A True Hero Doesn't Rely On Plot Armor
"Hiss..." The academy elder instantly drew a mouthful of cold air.
The moon, round like a wheel, was faintly discernable among the floating clouds.
The academy elder hurriedly walked on the road, his face barely visible under the flickering moonlight.
It was hard to survive in this world, and Gu Masters going missing was a common thing. With his extensive life experience, the academy elder knew that under normal circumstances, these sort of sudden disappearances often spelled death.
Anyone can die, but Uchiha Sasuke cannot! Especially not dying in the Konoha village.
His identity was special, his father being the Uchiha Family head, his brother being the Rank four Gu Master Uchiha Itachi.
A Rank four Gu Master has yellow gold primeval essence, and they have absurd fighting power. Within the Konoha Clan, only the clan leader is Rank four and can match up to him, while the other clan elders were all Rank three.
The Uchiha Family head was at an even higher cultivation level. He was a Rank five, and under his lead the Uchiha Family rose to prosperity, becoming a large sized clan and possessing the resources of an entire mountain, with a large number of clansmen. Compared to them, Konoha Clan was just a middle sized one.
If the two clans fought, Konoha village would definitely have the disadvantage.
The most crucial part was, if this matter was spread, the Konoha Clan's reputation would be tarnished. Many merchants are vigilant in choosing their routes. Without the interaction with merchants, the Konoha Clan's surplus local resources would not have an avenue to sell, and the external resources they required would not be purchasable. As time passes, they would definitely weaken.
"This matter is severe, if we do not handle it well, it would be a disaster!" The academy elder worriedly rushed towards the clan head's pavilion.
Once he stepped into the conference hall in the clan head's pavilion, the academy elder felt the solemn and serious atmosphere.
The main seat was occupied by the current clan leader Hiruzen Sarutobi. The fat and short Uchiha Itachi brought along five to six followers with him and stood at the center of the hall, adopting an accusative stance.
Under the bright light of the lamp, the solemn faces of the elders who were standing at side of their chairs were evident.
Uchiha Itachi was a Rank four Gu Master, and since he was not sitting, these Rank three clan elders naturally did not dare to sit.
This was the deterrent force of a Rank four Gu Master.
It was also a form of respect for power.
"Greetings…." The clan elders were about to pay their respects, but they were stopped by the clan leader Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands.
Hiruzen Sarutobi who had grizzled white hair was using his finger to rub his temple, a look of distress on his face, "I'm not going to say more about the matter, the clan academy is always under your supervision. Let me ask you, where is Uzumaki Yami?"
The academy elder was shocked. Internally he thought, how does this have to do with that brat Yami?
He answered politely, "At this timing, he should be cultivating in the academy hostel."
The clan leader sighed, "brother Itachi is very suspicious now, he thinks that his brother Uchiha Sasuke's disappearance has something to do with Yami. I order you to go and bring him here immediately."
The academy elder shuddered in his heart. "Yes!"
He understood the severity of this issue, and hurriedly paid his respects before he turned around and left.
"brother Itachi, that Yami will be brought here immediately, have a seat." Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at a seat near him and said to Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi laughed bitterly, cupping his fists at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "I apologise to Brother! I was really anxious then, it has already been days since I've seen my brother, I fear for the worst. I really cannot afford to wait."
There are some things that, only after losing them can they be understood.
Uchiha Itachi only realised it in these few days, the reason why his father paired him up with the burden Uchiha Sasuke for the caravan.
It was to test his nature. Seeing if he could, while suppressing his brother, remember their kinship, and at the same time take care of this little brother.
If Uchiha Sasuke was dead now, how would his father view him?
When he realized this point, he immediately held investigations in the caravan, and quickly set his target on the Konoha village.
He rushed back without a single break.
Now that he was standing, reluctant to sit, it was to create the impression that he was determined to get the culprit. This was both emitting pressure on the Konoha Clan as well as giving his father a form of assurance when he return to the Uchiha Family.
"Reporting to clan leader sir, Yami has been brought here." Quickly, the academy elder brought Yami to the hall.
"Uzumaki Yami pays his respects to clan elder, Sir Uchiha Itachi, and the various clan elders," Yami said with an expressionless face.
"It's him?" Uchiha Itachi coldly observed Yami, at the same time, asked a female Gu Master.
This female Gu Master was the one who Yami bought the purple gold rock from at the gambling den.
"Yes, it's him! There is no mistake," The female Gu Master stared at Yami, saying confidently.
Uchiha Itachi nodded. Immediately his gaze was like two steel blades, slashing at Yami. But he did not interrogate openly, for this was the Konoha village, thus he had to give the Konoha Clan leader some respect.
Thus he looked towards the Konoha Clan leader.
The Konoha Clan leader had a serious expression. He knew that Uchiha Itachi purposely conversed with the female Gu Master loudly; it was not only to confirm Yami's identity, but also to assert his motive.
He was implying to the Konoha Clan head that he had the evidence in his hands, "I have sufficient confidence, so you better not overly defend your own clansman."
This caused some displeasure in the Konoha Clan leader's heart, thinking, "You Uchiha Itachi lost your brother, it was your mistake to begin with. Now you come here to our Konoha village with an accusative stance, do you think my Konoha Clan can be easily bullied? My Konoha Clan is impartial and works around based on logic, but don't be mistaken that this is a weakness!'
Thinking of this, he did not interrogate Yami immediately, but fiercely said to the female Gu Master, "Did you see clearly? I'm not afraid to tell you this, but Yami has a twin brother who looks extremely identical to him, are you really sure it's him?"
The female Gu Master was just a Rank one, and under Hiruzen Sarutobi's pressure, she instantly showed a hesitant and nervous expression.
Uchiha Itachi frowned and took a step forward, blocking her from Hiruzen Sarutobi's sight. Cupping his fists, he said, "Brother , I've always respected the Konoha Clan. Especially the Konoha Clan's first and fourth clan leader, these two were Rank five powerhouses. One built the clan from scratch, where he went through tough times and created the Konoha family's hundred year foundation. Another was a benevolent hero, for to protect his clan he sacrificed himself, and is worth respecting. Brother , as the clan leader, I believe you will act impartial, please interrogate this Yami."
