Naruto：Immortality and the Eight Inner Gates[Double agent]

It was late at night.

With pale lips and dark circles under his eyes, Jing staggered out of the bedroom, his exhausted body trembling with every step.

What's the sentence middle-aged men fear the most?

Jing didn't know about others, but for him, it was when Haruna smiled sweetly, her cheeks flushed, and said, "Let's continue."

Once or twice, it was amusing. Three or four times, it was sweat-inducing. Five or six times, it was dizzying, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Don't get the wrong idea—this was about massages.

Yes, massages. Helping his wife relieve the fatigue of their long journey.

Closing the bedroom door behind him, Jing took a while to shuffle to the kitchen, where he poured himself a cup of goji berry tea.

He was utterly drained, his legs weak and wobbly.

Taking a sip of his tea, Jing suddenly noticed two dark silhouettes sitting in his pitch-black living room.

A chill ran down his spine. Quickly, he flipped on the kitchen light. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the figures, and his pupils dilated in shock.

"Mas... Master?!"

"Hmm."

Sitting rigidly on the sofa, Tobirama Senju exuded an air of authority, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Across from him, Rinjin wore a peculiar expression, half-smiling and half-mocking, as if daring someone to punch him.

Seeing this, the guilt Jing had been harboring for leaving the village miraculously dissipated.

Rinjin, that scoundrel, though his smirk was insufferable, his presence here spoke volumes.

He was here to back him up.

Like a child who'd done something wrong and now faced a strict father, Jing's reverence for Tobirama far outweighed any sense of closeness.

If he had to face Tobirama alone, who knows how terrified he'd be?

Even though he was no longer young, some fears were etched into his very bones, impossible to erase.

After a moment of silence, Jing set down his tea and slowly approached Tobirama. Standing ramrod straight, he spoke respectfully.

"Master, you..."

He barely got the words out before Tobirama raised a hand, cutting him off.

Looking at his disciple, Tobirama let out a long sigh in his heart.

The Jing he remembered always had drooping eyes and a furrowed brow, a trace of melancholy etched into his features.

Now, though this kid stood before him with lowered eyes and a sheepish demeanor, the oppressive weight he used to carry seemed to have lifted.

Tobirama wasn't blind; he could see that Jing had finally let go of whatever had been burdening him.

With that realization, Tobirama sighed again, abandoning the words he'd prepared earlier.

"Jing, these years... how have you been?"

Hearing his master's uncharacteristically gentle and calm inquiry, Jing's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Was this really the strict master he knew?

It was like the rare moments when a stern father suddenly asked a caring question.

Faced with Tobirama's unexpected concern, Jing's nose stung, and a flood of grievances surged in his chest.

To Jing, Tobirama was no different from a father—strict, yet silently caring.

At that moment, he suddenly wanted to kneel before his father and pour out all the bitterness and hardship he'd endured over the years.

He was so tired. If not for the emotional support of his wife and child, he might have surrendered to Danzo Shimura's schemes long ago.

He was utterly drained. The pain of being misunderstood was like a thread slowly unraveling, stripping away his will to live.

Fortunately, after Tobirama's passing, he gained an unreliable yet steadfast friend. Though that friend constantly schemed against him, he also kept him going.

At the end of the day, that friend simply didn't want him to die.

Clenching his teeth tightly and pressing his lips together, Jing slowly knelt before Tobirama, his handsome face hidden in shadow as he tried to keep his voice steady.

"Mas... Master, I... I've been doing well..."

Looking at Jing's trembling shoulders, even someone as stoic as Tobirama was rendered silent.

Though Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't dared to tell him everything about Jing, Tobirama had still learned bits and pieces through his own channels.

For instance, how Jing was slandered by the villagers after saving Tsunade.

How he was ostracized from the Uchiha clan after becoming a senior advisor.

The village had been far too harsh on him.

Thinking of this, Tobirama felt as though a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, stifling him.

At that moment, Rinjin's brows furrowed, his face devoid of expression as he addressed the pair with stern reproach.

"Have you really been doing well?!"

"I..."

"Really?!" Rinjin's eyes widened in fury, his teeth grinding as he cut Jing off.

Though he often thought about luring Jing away, every path he'd pointed out for him had been the right one.

Whether it was starting from the grassroots level or overthrowing the clan leader to take charge and reform the family!

For a long time, he'd been conflicted when it came to Jing.

Most importantly, he had never harmed this idiot!

Even now, though he'd managed to coax Jing into coming to Amegakure, he couldn't stand the sight of him bottling up his misery.

If you're alive, then damn it, live happily!

"You idiot! You've been doing well?"

With a roar, Rinjin's fist came crashing down, shattering the coffee table into splinters.

"You've been doing well?

I went through hell to turn Danzo into that pathetic state, just to keep idiots like you out of his clutches!

And you have the audacity to say you've been doing well?! Tell him! Tell him what kind of bullshit you've endured!"

Bellowing, Rinjin was like a raging bull, his eyes red and his glare filled with frustration as he stared at Jing.

Seeing this, Jing, still kneeling before Tobirama, trembled slightly. Slowly, he raised his hands to cover his face.

"Ugh...

Master Tobirama, I... I..."

Watching the tears drip onto the floor, Rinjin's heart softened for a moment before he angrily swung his fist through the air.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!

If you won't say it, I will!"

Pointing at Jing's figure, Rinjin glared at Tobirama like a mother wolf defending her cubs.

"This idiot! To restore the Uchiha clan's reputation:

He enthusiastically swept the streets with a broom;

Apologized and bowed for drunk and disorderly clansmen;

Carried chamber pots for old folks;

Paid for the damages caused by brats from his clan!

And for all that, he was called a fool, accused of ulterior motives, of coveting the Hokage's seat, of being a disgrace to the Uchiha, of being weak and useless!

This idiot! To integrate the Uchiha into the village, he accepted an invitation to join the Konoha leadership;

Only to be ostracized by his clan;

Targeted by the clan leader;

Exiled from his family!

This idiot! After leaving the village to fight in wars, he was stabbed in the back!

If I hadn't kept a constant eye on this moron, he'd have been stabbed to death eight hundred times over by now!"

Spewing a torrent of curses, Rinjin still wasn't satisfied as he shot another glare at the kneeling Jing.

Silence.

Neither Tobirama, seated on the sofa, nor Haruna, who was crouched behind the door clutching their child and weeping silently, nor Rinjin himself, made a sound.

After a long pause, Jing, his head bowed, slowly lifted his face. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but his lips curled into a gentle smile.

"Master Tobirama, just... just think of me as dead."

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