Konoha Hypocrite

by Little Merger

Crossing to the Naruto World, Uchiha Tonan obtained the ‘Legacy Inheritance System’. As long as the people who acknowledged him died, he could inherit all abilities of the deceased. Therefore… “Konoha’s higher-ups mistreated the Uchihas. So, I’ve decided to lead the clan to launch a coup d’état after three years.” “Ding! Gained Uchiha clan’s acknowledgment.” Two years later. “Tonan

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Konoha Hypocrite #Chapter 111: Recalling Deceased Friend, Silent Massacre - Read Konoha Hypocrite Chapter 111: Recalling Deceased Friend, Silent Massacre Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 111: Recalling Deceased Friend, Silent Massacre

Uchiha Tonan smiled and moved all the desserts on the table in front of Uchiha Shisui. "Eat as much as you like. These desserts contain very little sugar. I've also added many nutritious vegetables, which are good for physical development."

The Great Elder took a sip of alcohol and said, "Tonan, you don't need to spoil him like this."

Tonan quietly watched Shisui, who kept stuffing dessert in his mouth. He then smiled and rubbed Shisui's head, "How is this spoiling him, Great Elder? You're treating me as an outsider. From the first time I saw Shisui, I like him very much."

The Great Elder shook his head, "This kid is very naughty at home."

Tonan looked at Shisui, and a look of reminiscing flashed through his eyes. "I can see Teno-san's shadow in Shisui. The same integrity, honesty."

"Cough, cough…" The moment Tonan said this, the Great Elder choked on alcohol. Tonan seemed to realize the folly and hastily explained, "Don't misunderstand, I was simply referring to the feeling of closeness and love in my heart."

The Great Elder smiled stiffly, "I understand."

Not long after, Shisui's stomach was round. He then took the juice from Tonan and drank it in big gulps. The Great Elder kept watching Tonan during the entire meal. He noticed that Tonan looked at Shisui with an inexplicable gaze from time to time.

He immediately urged Shisui, "Shisui, go and play with your friends."

"Alright…"

After eating his fill, Shisui was sated and became even happier when he heard the Great Elder letting him go out to play. Therefore, he put down the juice and wiped his mouth, waving at Tonan, "Tonan-san, goodbye."

Tonan smiled brightly, "Goodbye, little Shisui."

Only after Shisui ran out, Tonan did retract his eyes. Then, he chatted with the Great Elder. In the conversation, the Great Elder casually asked, "Tonan, you seem to have something on your mind."

As if something was indeed stuck in his mind but he did not want to let it show, Tonan took a sip of the juice and replied, "No, no… it's nothing."

The Great Elder smiled stiffly and stopped asking. When it felt like it was almost time, Tonan suddenly asked, "On such a hot day, you let Shisui go out to play, aren't you afraid he'll get a heatstroke?"

The Great Elder waved his hand, "Don't worry. He has been going to the river to take a bath with other children these days."

Just after he finished speaking, Tonan suddenly got up and bowed to the Great Elder, "I've some work to attend to now. I won't disturb you any longer."

Without waiting for a response, he immediately packed the plates and rushed out. Before the Great Elder had the chance to even stand up and escort the guest out, Tonan had already left the courtyard. The Great Elder narrowed his eyes, feeling something was wrong.

Suddenly, Tonan's words appeared in his mind.

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"I'm about to touch that realm…"

"I can see Teno-san's shadow in Shisui… The same integrity, honesty."

……

"This is bad," the Great Elder yelled out, his eyes filled with horror. He ran outside. He headed straight to Tonan's courtyard and knocked on the door. However, even after knocking for a while, no one answered.

The Great Elder felt uneasy in his heart. "Damn! He must have gone looking for Shisui. Damn it!"

The Great Elder used the Body Flicker Technique and ran towards the small river outside the clan district. Because of the hot weather, Shisui had been playing in the river with other children every day.

"Be alright, Shisui… you've to be fine…" The Great Elder used the Body Flicker Technique with all his power as he kept mumbling to himself. He was very anxious. Judging from what Tonan said just now, he seemed to already have the thought to make a move on Shisui. If Tonan found him first, everything would be over!

After the Great Elder left, Tonan walked out of the room with wet hair, opened the courtyard door, and looked left and right, a little puzzled. Seeing a neighbor who was standing at the door chatting, he asked, "I was taking a shower just now, and I seem to hear someone knock on my door. Do you know who it was?"

Tonan's neighbor was a jonin. Seeing the person who called him out was the notorious Tonan, he angrily said, "It was the Great Elder but he has already left."

Tonan wasn't angry at all, and asked with a smile, "Would you know where the Great Elder went?"

"I don't know."

"Alright, then I'll wait for him at home."

Bang. The neighbor invited his friends into the house and slammed the door shut.

Tonan still had no trace of anger on his face but the corners of his mouth rose slightly. He then looked up at the sun and narrowed his eyes. Chuckling, he shook his head and returned to the house.

Meanwhile, in the small river outside the clan district…

"Shisui, you came to play so early today."

"Look, Shisui's stomach is so big."

"I ate too many desserts for lunch."

"Get out of the way, I'm coming!"

Bang, splash!

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"The water is so cool."

"Come here, come here, there's a fish here."

"Oops, it ran away."

……

Soon, the Great Elder appeared not far away. Seeing the children playing in the river, the stone pressing on his heart fell. He looked around but didn't see Tonan anywhere. He touched his chin and muttered, "Was I thinking too much?"

To be on the safe side anyway, the Great Elder shouted, "Shisui, come back quickly."

Shisui, who was playing in the water, looked over and waved happily, "Grandpa, do you want to play together?"

Seeing his grandson's innocuous look, the Great Elder wanted to laugh, but he pretended to be serious and said, "Come back quickly."

Hearing the Great Elder, Shisui reluctantly replied, "But… I just came." Shisui kicked the water beside him and looked at his grandfather. He lowered his head with reluctance.

"Did you finish your training?"

"Finished."

"Did you finish your homework?"

"Finished."

"Then do it again."

"Alright~"

The honest Shisui pouted and swam ashore. He then put on his clothes and left with the Great Elder.

"Great Elder is so scary."

"Yes, that's too much."

"Fortunately, I don't have such a grandpa."

After the Great Elder left, in the jungle that was upstream of the river, Tonan's shadow clone stuck his head out from behind a tree trunk. He then made hand seals.

Water Style – Water Undercurrent Technique.

Instantly, the flow of water at the bottom of the river accelerated. However, the water flow on the surface was still gentle. There was no difference in the slightest.

The children downstream only felt the disappearance of buoyancy, and they quickly sank. Moreover, when their toes touched the torrential undercurrent below, they were immediately dragged into the water.

They did not even get the time to shout, and only some bubbles remained. Everything ended quietly. After doing this, the shadow clone disappeared as well.

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Chapter 112: A Plan To Kill Hearts, Rushing Back

The instant the shadow clone disappeared, in the Uchiha clan district, Uchiha Tonan, who was sitting cross-legged under the eaves, slightly raised his eyebrows. He picked up the teacup leisurely and took a sip, and then closed his eyes to rest again, enjoying the sunlight.

Killing people was always troublesome. And framing someone else was practical. When dealing with lower-leveled people, higher-leveled people would not have the patience to endure great lengths to investigate.

But when dealing with people with great status and strength, no matter how clumsy the framing was, that person's opponents would help to exaggerate the 'evidence' and make up a reasonable explanation.

Rather than saying it was framing somebody else, it was better to say that it was using people's will and vested interests. After thinking for a bit, Tonan muttered to himself, "Aren't you very confident of the Uchiha clan? I'll see who'll shelter you when you are completely isolated."

Suddenly, via Wind Communication, Tonan heard familiar footsteps in the clan district. He squinted his eyes and got up leisurely, heading to the Great Elder's courtyard gate to wait.

Soon, the Great Elder returned with Uchiha Shisui. They immediately spotted Tonan waiting at the door. The Great Elder coughed lightly and said, "Tonan, you are here…"

Tonan stepped forward and nodded with a smile, "The neighbor told me you were looking for me, what's the matter?"

The Great Elder felt awkward and smiled with embarrassment.

"I thought you were going to do something bad to Shisui." He thought this but said out loud, "Where did you go just now?"

Tonan didn't care about Great Elder's roundabout answer. He just smiled a little and said, "I was taking a bath. The water sound was so loud I only heard faint knocking on the door. By the time I came out to check, you were already gone."

The Great Elder thought that he made a mistake at that time. He immediately found an excuse and said perfunctorily, "I wanted to ask you to help bring Shisui back home for me. But it's not needed anymore."

Tonan pretended to understand and nodded, "In that case, since there's nothing more, I'll leave."

Tonan left after speaking and headed toward the Sarutobi clan district. Along the way, the Uchiha clan members gave him bad looks as usual. Only a few Konoha Police Force jonin had a fanatical gaze looking at him.

After all, in their eyes, Tonan had sacrificed too much for the clan. Not to mention talent, just enduring humiliation and fawning over Sarutobi Hiruzen was more difficult than awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan for the orthodox Uchihas.

In the evening, when Tonan was eating dinner with Hiruzen, an Anbu suddenly came outside the courtyard and knocked on the door, "Hokage-sama, I have a report."

Creak~ Tonan came to the courtyard and opened the door. He then warmly said, "Senpai, come in, sensei is in the living room."

The Anbu nodded and walked quickly to the living room and knelt on one knee, "Hokage-sama, there is a murder case in the Uchiha clan, seven children have died."

Hiruzen raised his eyebrows and solemnly said, "Tell me more about it."

The Anbu replied, "According to the information received, these seven children went to the river to bathe after lunch. In the evening, their parents went searching for them and found that there was no one in the river. Eventually, the bodies of the children were found downstream."

"The initial examination showed all of them drowned and died. There were no injuries. The estimated time of death is around 2 PM. And the location of death has also been determined according to the water current speed."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and saw some flaws. The river in that area was not too deep. Moreover, since those children played in the river, they should be able to swim. They shouldn't have drowned all at once.

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke, "Are there any suspects?"

The Anbu shook his head and replied, "At that time, Uchiha Fukaku came to the scene and made inquiries. He didn't allow the Anbu to intervene in this, so I don't have more details."

"Seven children drowned at once, it seems that someone must have done it in secret… Tonan, what's wrong?"

Hiruzen who was guessing the incident's cause and effect glanced at Tonan but noticed his expression was not quite right. Tonan took a few steps forward and asked the Anbu with an unsightly look, "Senpai, may I ask if Uchiha Shisui was among those children?"

The Anbu shook his head and replied, "There's no one named Shisui among the dead."

Tonan sighed in relief but just when he was about to sit down, his eyes widened as if he thought of something. "At the crime scene, did you see any child awakening the Sharingan?"

The Anbu thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, a child with Uchiha Tenzou triggered the two tomoe Sharingan seeing the corpses."

As soon as the Anbu answered, Hiruzen paused smoking. And Tonan anxiously said to him, "Sensei, I want to take a day off today."

Hiruzen could guess what Tonan was thinking. He nodded and said, "Go back. As long as the Uchiha clan matters don't concern outsiders, we cannot interfere."

Tonan pursed his lips and said, "I understand." He then turned around and left using the Body Flicker Technique. After he left, Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and said, "Are you sure that the child that awakened the two tomoe Sharingan was with Uchiha Tenzou? Did he look like a three-year-old child?"

The Anbu thought for a bit and confirmed, "Yes."

Hiruzen nodded and then waved his hand, "I got it. You can leave now."

After a while, Hiruzen leaned on the sofa and muttered, "Tenzou, did you think that Tonan has betrayed the Uchiha clan, so you wanted to cultivate a more powerful genius?"

……

At the Uchiha clan district, as soon as Tonan arrived, he bumped into several patrolling guards. He stopped and solemnly asked, "Where are those children?"

At this time, the patrolling guards glanced at each other, but they didn't make things inconvenient for him. Instead, they honestly answered, "They are all in the ancestral hall. The Great Elder and others are also there."

Tonan nodded and prepared to leave. Suddenly, he stopped and asked again, "Did Shisui awaken the Sharingan?"

The patrolling guard thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes."

Tonan took a deep breath and said, "I see."

He used the Body Flicker Technique to enter the clan district and rushed towards the ancestral hall.

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Chapter 113: Growing Suspicions, Rise Of Conflict

The patrolling team captain looked in the direction Tonan left and fell into deep thought. Suddenly, a teammate patted his shoulder and asked, "Captain, what are you thinking about?"

The captain was startled awake. He sighed, "Nothing, I just wonder if some things are right or wrong."

That teammate looked a little sad and said, "In fact, you probably have also guessed it, isn't it?"

The other members remained silent for a long time. They wanted to say something, but they swallowed back their words. Finally, the team captain opened his mouth, "All of you, don't speak nonsense, this is just speculation."

Meanwhile outside the ancestral hall, more than a dozen guards were stationed tightly guarding the entire hall. Tonan came to the door and stopped. Then, panting heavily, he shouted, "How's Shisui?"

The guards at the door said coldly, "Shisui is fine and he awakened the Sharingan."

Tonan immediately exclaimed in disbelief, "What! He awakened the Sharingan?"

Immediately after he spoke, the crying sounds from the ancestral hall suddenly stopped. After speaking, Tonan wanted to enter the ancestral hall. But the guards raised their hands, trying to stop him.

Tonan looked anxious as he said, "Let me enter."

"Let Tonan enter," the Great Elder's voice came from the ancestral hall. As soon as Tonan entered the hall, he saw seven corpses covered with white cloths. The parents of these dead children were kneeling next to their child's corpse. They were either bawling or weeping with grief.

Uchiha Fugaku and the Great Elder were sitting on their knees in the innermost area. Uchiha Shisui was lying in the Great Elder's arms and sobbing non-stop at this moment. These children were his best playmates, but now, they were all lying on the ground, never to wake up again.

The young Shisui had suddenly lost his friends. The pain in his heart was no less than that of others. The atmosphere of the entire hall was gloomy, and it was filled with women's sobbing.

The Great Elder lowered his head to look at Shisui and then raised his head to look at Tonan, who had just entered. A hint of suspicion flashed through his eyes, but in order to avoid conflict, he concealed his doubts.

The Great Elder was very suspicious of Tonan right now. He was wondering if Tonan had caused Shisui's friends' death to stimulate him and awaken the Sharingan to test his talent. And to make Shisui grow faster.

But this, after all, was just a suspicion. Even if Tonan had truly done it, the Great Elder wouldn't expose it easily. After all, there was nothing wrong with Tonan doing this. A small sacrifice like this could be tolerated to strengthen the Uchiha clan.

The Great Elder said solemnly, "Tonan, you are here."

Tonan frowned and glanced at the corpses on the ground. Those small bodies were lying on the cold ground. A look of torment flashed through his eyes. He bowed to Fugaku and the Great Elder and greeted, "Patriarch… Great Elder."

Then, he asked, "Patriarch, did you find out who did it?"

Fugaku somberly answered, "The clan is still investigating. There are no clues for the time being. It might just be an accident."

As soon as these words were said, the parents of the dead children looked up, their eyes wide open in disbelief. A parent among them sadly said, "Patriarch! Seven children drowned at once, and you are saying it could be an accident. It has been sunny for the past few days, and there was no flood."

Fugaku was taken aback. He only mentioned the possibility of this being an accident. However, these parents were too emotional due to their child's death and he couldn't blame them.

"This matter should be investigated carefully. All of you don't be too sad and make time to bury the children."

Perhaps, these parents in the ancestral hall had heard Tonan's previous words. One of the parents raised his head and stared straight at the Great Elder, "Great Elder, I have a question. Did Shisui go to the river today?"

The Great Elder raised his eyebrows hearing this. He could roughly guess this parent's intention for asking such a question. But he still nodded and replied, "He did but I took him away later."

After he spoke, several other parents also raised their heads and looked at him with doubt. The Great Elder took Shisui away, and the friends, who happened to be playing with him met such a tragic fate soon after. Even if this was not his handiwork, he might have known something about it.

"Great Elder, why did you suddenly take him away?"

Several parents questioned, but the Great Elder didn't know what to say. Could he say he suspected Tonan would make a move against Shisui? Could this even be said?

Even if he did say it, not only would no one believe him but it would also make Tonan resent him. It would cause bad results on both sides. The Great Elder coughed lightly and said, "That's because Shisui hadn't completed his homework."

Suddenly, a parent asked Shisui coldly, "Shisui, is what your grandfather said true?"

When Shisui heard someone asking him a question, he turned around and wiped his tears. He nodded, "It's true."

"So, what did you do after returning home?" As this question was raised, the Great Elder was stunned. He quickly looked at Shisui, hoping he wouldn't say something detrimental. Shisui too had doubts in his mind now. A moment ago, he hadn't noticed it, but now, he realized his grandfather had lied.

Why did grandpa lie? Shisui immediately looked at the Great Elder. However, the Great Elder couldn't give any hints to him in front of everyone. He just looked gloomy. Anyone whose lie was about to be exposed would have such expression, not to mention an Uchiha.

Seeing his grandfather was not giving him any indicators and because he didn't want to lie, Shisui decided to tell the truth. Therefore, he softly answered, "I… I was sleeping."

When he said, all the parents approached the Great Elder at the same time and glared at him. "Great Elder, Shisui is so talented. He awakened the two tomoe Sharingan at such young age."

The Great Elder could feel everyone's hostility. He looked up and shouted, "Shut up, are you all doubting me?"

"We don't dare."

"We just want the truth."

Their children had died tragically. Regardless of the consequences, they had to get an explanation. Seeing the situation was anything but reassuring, Fugaku pulled the parents away and persuaded them to make peace, "We still have to know the truth. I understand your feelings but we can't jump to conclusions just because of guesswork. All of you rest assured that I'll definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation. Bury the children first."

"Alright…"

Since Fugaku had said so, although everyone was unwilling, they could not do anything else. There was also not enough evidence now. Therefore, they didn't dare to do anything to the Great Elder. After all, the most influential members of the Uchiha clan were the Great Elder and Uchiha Fugaku.

Moreover, they were not senior members of the clan. Even if they continued to ask, there would be no result. They could only pick up their children's corpses and leave the ancestral hall.

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Chapter 114: Fooling With Voice Mimicry, Konoha Intervenes

After everyone left, the Great Elder took a deep breath and said to Uchiha Tonan, "Tonan, Fugaku and I will continue to investigate this incident. Take Shisui back with you. I entrust you to take care of him tonight."

Tonan nodded and picked up the sobbing Shisui. He patted his back, "Shisui, let's go home."

After a while, the ancestral hall was still brightly lit by candles. Fugaku lightly said, "Great Elder, they are very emotional now. Don't worry about it too much."

The Great Elder felt a headache. He waved his hand, "I understand, but the most important thing now is to find the murderer." After speaking, he frowned as if he was thinking about something.

Tonan walked out of the ancestral hall carrying Shisui in his arms and looked at the parents carrying their children's corpses in the front. Almost all mothers were crying while holding their children and their husbands were consoling them.

Perhaps, because of the sad atmosphere, Shisui also began to cry. Tonan patted his back with a distressed look and said, "Shisui, don't be sad. It'll be over after you sleep."

Shisui laid his head on Tonan's shoulder as he cried, "They're all dead…"

How could a little child bear such grief? Tonan sighed deeply and hugged Shisui, "It's alright, look into my eyes."

He then used the hypnotic eye. "Sleep, you will be fine after a good night's sleep."

Shisui looked at three tomoe in Tonan's eyes and gradually stopped crying and slowly fell asleep. Seeing he was asleep, Tonan carried him in his arms again.

After passing the intersection, Tonan's lips moved. He began to use the voice transmission effect of the Wind Communication and vocal mimicry that he inexplicably obtained in the Fire Capital.

In the next moment, the parents who had just parted ways heard the whispers of other parents behind them.

"Wait, let's go to the river and check. It's impossible for us to not find any clues."

"This incident is very strange, let's go to the river."

"Yes, let's check upstream and downstream too."

……

Late at night, the fathers of the seven children quietly set out and came to the approximate location beside the river to investigate.

"Did you find anything?"

"No."

"Let's go upstream and downstream to take a look."

"Alright."

Not long after, the parents gathered on the bank upstream. They activated their Sharingan and stared at the footprint on the ground. The mud beside the footprint looked wet. It was obvious that this footprint was created not long ago.

"This should be recent."

"This footprint is a bit small, which proves that he is not tall. Don't you think this size is similar to that person?"

"Great Elder…"

"For his genius grandson, he sacrificed our children…"

At this moment, several parents were squatting on the ground. Looking at each other, they saw hatred in each other's eyes.

"I'll go fight him." After speaking, a man was about to rush over.

"Wait a minute, it's just a footprint. It doesn't mean anything." The leading man grabbed him. "Also, think about it, with the Great Elder's strength, would he leave footprints behind?"

"You mean…"

"I think someone may be trying to frame the Great Elder."

"Then, how do you explain that the Great Elder suddenly took Shisui away?"

"I…"

"Even if it wasn't done by the Great Elder, he must know something. But he only cared about his grandson."

"Yes, perhaps, the Great Elder was careless, so he left behind footprints. After all, he was just dealing with a bunch of children."

"I think this matter is very suspicious. We shouldn't be impulsive."

"Have you ever thought that if this is truly done by the Great Elder, would we ever get justice?"

"Yes, in the eyes of the senior members of the clan, we are just useless people with no potential. No one will speak out for us."

These people lowered their heads, ashamed of lacking abilities. But after a moment of silence, one person hastily said, "You guys, stay here. I'll go to ask Hokage-sama."

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy. I'm also a Konoha citizen. And since my child is dead, what's wrong with me asking Hokage-sama for help?"

Now, these parents just wanted justice for their children.

"Hokage-sama might not necessarily care about this matter."

"We have no other choice."

"It's Uchiha who has died, we must find out the truth. If it's truly someone from the clan who has done it, then he should also die. That's the clan rule."

"Don't you think that someone might be framing the Great Elder? Then, that's perfect. Let Hokage-sama come and investigate and clear the Great Elder's name in passing."

After someone said this, all parents seemed to have made up their minds.

"Alright, I'll go find my former classmate. I recall he seemed to have joined the Anbu. He might be able to think of a way for us."

"I don't know anyone. I'll guard this place, lest someone will destroy the evidence."

"I'll also stay here."

……

Soon, these parents passed the news to Konoha's higher-ups through various channels. One of the parents asked his Anbu classmate for help. But he didn't know that this classmate was not from Anbu but the Root.

The Konoha higher-ups seemed to feel this was a chance. They immediately sent a lot of people to the Uchiha clan district. After all, the Great Elder was a conservative member of the Uchiha clan. The Konoha's higher-ups hoped that he would fall into trouble because of this incident.

As for Hiruzen and Danzo, they didn't come. Because, given their intelligence, after they learned someone found the Great Elder's footprints at the crime scene, they understood that someone was trying to frame him.

They were peers after all and they knew each other's strengths. While killing a bunch of children, it was simply impossible for the Great Elder to leave the so-called footprints. Sending people to the Uchiha clan district was just to irritate him.

In addition, it was to test the Uchiha clan's attitude. Because it was very likely that the real murderer would be found within two days. If they went in person now, they wouldn't be able to step down from the stage without losing face at that time.

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Chapter 115: Restless Night, Gaining Shisui's Acknowledgment

This was not going to be a quiet night for anyone. The entire Uchiha clan district was filled with clamor. Especially after the bickering of two sides outside the gate of the Uchiha clan district, the entire Uchiha clan district seemed to be on high alert.

People could be seen passing by from time to time on the streets inside the clan district. Almost all of them were Anbu, guards, Konoha's senior officials, or the senior officials of the Uchiha clan and the deceased's family members.