Hearing that his tone had softened, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, but his heart had already decided.
If this Yami was the culprit, then he would hand him over. After all he was just a C grade, there is no loss in losing him. As long as it is able to settle this dispute.
If Naruto was the one who did it, Yami also has to take the blame. Naruto is an A grade genius, the only one in three years. The clan higher-ups still expect to nurture him greatly to go against that Haku from the Kiri village.
"Yami, don't be nervous." Konoha Clan leader smiled benevolently, using a gentle tone towards Yami, "Let me ask you, do you know any information about that Uchiha Sasuke?"
"Who is Uchiha Sasuke?" Yami looked up and said calmly.
"He's lying!" The female Gu Master from the gambling den shrieked right as Yami finished his question.
The people in the discussion hall, upon hearing this shrieking, frowned and all looked towards her.
The female Gu Master pointed at Yami, showing an agitated expression, "It's him, it's him! At our gambling den, he bought six purple gold rocks, and the fifth was a mudskin toad. Young master Uchiha Sasuke saw it and tried to use five hundred primeval stones to purchase it. This left a huge impression on me, even if a year or two passes I will not forget. Not only me, but the other Gu Masters at the gambling den saw it too."
"Is that so…" The Konoha Clan leader's smiled disappeared, showing a stiff expression and dragging his question towards Yami.
Yami only nodded now, showing a hint of nervousness, and pretended to suddenly realize, "Oh it's him. Alright, if he's Uchiha Sasuke, then I do know him. But after the gambling den incident, I did not see him ever again."
"He's lying again!" This time, it was not the female Gu Master, but a male Gu Master who called out in public.
Yami looked towards him, and as if he had recognised him, showed an expression of shock, but quickly tried to hide it.
His expression changes were reflected in everyone's eyes.
Everyone started to ponder.
"Esteemed sirs, I am an employee at the wine shop." The male Gu Master first cupped his fists to everyone, and then vigorously pointed at Yami, "That night, I saw clearly at the wine shop, he was sitting with young master Uchiha Sasuke, and the two secretly conversed for a long time!"
Once he said so, the hall erupted into a clammer of soft discussions.
The academy elder used a cold gaze and looked at Yami.
The Konoha Clan master moved backwards slightly, slowly leaning on the large chair.
"How can that be!" Yami showed an obviously frantic expression, hurriedly saying, "The wine shop had so many people, how can you recognise me just like that? You might be mistaken yourself!"
"Haha, I am definitely not wrong." The male Gu Master smiled, his gaze staring at Yami, at this moment he felt extremely confident.
"Not to mention it was young master Uchiha Sasuke who coming to our wine shop, we have to take care of him carefully. Even if it was not him, I would still have had recognised you, as you had given me a strong impression!"
Saying so, he raised his eyebrows, saying smugly, "Do you still remember? That day you came to our shop, wanting a cup of monkey wine. But you only drank a mouthful. After that you released the Liquor worm and fed the remaining monkey wine to it. I saw the Liquor worm and was very agitated, wanting to purchase it from you but you refused to sell it and walked away immediately!"
"Good, exactly what I wanted to hear." Yami laughed coldly in his heart, but showed an expression of shock on his face, subconsciously taking a step backwards.
"Liquor worm!" The eyes of the academy elder behind Yami shone.
But quickly he frowned again, and could not help but ask, "Yami, where did you get that Liquor worm?"
Yami clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, but refusing to answer.
The surrounding clan elders flew into a rage, starting to scowl.
"Yami, do you know the trouble you've caused!"
"Talk, exactly what happened?"
"Tell us of what you know, own up. This Liquor worm, is it Uchiha Sasuke's?"
"How can it be his? The Liquor worm is obviously obtained by myself! I opened it!" Yami raised his head suddenly, his expression worked up, as if he could not stand such a slander, and shouted loudly with an indignant emotion.
"You opened it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply.
"That's right, at this point, I shall not hide it any further!" Yami acted as if he was risking everything, speaking urgently, "I bought six pieces of purple gold rock at the gambling den, but because I did not have enough primeval essence, I only opened five on the spot. The last one, I brought back to the hostel and after opening it, I found a Liquor worm inside. I was overjoyed as I had searched up information on it before, and knew that the Liquor worm is a rare Gu worm that could supplement my lack of talent, thus I refined it on the spot."
"Wait, you said that you bought six gambling rocks and opened a mudskin toad as well as another Liquor worm?" The clan elders upon hearing this, could not help but ask in an unbelievable tone.
"So what?" Yami answered as a matter of fact, then pointed at the female Gu Master, shouting, "She can be my witness!"
Everyone on the scene were momentarily stunned before turning to look at the female Gu Master.
The female Gu Master felt the pressure from all the gaze and did not dare to lie, so she honestly said, "It is indeed true, Yami bought six rocks and opened the mudskin toad on the fifth. He brought the sixth piece away, but I do not know what he opened inside."
"Buying six purple gold rocks and getting two Gu worms consecutively, isn't this luck way too good?" The clan elders mumbled.
"What's so hard to understand? It's luck, who knows, heh, back in the days when I gambled rocks I also…"
"Wait, Gu worms are hard to refine, why did it sound like Yami easily refined it?" Some of the family elders asked suspiciously.
"You're muddled. Don't you know that when a Gu is extracted from a fossil, they're extremely weak, tittering on the brink of death? Even refining then from a lower Rank is possible. What's so peculiar about him refining the Liquor worm?" Someone immediately answered.
Yami continued, "I refined the Liquor worm and went to the stores on the second day, I indeed went to a wine shop in the afternoon and bought a cup of monkey wine. At night, I went again and witnessed a scamming scene, Uchiha Sasuke was selling a smelly fart fat worm as a Black Boar Gu to someone in my clan. Next, Sir Uchiha Itachi appeared and resolved the dispute."
