Chapter 19

Ban and Cat Xiaoxian landed in a nearby forest. Cat Xiaoxian put away the two bamboo helicopters and squatted on Ban's shoulder, puzzled, "Ban, do you know that person?"

"If it's him, I've known him for a long time." Ban's eyes showed a complex expression. Without looking at Cat Xiaoxian's confused face, he walked towards the stream.

At the stream, a young boy in ordinary clothes was holding several stones, concentrating on playing a game of skipping stones.

Splash!

The water surface rippled as the stone flew accurately to the opposite bank.

"Great!" The boy shouted excitedly.

"Nice skills." A calm voice came from behind the boy.

"Who's there?" The boy suddenly turned around and saw a black-clothed boy, who was a head taller than him, looking at him calmly.

"Who are you?" The boy's face showed confusion, but he was secretly on guard. This person, about the same age as him, had managed to approach him without him noticing.

He was the top genius in his clan; unless it was a Jonin, he wouldn't have missed it.

"What's your name?" Ban, seeing the familiar face, was already certain but still asked.

"Hmph! When asking someone's name, shouldn't you give yours first?" The boy glared at Ban.

"My name is Ban. For certain reasons, I can't tell you my surname." Uchiha Ban smiled.

"My name is Hashirama. I can't tell you my surname either." The boy proudly said his name.

"Indeed, it's Senju Hashirama, my lifelong partner and rival." Ban sighed inwardly, picked up a stone, and threw it casually, causing a splash and landing accurately next to the stone Hashirama had thrown.

"That technique is the shuriken jutsu. As I expected, this person is a ninja, and... he's very strong." Senju Hashirama's pupils contracted, and he was extremely cautious, quietly increasing the distance between himself and Ban.

"Don't be afraid. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. No matter what, you wouldn't have been able to escape." Ban saw Hashirama's small movements and laughed.

"Anyone can talk big. Don't think you're great just because you're taller." Senju Hashirama's face turned red, and he shouted back.

"Ha ha..." Ban and Cat Xiaoxian both laughed.

"Ban, this guy is so stupid!" Cat Xiaoxian mocked.

"Since you know, don't say it out loud." Ban smiled sinisterly, mercilessly striking at Senju Hashirama.

"Cat, cat... can actually speak." Senju Hashirama, ignoring Ban's mockery, pointed at the black cat on Ban's shoulder, surprised.

"Stupid human, I'm not an ordinary cat." Cat Xiaoxian disdainfully glanced at Senju Hashirama.

"Wow! You're really a cat?" Senju Hashirama, with a look of amazement, walked towards Ban, extending his hand to touch Cat Xiaoxian.

"Take your hand away, don't come near me." Cat Xiaoxian shouted loudly.

Ban frowned, about to block Senju Hashirama, but suddenly he stopped, hugging his knees and curling up on the ground, muttering, "I really am an idiot, even cats hate me."

"..." Ban and Cat Xiaoxian exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

"Ban, is this guy okay?" Cat Xiaoxian pointed at her head with a paw and whispered.

"Shh! He looks pitiful enough, don't make it worse." Ban put his finger to his lips and whispered.

"Don't pretend to be dead. If you keep this up, I'll hate you too." Ban said helplessly.

"So, you don't hate me." Senju Hashirama instantly stood up, excited.

"Even though I know your personality, it still makes me angry." Ban sighed.

"Oh?" Senju Hashirama was taken aback, a strange look flashing in his eyes. He scratched his head and laughed, "You're a strange person. It's like we've met before! You talk as if you know me well."

"Who knows!" Ban said nonchalantly.

"Um! Have we really met before? But the name Ban sounds familiar." Senju Hashirama tapped his chin, thinking.

"Think about it slowly. I'm leaving." Ban turned around and waved.

"Hey! Wait..." Senju Hashirama stopped thinking and shouted loudly at Ban's back.

"Is there something else?" Ban turned his head and asked.

"Are you a nin..." Senju Hashirama hesitated, about to say 'ninja,' when suddenly a corpse floated down from upstream.