Many clan members also visited each other and gathered together to discuss things. In the living room that was lit brightly, Uchiha Tonan, who was holding the sound asleep Shisui, sat cross-legged at the doorway looking at the stars in the sky.

Shining stars dotting the sky, combined with insects' sounds on the ground, added a dreamy filter to the scene. After a while, Tonan lowered his head and reached out his hand to pinch Shisui's chubby cheeks. A smile appeared on his face. There was one thing Tonan didn't lie about. He indeed liked this silly boy Shisui.

He had the innocence and liveliness of Asura, and he also inherited the Uchiha clan's stubbornness in his bloodline. He was simple-minded, and it was very easy to deceive him. His eyes were also crystal clear, filled with an innocence that belonged to a child, making it hard not to like him.

When Tonan pinched him, he turned his head over, rubbed his face twice, and then continued to sleep. Time passed little by little.

Tonan felt a little annoyed, hearing the sounds of crying, shouting, and scolding. So, he deactivated the Wind Communication. "It's peaceful now."

Just then, Shisui woke up and rubbed his eyes as if he had forgotten what had happened before. Then, looking at Tonan, who had a gentle look, he weakly called out, "Tonan-san~"

Tonan smiled warmly and stroked the back of his head. "You woke up? Was it uncomfortable to sleep here?"

Shisui shook his head and looked around, asking in a panic, "Where's grandpa?" Tonan helped Shisui sit up and gently answered, "Great Elder is dealing with things."

Shisui seemed to remember what happened before, and tears filled his eyes. He was unable to endure the pain of losing his playmates. Tonan hastily consoled him, "Shisui, men don't cry."

When Shisui heard this, he blinked, holding back tears that were threatening to overflow, and said, "But…"

Seeing that Shisui was unable to endure, Tonan shook his head and carried him to the living room. He walked to the place where the wood carvings were enshrined and said, "Come, which one do you want to play with?"

Shisui wiped his tears and looked at the lifelike wood carvings. "Tonan-san… they… what are they?"

Tonan sighed and with a look of reminiscence on his face, he said, "These are the people I once cherished, but they are all dead now."

He also used to have such a wonderful childhood, but in the end, everything fizzled out and vanished. He could only say that he was helpless. Heaven played with people.

Shisui was stunned hearing Tonan's words and looked at him with a sad face, "Tonan-san, your friends are here."

Tonan nodded and said, "Yes, look, this is Teno-san, who used to be very kind to me. My relationship with him was just like the relationship between you and me."

Shisui pursed his lips and endured the grief in his heart. He comforted Tonan, "Don't be sad, Tonan-san."

Tonan smiled, shook his head, and said, "I'm fine. Love never disappears, it will spread forever. Just like Teno-san. Although he is dead, I inherited everything to take care of the younger generation. Shisui, who is the person you cherish the most?"

Shisui thought for a bit and replied, "Grandpa."

Tonan nodded with a warm smile and said, "Then, I'll teach you how to make wood carvings, and you can carve the person you cherish the most. Like that, you'll be able to accompany him forever."

"Alright," Shisui nodded.

Tonan put Shisui down and took out a few pieces of wood from the room. He took out two kunai from his ninja bag and handed one to Shisui. "Come, carve it like me."

Shisui took the kunai and began to earnestly learn wood carving from Tonan. Tonan intentionally slowed down so that he could keep up the pace. Shisui imitated his movements and carved the wood carefully.

An hour later, the horizon was already becoming bright. Both of them held a lifelike wooden carving in their hands, and both wood carvings looked like the Great Elder.

Tonan reached out to rub Shisui's hair and said, "Your wood carving is very good. It's just like the real person."

Shisui didn't seem so sad after hearing the compliment. He looked at the wood carving in his hand and looked up, "I want to carve Kawadera and others who are dead. I want to carve one for each of them."

At this moment, the Great Elder's tired voice came from outside. "Shisui, let's go home."

After Tonan heard it, he stuffed a few wood pieces into Shisui's ninja bag and said, "These are for you. Carve them when you have free time."

Shisui gratefully said, "Thank you, Tonan-san."

"Silly child," Tonan lightly flicked Shisui's forehead. Shisui held his forehead in pain, but an innocent smile appeared on his face.

'Ding! Gained Uchiha Shisui's acknowledgment.'

A small smile came to Tonan's lips. He held Shisui's hand leading him outside the courtyard, handing him over to the Great Elder. The older man nodded at Tonan and said, "Tonan, I troubled you last night."

The Great Elder was busy all night. He had no time to take care of Shisui. Therefore, he had entrusted him to Tonan in a hurry. Tonan rubbed Shisui's head and shook his head, "Great Elder, there was no trouble. Shisui is very obedient and cute. I've always regarded him as my younger brother."

The Great Elder saw the wood carving in Shisui's hand and couldn't help asking, "Shisui, what's this?"

Shisui hastily raised the wood carving and shook it in front of the Great Elder, "I carved this, grandpa, doesn't it look like you?"

The corners of the Great Elder's mouth twitched. He had seen the wood carvings in Tonan's house before. All those people were dead.

However, thinking that this was his grandson's way to express his love for him, he couldn't blame him. "Yes, yes…" The Great Elder then looked up, and said solemnly to Tonan, "We'll leave now. Hereafter, please take care of Shisui when you have free time. I might get busy soon, and I can only send him back to his parents."

He then pulled Shisui to leave.

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Chapter 116: Slanderous Gossip, Surging Undercurrent

Just as the Great Elder was about to leave with Uchiha Shisui, he heard Uchiha Tonan say, "Great Elder, I, in fact, want to ask you a question."

The Great Elder paused and turned his head. He asked with a gloomy look, "Are you doubting me as well?"

Tonan looked startled. He pondered for a moment and shook his head. The Great Elder narrowed his eyes and nodded lightly, "In my opinion, this is not entirely a bad thing."

After throwing these words, he left with Shisui without awaiting a response. Tonan looked at the Great Elder leaving but suddenly noticed some people in the dark through Wind Communication.

He immediately said loudly, "Great Elder, indulging in superficial power will only make people lose themselves. The real power is the will to love and sacrifice."

Hearing his words, the Great Elder didn't answer Tonan but looked down at Shisui, who looked lonely. He asked his grandson, "Shisui, who do you love the most?"

Shisui tilted his head, thought for a while, then raised the wood carving in his hand high and said, "Grandpa!" The corners of the Great Elder's mouth twitched and he nodded, "Alright…"

Tonan watched the two disappear and shook his head. He shut the courtyard door and headed to the Sarutobi clan district. Looking at the Great Elder's appearance, it could be said that the Uchiha clan higher-ups had won in the end.

After all, such a clumsy framing method could be seen through by anyone who had the slightest intelligence. Perhaps, in the entire Uchiha clan, only the parents of the seven dead children were unwilling to let his matter drop.

The others were already on the Great Elder's side but the Konoha higher-ups were not. Since this was the situation, it made perfect sense for him to add fuel to the fire. Tonan was going to teach Great Elder a lesson about humans' true nature.

At this moment, the commercial streets were already full of people. Tonan came to the market and started to buy vegetables, picking out the things Sarutobi Hiruzen liked. His lips moved slightly to use Wind Communication. His targets this time were the old people who came out to buy their daily produce.

"Have you heard that the Uchiha clan has a genius named Shisui? He's also the clan's Great Elder's grandson."

"I know… Moreover, in order to make his grandson awaken the Sharingan, the Great Elder personally killed seven children who played with his grandson."

"It's too cruel, but his grandson awakened two tomoe Sharingan on the spot."

When an old man who was shopping for vegetables heard this, his movement suddenly paused and his back straightened up. Just like seeing a beautiful young girl during his youthful period, he was full of energy and looked back with great interest.

He spotted two youngsters sitting in a ramen store eating lunch. He walked over and asked with a smile, "What were you two talking about just now? Tell me more about it."

"I don't even know him, why would I chat with him?"

"I've heard it all," the old man said with some dissatisfaction and thought to himself, "Youngsters these days don't know how to share. Of course, I'll not spread it."

One of the youngsters asked in confusion, "What did you hear?"

The old man looked around mysteriously and said, "The Uchiha clan's Great Elder killed seven children just to make his grandson awaken the Sharingan."

"That's serious, grandpa, can you tell us more about it?"

"Weren't you two talking about it?"

"We truly weren't… it might be someone else."

……

After this news spread, Tonan left the market with the vegetables he brought. Wind Communication, perhaps, would be more appropriate to be utilized as Slanderous Gossip. Tonan didn't need to accuse the Great Elder.

It was enough as long as he spread this gossip widely. At that time, he believed, that the Konoha higher-ups wouldn't let the Great Elder off easily. After all, he was a famous war hawk of the Uchiha clan.

The higher-ups didn't need to do anything. The brainless civilians would just go with the flow. After the rumors ferment, he believed that most of the Uchiha clan members would be shaken.

Two days later, the entire Konoha, including the civilians of the Uchiha clan were discussing this matter in private.

"Did you hear? It's too tragic, seven children are dead."

"All the grandparents who came to buy vegetables know it. A few days ago, a group of Anbu went to the Uchiha clan district to investigate the situation. But that cruel Great Elder blocked them and sent them back."

"You don't know one thing. The Anbu were able to find clues before they were blocked."

"What clues?"

"Many clues like footprints, hair, explosive tags…"

"Wait, explosive tags? Did I hear it wrong? Those kids weren't drowned, but were bombed?"

"I also heard that they were indeed drowned to death. But that wicked Great Elder held a grudge and blew up their graves."

"That's too excessive…"

"This will end up with nothing concrete."

"How come? Isn't killing villagers a serious crime?"

"He's the Great Elder of Konoha's number one wealthy and influential clan. Killing a few children within the clan is nothing for him. Those children's parents don't even dare to make a sound. And the rest of the Uchiha clan members are protecting that scum."

"The Uchiha clan is cold-blooded. They killed their own to awaken the Sharingan. Common people like us are much better than them. At least, there's no grudge or resentment."

"Also, towards the village people, every Uchiha is ferocious. But in front of power, they are a group of cowards."

A Konoha Police Force member heard the conversation and immediately retorted, "You bastard, what did you just say?"

The people turned around and saw that it was Uchiha. They immediately retreated a few steps in fright, "What do you want…"

But some among them toughened it out and angrily shouted back, "If you are so capable, then go and confront your clan's Great Elder. It's the children of your clan who have died. Why are you getting angry at us?"

The Police Force members were dumbfounded. When they left the market area and arrived at a sparsely populated place, a member suddenly said, "Captain, I can't stand this anymore. We must investigate this thoroughly."

The captain frowned and solemnly said, "Shut up, have you ever thought that this could be a conspiracy. Wouldn't we be wronging a person then? Moreover, he's the Great Elder!"

"Since it's a conspiracy, it should be investigated," another guard stepped forward and said righteously. "If, I mean, what if it was really the Great Elder?"

"I… It can't be Great Elder."

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Chapter 117: Showing One's Stance, Arrest The Great Elder

At this moment at the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzo were sitting together, discussing this very incident.

Danzo solemnly said, "Hiruzen, it has already been two days, but the Anbu still hasn't found who the murderer is. I suggest arresting the biggest suspect, Uchiha Tenzou, and investigating his memories."

Hiruzen lowered his head and pondered. That was indeed the best way to prove the Great Elder's innocence. After all, the rumors in the village could no longer be suppressed. Initially, he had thought the real murderer would be found out soon, but beyond his expectation, there was no clue whatsoever.

If this continued, then it might affect his authority. Homura carefully flipped through the report and said, "Danzo, there is obviously something wrong with those footprints. If it was truly Uchiha Tenzou, he would never leave such obvious traces. You should also be able to see that he is being framed."

Immediately after he spoke, the gazes of the other three focused on Danzo, stunning him. He angrily asked, "Why are you looking at me like this? Do you suspect I did that? Hiruzen, Tenzou is against Konoha in every aspect. I just want to take this opportunity to see if something is going on with him."

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and hesitated a bit, "Let's wait for a few more days. If we go to arrest Tenzou now, I'm afraid it will attract the Uchiha clan's backlash."

Things were getting more complicated. Danzo replied, "Hiruzen, you must know that the entire Konoha is discussing this incident now. If you don't give a proper explanation to the villagers immediately, I'm afraid it will endanger your authority. I think, regardless of anything, even if it's for pretense, you have to step forward."

Hiruzen pondered for a while, blew out a mouthful of smoke, and called out, "Guards."

An Anbu pushed open the door and entered. He knelt on one knee and said, "Hokage-sama, please instruct."

"Go and bring Tonan."

"Yes."

Danzo was surprised, "Hiruzen, why are you calling that Uchiha imp?"

Hiruzen shook his smoke pipe and said, "Tonan is my student. I need to ask his opinion about his clan's affairs."

Danzo took a deep breath. He felt this old partner of his had become very unfamiliar. "I feel you are getting stranger by the day. Why is that imp so important to you? He's a member of the Uchiha clan. When you wanted to take him as your student, I firmly opposed you, and I still oppose it."

Hiruzen looked at Danzo indifferently, "He's my student and a Konoha genius."

Danzo narrowed his eyes, "You don't want to make him a Hokage in the future, do you?"

Hiruzen didn't reply and just smoked his pipe. Not long after, Tonan arrived in the Hokage Office. "Sensei, did you have any orders for me?"

Seeing Tonan, a kind smile appeared on Hiruzen's face. "Tonan, after the Anbu investigation, the murders in the Uchiha clan are very likely related to your Great Elder. I want to hear your views on it."

Tonan put on a righteous look and said, "Sensei, it's a human life we are talking about. All human lives are equal. Regardless of whether it's the death of an Uchiha or other civilians, we should do our best to give justice to the deceased. Else, how can we be worthy of the Will of Fire?"

After he spoke, everyone in the Hokage Office felt a burning Will of Fire. It was almost suffocating. Danzo was startled and looked at Tonan with a strange look.

In his heart, he thought, "Is it because Hiruzen's brainwashing ability is strong? Or is this kid really stupid?"

He then said out loud, "Alright! Hiruzen, your student has already said so. What are you hesitating about now? Tonan, right, you are not bad!"

Tonan placed his hands on his knees and bowed deeply to Danzo. "Danzo-sama, I can do nothing about this matter. I'll be troubling you all for everything."

A stiff smile appeared on Danzo's face, and he meaningfully said, "It's not a trouble, everything is for Konoha."

He truly hadn't expected Tonan to stand firmly on the side of the Konoha's higher-ups. He didn't even know what kind of attitude he should show to the 'Uchiha imp' now. Hiruzen interrupted the conversation between them and got up, "Alright, gather the Anbu teams. I'll go to the Uchiha clan district in person to look for him."

Shortly after, Hiruzen and Danzo went to the Uchiha district together, followed by more than a dozen Anbu members. As for Tonan, he didn't follow. Because he was an Uchiha, it was not good for him to clash with the Great Elder.

Instead, he was wandering around Konoha by himself using Wind Communication to spread the news.

"What are you still doing here? There's a good show to watch outside the Uchiha clan district."

"Hokage-sama and his subordinates went to the Uchiha clan district to arrest someone."

"The evidence is conclusive, the evidence is conclusive, the Great Elder is the real murderer behind the scenes."

It was human nature to join the fun at others' expense. Especially when they heard that the Hokage was leading the team, they didn't feel any danger and rushed toward the Uchiha district.

At this moment, outside the district, the Uchiha clan members guarding the gate bowed seeing Hiruzen coming with a group of Anbu members, "Hokage-sama."

Danzo snorted, "Ask Uchiha Tenzou to come out."

Hiruzen coughed lightly and stood in front of Danzo. He said with a gentle smile, "Go and call your Great Elder over. We want to speak with him."

"Yes," the guard didn't dare ignore Hiruzen and hastily went to invite the Great Elder. Not long after, the Great Elder and Uchiha Fugaku came together, followed by many Uchiha clan members.

"Hokage-sama, what made you come to look for an old man like me?" The Great Elder stared at Hiruzen and Danzo with an unsightly look. He had guessed Hiruzen's intention and was a little annoyed. Once this matter spread, the people would know that the Hokage had come here to look for him and his reputation would plummet.

At this time, not to be outdone, Danzo stepped forward and coldly said, "Uchiha Tenzou, all clues of the seven murders that happened a few days ago point to you. We have reason to suspect that you intentionally killed innocent lives to make your grandson awaken the Sharingan. We want to check your memories."

When the Great Elder heard this, his look became even gloomier. He stared straight at Hiruzen and said, "Do you also mean this, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen sighed and seriously said, "I believe in your character. But now, the case is in a deadlock and the only person that benefited from this is your grandson. In order to prove your innocence, I specially invited Yamanaka Kota, the Yamanaka clan patriarch. You can rest assured that he is a professional in this area and will not hurt you much."

The Great Elder sneered, "This is our clan's internal matter. We have the right to handle it ourselves."

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Chapter 118: Completed Isolated, An Ambitious Person's Ending

At this moment, a group of people swarmed over from the distance. A large group of Konoha villagers had rushed over as well. Uchiha Tonan quietly yelled in the ears of several civilians, "Hand over the murderer."

The civilians heard it. Since someone took the lead in shouting, someone else immediately followed, "Hand over the murderer."

Then, all the civilians began to shout…

"Hand over the murderer."

"Hand over the murderer."

Suddenly, discontent voices appeared even among the Uchiha clan members behind the Great Elder.

"I think it's very important to find the murderer, moreover, the Great Elder should prove his innocence."

"I also think that checking memories is fine. Otherwise, the murderer will never be found, and how can we get justice for those children?"

"I agree."

"I agree."

"I disagree."

……

Gradually, the Uchiha clan members were also divided into two factions. The higher-ups and the Great Elder's faction spoke on behalf of him. On the other side were most were the Uchiha clan's genin and civilians but they also had a larger number.

The primary reason was that after this incident, Uchiha Shisui awakened two tomoe Sharingan. The people with low status and power feared that such an incident would fall on their heads someday the most.

If they didn't stand up now, then when it was their turn the next time. Who would speak for them then? They supported the clan, but that was because the clan had given them shelter and resources and not treated them as goods that could be sacrificed at any time.

Especially in this incident, the ones who had died were children, who were the future of the clan. Regardless of the era and clan, the most important thing always is the safety of the next generation.

The Great Elder looked at the Konoha villagers who kept shouting from the distance and trembled in anger. He then turned around, looked at the two groups of people standing on different sides, and felt suffocated in his heart. He was almost unable to breathe.

Afterward, he pointed at his clan members with a trembling finger and said, "You all…"

The Great Elder had never thought that his clan members, who had always been united and supported the clan in front of outsiders, would actually be so submissive and throw him out.

A hint of joy flashed through Danzo's eyes, and he gloated, "It seems that even your Uchiha clan feels that this incident should be investigated by Konoha. Uchiha Tenzou, could it be that you have a guilty conscience and don't dare to cooperate with the investigation?"

Seeing the distrustful gaze of the clan members, coupled with Danzo's stimulating words, the Great Elder exploded. He shouted angrily, "Nonsense! I didn't do this!"

Seeing the Great Elder finally couldn't endure it, Danzo stepped forward and said aggressively, "Then, why don't you dare to cooperate with the investigation? Could it be that you have done many things harmful to Konoha?"

The Great Elder was dumbfounded for a moment and said sternly, "You are spouting nonsense."

However, in the ears of Hiruzen, these words were obviously less confident than the previous words. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and made up a decision in his heart. He finally displayed the might of a Hokage and solemnly said, "You all are Konoha residents and you all should obey the rules of Konoha. This time, it's not just you Uchiha people who have died, but also the residents of Konoha. As Hokage, I must investigate this and give an explanation to all villagers! Now, we are going to arrest and take away the suspect for investigation. Anyone who dares to stop this is a traitor."

Most of the Uchiha clan members quietly took a step back and expressed their position. As for the remaining dozen or so Uchiha clan's jonin, they were all Great Elder's confidants. In this turbulent scene, they seemed a little weak.

The Great Elder looked around at everyone with red eyes, clenched his fists, and thought a lot of things in an instant. In the end, he sighed, "I understand. Can you let me return to sort some things out? I still need to take care of some things."

Danzo snorted but Hiruzen nodded and said, "You can."

The Great Elder turned around and looked at the cold clan members. He then staggered through the crowd with complex feelings. After he left, Danzo said to Hiruzen, "Hiruzen, aren't you afraid of him fleeing to escape punishment?"

Among the crowd, Uchiha Fugaku, who had been remaining silent, refuted, "Danzo-sama, there is no coward who flees to escape punishment in the Uchiha clan."

Hiruzen nodded, expressing his trust in the Great Elder. After a while, the Great Elder returned to his residence, sat in front of the table, poured himself a cup of wine, and emptied the cup. His eyes were filled with various thoughts.

"Since the situation has already reached this point, I can't escape. If my memories are checked, the Uchiha clan will be in trouble. Fortunately, Tonan is very likely to become the Hokage in the future. And Shisui's talent is higher than Tonan's. After Tonan becomes the Hokage, Shisui might become the Uchiha clan Patriarch or the Great Elder. I guess, after I die, Shisui might even awaken three tomoe Sharingan or Mangekyo Sharingan. Just three years old…. such an amazing talent."

At this moment, the Great Elder had sorted out his thoughts.

"Tonan… Shisui… I leave the Uchiha clan's future in your hands." The Great Elder muttered. Looking at the sky outside, a smile of relief appeared on his face, as if he could see the glorious future of the clan.

The next second.

Puff~

The Great Elder ruthlessly stabbed his own heart with a kunai. When he saw dying, a person's face flashed through his mind.

"Did you do it… It's a pity, even so, you can never escape the clan's control…"

A victorious smile flashed through the Great Elder's face. His eyes slowly closed and his head drooped to one side. At that moment, the Great Elder died.

Tonan felt a warm current surge within his body and spread all around. It was obvious that his ocular power had also increased greatly. It was just that it still hadn't touched the threshold of Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Old man, your power is not bad…"

After a long time, the people outside the gate of the Uchiha clan became impatient. Danzo snorted and said to Hiruzen with a blaming tone, "Hiruzen, that old man must have escaped."

Fugaku glared at Danzo and instructed a clan member next to him, "Go and urge the Great Elder to come."

After a while, the clan members ran over in a panic and shouted, "The Great Elder… has committed suicide…"

When the Uchiha clan members heard this news, they were shocked and made all sorts of comments. Those few who stood on the Great Elder's side until the end almost fell to the ground. They were unable to calm down their heart for a long time.

A hint of joy flashed through Danzo's eyes, "It turned out that he committed suicide to escape punishment."

This time, Fugaku didn't refute and just remained silent. In fact, he had already guessed that the Great Elder would do this but he had just pretended not to know it. He had his thoughts and ideas of his own to strengthen the Uchiha clan. The death of a radical person like the Great Elder was not a bad thing.

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Chapter 119: Defeated By Human Nature, Flattering Sensei

An inexplicable look flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. He sighed lightly, "If something similar happens in the future, please notify the Anbu in time. Fugaku, what do you think?"

Uchiha Fugaku bowed to Hiruzen, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen waved his hand and said, "Let's go, this matter is over now."

As for who was the actual murderer of this incident, only a few people cared. The Great Elder was already dead so it made sense for everyone to regard him as the murderer. The villagers' resentment would also stop with this.

As Hiruzen turned around, he saw Uchiha Tonan walk towards him from the crowd. Tonan said with a solemn look, "Sensei, I want to send off the Great Elder."

Hiruzen nodded and patted his shoulder, "Go on, I know you're soft-hearted. I'll give you a day off."

"Thank you, Sensei."

The Great Elder's house was full of people at this moment. When Tonan came in, everyone looked at him. Most of them had disgust in their eyes as if Tonan was an untouchable who should be avoided. The rest looked indifferent. These were the Great Elder's trusted subordinates.