"I went to the wine shop again, but I did not expect to see Uchiha Sasuke drinking wine in a poor mood. I had just obtained the Liquor worm and was extremely happy, so I asked him how many primeval stones I could sell it for. Who knew that Uchiha Sasuke upon hearing my Liquor worm, wanted to forcefully buy it. I obviously rejected him, I had no intentions to sell it, only wanting to know its value. Even if I wanted to sell it, that would have to be after I am Rank two, thus I left on the spot."
Yami's words had brought out the matter of Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi's conflict, causing the clan elders to see Uchiha Itachi in a different light.
Under these pressuring gazes, Uchiha Itachi coughed and asked Yami with shining eyes, "Then did my brother chase after you?"
Yami nodded, half lying, "He not only chased me, but also added an extra fifty primeval stones. But I did not want to sell it, so he was furious, claiming that the Konoha Clan was no big deal, asking me to watch out. After saying that, he walked away. I never saw him again."
Uchiha Itachi nodded internally. With his understanding of Uchiha Sasuke, he definitely would have chased after Yami and gave threats as that was his style.
If Yami said he did not chase after him, that would be a lie.
But since Yami said so, this led Uchiha Itachi to a predicament. His investigations led up only to this clue. Did Uchiha Sasuke really not search for Yami after that? Maybe he found Yami again afterwards, and as the two could not agree on the matter, he was killed by Yami - This is entirely possible.
'Speak, was Uchiha Sasuke killed by you!" Thinking of this, Uchiha Itachi interrogated fiercely, attempting to pressurize Yami with his aura.
Yami denied once again, claiming that he did not see Uchiha Sasuke anymore.
Uchiha Itachi had no other evidence, and while one side questioned intensely, the other denied. At this point, it had become a stalemate.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to their conversation, he turned displeased. That Uchiha Sasuke actually dared to threaten the Konoha Clan on Elemental mountain, this was not giving the Konoha Clan any respect! Now this Uchiha Itachi dared to interrogate a Konoha Clan member so intensely in front of all the Konoha Clan higher-ups. Nevermind if he had evidence, but now that he has no evidence or proof, if this matter spread out, what would happen to the Konoha Clan's honour?
"brother Itachi, it's not that I want to speak out of turn." The clan leader interrupted his interrogation and continued, " Uchiha Sasuke has gone missing for so many days, hope is bleak. The culprit who caused this crime definitely left behind some traces. Did brother find anything yet?"
Uchiha Itachi stared fiercely at Yami before raising his head and sighed, "I understand brother's words! If there were any traces, I would not have come here to find the culprit. That criminal is obviously experienced with vile methods and meticulous handling. To speak the truth, all the clues are at a dead end, and on the day we left, there was a huge rain that could have washed away all the possible blood traces."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled faintly. "brother Itachi, I heard that your Uchiha Family has a tracing Gu worm called the Underworld Path Butterfly. It can emit soul fragrance and be implanted on Gu worms. The scent is colourless and odourless, and never fades. Your Uchiha Family member's Gu worms all have this scent. As long as you use the Underworld Path Butterfly, following the fragrance, you'll be able to find the Gu worms and thus your brother."
Uchiha Itachi solemnly said, "I used the Underworld Path Butterfly long ago, but there was no effect. I'm sure you've heard that once the Gu worm dies, the fragrance dissipates. Evidently the murderer killed all of the Gu worms in my brother's possession.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words turned, "That's strange. The murderer harmed your brother, but he did not go for the Gu worms, or for extortion to get primeval stones. The murderer killed this tiny Rank one Gu Master, what was the motive?"
Indeed, what was the motive?
Regardless of whether Uchiha Sasuke was dead, there had to be a motive, right?
If not for Gu worms nor primeval stones, then was it for love?
But if it was a crime of passion, it had to be a long term process, and Uchiha Itachi would not have come to the Konoha Clan. The caravan members and clansmen would fall under greater suspicion as they have a long relationship with him.
At once, the hall fell into silence.
Yami followed everyone's gazes, and suddenly said to Uchiha Itachi, "Maybe Uchiha Sasuke was killed by you. I heard before that your family is splitting assets, now that one brother is dead, wouldn't you get more inheritance?"
"Shut up!"
"Baseless accusation, do not slander Sir Uchiha Itachi."
Immediately the family elders erupted.
Yami kept quiet immediately, his gaze shining obscurely, but his objective had been reached.
His earlier words were like a pebble that was thrown into the elders' sea of thoughts, causing waves of ripples.
The clan elders followed this train of thought, and started to think, "Uchiha Itachi cannot kill Uchiha Sasuke, this causes more harm to him than reward. Wait, even if he won't do it, that does not mean others won't..."
"The Uchiha Family's internal dispute!" A certain elder had a flash of inspiration and lightly muttered.
His volume was not high, but in the silent hall it could be heard clearly.
At once, the elders' gaze shone.
"Finally, they have thought of this." Yami's mouth twitched, his eyelids drooping, hiding away his cold gaze.
The Uchiha Family's clan leader wants to split the assets and impart the role of clan leader, and because of this his children underwent intense competition, especially Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito, both being Rank four Gu Masters and having their own supporters.
In these few years, the Uchiha Family situation is somewhat known by many of the mountain villages.
Uchiha Sasuke's misfortune was too strange. Currently there was no evidence showing that Yami was the killer. It was obvious that the motivation for murder was not enough just based on the theory of killing just because of a Liquor worm. At the same time, the murderer's actions and methods would not be so meticulous and secretive.
But if Uchiha Obito was the one acting in the shadows, then it could be explained.
Everyone present was a higher-up, and as someone in a position of power, there had to be something capable about them. At least for political schemes, they had great intuition and perception.
The Uchiha Family dispute, this gave everyone's imaginations a pair of wings.