Both were stunned. Senju Hashirama, no longer caring about Ban, ran over, walking on the water to the corpse, and carefully examined it. He found that the corpse was wearing a ninja's outfit, with a clan emblem on the armor.

"This is the Uzumaki clan!" Senju Hashirama muttered, looking at the emblem. He stood up and ran back to the shore, saying to Ban, who was not far away, "You'd better leave quickly! A battlefield is about to form here."

"Is that so!" Ban's expression was calm. He turned and walked a few steps, then stopped, not turning his head, and said, "I forgot to tell you, I'm a ninja. I believe you are too. I hope we don't meet on the battlefield. Goodbye!"

"You..." Senju Hashirama stared at Ban's retreating back, his expression darkening, and he sighed, walking in the opposite direction, leaving the shore.

A gentle breeze lifted the fallen leaves from the ground, blowing them into the sky. No matter where the leaves flew, they would eventually fall back to the ground, becoming nutrients for the soil, nurturing new saplings. When the saplings grew, new leaves would sprout again.

Uchiha Ban and Senju Hashirama's first meeting was simple, but it marked the beginning of a new era. An old era was about to end, and the dawn of a new era was approaching.

In the long night, the darkest time is just before dawn.

Ban walked silently through the forest, with Cat Xiaoxian squatting on his shoulder. Seeing his low spirits, she tried to improve the atmosphere, "Ban, who is Senju Hashirama?"

She knew Ban had watched Naruto and understood the direction of the ninja world. Senju Hashirama must be an extraordinary person.

"He's as naive as I am, but for now, he's my enemy!" Ban looked up at the dense branches, thinking that he and Senju Hashirama would meet on the battlefield, but he didn't expect everything to return to its original path.

"Are you still thinking about Senju Hashirama?" Cat Xiaoxian, seeing Ban standing still, asked curiously.

"No!" Ban shook his head.

"Then why aren't you moving?" Cat Xiaoxian was surprised.

"Because I realized we're lost." Ban said seriously.

"..." Cat Xiaoxian's body trembled. Seeing Ban's confused expression, she angrily said, "Have you been infected by Senju Hashirama? Have you become an idiot too? If you don't know the way, why didn't you say so earlier? Why are we going in circles? Why don't we use the 'bamboo helicopter'?"

"Xiaoxian... it's good to have you." Ban suddenly picked up Cat Xiaoxian from his shoulder, holding her in his arms, and whispered.

"Eh?" Cat Xiaoxian was stunned, then quickly struggled, shouting, "Let me go! Help! Someone is molesting a cat!"

"I know you're a female cat, but you don't have to be so sensitive! We've shared a bed for three years, what's the problem?" If someone saw Ban at this moment, they would say he was insane, molesting a cat.

The Uchiha clan's girls who had a crush on Ban would probably be heartbroken, thinking they were even less important than a cat.

"Uchiha Ban!" Cat Xiaoxian roared, her paws extending sharp claws, and she fiercely scratched him.

After a while of fooling around, Cat Xiaoxian finally won.

The two put on the 'bamboo helicopter' and flew for a while, finally seeing the Uchiha clan's base.

"Xiaoxian, let's go down. We can't let them see the 'bamboo helicopter' yet." Ban stopped and flew to a rock behind.

"I don't understand you. At your own home, you're still using a secret gadget secretly. Are you never going to use the 'bamboo helicopter' in front of others?" Cat Xiaoxian pouted, following Ban to the ground and putting the 'bamboo helicopter' back into the fourth-dimensional space.

"How can that be! It's just not the right time yet. Besides, isn't it called a secret gadget because it's a secret?" Ban laughed.

"Ha ha..." Cat Xiaoxian's mouth twitched, stunned by Ban's cold joke.

"Let's go!" Ban picked up Cat Xiaoxian and thought, "I wonder how Izuna is doing? He's six years old now and will soon be on the battlefield. This time, I need to teach him some ninja techniques. I also need to spar with Uncle Kai. When he sees my three-tomoe Sharingan, he'll be shocked. I wonder if he'll be so ashamed that he'll commit suicide after losing to me."

Ban's lips curled up, and he held Cat Xiaoxian, quickly running towards the clan's base.