They knew about Tonan and remembering the previous entrustment of the Great Elder, they couldn't give themselves away.

"Grandpa!…" Shisui laid on the Great Elder's body and kept crying. Gradually, the two tomoe in Shisui's eyes began to spin rapidly and turned into three tomoe. Then, he fainted.

Immediately afterward, a middle-aged woman hugged him. Tonan walked over and stood beside a kneeling man in the front. He sighed, "My condolences."

The middle-aged man nodded and glanced at Tonan. He lowered his head and said, "Tonan-kun, leave… you… you're not welcome here."

Late at night, Tonan placed the wood carving he had earlier made of the Great Elder in its proper position on the altar. He placed three incense sticks in front of it and boiled a pot of tea. Pouring it into two teacups, he placed one in front of the Great Elder's figurine.

Tonan sat in front of the carving while using Wind Communication and the white pigeons to observe the movement around the house. He picked up the teacup and shook his head with a look of pity, "Great Elder, if you don't have a brain, don't try to scheme others. Do you know what led to today's outcome? It's because you were walking the wrong way from the very beginning. In these past few days, you were thinking about arresting the real murderer to prove your innocence."

"But it's too hard to prove one's innocence. Moreover, your innocence doesn't matter at all. What other people want is the most important. Do you think that those people who poured dirty water on you didn't know that you were wronged? No, they knew better than you that you were being wronged."

"Do you think that those who spread rumors truly couldn't tell the difference? No, they just had an inherent desire to spread rumors. Proving one's innocence is very hard. Because you can't wake up a group of people who are pretending to be asleep. From the viewpoint of human nature, people wouldn't spread what they believe but would choose to spread what they wanted to express."

"In this world, people never believed in a viewpoint but would rather choose one. There were so many loopholes, but why did everyone choose to oppose you? It's because it happens to satisfy their inner desires. The common people are dissatisfied with the imbalance of resources, and they like to resent the big shots. The clan members feared that their descendants would become a sacrifice for geniuses."

"And Konoha's higher-ups are worried that you are not stable. These are their inner desires. Too many people are unable to stand your well-being. All lineups, rumors, and viewpoints are appearances. The inner desire is the essence. They don't think that you are the murderer but they subconsciously hoped you were found out to be the murderer. For common people, since they can't become wealthy, they could only hope that the wealthy's foundation is intricate, thereby elevating their feeling of happiness."

"For most clan members, since they knew it was very unlikely for their children to be a genius, they wanted to prove that although your grandson is a genius, you used dirty methods. On the contrary, the Konoha higher-ups are the simplest. They just wanted you to die. You lost because you didn't have enough touch with the people. You only cared about the strong and geniuses in the clan."

"Take care along the way. This is a final lesson for you. In the next life, it's better to be a boorish fellow."

Tonan smiled slightly and then chuckled. He emptied the teacup and smashed it to the ground, "Good tea."

A few days later, at the Great Elder's funeral, Shisui cried miserably while holding his wood carving. Tonan attended with a flower bouquet out of human sentiments. He had after all inherited the dead man's legacy, he must express some feelings at the very least. As a human, one must not forget one's roots. This point still had morality.

In the following days, Tonan followed Hiruzen to learn ninjutsu every day, while waiting for the establishment of the welfare institution. That night, he was with Hiruzen learning ninjutsu in the backyard.

Crackle, crackle, crackle~

Bang!

A boulder beside the pond suddenly burst and stone pieces fell into the pond, causing splashes. Although Hiruzen was aware of Tonan's abilities, seeing this, he was still surprised. He looked at Tonan, whose entire body was covered with electric current, and generously praised his student.

"Very good Tonan, your ninjutsu talent is higher than what I expected. This is a compound-type nin-taijutsu that I created after studying the ninjutsu used by the Sandaime Raikage many years ago on the battlefield. It uses lightning-type chakra to stimulate cells to enhance speed and destruction. At the same time, it uses earth-type chakra to wrap the fists to enhance defense and weight. Although it's complex, the effect is not weaker than Kumo's lightning style secret technique."

Tonan removed the lightning around his body and looked at Hiruzen with admiration, "Sensei, you're amazing. You were actually able to combine two types of mutually restraining chakras. This is ingenious. If it were me, I could've never thought of it."

Tonan's eyes were sparkling as he looked at Hiruzen with reverence. This was a very effective way of dealing with Hiruzen. A smug smile appeared on the older man's face as he picked up his smoke pipe, "In this Ninja World, nothing is impossible. It's a pity that after I created this technique, I never had the chance to use it in battle. And as I got older, there were even fewer instances to do so."

Tonan walked over to Hiruzen's side and used fire-style ninjutsu to light the smoke for him. He said in a fawning tone, "A hero's sword doesn't age. Even if a war starts now, you'll still be a ninja hero that can terrify big countries, Sensei."

Tonan's words were flattering to the extreme. Hiruzen's smile deepened, "Don't flatter me. The land for your welfare institution has already been fixed. After some time, all residential buildings there will be demolished. Then, the construction will begin."

Tonan was very happy. The construction of his granary was finally about to commence. Immediately afterward, he took out a purse from his ninja bag and offered it to Hiruzen with both hands, "Sensei, this is the passbook with 600 million Ryo, please keep it."

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Chapter 120: Creating Inflation, S-Ranked Mission

Notes:

A is a very strong Cloud ninja, considered among one of the strongest, who goes on to become Kumo's fourth Raikage. His younger brother, B, also known as Killer B, is an eight-tailed jinchuriki. For the readers' convenience, we will write A as 'A'.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and took the passbook. A thought came to his mind just then. Looking at the night sky, he sighed, "Peacetime is the best. The Land of Fire economy has grown rapidly. Everyone became rich and many people spent a lot of money to move to Konoha. Many of these people are wealthy and the prices are rising fast. The number of missions has also increased. It seems this new Daimyo is very capable. I estimate if we want to purchase land again a year later, we'll not be able to get any in 600 million Ryo."

Uchiha Tonan, who sat beside Hiruzen, had a flash of comprehension hearing Hiruzen's words. "Is that Naraku printing money crazily to suck the entire Land of Fire's blood?"

Hiruzen wasn't aware of the complete situation but Tonan was. He had once casually mentioned this while teaching Naraku. The wealth of a nation was equivalent to the available cash supply among the people. But for a country, banknotes were no different from paper. The production efficiency was wealth. If production was not increased but a large amount of money was minted, it was equivalent to putting the wealth of the entire Land of Fire in the Daimyo's pockets.

From the current situation, this fire had already burned Konoha. Tonan estimated that Naraku started to act as soon as he took over the throne. At this moment, if Naraku hoarded large quantities of commodities and food, waited for the prices to skyrocket, and then launched a new currency…

It was also possible that Naraku wouldn't stop at just plundering the Land of Fire but might purchase goods and materials from other countries as well before they were alerted to the situation. He didn't even need to issue a new currency but just banknotes with larger denominations.

In a short period, the Daimyo Residence could have both goods and money in hordes. It was equivalent to blatantly snatching money from everyone. Even stealing money wouldn't be as fast and efficient.

Unless Konoha was willing to respond aggressively, the Daimyo Residence would be able to firmly hold Konoha down. After all, ninjas too had to live. Regardless of the era, the capital was indispensable. People needed money for fuel, rice, oil, and salt. Clothing also needed money.

If Naraku issued new money, Konoha would be subjected to this restriction too. At worst, he could just give a bit more funds, then provide materials for Konoha and make it pay the corresponding price. But if Konoha was inclined to flip the table, then what would Naraku do?

Begin a war! Change internal strife into external worries and then secretly find ways to strengthen the military force.

These were Tonan's conjectures given he had taught Naraku these things. Just when Tonan was lost in thought, an Anbu rushed into Hiruzen's courtyard without reporting, directly coming to the backyard.

It must be a big deal.

The Anbu member appeared in front of Hiruzen using the Body Flicker Technique, and fell to one knee, "Hokage-sama, the barrier team notified that six people privately left the village two hours ago. One of them is a former member of the barrier team, and the other five are villagers who had recently moved to Konoha. The Anbu squad captured three but they triggered an unknown curse seal to destroy their brains."

"The other three have succeeded in escaping though. Their whereabouts are unknown. One of them is suspected to be a jonin. He used the puppet technique to kill the Anbu who was tracking them. We suspect he is a ninja from Suna. Biwako-sama instructed me to ask Hokage-sama to issue an order."

Hiruzen frowned and was about to speak, when Tonan, who was anxious about not getting a chance to show off in front of his sensei, volunteered, "Sensei, let me go."

Hiruzen hesitated for a moment and asked with a frown, "Are you sure? We've already lost track. Moreover, there's a Sand jonin involved."

Tonan smiled, "It should be no problem. Taijutsu restrains puppet technique and I believe my sword technique can restrain them."

Hiruzen considered quickly. He had seen Tonan's progress and was shocked each time. Tonan's potential was far beyond his imagination. It was also time for him to earn merits. Therefore, Hiruzen nodded immediately, "Alright, you can take this mission. It's an S-ranked mission for the time being. Regardless of life or death, the main goal is to ensure that the village's secrets are not leaked."

He then turned to the Anbu and said, "Give all information to Tonan and let him take charge of this, the Anbu doesn't need to intervene."

The Anbu was speechless in his heart. Only one of the three traitors was a jonin, but it was assigned as an S-ranked mission. This was simply handing over merit without work. It seemed that Tonan held a lot of weight in the Hokage-'s heart.

He took out a scroll and solemnly said, "Tonan-sama, this is the information."

Tonan took the scroll and replied with a gentle look, "Thank you, senpai." He then used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the place instantly.

At this moment, the Land of Hot Water coastline that bordered along with the Land of Fire was in a bit of chaos. Large waves slammed against the reefs on the shore. Under the moonlight, white splashes looked like an old man's head trembling in anger.

On a cliff facing the sea, a group of Cloud ninjas was hiding in a cave.

Bang!

Pieces of stones flew everywhere in that cave as sand and dust fell from the ceiling. A tall and burly man's eyes were full of impatience as he anxiously said, "So much time has passed, why haven't those people returned yet?"

A ninja wearing a Kumo forehead protector patted the dust off his head with a helpless look and persuaded, "'A'-sama, don't be so impatient. It takes at least two days to get here from Konoha."

'A' took a deep breath and walked back and forth. He roared again, "How can I not be impatient? Konoha's sealing techniques are too important to Killer B."

The Cloud ninja rubbed his chin and said thoughtfully, "In fact, before we left the village, I heard that Killer B-sama was doing quite well."

"How can a tailed beast and a jinchuriki become companions? B is indulging in fantasy. After all, tailed beasts are war weapons. And they are very brutal."

Thinking about this, 'A' couldn't help punching the cave wall again.

Bang!

Dust flew up all over again and everyone was covered with sand and dust. A Cloud ninja spat out the sand in his mouth, and said with an awkward look, "'A'-sama, there are no other caves nearby…"

'A' clenched his fist tightly and looked at the deep sea outside the cave. He took another deep breath and said, "You all wait here, I'll go to the Land of Fire to provide support."

When everyone heard this, they became nervous, and quickly dissuaded him, "No, 'A'-sama, it's dangerous for you to go alone."

"What if you are besieged by Leaf ninjas."

"Yes, it's too risky."

Bang!

Suddenly, a part of the cave ceiling collapsed. 'A' then smashed a rock into powder and clenched his fist, "If there's any danger, I'll use my fist to break through it. Stop talking, I'm going."

He walked out of the cave and crouched slightly. In the next moment, he shot into the sky like a cannonball.

"'A'-sama!"

"What should we do?"

"What else can we do? We can just wait here."

"It doesn't matter if we can't get the sealing techniques. I hope that 'A'-sama will not meet with any mishap."

Everyone looked at each other and sighed in unison.

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Chapter 121: Self-Detonating Puppet, Fishy Origin

Late at night, above the head, the night sky was boundless, but a lonely moon hung in the vast darkness, looking a bit desolate. The stars flickered timidly in the distance with a lonely glimmer, but these gleams were insignificant to the bright moon.

Coo, coo~

Coo, coo~

In the forest, insects chirped, and some birds also cried from time to time. An owl on the branch would vigilantly turn its head from side to side, every now and then.

Uchiha Tonan sprinted across the mountain forest without making any sounds, much like a ghost. Right ahead of him, white pigeons had already spread out, clearing the way for him.

Under the moonlight, these pigeons were conspicuous, like pure white dots in the abyss. However, these were no ordinary birds. They could transform into extremely ferocious birds of prey at a moment's notice.

The cool autumn night breeze blew the leaves all over the sky. The entire forest was enveloped in shadows that seemed to be moving at a fast speed, making it difficult for people to see.

In his pursuit, something caught Uchiha Tonan's attention. He immediately changed his direction and advanced stealthily towards the target location. Among the lofty ridges and towering mountains, there was a lone dilapidated cabin, surrounded by barren land bereft of even a blade of grass.

Since it was already midnight, the bonfire had already become ashes. Hachimoto Yuki sat on the haystack and expressionlessly used a wooden stick to extinguish the remaining sparks. Without any preamble, Yuki controlled a puppet and dodged to one side.

Bang!

A stone pillar leaped up from the ground, breaking through the cabin. In the next moment, Yuki was outside the cabin, while controlling the humanoid puppet. He looked up and saw Tonan with a pair of scarlet eyes turning around slowly on the stone pillar.

Tonan looked down at the pair of a human and a puppet. "You dared to light a fire while fleeing. Were you afraid I couldn't find you? It seems you were already prepared to block my attack."

Yuki didn't answer but moved his hands. He controlled the humanoid puppet beside him to take out a sword and jump toward Tonan.

Boom~

The humanoid puppet was very powerful. With a single slash, the stone pillar was split in half from top to bottom. The cut itself was smooth as if its target was not stone but a slab of butter. But Tonan's figure had disappeared long ago. Yuki instinctively turned around and saw him standing behind, with his three tomoe Sharingan spinning rapidly.

Swish~

At some point, the humanoid puppet had already appeared above Tonan, and the sword in its hands was coming down on him. A hint of surprise flashed through Tonan's eyes, and he immediately activated Lightning Spirit Wind Flash.

"Interesting," Tonan's appeared on a tree branch. He was now very curious about this sand ninja. He hadn't made any hand signs but was actually able to ignore three tomoe Sharingan's genjutsu. In fact, he seemed to be completely immune to it.

"How exactly did he do this? He didn't close his eyes too."

Yuki moved his hands, controlling the humanoid puppet to continue rushing towards Tonan. Tonan knew the importance of this mission, so he didn't want to continue wasting his time here. Lightning covered his right hand, and he punched the humanoid puppet's abdomen.

At the same time, he used Lightning Spirit Wind Flash and instantly appeared behind Yuki. A chakra tanto had already appeared in his hand at some point, with which he aimed at Yuki's neck. When Tonan used Lightning Spirit Wind Flash, Yuki had also made hand seals. And the instant Tonan appeared, Yuki exploded like a balloon.

An earth-shaking sound of an explosion was followed by a mushroom cloud rising up in the forest. With Yuki as the center, everything nearby was destroyed. Many birds fled into the sky in succession. It was just an instant but there was not even a blade of grass left in the area where the two were standing. Even the cliff had almost collapsed.

Coo, coo~ Coo, coo~

Other than a few birds' cries in the forest, there was no movement of other creatures nearby. There were burnt black rocks in the crater created by the explosion.

At this moment, the humanoid puppet that was lying under the big tree made some strange noises. The humanoid puppet stood up slowly, but its limb seemed unbalanced. After staggering two steps, it fell to the ground again. Slowly, the humanoid puppet's shell opened, and there was a middle-aged man inside.

This middle-aged man was the real Hachimoto Yuki. There were bloodstains at the corners of his mouth. He covered his stomach with one hand and used the other hand to take support on the ground and stood up with difficulty. He dragged his body and leaned against the big tree. Looking at the crater, his face was full of joy.

"Fifty explosive tags, your death is also not unjust." This humanoid puppet, in fact, was nothing more than hard metal armor. And the one who perished together with Tonan just now was the real puppet. It was a puppet that was capable of self-detonation.

It was just that that puppet was covered with a layer of human skin, which made it difficult to identify. Yuki reached out his hand with difficulty, took out a pill from his ninja bag, and ate it.

Cough, cough~ After swallowing the pill, he still felt extremely uncomfortable. He lowered his head and looked at his stomach, cursing in a low voice, "That Uchiha kid is a monster. He was able to dent such a hard armor. I wonder what would've happened if I'd fought head-on."

Yuki looked at the desolate night sky and was a little lost. After an unknown period of time, he suddenly saw a spark in front of him. He immediately raised his right hand, picked up the wooden stick beside him, and extinguished the spark.

Suddenly, he felt tingling pain in his head, and he immediately broke out in cold sweats. It's the sign of the seal of annihilation activating! In an instant, he came back to his senses and looked around.

"No… impossible…" Where is the explosion scene? At this moment, he was still in the humanoid puppet. Moreover, he was still in the cabin. And he had just extinguished the sparks on the ground.

"Something similar to Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal? You can't even think about it, it's truly overbearing."

Crackle, crackle, crackle~ Swish~

Lightning flashed, and in an instant, Yuki was beheaded in a single sword move. His hard metal armor was unable to stop Tonan's blade coated with lightning and wind attributed chakra. With his death, the human-skinned puppet beside him fell as well.

Tonan, who was standing behind the corpse, shook his head, "This trick was pretty good but it's a pity you met me."

How could he know that Tonan had Byakugan's see-through ability? At a glance, he could see Yuki's real body that was pretending to be a puppet. Even without Byakugan's ability, he could identify the real body by its breathing sound through the Wind Communication. This was the technique's advantage.

After finding the real body, he directed genjutsu at the armor's eyeholes. He wanted to find out more about this person's companions. Unfortunately, a curse seal was placed in his mind. As long as he recalled anything about his companions, he would be warned automatically. And if he continued to do so, he might just die.

Tonan immediately determined that this person should be a member of a unit similar to Root of other ninja villages. This detail was enough to rule out Suna. But also this person was middle-aged and his skin condition was not bad. It was obvious he was not someone who grew up in the Land of Wind, which had bad weather.

Someone who dared to infiltrate Konoha to steal secrets, and also had a mysterious unit similar to the Root. It could only be the other three big ninja villages – Iwa, Kumo, or Kiri.

But there were too few clues to proceed further. If he was from Kiri, which was foggy all year round, his skin should be fairer due to the lack of ultraviolet radiation. But this person had a healthy wheatish complexion. He obviously gets a lot of sun exposure.

Just by the theory of elimination, he must be either from Iwa or Kumo.

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Chapter 122: A Chance Encounter, Exposing Cover

The remaining two options were possible. Kumo was in the northeast of Konoha, while Iwa was in the northwest. Uchiha Tonan had to investigate both directions. Although the white pigeons had the visual sharing capability, there was a shortcoming. If the distance was too far, the signal wouldn't work.

Tonan created six shadow clones, each of whom picked a direction to explore along with the white pigeons. He used the shadow clones' chakra to maintain the shared vision. The only catch was that the information obtained by the shadow clones would be sent back to the main body only after the clones were dispelled.

The main body rushed towards the north to ensure that no matter which route the enemy traces were found, he could rush over there in the shortest time. Chasing the enemy was always a troublesome issue. But now, he had aced all aspects from Hiruzen that he could possibly learn in this regard.

He had not yet obtained the ape summoning beast he coveted but that only meant it was a goal he had to work harder for.

The next day, early in the morning, the sky was gradually becoming brighter and some stars remained on the horizon. The earth was hazy as if shrouded in a silverish-grey gauze. Soon after, the golden morning light dyed the eastern sky red. The horizon was full of red clouds, and the sun was dazzling like molten steel in a furnace.

Tonan stood on the top of the mountain, looking at the town below with an indifferent gaze. The sunlight added a layer of golden light around him.

"Two more left, this one should've stayed behind to bring up the rear. Did you specifically choose such a densely populated place to restrict the pursuing ninja's movements?"

Suddenly, Tonan raised his brows, and the corners of his mouth rose a little. He hadn't expected to meet acquaintances here.

In the town, Namikaze Minato and others were in the middle of breakfast in an eatery. The streets were full of people rushing back and forth. Sitting here, one could hear peddlers and haggling customers outside. This place was lively.

Several carts, all filled with fresh fruits and, vegetables would often pass by the café's door. There were also many people queuing in, waiting to order food. This prosperous scene could make people feel worldly pleasure.

Seeing the busy flow of people, Uchiha Obito said with an unhappy look, "Damn it…, we finally got a C-ranked protection mission, but we didn't meet any ninjas."

Nohara Rin, who was beside him, smiled gently, "Obito, our protection target this time is just an ordinary wealthy merchant, how can there be any ninjas?"

Obito replied with reluctance, "Didn't you say we might run into bandits along the way?"

Rin patted her forehead and said hopelessly, "Almost all bandits within the Land of Fire are already dealt with. Unless it's wartime, I guess you have to go to the small countries to meet them. Besides, do you think bandits would dare to come when we are wearing this forehead protector?"

Obito became gloomier hearing this and said, "It's so boring. When will we be able to take higher-ranked missions?"

Hatake Kakashi glanced at him and said indifferently, "Once we return, we need to do D-ranked missions for a long time."

Rin placed her hands on her hips and angrily said, "Obito, don't complain. If it weren't for the two of us, Minato-sensei and Kakashi would definitely be doing higher-ranked missions."

Obito choked and turned his head to Kakashi, "Kakashi, have you killed anyone before?"

The chopsticks in Kakashi's hand froze for a moment. He nodded, "Occasionally."

Finally, Obito found something of interest and asked with an intrigued look, "Who has killed more people? You or Tonan?"

Kakashi looked up and frowned slightly, "He… he probably wouldn't have the heart to raise his hand."

Kakashi's reply made Minato smile a little. He said, "Kakashi, you've got it wrong. In the Fire Capital, Tonan led the city guards to destroy the underground organizations consisting of thousands of people. Tonan killed all those people."

Kakashi was a little shocked. He hadn't expected that the usually gentle and amicable Tonan would accomplish such feats in the Fire Capital. Obito was taken by surprise as well. He exclaimed with his eyes wide open, "Thousands of people…"

Minato nodded, "Although Tonan is kind-hearted, he's very resolute when facing crime."

Giving it some thought, Rin frowned and asked, "But it's thousands of people… did they all deserve death?"

In Rin's view, most people in this world were kind-hearted. Even in the most dishonest-sounding organizations, all people might not necessarily be evildoers. Many might have been forced to join due to some kind of helplessness. They may have still retained their benevolence and didn't do atrocious things.

Tonan's ruthless decision to kill everyone was reckless.

Minato thought for a moment and replied, "According to the laws of the Land of Fire, many people indeed shouldn't have died. But do you know what these people did? Abducting children, forcing women into prostitution, smuggling contrabands and opening underground casinos are just some of the things."

When Obito heard it, he slammed on the table and got up, "How can Tonan do that? The first two deserve death, but the latter two don't. What's the use of laws otherwise?"

Minato hadn't expected Obito to react so aggressively. He explained, "On one hand, smuggling contrabands destroy the national economy, and on the other hand… Have you ever thought that in times of war, your companions might be killed by explosive tags that were smuggled out from the Land of Fire? As for underground casinos, without official supervision, they'll use various means to suck up gamblers' wealth. The last stake on the chip table might not necessarily be money but the gamblers' wives and children. Finally, those gamblers' wives and children would also end up in the other two underground organizations. And it is all for personal profit."

Obito took a deep breath. It sounded like the consequences were indeed serious. But he was still stubborn. "But… there are other ways to make those people walk on the right path."