The Uchiha Family clan leader had arranged Uchiha Sasuke to join the caravan. One reason was to test Uchiha Itachi's nature, to see if he was a good brother, and only suppressed but not bully his brother.
Now that Uchiha Sasuke was in trouble, Uchiha Itachi would be implicated, and who is the true winner?
Obviously Uchiha Itachi's greatest competitor - Uchiha Obito!
The criminal's actions were so fluid, causing all clues to come to a dead end, this showed how experienced the criminal was. How could this be done by a fifteen year old like Yami?
All the answers were revealed at once!
The discussion hall was still silent, but the elders exchanged gazes full of meaning.
"To make someone believe in something wholeheartedly, it is not through convincing, but directing." Yami's keen observation allowed him to see these glances, and he laughed coldly in his heart, but his face still showed an expression of indignance and stubbornness.
Uchiha Itachi's face was so dark and gloomy it could drip water.
The matter of the Uchiha Family internal dispute caused him to think of Uchiha Obito.
At that moment, his soul shook!
Who else had a greater motivation than Uchiha Obito?
No one!
"I understand now, I understand everything." The academy elder stood behind Yami, looking at him. His eyes shone, "Yami is both lucky and unfortunate, meeting Uchiha Sasuke at the last moment. With his age of just starting to attend school, how can he get rid of all the evidence? If he had such scheming abilities, how can he show this expression of indomitability. He denied it earlier just to hide the existence of the Liquor worm."
At this point, everyone had dispelled their suspicious towards Yami!
"Getting rid of the suspicions on me is just the first step, what happens next is crucial." Yami was in grasp of the situation, and at this point, everything was going according to plan. He sighed internally and looked at Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi looked at him too, the unfriendliness in his eyes growing obviously more intense.
Uchiha Itachi was conflicted.
He had dispelled his suspicions of Yami and was certain that Uchiha Obito was the mastermind.
"But yet, so what if I know the truth?" Uchiha Itachi felt anger and sadness surging, "I have no evidence at hand, so if I accused Uchiha Obito in front of father without any proof, father might even think I am trying to frame him!"
Uchiha Itachi was smart, and he looked at Yami, a light flashing in his eyes.
Uchiha Sasuke had journeyed with him together, and now that he was missing, it was Uchiha Itachi's fault for not taking care of him! Since he could not accuse Uchiha Obito, he had to give his father some answer.
And this answer was in front of him!
"That's right, if Yami is the scapegoat, it would at least help me get through this crisis. Once I get over it, I can get back at Uchiha Obito with twice the payback." Uchiha Itachi thought deviously.
He raised his pitch, interrogating Yami, "Yami, how do you prove that you did not harm Uchiha Sasuke?"
The clan elders were stunned. This is obviously your internal dispute, why are you still grabbing onto my clansman?
Only the Konoha Clan leader looked grim, his expression turning sharp as he stared at Uchiha Itachi.
"Yami, what proof do you have to show that you were not present at the time and did not harm Uchiha Sasuke? If you can't prove it, you are the murderer!" Uchiha Itachi pointed at Yami, his gaze furious as he threatened with his aura.
"He's trying to push our clan's Yami into being the scapegoat. How atrocious!" At this point, the clan elders had reacted and their expressions all turned unkind.
They had been fighting and scheming against each other for a long time, so if they thought about it, they would know easily about Uchiha Itachi's standpoint and intentions.
"Witness? Of course I do! I prepared it long ago." Yami smiled internally, but showed an expression of shock, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.
"No need for others, just tell me if you do or not!" Uchiha Itachi raised his voice again, forcing Yami.
Yami showed an indignant expression, but finally gritted his teeth and said helplessly, "No."
"Haha. Then you are —"" Uchiha Itachi was about to declare his verdict but at that point.
"Halt!" The academy elder took a step forward and stood in front of Yami with a solemn expression, "Of course he has a witness, that would be me!"
"You?" Uchiha Itachi asked in shock.
"That's right, me." The academy elder, facing Rank four Uchiha Itachi, was slightly overpowered. But seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's encouraging gaze, he gathered his courage and raised his head, "These days when Yami unexpectedly became the first to break through the middle stage, I sent my men to investigate him. His everyday activities and actions are recorded down, there was no time for him to harm Uchiha Sasuke."
"Yes, this is it…" Yami hid behind the academy elder's back, where no one could see his curled lips, revealing a smile.
Uchiha Itachi's expression was dim, he did not expect the academy elder to stand out and protect Yami.
The crucial point was, the Konoha Clan leader did not object. This had a great meaning, for it meant the Konoha Clan was going to protect Yami.
"I get it! I wanted to get Yami to become the scapegoat, but that was from my perspective, and I did not consider their perspective. Indeed, once Yami is criminalized, the Konoha Clan has to bear the evil name of harming a Uchiha Family member. From then on they will have to face the Uchiha Family's retribution as well as losing their own reputation. Furthermore, future caravans would not dare to come here and trade anymore, the loss is too great!"
Thinking of this, Uchiha Itachi was anguished and wanted to slap his own head.
The Konoha higher-ups did have such considerations.
Yami was a C grade, so if he really harmed Uchiha Sasuke, handing him over was nothing. But the point was, now that his suspicion had been cleared, if he was handed over, wouldn't the Konoha Clan suffer a great injustice and lose out greatly?
Knowing that this conflict could not be resolved, Uchiha Itachi gritted his teeth, determined to get his way. He said, "If so, why don't you let me use the Footprint Gu. Once this Gu is used, it will show us his last 30,000 footprints on the floor."
The academy elder scoffed in displeasure.
Uchiha Itachi's words meant he did not trust them. But he has no reason to stop him, thus he let Uchiha Itachi through.
"Come and test!" Yami laughed coldly at Uchiha Itachi, walking towards him with his head lowered.
He was confident, having predicted this. Thus, these few days he kept his activities within the village and did not go to the secret cave.
Under the Konoha higher-ups supervision, Uchiha Itachi did not play any tricks.
