opposite him.
Kimimaro approached him to play chess this time, asking him about the composition of ninja clans. According to Kimimaro, the Kaguya clan had been wiped out, and he had been taken away from the Kaguya clan's territory by Menma when he was very young, so he didn't know much about how a ninja clan was structured and developed.
"I remember there are quite a few ninja clans in the Land of Stars, why don't you go and ask them for advice?" Shikamaru picked at his ear, staring at Kimimaro's Byakugan behind his red eyeshadow.
Although he was eating and sleeping at Kimimaro's house, this little matter was just a matter of convenience. Shikamaru was just curious. After all, the other party was a Jonin from the Land of Stars and the last survivor of the Kaguya clan. If he wanted to rebuild the Kaguya clan, asking the ninja clans of the Land of Stars for advice shouldn't be a problem, right?
Kimimaro stared at the chessboard with his Byakugan, the two red dots between his brows furrowing slightly. He slowly picked up a white chess piece and placed it down before answering Shikamaru's question: "Although there are quite a few ninja clans in the Land of Stars, there are actually only four clans with established clan territories: the Hyuga clan, the Uchiha clan, the Blood Pond clan, and the Ibri clan."
Shikamaru rested his chin on his hand, his expression seemingly casual, but he was actually listening intently to this rare piece of information.
"But the Uchiha clan's territory is in the form of city blocks, which is too large; the Hyuga clan's territory is somewhat rigid and lifeless; the Blood Pond clan and the Ibri clan's territory are quite modern, and I have consulted them about it."
As he spoke, Kimimaro looked up at Shikamaru and said softly, "But I actually quite like the lifestyle of small and medium-sized ninja clans, so I would like to ask what the structure of small and medium-sized ninja clans in Konoha is like."
Shikamaru reached into the Go box, took a Go stone, and placed it steadily, saying, "It's definitely time to start with the junior ninja clans. After all, expanding a clan from one person is no easy task."
He glanced up at Kimimaro, who was looking down at the chessboard. Kimimaro looked to be about the same age as him, but he was already a Jonin of the Land of Stars.
Moreover, according to the information he had gathered, Kimimaro was originally a member of the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure, but due to the high pressure of the Blood Mist policy, the Kaguya clan launched a rebellion. After being suppressed, they were massacred, leaving only Kimimaro as the sole survivor of the entire Kaguya clan, making him even more tragic than Sasuke.
If the Kaguya clan is to be revitalized, it will be difficult for Kimimaro alone; it will take at least two or three generations before there is any sign of improvement.
Kimimaro, however, shook his head slightly and said, "It's not that urgent. The main thing is that if more and more ninjas are transplanted with the Shikotsumyaku in the future, I need to prepare a large enough space for them to train regularly."
Upon hearing this, Shikamaru was slightly taken aback, which then turned into deep disbelief.
During this time, Shikamaru and his group in the Land of Stars encountered many ninjas who had transplanted bloodline limits, but Shikamaru's sharp mind immediately detected more information in Kimimaro's words.
The Star Country's bloodline limit transplantation technology has likely made a major breakthrough, and there will be more and more bloodline limit ninjas in the future.
Kimimaro, as the sole heir of a particular bloodline limit, is the only teacher who can guide these transplant recipients to adapt to and learn their bloodline limits.
"I see—no wonder you said you wanted to make it like a dojo." Shikamaru rubbed his forehead, indicating that he understood.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Actually, our clan is not very large. We don't live in a large clan estate like the Hyuga, nor are we clustered in neighborhoods like the Uchiha, so there's probably not much we can do to help you."
Kimimaro didn't mind: "It's alright, I just wanted to hear more about the other ninja clans. Thank you again."
"You guys are quite polite." Shikamaru scratched his neck, noticing that the ninjas from the Land of Stars he had encountered were all quite well-mannered.
Seeing that Kimimaro was still pondering the game, Shikamaru looked up at the darkening sky and guessed, "Choji and the others should be back by now."