Minato shook his head and chuckled, "Everyone's point of view is different. Perhaps Tonan's approach was too extreme, but I don't think he was wrong."

Minato suddenly narrowed his eyes and looking not far away, he said, "Someone is fighting."

Saying this, Minato and Kakashi rushed out of the café and ran toward the place where the fighting was taking place. Obito and Rin were stunned for a moment. After they came back to their senses, they immediately followed.

"Earth Style – Rock House Collapse."

Boom~

Not far away, a house collapsed with a loud noise. A lot of bricks flew all around, almost hitting people. There was also a lot of smoke and dust, making the surrounding a bit hazy. The surrounding pedestrians knew that ninjas were fighting, and quickly ran out of the way.

"Help!"

A middle-aged ninja held a beautiful woman, and his kunai was placed across her neck. In the distance, Tonan, who was standing on the pole, narrowed his eyes, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He hadn't expected to be discovered so quickly.

He didn't have any plan to hide anyway so he jumped off and landed on the ruins.

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Chapter 123: The Sensory Ninja, Being Kurama Tonan

"This ninja was not a chunin mentioned in the information, and judging from the chakra fluctuation, he must be special jonin. Since he was able to react before I got close, he must be a sensory ninja."

"But the most important thing is that he's actually blind. His eyeballs are dull and unfocused. They are obviously fake."

"This is great. I'm chasing three enemies this time, and two of them are already so weird."

The three tomoe in Uchiha Tonan's eyes spun. Through the Byakugan's perceptive vision, he saw that the ninja in front of him was continuously emitting weak chakra from his feet, connecting to the earth.

It seemed he relied on the earth to sense movements.

"But I jumped from the pole and he was able to sense even that. It seems his perception ability is very strong."

"You four have observed me from the dark for so long. Are you finally willing to come out?"

The corners of the ninja's mouth rose as he shouted. Then he frowned and paused for a moment, "Is there one more now?"

Tonan raised his eyebrows, his expression a little strange. From the man's comment, Tonan realized he hadn't sensed him but rather sensed…

At this moment, Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi arrived one after another and formed a triangle with Tonan, surrounding the man.

Minato took out a kunai and solemnly asked, "Tonan, what's going on?"

Tonan replied, "He's an enemy spy who has stolen the village's secrets. I'm chasing him."

This was a bit troublesome. If there was no one around, Tonan would've simply killed the enemy together with the hostage. But in this situation, if he ignored the hostage's safety, it would leave a bad impression on Minato and Obito.

From this aspect, the opponent this time had an advantage. By now Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin arrived as well.

Obito pointed at the enemy and said, "Release that woman, you damned spy."

Minato anxiously said, "Obito, Rin, don't come here. Leave now."

Rin was stunned for a moment but she soon pulled Obito's sleeve and said, "Obito, let's go back."

The situation was critical and beyond their ability.

Obito pulled Rin behind him and said, "Rin, you are a future medical ninja. You should stay away from this."

Rin hesitated for a moment and glanced at the enemy ninja in the distance. She then nodded and retreated.

Tonan stared at the ninja and said, "We are all ninjas. It's just that our standing is different. Please don't hurt ordinary people. They are innocent."

A sinister smile appeared on the man's face, and he said in a cold voice, "I'll not hurt her, but you've to let me go."

His hands, however, held the woman tighter, as if to threaten Tonan. Tonan shook his head and said, "No, you have stolen Konoha's secrets. If I let you go, it would be a dereliction of my duty."

"Stop blabbering rubbish. If you don't want her to die, let me go now."

The man moved his kunai closer to the woman's smooth neck. His tone was more agitated as if he was about to kill her the next second. The woman was so frightened that she was almost unable to stand up She stuttered while trembling, "Ninja… -sama…"

Tonan took a deep breath and chuckled, "Do you think I'm negotiating with you? I'm just going through the standard procedure before beginning the fight. When it comes to the interests of the village and country, small sacrifices are permitted."

Obito looked at Tonan in disbelief, "Tonan, you bastard, what're you saying?"

He couldn't understand how Tonan was able to say such cold-blooded and cruel words. That was a human life!

Minato was a little angry and yelled, "Shut up, Obito."

A sinister smile appeared on the enemy ninja's face, "Don't act cruel here. If you truly don't care about her life or death, why haven't you made a move yet?"

Tonan's expression became cold and indifferent. He asked in a calm tone, "Who said I haven't made a move? You've fallen into my genjutsu from the very beginning. Didn't you notice how I appeared suddenly?"

The enemy ninja thought about it. He truly hadn't noticed when Tonan appeared and he had a bad premonition in his heart.

At this moment, Tonan's lips moved slightly, and using the voice transmission effect of Wind Communication, he spoke in the enemy ninja's ears, "Let me introduce myself, I'm Konoha's five sensory genjutsu special jonin, Kurama Tonan."

What!

The enemy ninja had heard of the Konoha's Kurama clan. He became alert. He felt the voice unexpectedly coming from the left, right, and in front of him at the same time. In particular, the voice from the front was coming from the hostage in his hands.

"I already have your information. You are a sensory ninja that relies on earth. It's a pity I can manipulate your five senses. Speaking of which, why are you holding my shadow clone?"

Swish~

Tonan immediately jumped up, breaking away from the enemy's earth perception. At the same time, he used vocal mimicry to imitate sharp blades flying through the air.

The ninja instinctively retreated to where there was no sound. He circulated chakra to break the genjutsu.

However… this was not genjutsu!

Minato took advantage of this time window to use Flying Thunder God and save the woman.

"Tonan, well done."

Tonan hadn't expected this pleasant surprise. He was making such moves because he wanted to stimulate the enemy ninja and make him kill the woman quickly so as to avoid wasting time. He reached out to grab the chakra tanto on his back, but he stopped.

Crackle, crackle, crackle~

The White Fang Blade covered in lightning slashed toward the enemy ninja's arm. He paused and made hand seals.

"Earth Style – Rock Gate Technique."

Instantly, a hard stone slab rose from the ground in front of Kakashi. But under the restraining chakra attribute, Kakashi's White Fang Blade smoothly cut the stone slab in half and chopped off the opponent's arm all in one go.

Blood gushed out from the wound and the severe pain drenched the ninja's body in a cold sweat. He staggered a few steps back and soon after, turned around and ran in Obito's direction.

"Even if I die, I'll drag down some Leaf ninjas with me."

Obito was so petrified by the enemy's murderous intent aggressively rushing at him that his legs trembled, and he was unable to move a step.

"Move! Run!" He kept shouting in his heart but the result was that he stumbled and fell on his butt.

At that moment, a sharp blade pierced through the man's heart from the back. Blood splattered on Obito's face, and he was completely scared out of his wits.

In front of him, the enemy ninja's face was still full of ferociousness, like a demon from hell. But a bloody blade tip was protruding out from his heart with blood still flowing out from it.

At that instant, Obito's eyes turned scarlet and one tomoe slowly spun in it.

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Chapter 124: Chasing Leads, Fake Tonan

Uchiha Tonan's gentle, smiling face appeared behind the enemy ninja. And like the warm winter sun, it pulled Uchiha Obito out of his numbing fear. "Don't be afraid, it's alright."

Obito took a deep breath. He felt a little embarrassed and instantly refuted, "I was not afraid, I just slipped."

Tonan smiled brightly. He knew Obito's self-esteem was high, so he humored him. He nodded and said, "Was that what happened? You should be careful in the future or else your flaws would be revealed easily."

He then slowly pulled the charka tanto out and lightly pushed the corpse away. The dead ninja fell to the ground sideways. A look of surprise was frozen on the ghastly face of that corpse as if he couldn't believe he was killed so easily.

His eyes were wide open, unable to rest in peace. The blood was still flowing out from the wound, dying the surrounding mud red, finally becoming a bloody puddle.

Tonan lowered his head and looked at Obito, who wanted to get up but his body was weak and soft. He smiled and squatted down, extending his right hand, "I forgot to bring a seal scroll. Obito, do you have one?"

Obito nodded and took out his only seal scroll from the ninja bag, handing it over to Tonan. However, Tonan didn't take it and instead said to Obito with a gentle smile, "Stand up first."

Obito's face became red, and he hesitated for a bit before grabbing Tonan's hand to stand up. Only after that, did Tonan use the scroll to seal the corpse.

Namikaze Minato and the others came over as well, "Tonan, did you complete your mission?"

Tonan shook his head, "There's one more but I don't know which direction he fled to."

Minato frowned and began to analyze, "Just now, didn't you say this person used earth perception? Coupled with the fact that he uses earth style, he is likely a Rock ninja."

Tonan pondered for a bit and nodded, "That's possible." In fact, Tonan had another guess in his mind. After all, this ninja didn't seem very intelligent. And he fit the impression Tonan had of that ninja village.

Minato smiled, "In any case, we are free. Why don't Kakashi and I help you in the pursuit?"

Obito immediately raised his hand high and shook it in front of Minato, "Minato-sensei, what about me?"

"Rin and you should stay here."

"But…"

Obito lowered his head, secretly hating himself for not having strength, and being the lowest-raking student. Suddenly, a seal scroll appeared in his sight. He raised his head and saw Tonan saying with a gentle face, "This seal scroll is very important. If we lost it during the battle, it'll be troublesome. Obito, can you take this and stay here to safeguard this scroll."

Obito was stunned for a moment, and a bright smile appeared on his face as he grabbed the scroll and held it high, "No problem, you can leave such an important mission to me."

Seeing Tonan coax Obito, Minato smiled and asked him, "We should leave now, Tonan?"

Minato, Tonan, and Hatake Kakashi split and headed in Iwa's direction. After the three of them left, at the end of a street, a dark-skinned woman with a large build stuck her head out from a corner.

"I came in a step too late. Yuki is dead. However, he was able to deceive the three ninjas."

The woman dispelled the Transformation Technique and returned to her original appearance, which was that of a man — Kumo's Quasi-Fourth Raikage – 'A'.

Just as he dispelled the technique, the eyes of the white pigeons hovering in the air flashed. Tonan, who was running in the forest, halted.

"That attire, is he Kumo's 'A'? It seems that fellow deceived us with his life. No wonder I felt his hand signs movement was strange."

Just when Tonan was preparing to rush back, a strange smile appeared on his face.

"What's 'A' doing?"

In the town, Obito and Nohara Rin were sitting on the side of the street. Obito showed off his Sharingan and looked pleased with himself.

"Sharingan is a powerful dojutsu exclusive to the Uchihas, and only true geniuses can awaken it. Rin, do you think I'm very dashing?"

At this moment, Tonan came in front of them with a smile. The two looked over and asked with a confused look, "Tonan, why did you come back?"

Tonan coughed lightly and said, "I've already found the enemy's trail, but the other side has many ninjas, I cannot take them on alone. So, I wanted to ask you two to help me."

Rin responded with a worried expression, "Tonan, can we do it? Should we wait for Minato-sensei and Kakashi to come back?"

Obito had not gotten a chance to show off his skill to Rin after awakening the Sharingan.

"If we face enemies, I'll be able to show my might, and Rin will definitely be impressed…" Thinking of this, Obito was very excited.

The corners of Tonan's mouth rose slightly and said, "Thank you, then follow me. By the way, that scroll…"

Obito immediately took out the seal scroll without hesitation and handed it over, "Oh, you keep the scroll. I might fight too fiercely and lose it."

Rin felt that something was shady but since she didn't have too much contact with Tonan in the past, she discarded the doubts in her mind. The two foolishly followed Tonan out of town and walked towards the rendezvous place of the Cloud ninjas.

'A', who had transformed into Tonan, was feeling very proud of himself at this moment.

"Who will dare say I'm brainless now? Usually, I just disdain to scheme. But I just used a small trick and not only am I bringing back Yuki's body, but I've also abducted an Uchiha kid who has triggered the Sharingan. Once I take him back, I'll give him some medicine and put him together with a bunch of beautiful women, then…"

"This time, I'll make you all look at me with admiration. Your future Raikage is not stupid at all."

Thinking of this, 'A' subconsciously waved his fist. Rin, who was following behind him, curiously asked, "Tonan, what's wrong?"

'A' hastily restrained his urge to smash a tree and then scratched his head, "I'm just a little nervous thinking about the upcoming battle."

Obito patted his chest and said, "It's alright, leave everything to me."

'A' then asked, "By the way, can we run?"

Obito looked at him blankly, "But Rin and I don't know the way. You'll have to lead the way in the front."

'A' immediately said, "Alright, alright…. keep up the pace."

However, just after running a few steps, he heard Rin gasping for breath behind him, "Tonan-kun… I can't keep up…"

"Alright, alright…"

'A' had no choice but to slow down.

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Chapter 125: Meet Plot With Plot, Tricking Cloud Ninjas

Even though 'A' abducted two Leaf ninjas masquerading as their former classmate, Uchiha Tonan, who knew the route they were on, didn't choose to stop them. Instead, he headed toward their destination.

The spy who stole the classified information couldn't be 'A' and now that he knew the route, he should prioritize retrieving the information.

As for Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin, since 'A' didn't take action against them, they should be safe for the time being.

The next day, Tonan stood on the coast. The morning glow appeared in the east, and in a moment, the sky became a colorful, exceptionally beautiful world. The rosy clouds shone with a golden luster, resembling a huge carp covered in shiny scales lying across the horizon.

The waves on the sea were like a mighty force, baring their fierce teeth and roaring as if they were chasing something relentlessly.

Tonan had realized a problem at hand.

'A''s sense of direction was a bit poor. Judging from the straight line, the destination should have been here. But after using the white pigeons and Sharingan to observe for a long time, Tonan found no one within dozens of miles on this coast.

Helplessly, he could only spread the white pigeons and simultaneously activate the Sharingan to search along the coast.

It was already noon by the time he found a group of ninjas in a gulf. The distance was a bit outrageous. But this was exactly what he wanted. He smiled and disappeared into the forest. Making hand signs, he used the Reconstruction Technique.

Tonan's body seemed to melt like a burning candle, and under the support of chakra, his figure gradually rose. His limbs became longer, and his facial features underwent a huge change. The original exquisite muscles began to bulge violently, and the clothes on his upper body burst open.

At the critical moment, Tonan took a kunai to cut his pants into strips, avoiding the embarrassment if they tore open. His hair gradually whitened, turning into sliver strands. His stature gradually became huger, and his skin became wheat-colored. He had long lost his appearance.

He took out the makeup items from his ninja bag and began to work in front of a mirror.

Darkened the skin a shade more…

Waxed the hair and swept it back.

Trimmed the beard.

Soon, a high quality imitation of 'A' appeared in the mirror. Tonan carefully checked at the reflection and after confirming there were no major flaws in his appearance, a crafty smile played on his lips.

As double measure and in order to avoid any oversight, he grabbed some dust from the ground and sprinkled it all over his body. He covered himself as much as possible to make himself look like a person who had fought for three days and three nights.

After doing all this, he packed up and walked to the opposite side of the gulf. Arriving not far from the cave, he slightly squatted down and with lightning flickering around his entire body, he jumped towards the cave at the gulf.

Mid-air, he attached earth-attributed chakra to his feet to increase gravity and resistance. In the cave, everyone saw a man covered in lightning in the sky at a glance.

"Look, 'A'-sama is back!"

"Fortunately, he is fine."

"I was worried to death."

Boom~

Tonan heavily landed on the beach, giving rise to dust and sand in the air. His entire body was covered in dust, but with lightning flickering around him, he looked very domineering.

A group of Cloud ninjas ran out from the cave and stood around him…

"'A'-sama, you're finally back."

"We've already got the information. Let's leave now."

"Yes, yes, yes, it'll be troublesome if we got tangled with Leaf ninjas."

Tonan looked at this group of people and coughed, giving a fatigued look. Then he swayed a few times and fell to one knee on the ground.

"'A'-sama, what's wrong?" Several Cloud ninjas hastily supported him and asked with worried and anxious looks on their faces.

In their hearts, 'A' was an existence that could briefly confront a tailed beast. They had never seen him so weak, and for a moment, everyone was a little flustered. Tonan placed his hand on the ground for support and gasped, "I'm fine. On the way, I fought with a Konoha genius called Uchiha Tonan, and got slightly injured."

Everyone looked confused

"Uchiha Tonan?"

"I've never heard of him. Is he a new genius that appeared after the Second Great Ninja War?"

"How's that possible? A new genius can't be much older, how can he be 'A'-sama's opponent? He definitely must be Konoha's secret weapon."

"Perhaps, it's the Nine-Tail's jinchuriki."

"Isn't Nine-Tail's jinchuriki from the Uzumaki clan. When did it become an Uchiha? Has Konoha already changed the jinchuriki…"

"I heard something about him when I was in Konoha. He seems to be Sandaime Hokage's new student. And Konoha's White Fang died by his hands."

Immediately after these words came out, everyone gasped.

"He killed Konoha's White Fang… no wonder."

"I haven't finished speaking yet. Uchiha Tonan is not too old, it's just that…"

Tonan didn't come here to listen to them discussing his achievements. He immediately interrupted their conversation and solemnly said, "Stop speculating. He's indeed strong and his lightning-style ninjutsu is almost comparable to mine. It seems that old man, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stole Kumo's lightning-style secret technique and passed it to him. By the way, what about the things you brought from Konoha?"

The Cloud spy ninja who escaped successfully handed the scroll to Tonan and said respectfully, "Here it is, 'A'-sama."

Tonan took the scroll and nodded with a look of praise. "Good, you did well. But I need to take a break now. Also, you all shouldn't fawn on that Uchiha Tonan. When he arrives here, stall him for time. After I finish restoring my energy, I'll kill him with my own hands."

One of the Cloud ninjas asked with a worried look, "Is Uchiha Tonan already chasing over?"

How could they deal with such a powerful person? The atmosphere turned solemn for a moment. Tonan stood up with difficulty and coughed, "Although I've shaken them off, I've also revealed the general direction. I guess they'll search along the coastline and find us. But he has a weakness. He attaches great importance to his companions. There are two genin in his team. It would be best if you capture them first. Remember, they must be captured alive to threaten him."

Seeing 'A'-sama, who was always reckless, forced to the point where he had to use his brain, the Cloud ninjas team captain could see how terrifying the opponent was. He said with a solemn look, "'A'-sama, you can rest assured. We'll stop them, and get enough time for you to recover. You should go in and rest now."

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Chapter 126: He's Fake, I'm 'A', Lightning Battle

As the Cloud ninjas urged him to rest and recover, Uchiha Tonan, who had disguised himself as 'A' nodded. But after taking just two steps, he reminded, "By the way, he sneaked attacked me in the beginning. His Transformation Technique is very difficult to see through. It must be a secret technique, newly researched by that old man. I was careless and he got the first move. Damn it…"

Feigning rage, Tonan used the compound ninjutsu Sarutobi Hiruzen taught him and punched the wall.

Bang!

The cave collapsed and the ground shook, pieces of rocks scattering all around, leaving a small hole in its wake that was enough for two or three people to squeeze in.

"'A'-sama, don't be angry, get some rest now."

"Yes, leave Uchiha Tonan to us, we'll handle him."

A group of Cloud ninjas said with righteous indignation.

Tonan nodded with a look of relief, "Thank you for your hard work."

The Cloud ninjas jumped down to the shore and waited for 'Uchiha Tonan' who was about to arrive. As for Tonan, he walked deeper into the cave and sat down. A Cloud ninja, who had stayed behind, followed him.

"'A'-sama, where are you injured? Let me treat you."

Closing his eyes, Tonan sat cross-legged on the ground and waved his hand, "No need, I've received a serious internal injury, and it can only be recovered with lightning attributed chakra. Leave me alone, go and help them."

The Cloud ninja was startled and cautiously said, "But… I'm a medical-nin."

Tonan raised his eyebrows and opened his eyes. He stared at the medical-nin and said in a stern tone, "Go away quickly, one more person means more strength."

Filled with deep veneration, the medical ninja nodded, "Yes!"

……

At this moment, 'A', who had transformed into Tonan, was wandering around the coastline with a frowning Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito. Looking at the endless coastline, 'A' kept scratching his head and muttering, "From what I recall, it should be around here. There were the sea, the beach, and a cliff. All of these are here but there are no people. What's going on…"

The boundless sea in front of them and several seagulls and white pigeons were flying in the sky, looking for food. Obito, who was behind 'A', couldn't help asking, "Tonan, are you lost?"

'A' looked terribly upset as he said, "Why are you so impatient? It's somewhere here. I'll definitely find it."

After speaking, he looked around in confusion again. Where is it!?

…

More than two hours later, 'A' saw Cloud ninjas standing in a row on the shore ahead. He laughed, "I finally found you." The Cloud ninja captain who was standing at the forefront had noticed them a while ago. He squinted his eyes and inwardly thought, "These people really came searching along the coastline. I wonder if those two hours were enough for 'A'-sama to recover."

Soon afterward, the Cloud ninjas began to prepare for a battle. The captain shouted, "Little brat, you are the legendary Konoha genius, Sandaime Hokage's student, Uchiha Tonan, right?"

'A' was stunned for a moment, wondering his people spoke to him like this. It was only then he recalled he was in Tonan's appearance and couldn't help thinking inwardly. "My Transformation Technique is so perfect. No one can see through it."

A smug smile appeared on his face and he said, "Don't be nervous, it's me."

He dispelled the Transformation Technique, and his build also changed into his originally robust appearance. He reached out his hands and grabbed the stunned Obito and Rin. He then loudly said, "The two little fellows were tricked by me. One of them is a member of the Uchiha clan. By the way, did you get the thing? Show it to me."

The Cloud ninjas looked at each other, resentment appearing on their faces.

What 'A'-sama said was absolutely true! Uchiha Tonan probably doesn't know 'A'-sama has already arrived. He used Transformation Technique right in front of us to cheat the scroll out of us.

The Cloud ninja captain's anger soared. "Tonan is insidious and cunning. Fortunately, 'A'-sama warned us, or else we would've been deceived by him."

A ninja beside him leaned over and solemnly said, "Captain, as expected, there is no trace of the Transformation Technique."

The Cloud ninja captain nodded, "Even 'A'-sama was unable to see through the secret technique, how can you find any flaws?"

"That's right."

"A-sama still hasn't recovered yet. At this moment, we should use our brains and try to delay the other side. You all, play along with me," the Cloud ninja captain whispered to his subordinates, and then said to 'A', "Don't move, since you are so far away, we can't see if you are using Transformation Technique or not. Throw those Konoha's brats over and we'll check them."

Obito's eyes lit up. He instantly understood 'Tonan's intention, and whispered, "Tonan, this is a good plan. Let me coordinate with you."

"What's this brat talking about?"

A large question mark loomed over 'A's brain but he didn't bother to think too much. He threw Rin and Obito over. When Obito was midair, he shouted, "Yes, look at me."

"Fire Style – Grand Fireball…"

However, before he could finish, a Cloud ninja jumped up and strangled his neck. He caught Obito like holding a duck and snorted, "Substandard tactics. Although you're strong, you're too naïve."

Tonan, who was using Wind Communication to listen to the overall situation, knew it was time for him to appear. After all, Obito the idiot had assisted him. He couldn't waste the opportunity. He walked out of the cave and jumped over to the crowd.

"A-sama."

Tonan nodded and stared at 'A' in the distance with a solemn expression. The moment he saw Tonan, Obito was dumbfounded, and he immediately roared at 'A' in the distance, "Tonan, you bastard, what kind of plan did you think? You threw me into the trap."

At this moment, 'A' too was dumbfounded. Staring at the person in the crowd who looked exactly like him, he had only one sentence in his head, "F, I'm fake."

Tonan took a step forward and with lightning flickering around his body, he pointed at 'A' and said, "Konoha's brat, hand over the corpse scroll."