The Footprint Gu was very peculiar, it was shaped like a person's foot. Its material was like a translucent yogurt, giving others a feeling of smoothness, and the surface had a yellow-green luster.
Its size was small, being only palm size.
Uchiha Itachi held it in his hands, sending primeval essence into the Footprint Gu.
The Footprint Gu became brighter, and then suddenly with a "bam" sound, exploded into a cloud of yellow green powder.
The powdery cloud enveloped Yami and spun around him before flying out of the discussion hall.
Where the powder cloud passed through, the floor would show a series of footprints.
These footprints glowed in a yellow green light around the same size as Yami's foot. They were Yami's footprints when he entered the discussion hall.
The footprints extended from the family head pavilion into the academy hostel and then to the academy and circulated. Other than that, it reached the mountain village's inn.
The powder cloud became smaller as it flew, and finally at the 30,000th step, it vanished.
The results were clear, everyone had checked and knew that Yami was innocent, there were no suspicious points.
Uchiha Itachi sighed, taking out a small jade box.
He opened the jade box, where there was only a jade piece inside.
The jade piece was a translucent emerald colour, and there was a Gu sealed inside.
This was a phasmids, its body long and slim, with the colour of jade, its entire body looking like a bamboo tube.
The phasmids was normally longer than a palm, but this one wasn't, being only the size of a fingernail. On its surface, it emitted a white glow.
"Green jade as its body, white light enveloping its form, this is the Bamboo Gentleman!" At once, some of the elders recognised this Gu worm and exclaimed.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi was moved. He could not refrain from advising, "brother Itachi, this Bamboo Gentleman is a Rank four Gu, it is not easily refined. Why waste it here?"
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, looking at Yami: "This Bamboo Gentleman was obtained through gambling rocks when I was young. The rock was only opened halfway before it could no longer be extracted. As everyone knows, this Gu worm is fed honesty as food, being able to detect lies from birth. Only an honest gentleman who has never lied can refine and feed this Gu."
"Yami, you just have to open this rock and keep the Bamboo Gentleman in your aperture. Whatever I ask you, you will answer. Next, we will take out this Gu and let everyone see if it changed colour. If the Gu changes colour, you're lying!"
"No problem." Yami did not hesitate. He immediately opened the jade piece and did as Uchiha Itachi instructed.
The Bamboo Gentleman appeared in his aperture and emitted a faint green glow, covering the primeval sea.
Yami felt that if he said a single lie, the Bamboo Gentleman could detect it and turn its body from green into another color.
But he only accepted it because he had his trump card.
"Spring Autumn Cicada!" With a thought, the Spring Autumn Cicada awakened and let out a trace of its aura.
This aura was overpowering, and it immediately suppressed the Bamboo Gentleman.
The Bamboo Gentleman emitted a green glow and immediately shrunk its body. Its entire body was curled up, trembling in fear. How could it have the excessive spirit to detect lies?
Uchiha Itachi begin interrogating, with his first question hitting home, "Yami, did you harm my brother Uchiha Sasuke?"
"No!" Yami affirmed.
Uchiha Itachi asked, "Do you have any other information about him?"
Yami shook his head, "No idea."
Uchiha Itachi asked again, "Did you say anything dishonest to us earlier?"
Yami shook his head again, "No."
"Alright, you can take out the Bamboo Gentleman now." After finishing with three questions, Uchiha Itachi instructed Yami.
Yami took out the Bamboo Gentleman, and everyone saw that it was still an emerald green colour with no changes.
The clan elders heaved a sigh of relief.
Uchiha Itachi's expression became milder as he kept the Bamboo Gentleman, cupping his fists towards Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Much offense this time, brother ."
"No matter, the truth is what we wanted to see as well." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, then sighed, "But what a pity for this Bamboo Gentleman."
The Bamboo Gentleman had the ability to detect lies and was a Rank four Gu, thus it was very valuable. But feeding and refining it was not easy. It had to be refined by an honest gentleman. If any other Gu Master had said a single lie, the refinement would fail and the Bamboo Gentleman would die on the spot.
Its food was honesty. It would reside in the aperture of an honest gentleman and consuming the gentleman's honesty as food to survive.
Now that the Bamboo Gentleman had been opened, it was extremely weak, but it had no food to restore its strength. After being treated so harshly by Yami, its death was set in stone.
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, looking at the Bamboo Gentleman in his head, not feeling any pity.
He said solemnly, "I have already done my best to investigate, but I received no results. This time, when I get back to the family, I will employ the divine investigator Tobirama Senju, it would definitely get this matter cleared up! Goodbye."
Saying so, he cupped his fists towards Hiruzen Sarutobi and left, crisp and quick, with a certain elegance to it.
Seeing Uchiha Itachi and the rest leaving, Hiruzen Sarutobi heaved a sigh of relief and said, "You can all leave now."
He waved at the clan elders, but suddenly thought of something and said, "Academy elder please stay back."
Without losing a single drop of sweat, Yami walked out of the family head's pavilion safe and sound.
"Clan leader, what is the matter?" The academy elder respectfully stood at a corner.
"It's nothing much, take a seat, I have a story to share with you." Hiruzen Sarutobi squinted his eyes and said slowly.
"Your subordinate shall listen with full attention!" Academy elder chose to sit at the seat closest to the clan leader.
Clan leader Hiruzen Sarutobi began his story on Genten.
Some say —
Ever since Genten was able to get their names and subdued the Rules and Regulation Gu, his first order was for them to capture a longevity Gu.
Rules and Regulation Gu, one round and other other square, worked together and could capture all the Gu in the world, a longevity Gu was nothing difficult.
Genten used the longevity Gu and got back his youth, becoming 20 years old again.
But now the rules Gu said, "Human, although you subdued us, every time you command us, it will add a rule and regulation."
Regulation Gu continued, "We can catch the longevity Gu for you, this is the first order. Our new rule and regulation is, we will not repeatedly catch the same Gu for you."