No sooner had the words been spoken than a burst of laughter came from the direction of the main gate of the courtyard. A moment later, Choji, Kiba, Ino, Sakura, and the others arrived at the backyard from around the corner, carrying large and small bags of things and chatting happily.
There was even a white man in the crowd. He had a gentle face and was popular with the girls. After a few days, he and Xiaoying and the others had almost become best friends.
Seeing Shikamaru and Kimimaro playing chess in the corridor, the group waved their plastic bags full of various ingredients and exclaimed, "We bought a lot of fresh ingredients! Let's have a good meal tonight!"
Shikamaru looked at the group with a look of disgust and said, "Can't we just go to a barbecue restaurant? It's too much trouble to prepare it ourselves."
""
Choji, Kiba, Lee, Shino, and the others had already set up a grill in the courtyard, while Sakura, Ino, Yakumo, Tenten, and the other girls were preparing to wash and skewer the various vegetables and meats they had bought.
Bai walked over, bent down to look at the chessboard, and said, "This game looks a bit tense. Why don't we seal it off and play it later?"
Kimimaro was calm and collected, with a clear strategy, and was one of Shikamaru's few opponents in Go. Shikamaru turned his head to look at everyone busy in the courtyard and said with some regret, "I don't know when the next time will be."
Kimimaro remained silent, his eyes fixed on the game.
Bai smiled slightly at Shikamaru: "There will always be a chance."
Shikamaru blushed a little under Haku's gaze. Although he knew that the other person was a boy, the female version of Haku looked prettier than several girls he knew, and her personality was also very gentle.
He tried to change the subject, asking, "What about Menma and Naruto? They won't be here for the final farewell, will they?"
Today is their last day in the Land of Stars. After returning from Ono Village, Menma promised them that he would send them away from the Land of Stars, but Naruto and Sasuke's fate is up to them.
Shikamaru knew that Naruto and Sasuke would undoubtedly choose to stay, after all, they had been friends for so many years, and he was happy for them to be able to return to their families.
And then there's Menma. Although he's been deceiving them for a long time, their friendship from years ago still exists. Even though this trip to the Star Kingdom was forced upon them, the other party treated them very politely.
Shikamaru was genuinely angry if they didn't come to the final farewell ceremony.
Bai looked up at the living room and, through the glass sliding door, saw the clock hanging on the wall. He said, "They should be here soon."
As soon as the words were spoken, a sharp sound rang out.
Everyone turned to look and saw an adult man squatting on the courtyard wall, wearing a Star Country headband on his forehead, carrying two ninja swords on his back, with a blade of grass in his mouth, and a dusty-faced boy tucked under his arm.
"Oh, everyone's here." The young ninja was a little surprised to see so many people, then greeted Kimimaro and Haku: "This guy is exhausted. I heard you guys were having dinner here tonight, so I brought him over."
With that, the young ninja threw the boy he was carrying under his arm out.
Haku instantly stepped forward and caught the other person. Only then did Shikamaru, Sakura, and the others realize that it was Sasuke.
At this moment, Sasuke looked as if he had been baptized by lightning. His black bodysuit was wrinkled, and there were many scorch marks on his face and exposed skin.
"Sasuke!" Sakura and Ino rushed over with great concern and put Sasuke on the ground.
Sasuke slowly woke up, opened his eyes and saw Sakura and Ino, and gritted his teeth as he said, "I—I'm fine—hiss—"
Bai looked at the young ninja crouching on the courtyard wall and asked, "Was that a brutal attack, Senior Zuo Yun?"
Sato Sakumo chuckled, rubbed the area below his nose with his right index finger, and said, "This is special training that Hikaru-sensei specifically instructed us to give him. We can't let this kid down if we don't go all out."
He then waved his hand and said, "Alright, I've dropped you off. I won't disturb your dinner party any longer. I'm going home to play games now. Bye-bye."
After saying that, Sato Sakumo's figure flashed and disappeared suddenly at a speed that was too fast for anyone to see.