As soon as his words fell, the expression of the Cloud ninja beside him became unsightly. He asked, "What! 'A'-sama, could it be that Yuki…"

Hearing his words, Tonan knew the name of the dead Cloud ninja. He put on a look of wrath and said, "Yes, he killed Yuki and sealed his corpse in a scroll, ready to take it back to exchange for merits."

Finally, 'A' in the distance shouted, "He's fake, I'm 'A'!"

Tonan sneered and said loudly, "Alright, then hand over Yuki's corpse."

Hearing his words, 'A' roared in anger, "I'll never hand it over to you." Lighting burst from his entire body, and he launched a surprise attack on Tonan.

"You dare to exchange a Cloud ninja's corpse for merits. It seems you don't take me seriously," Tonan shouted angrily, and circulated lightning and earth attributed chakra within his body with all his power. Then, with the lightning flickering all over his body, he too rushed forward.

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Chapter 127: Seizing The Chance, The Five Unite

With lightning covered on their bodies, a real 'A' and a fake 'A' exchanged punches.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Smoke and dust rose everywhere as two lightning flashes collided violently. Uchiha Tonan activated his Sharingan amid the battle. Relying on the dynamic vision, he was able to evenly fight 'A'. Although he could keep up with his speed, his destructive power and defense were far too inferior to future Kumo Raikage.

Between the lightning flashes, the two exchanged dozens of moves. 'A' had adorned an all-around defense of lightning armor, and his moves were ferocious. But Tonan had concentrated earth attributed chakra on his fists in order to gain more power to fight back.

Therefore, when the two fought, Tonan dodged most of the time.

Bang!

The two people punched each other again. Tonan was not strong enough and was sent flying by the impact force. He fell heavily to the ground and slid dozens of meters landing at the Cloud ninja captain's feet.

The Cloud ninjas looked flustered and hunkered down, "A-sama!"

Tonan covered his chest and said with anger, "Damn it…, it's because my injury hasn't healed yet…"

Hearing his words, a resolute look appeared on the Cloud ninjas' faces. "A-sama, leave quickly. We'll stop him."

To protect their leader, the Cloud ninjas rushed forward. Tonan used this chance to pick up Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin and used the Lightning Spirit Wind Flash to leave.

'A's lightning-style secret technique was too terrifying. His speed was not inferior to Tonan's. But in terms of sheer strength, destructive power, and defense power, Tonan was far inferior to him.

Unless Tonan went all out and used the Hatake Style Sword Technique, just relying on the half-assed ninjutsu taught by Sarutobi Hiruzen, he wouldn't be able to break through 'A's lightning armor with his fists.

There was a reason lightning armor was known as the strongest defense type ninjutsu. At the coast, facing his subordinates' attack, 'A' controlled his strength to not hurt them. Fighting with his hands and legs restrained, felt very uncomfortable. After a long time, he was unable to bear it, "I'm the real 'A'!"

Bang, bang, bang…

After a long time, a group of Cloud ninjas lay on the coast. 'A' stood in the middle, and after gasping for breath, he solemnly asked, "Why don't you all believe me?"

The Cloud ninja captain, who was lying on the ground, looked stubborn. He stared at 'A' with disdain and said, "Konoha's brat, kill me. Cloud ninjas aren't cowards who are afraid of death."

'A' felt like he was going crazy. He grabbed his own hair and roared angrily, "Why don't you believe me?"

A Cloud ninja snorted, "You've too many flaws. We had already noticed you had been searching along the coastline, but 'A'-sama knew the specific location. Besides, you killed Yuki. It's impossible for him to kill his companion."

'A' was dumbfounded for a moment. He took out the scroll and slammed it on the ground, "I tricked them into handing this over. I didn't kill him."

The Cloud ninja captain looked at the 'Konoha brat' in front of him and a hint of doubt flashed through his eyes. He carefully asked, "You said you are 'A'-sama, right? Then, let me ask you a few questions."

"Ask."

"What does Killer B-sama like to do the most?"

"Dance and sing."

"What's the purpose of our visit this time?"

"Steal Konoha's sealing technique and help him suppress the Eight-Tails in his body."

Another Cloud ninja interjected with a sad look, "I didn't expect Konoha to know such confidential information."

"I…"

'A' felt if this continued, he would not be able to stop himself from smashing that Cloud ninja's head.

The Cloud ninja captain, however, believed that the person in front of them was indeed the real 'A'. The chances of Konoha knowing this information were very low. "Do you know our names?"

Only after 'A' said everyone's name, position, and several missions he had done before, did the Cloud ninjas realize they had been duped.

"You really are A-sama…"

'A' sighed in relief but felt exhausted and gasped for breath, "Where's the seal scroll?"

"We gave it to that 'A'-sama…"

"Where are those two Konoha brats?"

"They were also taken away by that 'A'-sama…"

'A', who had just calmed his breathing, was even angrier at this moment. "I'm so angry!" He raised his fists and punched the ground to vent.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…

Tonan ran for a long time carrying Obito and Rin. Only after running far away from the coast did he stop to rest under a waterfall. As soon as Obito and Rin were placed down, Obito took out a kunai and pulled Rin behind him. He had a solemn look on his face.

Tonan smiled and slowly blinked his eyes, revealing the three tomoe Sharingan.

"You are… Tonan!" Obito and Rin were pleasantly surprised. No matter how one disguised, Sharingan couldn't be faked. Tonan untied his ninja bag and put it on the ground. He took out a seal scroll and opened it.

It was filled with daily necessities including clothes. Tonan smiled at Rin and said, "Rin, I want to take a bath, turn around."

Rin blushed and immediately turned around. Tonan jumped into the small river below the waterfall. And as if a bottle of ink fell into the clear water, the water was quickly dyed black.

"Tonan, how long has it been since you took a bath? The water has become black," Obito looked at the blackened river with a strange look.

A full ten minutes later, Tonan finished dispelling the Reconstruction Technique and restored his original look. Finally showing his head, he explained, "I put on too much makeup to look like that guy."

Obito exclaimed, "That's amazing. You can also do make-up. My grandma said that she could do it since she was young."

Tonan smiled, brushed his wet hair back with his hands, and said, "Mine is camouflage-type makeup. If I had used the Transformation Technique alone, they would've seen through me."

Obito nodded and tilted his head, "Yes, but how did you become so tall?"

Tonan answered casually, "Oh, that's a secret technique taught to me by Sarutobi-sensei. It's similar to the Akimichi clan's Expansion Technique. It belongs to Konoha's secrets, so you must not spread it."

Obito patted his chest with a serious look and said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely keep it a secret."

……

The next day, the three returned to the town. Hatake Kakashi and Namikaze Minato were already waiting here. They were relieved to see the three return safely. Minato said with a slightly blaming tone, "Where did you go? Why didn't you leave any signs on the road?"

Before Tonan could say anything, Obito explained in high spirits, "Minato-sensei, let me explain…"

Although Obito concealed the information about Tonan's secret technique, which caused his story to be full of flaws, Minato didn't expose it or questioned them. Instead, he smiled brightly and listened quietly. He even chipped in from time to time, "Kumo's 'A'? He's the Quasi-Yondaime Raikage. Even I would not be his opponent. Tonan, your growth is amazing."

Tonan smiled humbly, "But he defeated me in a single move. If there was a head-on confrontation, then without you, Minato-sensei, we three might not even be able to escape. And there were so many Cloud ninjas. Under helplessness, I was forced to use tricks and schemes."

Obito scratched his head, "Tonan, you sound so strange. How can these be called scheming? This is called wisdom."

Minato coughed lightly and held down Obito's head, looking squarely at him, "Obito, you need to reflect on this incident after you return. If Tonan hadn't been alert, you would've been captured by Kumo."

Obit's complexion collapsed, "I wasn't careless…" Before he finished speaking though, his sad look disappeared, and he pointed at his eyes energetically, "Next time, it won't happen. I'm a man who has awakened the Sharingan."

At this moment, Tonan turned to look at Kakashi, who had been staring at him. Kakashi averted his eyes for a moment and pretending to be indifferent, asked, "Are you alright?"

Tonan nodded lightly, "I'm fine."

Seeing these two, Minato couldn't help showing a knowing smile.

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Chapter 128: Returning To Village, Reunion Meal

A few days later, Uchiha Tonan, who had completed the mission, returned to Konoha with Namikaze Minato's team.

In the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen confirmed Minato's missions first and dismissed them. After they left, Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and said, "Tonan, thank you for bringing back the secret sealing techniques Konoha lost."

Tonan smiled and said gently, "Sensei, this is what I should do."

A big smile appeared on Hiruzen's wrinkled face. He blew out a mouthful of smoke and said with concern, "It must've been hard on you. Go back and rest for a few days. Only after you've rested properly, come to train with me. Your foundation is already very strong. You can teach yourself as well. Don't be so anxious."

With Tonan's talent, he could learn any technique, regardless of its difficulty, by himself. Hiruzen didn't need to teach him ninjutsu specifics. Just pointing out a few key instructions was enough. Most of the time, Hiruzen would just give him a ninjutsu scroll and make him learn it himself.

Tonan bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, sensei." He then left the Hokage Building, but beyond his expectation, Minato and others were waiting for him outside. When Uchiha Obito, who was sitting on a bench, saw Tonan, he jumped up and excitedly said, "Tonan is here! Now, let's go to eat barbecue, alright? I haven't had barbecue in a long time."

Minato gave a helpless look to Obito. He turned to Tonan and said with a bright smile, "Tonan, we haven't had dinner together for a long time, let's have a meal together."

Tonan was stunned for a moment, and his gaze swept over Kakashi, who was secretly looking at him. He smiled and said, "Alright, I haven't eaten out for a long time. I miss barbecue."

Obito said, "Tonan and I are both in favor of barbecue. We already have two votes. Rin, what do you want to eat? I can change my vote."

Rin covered her mouth and said with a smile, "I'm also fine with it." Kakashi also said indifferently, "Let's go, I'm also eating barbecue." Minato nodded and looked up at the sky. He then said, "You all go ahead. I'll join in later."

……

In the barbeque joint, four people waited patiently in their seats. The store's business seemed to be flourishing. It was almost full of people. The entire room was filled with a tantalizing aroma, making people's mouths water.

Obito looked around and said, looking mysterious, "Let me tell you a secret, I think Minato-sensei is in love with Kushina-senpai."

Everyone already knew this and didn't show much surprise. Seeing the other three look calm, he scratched his head and said, "You all don't think so? Could it be that I'm too sensitive?"

Rin rubbed her forehead and sighed. Tonan took the kettle brought by a waiter and got up to pour water for the other three. "Really? If they got together, it'll be a match made in heaven."

Seeing someone was not ignoring him, Obito opened his mouth, and his face was filled with a look of gossip. "I don't think so. Kushina-senpai is so fierce, and Minato-sensei is so gentle. If they got together, how can Minato-sensei endure it?"

The atmosphere suddenly became still… Uzumaki Kushina appeared behind Obito and bent over. Turning her head sideways, she said in his ears in a ghostly voice, "O… bi… to."

Obito was stunned and his hair stood on end as he turned his head mechanically. Looking horrified, he said, "Ku… shina… -senpai…"

Rin couldn't control her laughter but quickly covered her mouth. Tonan looked at Kushina with a gentle expression and said, "Kushina-senpai, long time no see."

Seeing Tonan after a long time, Kushina restrained her impulse to go berserk. She got up and said with a smile, "Tonan, I heard that Hokage-sama has accepted you as his student. That's amazing."

Tonan adjusted his glasses and said humbly, "Yes, fortunately, Hokage-sama didn't think I'm stupid."

The corners of Obito's mouth twitched slightly hearing this, and he said, "Tonan, you're so hypocritical."

"Oh? It seems I went too far. I have to reflect on myself after I return." Tonan was a little startled, and holding a teacup, he smiled, looking embarrassed, but his eyes were slightly moist.

As if people misunderstood him, he looked extremely aggrieved. The act brought the desired result and Kushina knocked on Obito's head, "Obito, it's called modesty, modesty, do you understand?"

Although he was beaten, considering the huge gap in strength and status, Obito could only suffer. "Damn it~, it hurts~" Obito covered the lump on his head, and his tears almost fell.

Just then, the waiter brought their barbeque. "Guests, enjoy your meal!"

Tonan's eyes lit up instantly and he put the barbecue on the grill. The saddened expression from a moment ago had completely disappeared. Minato hastily said, "Don't be shy everyone. It's my treat today, eat as much as you want."

Everyone picked up their chopsticks and picked up sliced meat and roasted it on the grill.

Minato suddenly asked, "Tonan, what was the rank of your mission?" Tonan answered lightly, "S-rank." Everyone was dumbfounded. They were very surprised inwardly. Minato nodded and said, "The one you fought was Kumo's 'A', right?"

Tonan looked a little solemn as he answered, "Yes, he was very powerful. In terms of speed, strength, and defense, he is terrifying."

Rin held a piece of sliced meat as she curiously asked, "Is he stronger than Minato-sensei?"

Tonan pondered for a moment and answered seriously, "He shouldn't be able to touch Minato-sensei, but Minato-sensei might not be able to break his defense."

When everyone heard this, they turned to look at Minato. They were shocked by how strong 'A' was. After all, Minato was very powerful in their eyes, and he seemed to have never lost so far. Minato nodded, "I heard that he has mastered Kumo's Lightning Armor, which is known as the strongest shield. I guess, with my attacks, it is indeed difficult to hurt him."

Kushina hit the bowl with chopsticks, looking displeased, and warned, "Can you not talk about missions and intelligence during our meetings? It makes the atmosphere gloomy. Tonan, come, eat more."

She picked up a piece of meat and placed it in his bowl. Tonan smiled brightly at her and his eyes were filled with cordial feelings. "Thank you, Kushina-senpai. Don't just care about me, you should also eat more."

Kushina nodded with a smile, then looked at the four people who were immersed in eating and sighed, "Time flies so fast. I feel like you've all grown up."

Minato chuckled, "During the war period, at their age, many would've already become a person-in-charge of a combat team."

Tonan immersed himself in eating barbeque listening to everyone's casual conversation. Suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind.

"If a jinchuriki is killed, can I get the abilities of the tailed beast too? If so, then will the tail beast disappear? If it doesn't disappear, can't I just seal the tail beast into another person, and then kill him… In that way, can't I continuously stack up, one Nine Tails, two Nine Tails…"

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Chapter 129: Spiritual Warning, Unexpected Gift

Calculating maliciously, Uchiha Tonan subconsciously glanced at Uzumaki Kushina who was chatting happily. Instantly, the soul disguise that Tonan had once cast on himself using the Hypnotic Eyes genjutsu activated on its own.

"It hurts." The chopsticks in his hand paused, and he frowned a little. His complexion returned to normal instantly but Namikaza Minato and Kakashi noticed his unusualness. There was a hint of hesitation in Hatake Kakashi's eyes as well, but he didn't ask. Minato, who was sitting beside Tonan, asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Tonan smiled and shook his head, "Nothing, I just felt something bad might happen."

Minato frowned, glanced at the other three who were still chatting happily, and said gently, "In any case, Obito and Rin will be doing just D-ranked missions during this time. Do you want me to take you to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow?"

Looking at the situation, it seems serious. After all, as a ninja, the sudden unusual behavior worried Minato. If it's just an ordinary disease, it was fine, but Minato feared it was the legendary bloodline disease.

Tonan waved his hand and softly said, "No need, I'm fine." He smiled at Minato but suddenly a warm current surged within his body. "Yo, who gave me this pleasant surprise?" The current gradually dissipated to his limbs and bones, making him full of energy, as if his entire body was just baptized.

Just when he was feeling happy in his heart, a warm current influx into his eyes, strengthening his ocular power.

The one who died was… an Uchiha!

Tonan put down his chopsticks gently and adjusted his glasses. He got up and bowed to everyone and said, "Everyone, please enjoy your meal. I recalled I needed to do something. Please excuse me."

Kushina's hand paused and she said looking puzzled, "Tonan, you haven't eaten much."

"It's not easy for everyone to get together and Tonan is leaving so early. If he had something important, he would've said it in advance. Did someone displease him?"

Thinking so, Kushina looked at Obito, who was immersed in eating, and gave him a bad look. Obito didn't notice at all, he just looked at Tonan and said, "Be careful on your way…"

Minato seemed to have noticed something and said, "Since it's something urgent, it's alright."

Tonan nodded and smiled apologetically at everyone before leaving the barbecue joint.

……

On the street not far from the Uchiha clan, at this moment, the sky was completely dark. The doors and windows of all households were tightly closed. The streets were empty, dimly lit by the faint light from the streetlamps.

Tonan stood beside a lamppost, half of his body in the light and the other half in the dark. His ears stood up as he used Wind Communication with all his power. He heard the autumn wind's whistling sound, the low growls of stray cats and dogs, insects rustling …

"What are you doing under the quilt not sleeping yet?"

"Mum, I'm not doing anything."

"Bring it here, little brat, how old are you? You are looking at such a dirty book…"

"Ninja-sama~ come~ eat a grape."

"Hmm~ very sweet."

"There's something even sweeter…"

"One thousand five hundred and eighty-one, one thousand five hundred and eighty-two. Hu~Hu~ Youth, cannot give up…"

"It's so boring, patrolling every day is simply boring to death…"

"Shisui, it's late, go to sleep…"

Hearing this, Tonan breathed a sigh of relief. Right now he was truly worried about losing his Mangekyo. He continued to expand the range of Wind Communication, curious to see who had died.

"Did you find Jiro?"

"Captain, the chakra fluctuation emanated from here."

"The soil here is turned, there's no grass."

"None of us can use earth style."

"Let's use our hands to dig."

After Tonan determined the position, he opened his eyes and three tomoe slowly spun. A white pigeon that was tearing up a rabbit immediately stopped eating and spread its wings. It flew through the forest and landed on a big tree not far from where the voices had originated, covering its body with dense leaves and watching quietly.

Several Konoha Police Force members were digging the soil with their hands. Soon, a corpse emerged from underground. The dead body seemed to have been buried for a long time. It emanated the smell of soil, and the smell of rot, which made people nauseous. Unknown kinds of insects and ants were biting the flesh and the thick smell of maggots began to spread slowly.

The corpse's eyes sockets were hollowed out.

"Jiro's Sharingan is gouged out."

"This is the Corpse Corrosion Technique that can speed up corpse decomposition. We can no longer inspect the memory and the time of death also can't be estimated."

Everyone gasped. They were a little spooked. "Go and report to the Hokage-sama and Patriarch Fugaku. A spy likely did it."

Seeing this, Tonan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this person's corpse was not taken away. Otherwise, he was worried that someone would search his memory, and Tonan may get implicated. Although only a handful of ninjas could search memories like from the Yamanaka clan, Tonan couldn't take the risk.

He felt slightly insecure. He couldn't let people who knew his secret live for long. They must be dealt with. But those were the elites of the Uchiha clan, the wonders of three-tomoe Sharingan. The weakest one was an ordinary jonin, and the older ones were almost all elite jonin.

The current Tonan could kill all of them without any difficulty. But the issue was that he couldn't do it silently, primarily because he still didn't have a higher-up as his cover.

Suddenly, Tonan's ears moved, and he heard some footsteps coming toward him.

"Is it truly alright for us to follow Tonan like this?"

"Something is wrong with him. He kept frowning while eating. Something is likely wrong with his body. In this state, he needs to go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible. If it is delayed for too long, he might not be cured."

"They followed me!" Suddenly, an idea appeared in Tonan's mind. He used one hand to take support from the lamppost and clutched his heart with the other. He suddenly raised his head, looked into the distance, and muttered, "Is it truly happening?"

He then maniacally ran into the distance. Behind him, Minato and Kushina, who were hiding in the darkness, glanced at each other and nodded tacitly. They continued to follow him. Soon, Tonan arrived at the forest's edge. There was no light here. It was pitch-black. Only birds' chirping could be heard from time to time. The atmosphere was a bit depressing.

The several guards that were guarding Jiro's corpse noticed the movement and immediately looked back.

"Who is there?"

"Tonan?"

Tonan stood on a big tree and said with a dull look, "It seems I'm too late."

A Police Force member frowned and asked, "How did you know that something happened to Jiro?"

Tonan closed his eyes and sighed softly. He then pointed at his own heart and said, "Hereafter, be careful and try not to be alone as much as possible. This might not be done by outsiders."

That Police officer frowned, not understanding what Tonan meant. "What do you mean?"

However, another Police Force member patted his teammate's shoulder and solemnly said, "We understand… you… please return."

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Chapter 131: A Heartwarming Promise, Self-Reflection

Notes:

The Land of Whirlpools was located on an island off the coast of the Land of Fire and was the Uzumaki clan's origin. It was eventually destroyed and its survivors scattered across the Shinobi World

Long before the founding of the hidden villages, during an era of endless war, Otsutsuki Kaguya consumed the fruit of the God Tree and became the first wielder of chakra on Earth, later merging with the tree to become the Ten Tails

"Have so many people that have been with Tonan already died?" Uzumaki Kushina stepped forward and hunkered down to rub Uchiha Tonan's hair, wanting to comfort him. Shortly afterward, she frowned, thinking of something.

"That doesn't add up. If your theory is correct, then why has nothing happened to Minato, Kakashi, or me?" After a short pause, seeing Tonan not answering, Kushina felt she had found a breakthrough and continued to probe, "Why aren't you talking? Did you discover something?"

Tonan curled up even more and replied in an indifferent tone, "You might not completely acknowledge me… I can feel that you and Minato-sensei are subconsciously wary of me. We are limited to being acquaintances. There are no deep feelings."

Kushina was stunned. She stuttered as she said, "No… it's not like that… what about Kakashi?"

On the mention of Kakashi, Tonan became silent for a long time and he finally replied, "That's why I intentionally kept my distance from him after I fulfilled White Fang-sama's last wish. I'm going to make him hate me. I don't want anything to happen to him."

It looked like Tonan made Kakashi hate him, not only to stimulate his growth but also to protect him. Kushina thought of another person and asked, "What about Hokage-sama?"

Tonan paused and shook his head, "Don't ask about sensei…"

The answer made Kushina come back to her senses. Ever since the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not as kind as he looked on the surface. She was deeply vigilant of him and now it seemed that Hiruzen didn't consider Tonan as his own either.

The two remained silent for a while. Kushina's thoughts were all over the place. In a situation like Tonan's, any regular person would know these things had nothing to do with the person but Tonan was the kind that liked to take everything on himself.

"I truly don't know what to say," Kushina sighed but another idea popped in her head and she softly said, "Tonan, do you want to make a bet with me?"

Tonan shrunk and said indifferently, "Not interested."

Kushina did not expect such a rejection but she held back her temper, "I'll tell you the truth. Minato and I like you very much. It's just that it might not be very deep as yet. But starting today, Minato and I will completely acknowledge you. And as long as we don't die, you must not think that you are an ominous person."

Tonan, however, resolutely maintained, "I won't bet."

Kushina secretly clenched her fists. The smile on her face was also a little stiff. But she continued to be as gentle as possible, "Let me tell you a secret, I'm Kyubi's jinchuriki. You would know about the tailed beasts, right? Do you think anything is more brutal or eviler than the Ninja World's tailed beasts? With such an existence sealed in my body, what else can curse me?"

Tonan seemed to be shaken, and he weakly asked, "Kushina-senpai, are you telling the truth?"

Kushina smiled brightly and replied, "Of course."

Tonan slowly raised his head. The moment he saw Kushina's face, the hypnosis seal in his mind activated. In the deep and dark spiritual space, a cluster of spiritual fire ignited, instantly dispelling the darkness.