That means, if Genten wanted to catch a longevity Gu again, the two Rules and Regulation Gu would not help.
Genten nodded, having no choice but to accept.
He gave his second command, "Then, other than the longevity Gu, please capture all the other ten thousand Gu in the world for me."
Rules and regulation Gu got this command and Rules Gu turned into a giant circle, encompassing the universe. Regulation Gu turned into a giant square, covering the large world.
One square and one round formed a giant net together, enveloping the entire world.
When they shrunk again and returned to Genten, all the Gu in the world other than longevity Gu were captured.
Genten was overjoyed, with this all the Gu belonged to him, from now on he was the ruler of the world!
But once he opened the net, with a swoosh, a large number of worms flew outside and the Gu that Rules and Regulation Gu worked hard to catch, all escaped fervently.
When Genten closed the net, only five Gu were left.
"Why is this?" Genten was astonished.
Rules and Regulation answered him, "Human, the world has over ten thousand Gu with all sorts of abilities. You have no strength or knowledge, how can you subdue them? We can only capture Gu for you, to subdue them, you have to rely on yourself to get them to work for you."
Next they added, "This is your second order, so we'll add a second rule and regulation - From now on, we can only catch one Gu for you at a time."
Genten could only nod, and carefully opened the net, only showing a small gap.
The remaining five Gu contained the Strength and Wisdom Gu. Seeing this, Genten was overjoyed.
He said to Strength Gu, "Strength Gu, you left me back then, do you have any regrets? If you succumb to me now, I will return you your freedom."
Strength Gu said, "Human, you are wrong. I didn't leave not because I couldn't, but because I wanted to stay. You want to subdue me but that's impossible. I only succumb to those stronger than me, but you are out of the question. However we can deal again, give me your youth and I will temporarily obey you."
Genten was reluctant upon hearing this, he had just gotten back his youth, was he about to lose it again?
But he desired strength, he knew that with strength, he would get stronger and life would get easier.
Moreover, with strength, he could subdue more Gu.
Thus, Genten accepted, and formed a second deal with it.
Genten became middle-aged at once, and the strength Gu flew out of the web and landed on Genten's shoulder.
Genten had strength, and was full of confidence.
He said to Wisdom Gu: "Wisdom Gu, you left me back then, do you have any regrets? If you succumb to me now, I will return you your freedom."
Wisdom Gu said, "Human, you are wrong. I did not leave not because I couldn't, but because I wanted to stay. You want to subdue me but that's impossible. I only succumb to those smarter than me, yet you are not smarter than me. But we can deal again, give me your middle age and I will temporarily obey you."
Genten upon hearing this, refused to do the same deal again.
He treasured his life more, and he also knew that once he sold his middle age, he would be left with old age. Before long, the Strength and Wisdom Gu would leave him again, just like last time.
Genten refused to deal, but did not want to let go of the Wisdom Gu.
Wisdom Gu was anxious, reluctantly giving in, "Alright, Human, you win. I lost to you this time. As long as you tell me what method you used to capture me, I will admit defeat and not take anything from you, being at your disposal."
Upon hearing this, Genten was overjoyed and before the Rules and Regulation Gu could stop him, he said, "I used the Rules and Regulation Gu to capture you."
Wisdom Gu laughed upon hearing, "I remembered it, so these Gu are called Rules and Regulation. Haha, now that I know your names, you can no longer capture me."
Saying so, it turned into a flash of light and flew away, vanishing into thin air.
Rules and Regulation Gu begin to complain, "Human, we told u long ago that our name should be known by you alone, and not others. Otherwise, we would be used by others. Look what happened, now that Wisdom Gu knows our names, it spells trouble."
Only then did Genten realise that he was tricked by Wisdom Gu. He was anguished, for he knew he lost the only chance he had of capturing the Wisdom Gu using Rules and Regulation.
Saying so, Hiruzen Sarutobi's story came to an end. He looked at the academy elder with a meaningful gaze.
Academy elder jumped from his seat. He had heard of Genten's story long ago, but from Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth, it had a greater meaning.
His gaze shone and his heart understood. He bowed slightly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, respectfully saying, "Clan leader, you are using this story as an analogy? Yami as the Wisdom Gu and the clan as Genten. Although Genten used the Rules and Regulation Gu to capture Wisdom Gu and managed to trap it, the Wisdom Gu eventually escaped."
Saying so, the academy elder paused and thought about it for a while, before looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Sir clan leader, you want me to let go of Yami and stop pressuring him? But he's getting more and more overboard…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped the academy elder's words, holding out his hand, indicating for him to sit and speak.
The academy elder sat and heard Hiruzen Sarutobi sigh, "You, your comprehension is still superb, being an intelligent person, easily getting my point. Unfortunately your grasp of the situation is still too small, you can only see that tiny plot of land in front of you. Let me tell you, the academy is a small matter, and the clan is really the important one."
"I know what you are worried about, afraid that the other students are heavily suppressed by Yami, eventually losing the fire in their heart. Hehehe." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, pointing at academy elder, "You're overthinking it."
"What do you think the clan is doing? Just relying on your academy to nurture new people? Of course not, behind every student, there's their parents, elders, and friends. Only with these people's support, encouragement, expectations, our Konoha Clan's new generation can have the confidence and motivation in their hearts."
"Yami has indeed repeatedly exceeded my expectations, he has a hint of outstanding excellence. I have been observing Naruto secretly and I have long known about Yami's extortions, just let him continue. Use him to train Naruto, Kiba and Shino, these rough jades. There are many advantages in this matter, at the very least this round of students have the best fighting skills among all the previous seasons."
Academy elder was worried, "But clan leader, excessive hurdles isn't a good thing either, it will crush the jade. Especially that Yami has the Liquor worm now, this worm provides great help to a Rank one Gu Master. I'm worried that at the Rank one stage, under Yami's suppression, no one can overturn the situation."