Tonan's eyes flashed with closeness as he quietly looked at Kushina and said, "Kushina-senpai…"

"Tonan." Kushina gently extended her hand, a step at a time…

Namikaze Minato too walked out of the darkness seeing that Tonan's mood had stabilized. After coming over, he also similarly extended his hand with a gentle smile.

"Minato-sensei." Tonan looked at the two people in front of him, and his eyes were full of emotion. "Get up," Minato said with a smile.

"Thank you…" Tonan rubbed his eyes, holding back tears. He extended his hands and placed them on the hands of Kushina and Minato.

In Kushina's sealed space, Kurama was confused, "This is too strange. Someone's spirit can actually change from extreme darkness to extreme brightness instantly on seeing a certain individual."

As the jinchuriki, Kushina could hear the Nine Tails' words. She looked at Minato, her eyes filled with pride. The moon opened its eyes, gently watching the village and field below, like a shining copper plate.

Under the warm yellow street lamp, Kushina and Minato led Tonan down the quiet street. "Tonan, you didn't eat anything just now. Would you like to have some supper together?"

"Kushina-senpai, now that you mention it, I truly feel a little hungry."

"Something happened to your Jiro-san, are you going to visit his house later?"

"Almost all clan members hate me, so I won't go. I'll secretly send a bouquet after Jiro-san is buried."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"It's alright, I'm used to it."

"Kushina-senpai, Minato-sensei."

"Hmm?"

"You two won't leave me, right?"

"We won't."

Late at night, Tonan returned home with a bulging stomach. Although he had experienced too many things today, and he felt a little tired, the homework to be done should still be done. Under the dim light in the bedroom, he took out a book and began to read it.

Reading could calm people and they would be able to reflect on themselves and notice their flaws. Tonight, Obito's remark, 'Tonan, you are so hypocritical', had been lingering in his mind. He was not annoyed. Other people were like a mirror.

To other people, Obito's sentence was him talking nonsense. But for him, this was Obito pointing out his flaw. Perhaps, Tonan had never been a boorish man who only had strength in his eyes. Therefore, even though he was already powerful, he was still as cautious as before, and he kept belittling himself.

But now, he had a series of achievements. If he continued to excessively belittle himself like that, that wouldn't be modest, rather…

The direction was not wrong, but everything should be grasped to a degree. Furthermore, this degree was not set in stone.

Tonan looked at 'Advanced Guide to Spy Camouflage' in his hand and sighed.

"I've really slacked off lately. I'm not making the kind of effort I used to. Life needs continuous learning, progress, and striving for ideals. In this world filled with competition, victory or defeat is the reality. If you don't keep up with other people, you will be eliminated, sooner or later."

"Even if my current strength is enough to survive, I can't relax. I must be alert in peacetime and take preventive measures. I have to quell every little fire that might endanger my life in time. I've to be worried…"

"After all, only about twenty years are left before the appearance of the Six Paths leveled powerhouses. Kaguya must reappear in the world. She is the ancestor of chakra. If she is used for breeding… I guess the average combat power of the Ninja World will improve greatly. This would be a great deed that would benefit the common people."

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Chapter 132: Hidden Crisis, Requesting Leave To Travel

In addition to Uchiha Obito's comment, Uchiha Jiro's death also made Uchiha Tonan feel a sense of crisis. In Konoha, who would dare attack a jonin like Jiro? It could only be Orochimaru or Shimura Danzo.

Tonan didn't need to worry about Danzo checking people's memories for time being. The human experiment was very important and Danzo was a cautious person. He must have just let a few of his confidants know any details.

Judging from how the corpse was destroyed after the eyes were dug out, the Yamanaka clan also would not be able to do much. But Tonan didn't dare to be careless as this matter was not completely under his control.

There were two options in front of him now. One was to secretly kill the Uchihas who knew his secrets. The advantage of this option was that it would thwart all future troubles. But the disadvantage was clear. Unless he killed everyone in one go, they would suspect him and might even spread rumors. That would be troublesome.

Moreover, killing more than a dozen Uchihas who had three tomoe Sharingans and were scattered throughout Konoha, and doing so within a limited time window without leaving any traces, would be near impossible.

The other option was to do nothing and let Orochimaru and the others kill these people, and then secretly find out whether their corpses were destroyed or not. If not, he would have to either do it himself or chase after the culprits.

But the consequence of that would be a very high chance that he needed to face one of the three sannin, who had shaken the Ninja World. Not to mention whether he could win against Orochimaru, the key point was that once he fell out with him, whether he could kill him or not would be the biggest issue.

If he won without being able to kill Orochimaru, the scale of the fight would attract people. Then, regardless of how Hiruzen treated Orochimaru, Tonan, would be crowned with titles of the new generation genius of Konoha, a sannin rival, and so on.

That was equivalent to putting him under the spotlight, making it very difficult for him to act in the future. Both options were too risky and gave him a headache. He put down the book to sip on the tea and rubbed his temples.

There was much going on lately that made him a little tired. "I thought I could finally rest, but intentionally or unintentionally, someone or the other is making life difficult for me."

Tonan took a deep breath and walked to the window. He looked at the night sky in deep thought. The lotus-like clouds had dispersed, and the moon was shining like a circular mirror. It was as pure and flawless as Tonan's spirit at this moment.

As Tonan looked at the bright full moon, a sudden thought appeared in his mind.

Bald head!

………

The first rays of the morning sun passed through the dawn sky and awakened the sleeping earth. A new day had begun. Tonan packed up his things and stuck three incense sticks on the altar of the wood carvings.

"If this trip goes well, I'll send a virtuous person of prestige to accompany you."

Half an hour later, Tonan came to the Hokage Building alone. When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw him, he was stunned for a moment, and asked with a puzzled look, "Tonan, why are you here? Didn't I give you a holiday?"

Tonan pursed his lips and timidly asked, "Sensei, I feel a little tired recently. I want to go out for a trip, is that alright?"

Generally speaking, Leaf ninjas couldn't leave the village unless it was for a mission. However, rules were set by people, and those with status could break them. Hiruzen frowned hearing Tonan's words. He blew out a mouthful of smoke and asked, "Where are you planning to go?"

Tonan thought for a moment and replied, "I want to take a look around and also pick up the orphans on the way. The construction of the welfare institution is almost complete."

Hiruzen nodded, "Tonan, I've to tell you something."

Seeing Hiruzen's expression, Tonan responded immediately, "Please do, sensei."

Hiruzen said in earnest, "Konoha is a ninja village. If you don't have enough qualifications to enter, you need to pay a huge fee. If it's one or two people, I can help you save the costs. But if there are many, even I can't go against the rules."

Tonan nodded and lightly said, "Sensei, do I have enough money?"

Hiruzen replied solemnly, "It's enough for the time being, but once the fee is paid, not much will be left."

Tonan smiled brightly, "That's fine. If there's no money left, I can just find a way to earn more. But if I leave them in the Fire Capital for a long time, no one will take care of them."

"After all, a lot of time has already passed. It's almost time for the slow poison I'd given to Masaki to work. After he is dead, no one will take care of the orphans." Tonan thought in his heart.

A hint of heartache flashed through Hiruzen's eyes, and he sighed, "Tonan, you are not only my disciple, but in my eyes, you are like my biological child. There are some things I've to tell you. We are ninjas, and there is nothing wrong with being kind, but we cannot sacrifice ourselves for kindness."

Tonan was stunned for a moment, "But doesn't the Will of Fire teach us to…"

Before he could finish, Hiruzen interrupted him, "Tonan! The Will of Fire is to make us have good qualities and protect our village. It's to make us remember the ancestors who sacrificed themselves for the village and cherish the hard-earned peace. It's not to encourage us to fearlessly make sacrifices. The world is too big but our strength is limited. The most important thing for us is to take care of our comrades in the village."

Tonan lowered his head and solemnly replied, "I understand sensei. It seems my thoughts were a little biased."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, not giving any indication of what he was thinking. After a while, he continued, "I want to tell you one more thing, you can go and play anywhere, but you must not go to the Fire Capital."

Hiruzen leaned forward slightly and solemnly added, "I've sent three Anbu members to the Fire Capital but none of them returned alive."

Tonan was shocked to hear this and asked in disbelief, "Is the Daimyo going against Konoha?"

Hiruzen shook his head, "It's not as you think. The ninjas in light are fine. In any case, this matter is very complicated. The most critical problem is very likely to lie within the village. But you cannot be involved in all this now. You just have to remember that you must not go to the Fire Capital."

"As for the orphans, forget them this time. In a few days, I'll issue a mission for you and dispatch a ninja team to bring them back. By the way, you've to remember one more thing. Among the Konoha higherups, don't believe anyone else other than me. This includes Danzo and the two Hokage advisers."

Tonan seriously replied, "Yes."

After all that should be explained was explained, Hiruzen took out a certificate and filled in Tonan's information. He stamped a seal and gave it to him, "Go, give this to the registration officer at the village entrance. You're my disciple. You don't need to register when you're leaving the village in the future. While going out to relax, you've to be careful as well."

Tonan took the certificate and bowed deeply to Hiruzen, "I'll leave now, sensei. You must also take care of your health when I'm away."

With a kind smile on his face, Hiruzen waved his hand, "You don't have to worry about me. Have fun outside and come back."

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Chapter 133: Confusing Situation, Nohara Naoko

At Konoha's gate, Uchiha Tonan stepped out of the barrier and took a deep breath. It was the kind of feeling that was similar to the wide sea allowing the fish to leap about or the vast sky letting birds fly.

"Perhaps, this world once had a single hue, but after my arrival, it caused a butterfly effect. The situation is becoming more and more confusing. The dignified Konoha Hokage cannot even trust his advisers! It seems Naraku's means are a bit strong…"

Getting Shimura Danzo on his side made sense but being able to pull Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu into his camp as well…

"It's a bit scary. Could it be he grasped a handle on them?" Tonan didn't believe the two advisers would betray Sarutobi Hiruzen just because of money. The only possibility was that they did dirty things and were caught red-handed.

Thinking about this, even in the original works, regardless of the anime or manga, the Daimyo was Naraku. But in that, he was a well-deserved good-for-nothing. Humans truly need to lose the most precious things when they are the happiest. Only then they can grow up.

Tonan sighed lightly, and his figure suddenly disappeared. In the distant woods, two people without any ninja marks were lurking.

"He ran away."

"Did he use the Body Flicker Technique?"

"No, it's faster than that."

"He's almost out of my perception range."

"We cannot help it. Let's return to report that the mission has failed."

The two people looked at each other, but their line of sight was blocked by an indifferent face.

Pop!

Tonan placed his hands on their shoulders and said without any emotion, "If my guess is right, you two have come here to seek death, isn't it? You didn't even wear masks."

"What's going on? Why can't I move?"

The two ninjas without any identification were terrified. Not only were their bodies paralyzed but they couldn't make a sound either. At this moment, in Tonan's eyes, the three tomoe were spinning slowly, casting the Hell Viewing Technique.

He wanted to see their background. However…

"This curse seal again?"

Tonan stopped pressing on their acupoints and made a hand seal.

Crackle, crackle, crackle~

Two lightning needles pierced through their heads and a powerful lightning-attributed chakra exploded, destroying their brains. After doing everything, Tonan didn't even bother to destroy the corpses and jumped back, landing on a higher branch.

A gust of wind blew over, and he disappeared without a trace. He didn't need to guess who was behind these two. But Tonan couldn't figure out one thing. Why did the person behind the scenes send two chunin?

He was Hiruzen's student. If two chunin could kill him, wouldn't that be the biggest joke? As for the identity of the person behind the scenes, he didn't even need to think.

Several minutes later, at the Root Headquater…

"Danzo-sama, the mission failed."

"Sure enough, that little fellow has a jonin's strength. Send the corpses back to the Fire Capital. Also, inform about that brat's strength to the Daimyo in passing."

"Yes."

"Why is the Daimyo paying so much attention to this brat?"

……

It would not be wrong to say that the Revere Fire Street was not inferior to Konoha in size. Because the most famous temple of the Ninja World, the Fire Temple, was located on a high mountain far-off from the Revere Fire Street.

Outside the street, there was a wide field. Now, it was approaching the autumn harvest. There were tall crops everywhere, hiding the farmers and flocks of white pigeons flew towards the sky.

Tonan sat alone on a stone in the field, playing a custom-made flute purchased from the musical instrument store in the Revere Fire Street. He had been coming here for quite a few days already.

The workers in the field were already acquainted with him and no one asked him questions again. The farmers, who were taking a break, lay on the ridge with straw hats on their faces, quietly listening to the elegant sound of the flute.

Tonan was playing the flute but what he was listening to was not just the flute but a conversation.

"Naoko, there's a secret I've always wanted to tell you."

"Tomaru-san, I'm listening."

"I like you."

"Tomaru-san, sorry, I already have someone I like in my heart."

"Who's that person?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you right now."

"Alright…"

Soon after, Tonan heard the sounds of plants being cut by a sickle. The movement was chaotic as if someone was venting and with time, it was getting closer to Tonan. Not long after, the crops in front of him were parted by the man called Tomaru.

Tomaru ferociously waved his sickle towards Tonan and said, "Why are you playing it? It sounds annoying. Do you know that you are disturbing everyone?"

The sound stopped abruptly. Tonan put down the flute and got up, deeply bowing, "I'm truly sorry."

Tomaru waved his sickle, looking more irritated, "Leave quickly, you are not welcome here. If you want to play, go somewhere else."

Tonan nodded lightly and turned to leave. A while later, a woman ran over, and said to Tomaru with dissatisfaction, "Tomaru-san, why did you drive him away?"

Seeing his sweetheart angry, Tomaru explained, "Naoko, he's playing flute in our field… what if he is a bad man? I did this for your safety."

Naoko took a deep breath and said to Tomaru, "Go back, you don't have to worry about these things." Tomaru felt a little uncomfortable in his heart. He lowered his head, "I… fine, I'll go."

Naoko stood on the ridge. After seeing Tomaru leave, she turned around and stood on tiptoe, looking around. A gust of wind blew and bent the crops a little, revealing Tonan.

He was walking on the ridge not far away, with his hands on his back and a calm expression on his face. The setting autumn sun gave a warm hue to his handsome face, making his features look impeccable.

Suddenly, Tonan looked over in her direction. He reached out his hand to adjust his glasses and then nodded slightly towards Naoko. Naoko was stunned for a moment, and her heart was jumping. She even felt a slight suffocated feeling.

'Ding! Gained Nohara Naoko's acknowledgment.'

The wind blew away quickly. The crops returned to their previous upright state, completely covering Tonan. Naoko jumped twice on the spot but was still unable to see anything. She felt a little lost in her heart.

In the evening, she returned home after a busy day. She went to her bedroom first and looked in the mirror. As she touched her tanned skin, a figure flashed in her mind. There was a slight blush on her face, but then looking at her reflection, her eyes flashed with a hint of sadness.

"Naoko, don't think about it, that person looks rich and also younger. Stop daydreaming. Look, how tanned you are."

"Naoko, the food is ready," an aged voice came from outside. Naoko quickly covered the mirror and ran out of the bedroom. In this family, only she and her grandmother were left to depend on each other. Her grandmother was old, so Naoko had to carry the family's burden.

On the dining table, there were two simple vegetarian dishes and two bowls of rice. Naoko sat in seiza-style in front of the dining table and ate rice in small bites. She was completely distracted. Sometimes, she was shy and smiling, and sometimes, she was frowning and worrying. Her changing moods did not miss her grandmother's notice but the elder woman didn't say much.

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Chapter 134: Worshipping Buddha, Uekawa Ozora

The next morning, birds chirped non-stop as they looked for food. Uchiha Tonan got up from the hotel bed and left the Revere Fire Street, making his way to the Fire Temple.

The clear sky in late autumn looked like a boundless calm sea. The white light on the horizon was like ripples on the sea. Drifting leaves decorated it with the hue of human fireworks. The steps up the mountain were covered with many leaves, and an old monk was working hard to sweep them with a big broom.

Dong, dong, dong…

As the sun made its presence felt, the clouds above the temple seemed to be swept away by a huge hand, pouring out golden light, shining a red glow for a long time. From the changeable clouds, the blood-red sun lent its sheen to mountains and valleys, filled with the autumn breeze.

As the morning bell sounded, two novice monks opened the gate, and a group of pilgrims who had been waiting for a long time flocked inside the temple. These people had come here to compete for the day's first incense.

The monastery amid green woods had apricot-colored courtyard walls. The grayish hall ridges and towering green ancient trees were bathed in autumn freshness. It all looked solemn and mysterious.

A thousand-year-old camphor tree shaded the open space in front of the temple. White fences surrounded a big lotus pond with many pink lotuses. And a finely chiseled stone arch bridge was over the pond.

Tonan walked leisurely on the strong stone bridge. He could hear the prayers and chants in the temple…

"Buddha, bless my ill father, make him get better quickly."

"Benevolent Buddha, please bless my granddaughter with a safe life. It looks like she likes someone. If that person is good, bless them to be together."

"Buddha, the last time when I worshipped you, I won at first, but later, I lost the money. This time, I sold my house, please, you have to bless me to win back all the lost money. If I lose again, our family will not survive. You cannot let us die. Please, please."

……

Tonan stepped into the hall and stood behind the believers, looking up at the huge Buddha statue inside. This statue was somewhat similar to the one he had seen in the temple in his previous life.

This Buddha was incomparably tall, sitting upright in the hall. The entire statue was golden, but there were some bronze textures. A portion of the roof above the statue seemed to be covered with glass like a skylight for the hall.

When the light trickled in, it would shine on the Buddha, making people feel that the statue was dazzling with some kind of majesty. But the Buddha here didn't make any hand gesture. Instead, it sat cross-legged with both hands on the knees and its eyes seemed to be looking down on the believers.

Tonan's gaze slowly moved to the statue's eyes and slowly the prayers and chanting around him gradually faded away. The entire world became quiet for him. He seemed to be looking at the existence in the unseen, mystical world across time and space.

"Benefactor, please don't block passers-by." After an unknown period, a monk's voice sounded beside Tonan. He continued to look straight at the Buddha's eyes, and a smile appeared on his face. He walked to the donation box and took out a thick stack of banknotes, stuffing them all into the box.

The monk's eyes lit up. He immediately put his palms together and bowed to Tonan, "Benefactor, boundless beneficence, Buddha will bless you."

Tonan looked at the Buddha statue's eyes again and lightly said, "I hope so." He put his palms together as well and bowed to the statue and then said to the monk, "My name is Uchiha Tonan. I'm a Leaf ninja. I want to meet Master Chigo."

The monk suddenly realized, "It turned out to be ninja-sama. Please, come with me."

The two people walked through several corridors and arrived beside a stone table in a small courtyard. The courtyard was small and elegant. It was clean, simple, and tidy. The atmosphere of this place made people feel comfortable.

"Ninja-sama, please sit here for a while. I'll inform Master Chigo."

Tonan nodded and sat down on the stone bench. After a while, a monk hurried over with a cup and a teapot. He placed them on the stone table and poured Tonan a cup of tea. "I'm sorry, Master is receiving guests. Please wait a bit longer."

"That's alright," Tonan took a sip from the teacup and began to listen to the sounds carefully using Wind Communication.

"Master Chigo, His Majesty is very satisfied with the previous matter."

"Although we are monks, we are also Land of Fire citizens. This was something we should do."

"His Majesty's promise will be fulfilled soon. It's just that the manpower in the Daimyo Residence is tight. Therefore, His Majesty has instructed me to bring all the money needed for the construction of the temple and give it to you."

"Daimyo-sama is considerate."

"I'll take my leave."

Soon, Tonan heard footsteps approaching from far. He saw a middle-aged man with white hair appearing at the corner of the corridor. His steps were a little hurried as if he was busy. When the middle-aged man passed by Tonan, the two just looked at each other quietly.

Tonan clearly saw surprise in the man's eyes. Tonan also recognized this man. He was his previous immediate boss at the Fire Capital, the Guardian Residence Chief Uekawa Ozora.

When Tonan had secretly observed him before, he didn't look this old. "How long has it been since then, and he is already this haggard?"

At this moment, a monk rushed over and put his palms together, "Ninja-sama, please come with me."

Tonan stood up and returned the greeting, "I've troubled you." The two people had just reached the corner of a corridor when suddenly Tonan's footsteps became a bit slower. He glanced back, intentionally or unintentionally. Just a moment ago, Tonan had noticed that after Ozora had left the Fire Temple, there was a sudden burst of chakra fluctuation which was not inferior to an elite jonin. Soon after, Ozora disappeared without a trace.

Such speed, even in Konoha, it's considered pretty good. Logically speaking, even if Ozora possessed the strength of an elite jonin, Tonan wouldn't have felt that it was too outrageous. The key point was that Ozora's chakra gave Tonan a strange feeling.

But Tonan just kept this for now and decided to find a chance to look into it after the current matter. Soon, the two people arrived in front of Chigo's room. The monk opened the door for Tonan and said, "Benefactor, we are here."

Tonan stepped into the room. Chigo, who was meditating inside, opened his eyes, and said with a smile, "Tonan, how come you're here?"

Tonan smiled and took out a small gift box from his ninja bag handing it to Chigo, "I took a leave to travel and relax. This is my gift for you, Master Chigo."

Chigo waved his hand, "Tonan, I'm a monk, I don't accept gifts."

Tonan opened the gift box and pointed at the things inside, "There is nothing valuable in this. It's just a health care product I brought from Konoha. It has the effect of relieving fatigue, soothing the nerves, and helping sleep."

Chigo raised his eyebrows hearing his explanation. He looked at the things inside and asked, "Health care products? Is this medicine?"

Tonan nodded, "Health care products are also a kind of medicine, and they have no side effects. You must not take too many at a time though. Take one pack before going to bed every day, and you can sleep well at night."

Chigo pondered for a bit, thinking that something like this didn't seem to be precious. Although he had no use for it, he couldn't hurt the other's sentiment. Therefore, he took the gift box and put it aside, "I'll take it. You are considerate. Why are you here?"

Tonan shook his head lightly, "I've no reason, I was just passing by so I thought to see you."

Seeing that Tonan didn't have any specific reason to seek him, Chigo immediately got up, "In that case, I'm going to teach scriptures to the monks. You can also come and listen. In the afternoon, I'll show you around the Fire Temple."

A hint of embarrassment flashed through Tonan's face, "That's too much trouble for you. I'll just take a look around."

Chigo smiled, "Don't mention it, it's no trouble. You are a guest from afar, this is something I should do."

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Chapter 135: Spiritual Chicken Soup, Admonishing A Beggar

In the evening, numerous monks tapped on wooden fishes in the hall, the resulting rhythm making people feel calm. The leaves of the ancient tung tree next to the enclosing wall shone with golden light. With a gust of breeze, the tree branch shook, causing a few leaves to slowly fall to the ground.

Suddenly, a chime came from not far away. The bell chimes were very clear as if they could directly pierce through people's spirits.

Two people strolled side by side in the Fire Temple. Chigo continuously pointed at various sceneries as he introduced them to Uchiha Tonan.

"The history of the Fire Temple is too long. The exact written records can be traced back to before the samurai era."

"This is where the monks perform the morning services."

"This is where the monks live."

……

In between Chigo's various descriptors, Tonan asked, "Master Chigo, are you already the Temple Master?"

Chigo nodded, "Yes after I returned the last time, I became the Temple Master."

Tonan nodded hearing this. As he looked around, he saw a beggar curled up in a corner in the temple. Looking doubtful, he asked, "What is that person doing?"

Chigo followed Tonan's gaze and sighed, "That's a frustrated man. In the past, he used to come to the temple to burn incense and pray regularly. He even made a lot of donations to the temple. Now that he met with misfortune, it's not good for us to drive him away. We give him porridge every day. But he remains like this even after a while, we'll have to send him down the mountain."

Tonan frowned, "And let him fend for himself?"

Chigo put his palms together as if praying for that person in his heart and then helplessly said, "Although it's cruel, there's nothing we can do about it."

Tonan asked in confusion, "Can't you enlighten him?"

Chigo pointed to a monk who was walking over with a bowl of porridge, "Look over there."

The monk walked over to the beggar. He was in no rush to give the porridge and persuaded the beggar first, "Benefactor, as long as you don't have any distracting thoughts in your heart, you can let go of anything. Why bother like this?"

The beggar raised his head and Tonan finally saw his face. His eyes were hollow. His skin was dark, and his beard had grown long because it wasn't trimmed for a long time. He looked very shabby. He kept lying on the ground and muttered, "I've lost all my family property. My wife and children have been taken away to offset the debt, what else can I do now? Stop talking. Let me eat, I'm starving to death."

As if to prove his hunger, he rubbed his stomach and leaned on the steps, stretching out his hands to take the bowl.

Tonan turned to Chigo, "This is not the best way. Let me try."

Chigo nodded and Tonan walked towards the beggar. The monk had just placed the bowl in his hands when Tonan kicked it to the ground.

Pop!

The monk was stunned and looked at Chigo standing not far away. Seeing Chigo's signal, he put his hands together and left quietly. Tonan stood in front of the beggar and indifferently said, "Do you have a dream?"

The beggar sneered, as if he heard a big joke, and leaned on the steps. "Dream… what's the point of it? Does a spring dream count…"

Tonan pointed to a discarded bell at a corner, "Right now, you are like that bell, broken. Every day, you can only do one thing, which is nothing. Is this how your life should be? I think your life is meaningless."

Tonan's tone was filled with contempt. He looked at the beggar condescendingly, as if he was looking at the lowest kind of existence. The beggar, however just rubbed his stomach with disapproval. He looked up at the sky, and his eyes blurred, "I used to get up every day to go to the fields. There was energy in my heart. In those days, I looked forward to when to begin every day. But now the energy in my heart is drained. Every day, I think about when to end."

Tonan sneered with disdain, "You said you thought about when to begin but did you ever? No, right? You make excuses and push things to someday in the future. What if that day truly comes? You'll give yourself more time and won't want to work hard. You just want a shortcut. Even if the consequences of failure can make you die horribly. People like you are not suitable to exist in this world."

The beggar smiled indifferently. Perhaps, it was because he was too hungry. He turned over with difficulty, put his hands on the ground, and prepared to lick the porridge on the ground.

Bang!

Tonan stepped on the porridge and said viciously, "Every day, you come here to wag your tail, just to drink a mouthful of thin porridge. Even my dog doesn't eat this stuff. Why don't you bark? Then, I'll ask the monk to bring you another bowl."

Perhaps, Tonan's words were too heavy and stimulated the beggar's low self-esteem. The unkempt, hungry man stood up with anger on his face. Due to the height difference, he looked down at Tonan and yelled in a hoarse voice, "What do you know! I tried my best. But did anyone give me a chance?"

Tonan narrowed his eyes and grabbed the beggar's collar, pulling him forward. The force made the beggar kneel on the ground, and he had to look up at Tonan again. Tonan then said slowly in a deep voice, "Do you have a chance if you stay here all day long? When you can't find hope, you should learn to change yourself. The biggest liar in life is us. Because we always want to change other people but not ourselves."

Tonan dragged the beggar to a wider path as if pulling a dead dog and pointed to a hall at the end of the path. He said, "Look inside, look at those people. What do they do when they encounter pain and difficulty? They pray to Buddha for help and use false beliefs to hypnotize themselves, allowing themselves to fall into a good dream. Do you know what's the greatest pain in life?"

Tonan lowered his head and looked straight into the beggar's eyes, "Waking up from a dream, and having nowhere to go." He pushed the beggar to the ground. The man rolled a distance, his eyes full of hopelessness. "I'm already… hopeless…"

Tonan squatted down in front of him and grabbed his collar, "You are already like this now, can it get worse if you fight? What's stopping you? Are you scared? Afraid of taking the first step towards everything you should've. Afraid of making the wrong choice from the start. Afraid of doing your best, but finding yourself worthless in the end. Right! You are scared! So, you should lie here every day, laughing at yourself in your heart. Where would you go? Your life… like this…"

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Chapter 136: Rekindling Fight Spirit, Make-Out Paradise

Uchiha Tonan's remark seemed to touch a painful point in the beggar's heart. He was unable to control his emotions. He covered his face with both hands and sobbed, "I'm a good-for-nothing."

The emotions he had suppressed for so long were released all at once. He wailed and his entire body shook non-stop, as tears flowed down from between his fingers. Tonan looked at this and sighed. He released his hand, and carefully arranged the beggar's collar.

"Failure is everywhere, and life is hopeless. That's the reality. You won't drown if you fall into the water, but you will drown if you stay in the water. All you have to do is swim and keep swimming forward. Those who choose to give up from the beginning will not fail in the end. Because they failed right at the start. Failure is not terrifying, the fear of failure is."

The beggar stopped crying and slowly raised his head as if seeing someone for the first time. At this time, the breeze was gently blowing the young boy's hair. The leaves not far away on the ground also fluttered and flew in new directions. The radiance of the evening sun was extraordinarily rich, and like a pure solution, dyed Tonan's face golden. Just like the Buddha in the hall.

The beggar looked at Tonan's face, which was lit up by the evening sun, and asked in a voice bereft of confidence, "Can I do it? I've given up for so long, is it too late?"

Tonan reached out his hand and patted his shoulder, "How can you be sure this is the endpoint of your life and not the lowest point before soaring high. If you give up too soon, you'll never know what you missed."

Tonan smiled, and his eyes were filled with motivation. After listening to him, the beggar slowly lowered his head, and gradually clenched his fists. The atmosphere was silent. Tonan waited patiently for his decision.

……

After a long time, the beggar took a deep breath and raised his head. He looked at Tonan with a newfound determination, "Thank you, my name is Sekiya Ippu, what is your name?"

Tonan stood up with a gentle smile and extended his hand, "Leaf ninja, Uchiha Tonan."

Ippu nodded. He seemed to want to engrave this name in his heart. He extended his hand and got up, "If I can truly make it out, I'll definitely come to Konoha to thank you in person."

He took a deep breath and turned around, walking towards the gate of the Fire Temple with staggering steps.

"Where are you going?" Tonan asked from behind. Ippu paused and raised his head. In the distance, the sky was a fiery red with the setting sun. This kind of intensity could make people tremble and cry. This kind of flamboyance was as dazzling as the young who recklessly burned themselves for a moment.

"I'm going to take a look at a higher place. No matter how long this journey is, and no matter how hard it is… at least… I'll not give up…"

'Ding! Gained Sekiya Ippu's acknowledgment.'

After Ippu left, Chigo came over to Tonan and said in a surprised tone, "Tonan, I didn't expect you'd be able to persuade him."

Tonan smiled lightly, "It's the way to understand it. He was so dispirited because he despaired in the current situation. The method to save him was not persuading him to let go because he had nothing to let go of. But let him realize that the worst is just the present. As long as he worked hard, the future will be better than the present."

Tonan was not good at consoling people, but he copied the pyramid selling pattern he had heard in anti-fraud news in his previous life. In his view, it seemed that no dispirited people could be found in that kind of an organization.

Chigo pondered for a long time after hearing his words, and he seemed to understand something, but he also felt like he couldn't grasp it. "Tonan, you told him that Buddha is a false belief…"

Tonan put his palms together and apologetically explained, "It was an expedient measure. I didn't mean to disrespect Buddha. It's just that, what he needed the most right now was not belief, but hope."

Chigo nodded. He didn't blame Tonan. Instead, he kept thinking about what Tonan said today to admonish Sekiya Ippu. Words were one thing, but actions were another. Tonan succeeded in waking up the fighting spirit in a person the Fire Temple was unable to enlighten.

"Tonan, you truly have more wisdom than anyone I've ever met. I'll instruct a monk to clean a room for you later. You can stay in the temple at night. I'd like to discuss dharma with you for some days."

Tonan shook his head, "No, I haven't checked out from the inn. I'll come back tomorrow to seek your advice."

"Alright…"

………

After leaving the Fire Temple, Tonan returned to the Revered Fire Street. Before the markets closed, he went to a bookstore to buy a blank book and a pen and returned to the inn. In the room, under the dim lighting, he wrote the words 'Make-Out Paradise' on the cover of the book.

He didn't know whether Jiraiya had written 'Make-Out Paradise' at this time or not. But that didn't matter. In any case, there was no such thing as copyright in this world. Anyone could steal it.

Initially, Tonan wanted to create more visuals and pictures but unfortunately, he didn't have the skill. This was a shortcoming. He decided to pay attention to talents in the future who could fill this gap for him if he had a chance. Learning one more skill would give him one more method to resolve problems.

Novels and comics, each had their strong points. The visual impact of comics was more intense and could make people immerse in the scene and imagine more clearly. However, the novel emphasized the story, which could mobilize the readers' imagination, gradually generating a feeling of substitution, and the emotions were more vivid.

It was not that there were no vulgar novels in the Ninja World market but the plots were mostly crude and followed a fixed pattern. Tonan was customizing this novel for a certain someone. He believed it would make the person addicted to it.

He wrote the first story in the novel — The Rhythm in the Field.

The background was the fields of the autumn harvest. The male protagonist was full of vigor and vitality, and the female protagonist was delicate, lovely, bright, and beautiful. The key to this kind of novel was to score right at the beginning.

The backstory should be fresh and relevant. The more difficult and twisty the beginning was, the more exciting it would be. The other parts just needed a brief description, as most of it wouldn't be read carefully. Because by this time, the readers would have already begun to imagine on their own.

It was enough to rewrite the psychological transformation of the female protagonist at halfway point. Along with the progress of the situation, the female protagonist's stubbornness of vowing to die rather than obey would gradually turn into the desire to resist but still welcome it. In the end, she would compromise in her heart, and begin to actively cater to the man's desire.

The most terrifying aspect of such a novel was not rousing a man's brutish nature, but quietly rearranging readers' cognition, making them think that the psychology of the opposite sex was like this, and as long as they succeeded in the base, the other party would surrender.

The light bulb in the room had a poor connection. It flickered slightly from time to time. The window next to Tonan was also blown open by the cold wind. It was late autumn now, and the passing wind was still bone-piercingly cold.

Although Tonan didn't feel cold, he got up and put on the windbreaker hanging on the hanger. He then returned to the table, sat down in a seiza-style, and continued writing calmly. He wanted to finish this masterpiece as soon as possible.

The hand speed of a ninja was not something ordinary people could imagine. In just two hours, he had finished writing an entire book. Most of the content was nonsense, but readers wouldn't read carefully anyway. As long as the first part was exciting enough to make the readers enter their imagination, most of the content would only be skimmed through.

In short, the quintessence was on the first couple of pages. Tonan leisurely breathed out and stared at the novel on the table. A smile appeared on his face. Things will become more interesting now.

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Chapter 137: Brimming With Vigor Vitality, Spring Dreams

The next morning, Tomaru got up early as usual, and taking his farming tools, he prepared to head to work. The light outside was dazzling, a light breeze blowing the crops in the fields. It was the autumn harvest time.

Just after walking out the door, Tomaru saw a shifty-eyed man trotting past his door in a hurry. A book suddenly fell in front of his feet. Tomaru wanted to call out to ask the man to stop, but when he raised his head, the person had already run around the corner and disappeared.

Tomaru bent over and picked up the book, "Make-Out Paradise? What's this?"

He looked around and after confirming no one was there, he decided to satisfy his curiosity and casually glanced at it. It took one quick look for him to be completely taken by it. Especially, the description of the male protagonist… Tomaru felt it was exactly describing him.

Reading some more, his breathing became ragged, and he began to pant fiercely. He felt overwhelmed by emotions, and blood began to rush somewhere. By the time he came back to his senses, almost an hour had passed. Seeing that the person who had dropped the book hadn't come back yet, Tomaru quietly put it in his pocket and looked around with a guilty conscience. He ran towards the field.

At the street's corner, Uchiha Tonan stuck out his head. Looking at Tomaru's back, his eyes narrowed a little, and a smile formed on his face. He turned around and walked towards the Fire Temple.

……

Tomaru had come to the field but he felt somewhat restless. Usually, he would have completed his task quickly, but now, not even a third was done. The hand holding the hoe was moving slowly and leisurely. As a fifteen-year-old boy, it would be a lie to say he didn't think of those things. Especially after seeing something this stimulating, he couldn't control his imagination.

Young, growing teenagers were easily disturbed by such thoughts, making them restless. Soon after, he put down the tools and came to sit on the ridge. He looked around to confirm he was alone and quietly took out 'Make-Out Paradise' from his pocket, reading it with gusto.

Tomaru returned home at night but he kept tossing and turning in the bed, unable to sleep. As soon as he would close his eyes, Nohara Naoko's image would appear in his mind and replace the story's female protagonist.

Tomaru's parents had died early. In fact, one may not even call it early. Death in the thirties was normal in the Ninja World. After all, they were just civilians. Tomaru was alone and made his living by farming for the Fire Temple. His family was quite poor and he had no peers to play with.

Only Naoko, who was three years younger than him, had a relatively better relationship with him. This was perhaps because both of them were orphans. However, Naoko was a little better off because she had a grandmother to rely on.

Late at night, there was no trace of drowsiness in Tomaru's eyes. He was still reading the book in his hand, imagining many scenarios in his mind. He imagined becoming the novel's male of the…

Tomoru let out a long breath. The more he read, the more he thought, and the more uncomfortable he felt. Looking at the sky outside the window, he thought that he would have to work tomorrow. So, he forcibly resisted the urge to continue reading and put the book under his pillow, trying his hardest to sleep.

Coo coo~ Coo coo~

Birds cooing outside his window sounded like moaning in his ears. He opened his eyes, distracted. He had shut his eyes for a long time but was still unable to sleep as if tiny ants were biting in his heart.

He covered his ears with his hands, took a deep breath, and continued to doze. Gradually, the sound of sleeping soundly came from the room. Outside, the moon was shining brightly, casting a layer of silver hue on earth. The town was empty, and every household had fallen asleep, their doors and windows closed.

The workers who had been toiling hard the entire day were already asleep this late in the night. Tomaru, who was sleeping too, heard the breathtaking sound of a flute.

In a daze, he opened his eyes and found himself in the field. The moon was high above the sky, and everything around was very clear. Under the moonlight, the golden crops seemed to be coated with a layer of silver, drawing a peaceful picture.

Tomaru suddenly noticed a snow-white naked body appearing amid the thick harvests in front of him. His mouth felt dry and a voice in his heart told him that that beautiful person was none other than Naoko.

He instinctively parted the crops in front of him and kept walking forward, closer… closer…

"Why am I still so far…" Tomaru felt very strained and quickened his steps. But no matter how long or fast he ran, the surroundings remained the same, and the beautiful figure maintained a distance from him.

The most annoying part was that the damned things coincidentally covered the key areas of the young women's body, driving Tomaru nuts.

"So uncomfortable…"

Early the next morning, sunlight sprinkled into the room through the curtain gaps. Tomaru stretched out his hands as if trying to grab something. Gradually, he opened his sleepy eyes. His brain stopped for two seconds and he sat up straight with an exhausted look.

After checking the time, he got up to shower with dark circles under his eyes. He picked up his tools and went out.

Bang~

A very short while later though, he staggered back to the bed and took out the 'Make-Out Paradise' from under the pillow. He put it into his pocket and went out again.

For a few days, Tomaru felt like his spirit was on the verge of collapse. His loneliness became unendurable with every passing day, and he would often run to Naoko's family fields involuntarily, looking for various topics to get close to her.

In the beginning, Naoko thought Tomaru liked to chat with her, so she also hung out with him. But slowly, his hands became a little restless. His actions frightened her, especially the look in his eyes that seemed like he was going to devour her alive.

Although she didn't know what Tomaru wanted to do, she knew this feeling made her very uneasy, so she avoided him subconsciously.

As time passed, Tomaru also noticed his mentality was abnormal and he couldn't continue like this. He decided to go to the Fire Temple and let a monk enlighten him.

……

In the Fire Temple, Tonan either wandered around every day, discussing Buddhism with Chigo. Perhaps, because Buddhism was not widely spread in this world, the base of believers was not comparable to that of his previous world. Therefore, the research on Buddhism was a bit shallow and monotonous. There was no deep comprehension.

It was just persuading people to be kind, not to cling to hatred, and so on. Was that useful? That was very useful.

This world was in a state of war most of the time. Everyone desired to get along and become friendly with each other the most. Advocating kindness and letting go of hatred happened to satisfy the wishes of the vast majority, and it captured an important market position as well.

Chapter 137: Brimming With Vigor Vitality, Spring Dreams

The next morning, Tomaru got up early as usual, and taking his farming tools, he prepared to head to work. The light outside was dazzling, a light breeze blowing the crops in the fields. It was the autumn harvest time.

Just after walking out the door, Tomaru saw a shifty-eyed man trotting past his door in a hurry. A book suddenly fell in front of his feet. Tomaru wanted to call out to ask the man to stop, but when he raised his head, the person had already run around the corner and disappeared.

Tomaru bent over and picked up the book, "Make-Out Paradise? What's this?"

He looked around and after confirming no one was there, he decided to satisfy his curiosity and casually glanced at it. It took one quick look for him to be completely taken by it. Especially, the description of the male protagonist… Tomaru felt it was exactly describing him.

Reading some more, his breathing became ragged, and he began to pant fiercely. He felt overwhelmed by emotions, and blood began to rush somewhere. By the time he came back to his senses, almost an hour had passed. Seeing that the person who had dropped the book hadn't come back yet, Tomaru quietly put it in his pocket and looked around with a guilty conscience. He ran towards the field.

At the street's corner, Uchiha Tonan stuck out his head. Looking at Tomaru's back, his eyes narrowed a little, and a smile formed on his face. He turned around and walked towards the Fire Temple.

……

Tomaru had come to the field but he felt somewhat restless. Usually, he would have completed his task quickly, but now, not even a third was done. The hand holding the hoe was moving slowly and leisurely. As a fifteen-year-old boy, it would be a lie to say he didn't think of those things. Especially after seeing something this stimulating, he couldn't control his imagination.

Young, growing teenagers were easily disturbed by such thoughts, making them restless. Soon after, he put down the tools and came to sit on the ridge. He looked around to confirm he was alone and quietly took out 'Make-Out Paradise' from his pocket, reading it with gusto.

Tomaru returned home at night but he kept tossing and turning in the bed, unable to sleep. As soon as he would close his eyes, Nohara Naoko's image would appear in his mind and replace the story's female protagonist.

Tomaru's parents had died early. In fact, one may not even call it early. Death in the thirties was normal in the Ninja World. After all, they were just civilians. Tomaru was alone and made his living by farming for the Fire Temple. His family was quite poor and he had no peers to play with.

Only Naoko, who was three years younger than him, had a relatively better relationship with him. This was perhaps because both of them were orphans. However, Naoko was a little better off because she had a grandmother to rely on.

Late at night, there was no trace of drowsiness in Tomaru's eyes. He was still reading the book in his hand, imagining many scenarios in his mind. He imagined becoming the novel's male of the…

Tomoru let out a long breath. The more he read, the more he thought, and the more uncomfortable he felt. Looking at the sky outside the window, he thought that he would have to work tomorrow. So, he forcibly resisted the urge to continue reading and put the book under his pillow, trying his hardest to sleep.

Coo coo~ Coo coo~

Birds cooing outside his window sounded like moaning in his ears. He opened his eyes, distracted. He had shut his eyes for a long time but was still unable to sleep as if tiny ants were biting in his heart.

He covered his ears with his hands, took a deep breath, and continued to doze. Gradually, the sound of sleeping soundly came from the room. Outside, the moon was shining brightly, casting a layer of silver hue on earth. The town was empty, and every household had fallen asleep, their doors and windows closed.

The workers who had been toiling hard the entire day were already asleep this late in the night. Tomaru, who was sleeping too, heard the breathtaking sound of a flute.

In a daze, he opened his eyes and found himself in the field. The moon was high above the sky, and everything around was very clear. Under the moonlight, the golden crops seemed to be coated with a layer of silver, drawing a peaceful picture.

Tomaru suddenly noticed a snow-white naked body appearing amid the thick harvests in front of him. His mouth felt dry and a voice in his heart told him that that beautiful person was none other than Naoko.

He instinctively parted the crops in front of him and kept walking forward, closer… closer…

"Why am I still so far…" Tomaru felt very strained and quickened his steps. But no matter how long or fast he ran, the surroundings remained the same, and the beautiful figure maintained a distance from him.

The most annoying part was that the damned things coincidentally covered the key areas of the young women's body, driving Tomaru nuts.

"So uncomfortable…"

Early the next morning, sunlight sprinkled into the room through the curtain gaps. Tomaru stretched out his hands as if trying to grab something. Gradually, he opened his sleepy eyes. His brain stopped for two seconds and he sat up straight with an exhausted look.

After checking the time, he got up to shower with dark circles under his eyes. He picked up his tools and went out.

Bang~

A very short while later though, he staggered back to the bed and took out the 'Make-Out Paradise' from under the pillow. He put it into his pocket and went out again.

For a few days, Tomaru felt like his spirit was on the verge of collapse. His loneliness became unendurable with every passing day, and he would often run to Naoko's family fields involuntarily, looking for various topics to get close to her.

In the beginning, Naoko thought Tomaru liked to chat with her, so she also hung out with him. But slowly, his hands became a little restless. His actions frightened her, especially the look in his eyes that seemed like he was going to devour her alive.

Although she didn't know what Tomaru wanted to do, she knew this feeling made her very uneasy, so she avoided him subconsciously.

As time passed, Tomaru also noticed his mentality was abnormal and he couldn't continue like this. He decided to go to the Fire Temple and let a monk enlighten him.

……

In the Fire Temple, Tonan either wandered around every day, discussing Buddhism with Chigo. Perhaps, because Buddhism was not widely spread in this world, the base of believers was not comparable to that of his previous world. Therefore, the research on Buddhism was a bit shallow and monotonous. There was no deep comprehension.

It was just persuading people to be kind, not to cling to hatred, and so on. Was that useful? That was very useful.

This world was in a state of war most of the time. Everyone desired to get along and become friendly with each other the most. Advocating kindness and letting go of hatred happened to satisfy the wishes of the vast majority, and it captured an important market position as well.

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Chapter 138: Dispelling Chigo's Doubts, Giving Drugs To Tomaru

In the Buddha Hall, Uchiha Tonan and Chigo were sitting facing each other. Special incense sticks were burning in the room, and green smoke was curling up in the air, filling the room with an unusual smell, very similar to the fragrance of sandalwood. The two people had their eyes closed and were relaxed.

"The Buddhist philosophy propagators are human. If you want to lead people on the right path, you should understand human nature. Doing good deeds or doing evil deeds are both the representation and the result. When a monk enlightens a believer, he must begin from human nature."

"Why do people do good deeds? Most people who do good yearn to obtain the goodwill of others from their hearts. Why do people do evil? Because they aren't satisfied with what they have. They cannot obtain what they want on merit and within the rules. But they are unwilling to let it go. So, they break the rules and get the thing they want by hurting others."

Tonan shared his thoughts. His words made Chigo ponder for a while, and with a look of doubt, he asked, "Your words make sense. But what if we cannot satisfy what they want? Wouldn't we be powerless to stop their evil hearts?"

Tonan adjusted his glasses, "There are two aspects — suppression and redemption. Use severe punishment to restrain them. The fear of punishment can restrain most people's behavior. Even if they want to do evil, they can only endure. And redemption is what monks ought to do. Since they're not satisfied with the present reality, let them understand how good their situation actually is. It's just that they haven't noticed it."