"Then let them be unable to turn over the situation!" Hiruzen Sarutobi snorted, showing the grace and callousness of a person in power, "This tiny setback, what does it matter? Is it scarier than death? With their family elder's support, if they still lacked motivation, then they are not even jade to begin with and have no value to nurture. The clan has tons of new students into the academy each year, so if this season doesn't succeed, there's always the next. As for Uzumaki Naruto, starting tomorrow night, I will teach him in secret."
"With the clan leader's personal teaching, that is really Uzumaki Naruto's fortune." Academy elder kissed ass at the appropriate timing.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression softened as he looked at academy elder, instructing, "Do you know the reason why after so many decades, you are still the academy elder? Have greater tolerance, I know Yami infringed your dignity and made you humiliated, but do you really have to be so calculative with a junior from a younger generation?"
"I know that Yami has some earlier wisdom, but he is still a youngster and tends to be rash. If not, he would not have hurt the guards in public and caused you to be in a predicament. He was furious internally back then and that is understandable. From being hailed as genius to a commoner, it is normal to be angry at the clan."
"He is actually very childish, you can tell from him trying to hide the Liquor worm. How can the Liquor worm be hid? He is not mature yet and is still innocent, don't think of him as a scary being. Comparing him to the Wisdom Gu, I am thinking too highly of him. At most, he has some small intelligence, but lacks true wisdom and knowledge. If he hid the fact that he rose to middle stage silently, or accepted the class chairman position without any displeasure, that would truly be deep scheming."
"Clan leader, your meaning is?" Academy elder raised his eyebrows.
"What I'm trying to say is, Yami is discontented with the clan, thus let him go vent his anger. An ant spitting at an elephant, will the elephant care? Emotions are meant to be let out and not bottled inside, so once he's done venting, he will naturally fuse into the clan. Our Konoha Clan has been around for nearly a thousand years ever since the first generation founded it. There has been countless of people who were discontented with the clan, but eventually did any of them manage to overturn the clan?"
"A clan is not just about rules and regulations, there's also blood relation and kinship. Genten wanted to use the rules and regulations to capture wisdom. Yet not only did he lose, but he also informed wisdom of the rules and regulations. There is profound meaning in this story - the rules are dead, but people are alive, and relationships are deep. If you only know how to use rules and regulations to catch people, it will only increase resentment and cause Yami to be more dissociated with the clan. Yami is only a C grade, if he's lucky, after tens of years he'd still be a low-ranking clan elder. But he is still Uzumaki Naruto's twin brother, do you understand now?"
"Understood!" Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's final sentence, the academy elder realized at once.
"Mmm, if a family only has rules and regulations, then the family is a pile of dead objects. But if you add in blood relationship, it'll be alive." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, "and one more sentence, I want you to remember."
"Please admonish me, sir clan elder."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a distant gaze, looked out of the window towards the moon, "The sea can hold the water from thousands of rivers, it's big because of its capacity. A person is great when he can be tolerant and forgiving to many other people. Remember this, and leave."
"Yes clan leader sir, your subordinate takes his leave," said the academy elder as he left the hall.
Tonight's moon was especially round.
The moonlight shone splendid and like muslin, draping over the Elemental Mountain.
The Treasure Brass Toad would travel a hundred meters with every hop. Due to its leaping method to move forward, the precipitous and narrow mountain path was unable to serve as a limitation or hindrance to it.
Uchiha Itachi and his crew sat on the back of the Treasure Brass Toad. After exiting the Konoha village, they once again headed towards the merchant caravan's direction.
The wind blew past their ears, and their view followed the Treasure Brass Toad as it moved up and down.
The moonlight shone on everyone's faces and they all looked solemn, while Uchiha Itachi's face was cold as ice.
After a while, a close subordinate could not stand this atmosphere and asked Uchiha Itachi, "Master, what are we going to do now? Uchiha Sasuke's death, once master returns, how will you answer to old master? Should we find a scapegoat first..."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, but avoided the question, "Do you know the story of Genten?"
The subordinate was stunned, not expecting this answer. At once he did not know how to reply.
Uchiha Itachi continued, "Genten had the Rules and Regulation Gu, and could capture all the ten thousand Gu in the world, obtaining strength but losing wisdom. At that point his net still contained three Gu. He opened and saw that they were the Attitude Gu, Belief Gu and Suspicion Gu respectively. Genten was unwilling to let them go, thus the three Gu could only bet with him. Once Genten opens the net, they would run out in three different directions, and whoever is captured by Genten would be subdued. Guess, who did Genten capture in the end?"
The trusted aide thought, and answered, "It's the Attitude Gu!"
"Do you know why?" Uchiha Itachi asked. The loyal subordinate shook his head.
Uchiha Itachi laughed, "Because attitude means everything. No matter if father 'believes' or 'suspects', I have already displayed my 'attitude'. Uchiha Sasuke went missing, and I immediately conducted investigations in the caravan. Once I had a clue, I rushed towards the Konoha Clan without stop. At the village, I risked the danger of being attacked by them and interrogated them on the spot. I did not even sit down, and to prove Yami's words, I went as far as to use the Rank four Bamboo Gentleman."
"Once I get back, I will even spend a ton of money to employ the divine investigator, inviting Tobirama Senju to investigate this matter. Regardless of whether Uchiha Sasuke is dead or alive, as his brother I have already done all that I should, my attitude shows everything! I have thought it through earlier, we do not need a scapegoat. We shall go back in this honest state, because I was not at fault for this matter! Finding a scapegoat, that might just be a trap by Uchiha Obito. If I can find a scapegoat, he can also find someone to overturn the case."
His subordinate was shocked and said, "Master, you really suspect that young master Uchiha Obito was behind this?"
"Hmph, who else but him can do something so perfectly?" Saying so, Uchiha Itachi's face distorted, anger bursting from his eyes, "Before this, I was thinking about our blood relationship and did not do such a thing to him. But since he is so devious, I will have to pay him back an eye for an eye, don't blame me for being unscrupulous!"
He did not know that far away in a distant place, there were a pair of eyes sending him off.
Yami stood on the hillside as he silently watched.
The view tonight was truly spectacular.
The golden yellow, round moon was high up in the night sky, shining so brightly that the entire earth was lit bright.
The nearby green mountains were verdant and lush, all kinds of flora growing about. The Man Mountain's pine and cypress trees, as well as the Elemental Mountain's distinctive green spear bamboo grew in continuous clumps, cluster after cluster. A wide expanse of dark green colour poured down in torrents from the mountaintop and flowed down to the foot of the mountain.
Faraway mountains ranged endlessly, forming a muddled heavy black shadow under the moonlight.
The tortuous and entwined mountain road resembled goat intestines as it meandered into the distance, occasionally sheltered away by the forest, stretching out all the way.
Uchiha Itachi and his group sat atop the Treasure Brass Toad, following the mountain road as they moved forward. As they continued on the leaping toad, their figures were finally covered away by the trees.
Although the mountain terrain could not affect the Treasure Brass Toad's speed, Uchiha Itachi did not dare to recklessly cut through Elemental mountain, for if he barges into a monster horde, even with his Rank four cultivation he would still not come out unscathed. Hence following the mountain trail and moving forward is the best path.
Not long ago, Yami was standing on the hill holding an umbrella, sending the caravan off. But now he was here again, watching Uchiha Itachi leave.
"The trouble from killing Uchiha Sasuke is finally settled." He eyes were dark and remote while his heart was calm, a bout of peacefulness.
Even since he killed Uchiha Sasuke that night, he had been considering how to tie the loose ends.
He was clear that without base or support, if the truth was revealed, the Konoha Clan would definitely sacrifice him. But if he just hid it blindly, the truth was bound to get exposed one day.
A smart way to lie, is to have truth and lies, some truth in his lies, and some lies in his truth.
He had to direct the trouble elsewhere!
This incident was like a chess game with two sides against each other. One side is Uchiha Itachi's caravan, while the other is the Konoha Clan. In this incident, be it Hiruzen Sarutobi, the academy elder or Uchiha Itachi, they were all pawns, heck even Yami himself was just a pawn.
To protect the pawn that represents himself, he had to use the two opposing sides and find a chance in between.
Few days ago, Yami had already started plotting.
He first made use of those two guards to come up with a good show with the academy elder at the academy. Next he hid the existence of the Liquor worm and stirred the curiosity of the clansman, gaining great attention, attracting the higher-ups. Simultaneously, he allowed the academy elder to hold private investigations.
Next, he extorted his classmates and expressed his rashness, wildness and displeasure towards the clan, "showing weakness" to the Konoha higher-ups.
Then he counted the days and waited for Uchiha Itachi.
During the interrogation he displayed his immaturity and fear, which allowed him to lead the other's thoughts by the nose. Letting them find out the "truth".
Lastly he made use of the Konoha Clan and Uchiha Itachi's opposing interests, and turned the academy elder who was suspicious of him and held investigations, into his eye witness.
The Bamboo Gentleman was a small unexpected accident, but it was still a Rank four Gu and under the Spring Autumn Cicada's aura, the Bamboo Gentleman ironically became Yami's greatest evidence.
Finally, Yami not only explained perfectly where he got the Liquor worm, but also pushed the blame to the innocent Uchiha Obito, while he himself got out of this incident without losing a hair.
"Academy elder was asked to stay behind, it seems that Hiruzen Sarutobi is going to interfere in the academy's matters and get rid of the plan to pressurize me. With his nature, he does have this tolerance. But his real motive isn't me, it should probably be Naruto. One of my motives for blowing up the matter was to stir a commotion and make the higher-ups notice. If Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't show up, there will still be Inuzuka Gaku and Shibi Aburame who would come out to defend their reputation."
"As for Uchiha Itachi, he should be certain that Uchiha Obito is the culprit now. With the flames of revenge burning in his chest, hehe, I am looking forward to it. With my interference, their sibling conflict would be elevated. I wonder if that Gu Master competition would be brought forward?"
"Oh yes, there is still that divine investigator Tobirama Senju. Tobirama Senju... hmph." Yami repeated this name, and after half a beat, lightly smiled, "Among the righteous path, this is indeed a character. Unfortunately he is riddled with official business and has a tight schedule. For this matter, it is not easy to get him to come. Uchiha Itachi wants to show his attitude thus he has to invite him, but the time is hard to gauge, at the very least it should be arranged in two to three year's time."
In two to three years, he would have Rank two or three cultivation. By then, life would be in a completely different sight.
The night wind blew over with the fresh cool air of the mountains, penetrating with a kind of fragrance.
Yami breathed in, feeling more refreshed.
He looked into the distance, his field of view wide. The unrestrained mountains were picturesque, looking tranquil and auspicious under the moon.
"The bright moon illuminates among pines, the clear spring flows upon stone." Yami lightly recited, he could not help but think of a verse from a fable from the Shinobi World.
There were a group of monkeys that pursued the moon. They saw the moon in the well, and they wanted to fish it up. The monkey from behind grabbed hold of the tail of the monkey before it, and the monkey before it grabbed ahold of the monkey in front of him. Thus this went on repeatedly until the first monkey was able to touch the water surface of the well.
Once it stretched out its hand, the water rippled and the moon disappeared.
People in this world were like this. They would see the reflection of the moon, and think that it is the real thing.
Not knowing it was just the moon in the well, the moon in their eyes, or simply the moon in their hearts.
"In this life I hope to become the real moon, rising above the mountains and heavens, toying with the clouds and seas, following the ancient times and walk in the darkness above the various heavens." Yami's eyes were crystal clear, and the beautiful green mountains were reflected on his pupils.
On the hill, the thin body of a teenager stood silently.
A golden moon wheel shaped like a disk suspended high in the night sky.
It has existed since ancient times, travelling through the night sky, casting the small shadow of the teenager faintly onto the limestones.