"Most people's dissatisfaction comes from comparing themselves with those around them. In war times, people will be satisfied with just being alive. When war is over, they'll be satisfied with being able to eat until full. In peacetime, they start to pursue a quality of life. And when material achievement reaches a certain level, it's about the pursuit of spiritual satisfaction. Faith is also spiritual satisfaction."

Chigo seemed to understand Tonan's explanation but also seemed to not understand anything. He frowned and thought for a while, trying to explore the meaning of Tonan's words. But in the end, he could only blame himself for being too stupid.

He sighed, "Tonan, you're truly intelligent."

Chigo felt that Tonan's words were broad and profound. But due to the limitation of his cognition, he was unable to fully comprehend it. The theme of this world was peace, kindness, and restraint… Anything beyond that was complicated.

Tonan smiled humbly, "Master is overpraising me. It's just a personal opinion, and it's just good to listen. It's not necessarily the truth."

Chigo said with a serious look, "No, although I don't understand it well, I can feel these words contain the profound nature of Buddha. I must note this."

Chigo walked to the table and wrote down what Tonan had just said in a notebook. Tonan's expression changed. He got up and said, "Master Chigo, our discussion here is nothing more than theory. Why don't I go to the main hall as you enlighten the believers? Let me experience it, and open my eyes."

Chigo paused for a moment and nodded, "Right away, but let me record the last sentence first."

Not long after, Tonan and Chigo came to the main hall together. The hall was as crowded as a marketplace, and all were this temple's believers. They knelt in front of the Buddha statue, and prayed, hoping that Buddha would bless them and their life would be better.

When many believers saw Chigo, they rushed over and surrounded him.

"Abbot is here."

"Master Chigo."

"Master Chigo, my mind is full of questions now."

Chigo put his palms together and lightly said, "Don't be anxious, come one by one."

"Master, I've been very unlucky recently, did I get bad luck?"

"Abbot, the doctor said that I'm seriously ill and need to take medicine. But since you said that I have the Buddha's blessing, can I avoid medicines?"

……

After dispelling the doubts of several believers, it was Tomaru's turn. When Chigo saw his haggard and weak appearance, he asked, "Young benefactor, you seem to have something on your mind."

Tomaro nodded repeatedly, "Master Chigo, my imagination runs wild all day long recently. At night, I cannot fall asleep, and at daytime, my heart is flustered."

Tomaru was very excited to see Chigo. He was eager to unravel the confusion in his heart and find a solution. He couldn't endure his current situation, but he couldn't control the direction of his imagination either.

Chigo nodded, "What exactly is it? Has anything special happened?"

"I…"

Tomaru was a little embarrassed to mention it. He hesitated for a long time and couldn't speak. After all, this was something too awkward to mention out loud. Chigo pondered for a while and guessed his difficulty. He smiled a little and brought his ear closer, "Go ahead, I can hear you."

Tonan looked left and right, covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered the events of the past few days in Chigo's ear.

In the end, he looked ashamed and his ears were red. He had his head lowered, not daring to look straight at Chigo, and asked in a low voice, "Abbot, what should I do?"

Chigo couldn't help chuckling after hearing Tomaru. "It turned out to be this. This is normal. At your age, everyone thinks about these things."

Tomaru looked entangled as he said, "But, I haven't been able to sleep for several nights."

"Is it that strong?" Chigo was a little surprised. He thought of something and turned to Tonan, who was beside him, "Tonan, this young benefactor has been having insomnia. I just recalled the healthcare products you gifted me."

Only at this moment did Tomaru notice Tonan, and he instantly recalled how he had offended him the last time. Seeing Tonan have a good relationship with Master Chigo, he understood that Tonan was someone he couldn't offend.

However, Tonan appeared broad-minded and not the kind of person who held grudges. "Master, since I've given it to you, you can do anything you like with it. You don't need to ask my opinion."

Chigo nodded kindly towards Tonan. He then called, "Chiriku."

A monk who was a few years older than Tonan walked over to Chigo, and put his palms together, "Abbot." Chigo instructed, "Go to my room and bring the box from the third shelf in the cabinet."

"Yes." After a while, Chiriku handed over the products that were brought by Tonan for Chigo, and Chigo handed it to Tomaru, "This is a healthcare product. Eat a pack every night before going to bed. It should help you sleep."

Tomaru quickly thanked him, "Many thanks, Master, many thanks."

He carefully took the products and his eyes finally had some light. At that time, Tonan added from the side, "Remember to take just one pack at a time. If the dose is too much, you'll lose consciousness."

Tomaru was stunned, and asked carefully, "Will it cause death?"

Tonan smiled and shook his head, "No, it won't."

"That's good."

Tomaru nodded repeatedly and carefully hugged the box in his arms. He bowed to Chigo and ran down the mountain.

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Chapter 139: Evil Thoughts, Committing Suicide

The next day, Tomaru woke up from his sleep fully refreshed. The dark circles around his eyes had faded considerably. Although the feeling of having a spring dream was not bad, having it every day was more terrifying than a nightmare.

Especially as this dream was very irritating. He couldn't get it in reality and he also couldn't get it in his dream either. Tomaru got up and sorted things out. He took out 'Make-Out Paradise' from under the pillow and put it into his pocket, going over to work in the field, feeling rejuvenated.

The current Tomaru was much more efficient than his previous self. Coupled with his youthful strength, he completed today's task in a short time. Then, seizing the chance when no one was there, he came to the ridge to read the novel.

In the evening, since there were more insects and mosquitoes outside, he sorted out his tools and returned home. Along the ridge, he saw Nohara Naoko in front of him.

Naoko also seemed to have noticed something, and looked back at Tomaru, then jogged towards her house. Looking at her beautiful back view, Tomaru swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and an instinctual impulse surged in his body.

At that time, the words Tonan said yesterday in the Fire Temple flashed through his mind. "Remember to take just one pack at a time. If the dose is too much, you'll lose consciousness."

Subconsciously, an evil thought was quietly planted.

……

A few days later, at night, the street was quiet and empty. Other than a few crows resting on the branch, and cawing from time to time, there were also some white pigeons scattered everywhere, cooing.

The households on both sides of the street had already turned off their lights and went to rest. On the quiet and deserted street, only a few dim street lamps were adding a little warmth.

Naoko's face was pale, and her clothes were messy. She was walking step by step on the street like a lifeless body. Her eyes were filled with tears, obstructing her vision, which made her unable to see the direction she was heading. After a while, she stood under a lamp and slumped on the ground. Recalling what had just happened, she trembled in fear. She curled up and choked with sobs.

After an unknown period, a cold wind blew on the Revered Fire Street. Along with the whistling sound of the wind, Naoko shivered.

"It's alright." Suddenly, a gentle and magnetic voice rang in her ears, and her entire body seemed to be wrapped in warmth. She raised her tearful face and looked at the approaching person.

The smile on that person's face was perfect. It seemed he always had a smile on his face. Such a smile was very bright as if it could push away the darkness of the clouds and light up the entire world. It was also gentle and calm.

Naoko was stunned for a moment, nearly forgetting the previous nightmarish experience. "It's you… am I dreaming?"

Tonan draped a windbreaker on Naoko and muttered, "It's so late and so cold outside. It's not safe for a girl to be alone. I'll escort you home."

Tonan's voice was gentle and soft, which pierced through the young girl's heart. She stared straight at him and said, "I…"

"You can't walk?" Tonan shook his head and gently picked her up by the waist, "Which direction is your home?"

Naoko curled up and raised her hand timidly, pointing into a distance. Tonan nodded and holding Naoko in his arms, he walked towards her home. On the way, she rubbed her head gently against him, unsure of whether this was a reality or a dream. She muttered, "What's your name?"

"Tonan, a Leaf ninja."

Naoko was startled, and the light in her eyes dimmed as she said, "Ninja…-sama…"

Tonan looked down at her and smiled, "I must be younger than you. You can just call me Tonan."

Naoko looked pale, "Tonan…"

"Can you tell me what happened to you? Did you meet a bad person?"

Immediately after Tonan asked this, Naoko recalled the previous nightmarish experience, and her entire body trembled. She took a deep breath and forcibly held back her tears.

"I… nothing…"

"That's good then."

"It's almost there, let me down."

"Alright."

At this moment, Naoko's grandmother was standing outside the house, waiting with a worried look on her face. While looking left and right, she finally saw Naoko and Tonan walking around from a corner. She immediately walked over and held her granddaughter's hand.

"Naoko, why did you return so late? I was scared to death." Naoko could no longer hold back her tears when she saw her grandmother who was worried so much about her. But she still smiled forcibly and said, "Grandma, I fell asleep on the field."

Naoko's grandmother finally smiled and said while nodding repeatedly, "That's fine, that's fine. Young man, thank you for escorting Naoko back. Come in and have a seat."

Tonan waved his hand, "No, it's already late. I've to go back to the inn to rest."

After speaking, he turned to leave. Naoko tightly grabbed the windbreaker she was wearing and said with a reluctant look, "Your jacket."

Tonan turned around and smiled gently, "No need, take it as a gift for you."

Naoko nodded, "Thank you." She watched Tonan until he turned to another street. On the dimly lit street, Tonan heard hurried footsteps coming from behind. His steps immediately paused and he turned his head to look. He saw a panting Naoko at the end of the street. Seeing him turn around, Naoko shouted, "Tonan! We'll meet again, right?"

Tonan shook his head, "It's unlikely, I'm returning to Konoha." Naoko was stunned for a moment, and a look of loss flashed through her eyes. She shouted again, "Nohara Naoko, that's my name!"

Tonan smiled gently and waved his hand, turning to leave. "I'll remember."

Naoko's eyes overflowed with tears, and she raised her hands to wipe them. Only after she was unable to see him, did she turn around and walked towards her home. At the door, Naoko's grandmother said with concern, "Naoko…"

Naoko shook her head and walked straight into the house. "Grandma, I'm sleepy."

In the bedroom, Naoko sat in front of a mirror for a long time… a long time… At some point, tears had already soaked her shirt. When Naoko came back to her senses, she saw the sky was already getting bright. Grabbing the windbreaker, she took out a pen and paper from the cabinet.

An hour later, the sound of something falling into the water came from the river not far away from Revered Fire Street. At the same time, a mournful sound of a flute resounded from the forest, and it instantly spread throughout the entire Revered Fire Street…

After playing a full verse, Tonan looked up at the sky, and an inexplicable look flashed through his eyes as he muttered, "It's dawn."

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Chapter 140: Temple's Interrogation, Adhering To Rules

In the Fire Temple, Chigo had just walked out of his room when he heard hubbub outside. A monk briskly walked into the courtyard, "Master Chigo, there was a murder case in the Revered Fire Street. A girl committed suicide jumping into the river."

Chigo was used to life and death, so he was not too surprised. He put his palms together, "Alas, let's go and pray for her."

"But Abbot, this girl committed suicide because she was humiliated and she couldn't endure it. The monks have caught the culprit and brought him to the temple. We are waiting for you to deal with him."

Chigo was startled, and said with a serious expression, "If that's the case, then let's go." He followed the monk immediately. Almost all areas under the Land of Fire had the guards arranged by the Daimyo Residence to maintain order. If there were criminals, the guards would escort them to the City Guardian Residence in a nearby town for trial.

The Fire Temple was classified as a ninja temple, and it had a certain amount of military force. Therefore, there were no guards stationed here, and the Fire Temple monks handled all the security issues. The temple even had the authority to order punishment in case something happened.

The Fire Temple generally didn't exercise this right though and sent the criminals to the nearby Guard Residence. Soon, Chigo arrived at the square in front of the main hall. He saw two monks escorting a battered and exhausted youth. The boy's hair was disheveled and the clothes on his body were not in good order. He looked deadly still. Chigo had seen him before — it was Tomaru.

On the ground next to him, was Nohara Naoko's corpse. Because the corpse had been immersed in water, it was rotting and turning white. Naoko's face had no color, looking pallid. Even in death, she was tightly grabbing the windbreaker she was wearing with both hands.

Naoko's grandmother was lying on her corpse, choking with sobs. Seeing this, Chigo put his palms together and prayed for Naoko in his heart.

He then asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened?"

A monk handed Naoko's letter to Chigo and said, "This is the suicide note that this little girl left. It explains the humiliation she experienced yesterday and her apology to her grandmother. She must've written more at the back, but everything is smeared."

Chigo looked at the note's content and was startled. He then looked at Tomaru who was kneeling on the ground and asked, "Do you have anything to explain?"

Tomaru had already lost his sense of propriety. He trembled and answered, "No…"

He had done those things. Regardless of how he explained it, it was useless. The residents of Revered Fire Street, who had rushed over after hearing the news, were filled with indignation and yelled…

"Master, this boy has admitted his guilt. Kill him!"

"Abbot, Kill him!"

……

Tomaru was so frightened that he kept kowtowing to Chigo and said, "Abbot, I admit I did those things, but I didn't kill her. I don't deserve to die either."

Due to the public outcry, Tomaru panicked even more. A resident shouted angrily, "Vile beast! With the crime you have committed, even ten thousand deaths are not enough."

Chigo frowned and sighed, "According to the Land of Fire's law, he indeed cannot be punished by death. He didn't kill anyone."

Everyone looked at each other hearing Chigo's words. Since the abbot had already spoken, although they were angry, they had to abide by the rules. At this moment, Uchiha Tonan walked in from outside the temple and said, "Master Chigo, sin has a cause, and karma has an effect. I think this person should pay with his life."

Chigo raised his head and looked at Tonan, who was coming over. He solemnly said, "Tonan, rules are rules."

Tonan shook his head, "Although he didn't do it himself, the cause and effect of this matter stem from him. For instance, I threw a stone down a mountain. The stone bumped into another stone halfway. And the second stone fell down the mountain, crushing a passerby to death. Is it my fault?"

Chigo thought for a while and answered affirmatively, "Yes, it's your fault."

Tonan continued with his nonsense, "But the stone I threw didn't hit anyone. And the second stone had nothing to do with me."

After hearing his words, everyone became silent for a while, and the residents shouted again…

"Kill him."

"Kill him."

……

Tomaru completely panicked by now. He thought he could escape with his life, but he hadn't expected Tonan's arrival halfway. He shouted, "This is not my fault. I didn't want to do it at first. It's the abbot who gave me those medicines. If he hadn't given them to me, I wouldn't have given them to Naoko, and she wouldn't lose her consciousness. Then I wouldn't have had those thoughts and nothing would've happened. The abbot is also responsible. It's not entirely my fault. As you said just now, I'm the second stone, and the abbot is the first one."

Everyone stopped talking. Tonan took a deep breath and said in self-reproach, "It turned out this was the case. If I hadn't given those medicines to Master Chigo, he wouldn't have given them to you because he misjudged a person. I didn't kill Boren, but Boren died because of me. I, I've sinned…"

Although Chigo didn't know who Boren was, he understood the sentence's inference. He sighed deeply, "Tonan, this has nothing to do with you. Primarily, it's my mistake."

Naoko's grandmother didn't understand what these people were saying. She just heard that the medicine was given to Tomaru by Chigo. She wailed, "Why did you give him those medicines? Return my granddaughter to me."

An unbearable look flashed through Chigo's eyes, "I…"

Although there were many factors involved in Chigo giving out the medicine, everyone was not a fool. It was impossible to blame him for this matter because of just this. Besides, Chigo was the Fire Temple's master.

Everyone subconsciously believed he delivered all living creatures from suffering. Moreover, he was an eminent monk with noble character and high prestige. Chigo put his palms together and recited the scriptures for a while. He then slowly opened his eyes and instructed, "Imprison this person in the Fire Temple, and send him to Matsumoto Town's Guardian Residence in a few days, where he will be trialed and imprisoned."

When Tomaru heard this, he sighed in relief, looking as if he survived a disaster. The monk beside him nodded and lifted him, taking him towards the back of the temple.

Chigo sighed and said to Tonan, "Tonan, I thought about what you said just now. This matter indeed has a cause and effect with you and me. As you said, everything requires a degree of careful study. Even if we are guilty, it was out of kindness. The sin isn't deep."

Tonan realized he might have misjudged Chigo a bit. Although he was a monk, he seemed to place more importance on Buddhist doctrine theories and how to preach them. Perhaps, he was kinder than ordinary people, but because he was a monk, his attitude toward evil was more lenient than ordinary people.

"It seems I need to add fuel to the fire."

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Chapter 141: Arousing Anger, Uphold Justice

Uchiha Tonan stared at the corpse on the ground and the mournfully crying old woman with a painful look. His fists were clenched, and his eyes were full of guilt as he gritted his teeth, "I know, but I can't get through the hurdle in my heart. After all, it's a matter of someone's life. She was young with a great future waiting for her. Moreover, she did not just support herself, but also the elderly at home, which was already a burden for her. Even though life was hard, she faced it positively."

"Such a diligent, kind, and beautiful girl met with a poisonous hand. However, her murderer is only being sent to the Guardian Residence where he will be imprisoned for a few years. After that, he can come out safe and sound, and continue to get away with impunity. Is this fair? Is this justice? She is dead, but how can you make this old woman survive? Can the grief in her heart be healed? Think from the perspective of the dead, and also from the perspective of the elderly. If you were in this situation, could you swallow this grief?"

When everyone heard Tonan's words, they placed themselves in the old woman's shoes and anger surged in their hearts, secretly gritting their teeth. The more miserable the victim was, the angrier the people would be toward the perpetrator. Tonan was provoking anger towards sin in these people's hearts.

And Chigo's approach was to prevent everyone from venting their anger. The saying 'one cannot afford to incur public wrath' has its merit. The old woman saw that Chigo was saving the murderer who was responsible for her granddaughter's death. And she couldn't accept this in her heart. She almost couldn't breathe and directly fell to the ground.

The residents supported her and persuaded her to not think about this…

"My condolences, dead people cannot be resurrected."

"You have to take care of your health!"

The old woman took a deep breath to calm down her emotions. She then asked Chigo with tears in her eyes, "Master Chigo, why did you give him those medicines? He killed my granddaughter, but why aren't you killing him?"

The old woman was so agitated that her body was trembling. Hearing her questions, the surrounding residents also chimed in, "Yes, Abbot, even if you kill him, the Guardian Residence will not say anything."

"I knew we should've killed him at the foot of the mountain."

Chigo took a deep breath and put his palms together, bowing to the old woman, "Benefactor, restrain your grief, I know your heart is full of hatred now. But killing this man will not revive your granddaughter. And that person is indeed not guilty of death punishment. All we can do is escort him to the Guardian Residence. Benefactor, let go of hatred. Only then, you will not live in misery."

The old woman laughed maniacally. She pointed at Chigo and shouted hoarsely, "What scripture do you read? What Buddha do you worship? I donate money every year, and light incense every month. Why didn't Buddha bless my granddaughter? Now that she is dead, why are you still protecting the criminal? It's you! It's you who gave him those medicines! You are an accomplice! I will bite you to death!"

The old woman pounced on Chigo and opened her mouth ferociously like a mad person. "Stop!" Chiriku, who was standing beside Chigo, pushed the old woman away. The old woman fell to the ground. The surrounding residents couldn't bear to look at this. They stepped forward to support her. The old woman slumped on the ground. Her eyes were filled with hopelessness and she looked lifeless.

After a few breaths, she looked up to heaven and shouted, "God! Is there no one to uphold justice…" As if this had drawn the last of her energy, with her eyes wide open, she twitched a few times and stopped breathing.

Chiriku hastily stepped forward and placed his finger below her nose. He then turned back and said with an ugly look, "Abbot, she is dead."

Chigo stumbled when he heard this. His eyes were full of doubts, and he muttered, "Did I do something wrong… Did I make a mistake…"

He knew that everything he had done was according to the rules. He had no intention of protecting the criminals, but why did it end like this? At this moment, he was completely confused and desperately wanted to find someone to enlighten him.

Subconsciously, he turned his head and shouted, "Tonan… where is Tonan?"

"Ah!" A terrified scream came from the back of the Fire Temple. A group of Fire Temple monks retreated, gradually forming an arc, and Tonan walked out from the depths with a chakra tanto in one hand and Tomaru's head in the other. He was expressionless, and he raised his head high and coldly said, "I'm sorry, I was late in upholding justice."

The head in Tonan's hand was still dripping with blood. The path he had walked was also dyed red with blood. There was a terrified look frozen on the Tomaru's face, and his eyes were wide open. Chigo was stunned for a moment, and he asked in disbelief, "Tonan! Why did you kill him?"

Tonan replied indifferently, "Master Chigo, I think this person deserved to die. Now that I've killed him, will you kill me?"

Chigo hastily replied, "You are confused now!"

Tonan sneered and threw the head in his hand. It made a beautiful mid-air turn and fell to the ground, rolling all the way to Chigo's feet. It was facing upward, showing wide open eyes, a look of horror fixed on the dead face.

"I'm not muddle-headed. Master Chigo, you don't need to care about the rules. I'm a Leaf ninja. As long as I don't betray the village, anything I do has to be handled by the Hokage-sama. Even if you send me to the Guardian Residence, who will dare to judge me?"

Chigo looked at the head near his feet and gasped for a breath. He seemed to have aged instantly. He raised his head, and slowly raised his palm towards Tonan. Instantly, a pure white Thousand-Armed Kannon formed behind Chigo. He shouted, "I can only arrest you and send you to Konoha and let Hokage-sama deal with you."

Tonan snorted, "Master, I forgot to tell you something, I'm Hokage-sensei's disciple. Do you think he will punish me for a commoner's death? I'm also a member of the Uchiha clan. Even if sensei wants to punish me, the clan will not agree. As long as I don't hurt anyone in the village, I can only be judged by the rules of the clan. And according to them, killing a commoner is no different from killing a dog. Your so-called rules are worth nothing in front of power."

Tonan closed and opened his eyes, revealing a scarlet Sharingan, continuing in a distant tone, "Master, I don't know the Fire Temple rules. You gave the medicine, you protected the criminal, and that woman was angered to death by you. Today, I've finally seen through it. Not only can you not distinguish between right and wrong, but you also don't feel guilt. It's a shame I respected you so much. What eminent monk? You are nothing but a sanctimonious person!"

After speaking, Tonan raised the chakra tanto and ferociously stabbed it in his ribs. Blood splattered. Everyone in the square was stunned. Even Chigo was startled and involuntarily relaxed his stance.

Tonan's face was covered in a cold sweat, blue veins popped out on his forehead, and his face twitched as if he was enduring great pain. He howled, "The source of the medicine was me. I owe this blade to that girl, so I paid it back. Master Chigo, what will you do in return?"

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Chapter 142: Chigo's Death, Inheriting Gift Of Hermit Group

The Fire Temple's monks lowered their hands after listening to Uchiha Tonan. They were no longer wary of him. Instead, their gaze turned to Chigo. In their view, Tonan had almost nothing to do with this matter. If anyone would argue that Tonan giving the medicines to Chigo was a crime, then no one would agree.

Obviously, he had nothing to do with this, but he punished himself because of guilt. In addition, he went against the crown and punished the guilty. This was a real gentleman, a great man! If they stood against him, would they be human? But what about their abbot? Compared to this, the master whom they loved and respected was inflexible. He not only shielded the offender but also angered the deceased's grandmother to death.

Chigo noticed the Fire Temple monks' strange gazes and he subconsciously retreated two steps. He looked at the residents of Revered Fire Street behind him. He saw they looked at Tonan with admiration and respect but there was disgust in their eyes when they looked at him.

No matter who it was, it was terrifying being compared to others and falling short. At this moment, the boundary between good and evil had blurred. It seemed that Tonan had become a chivalrous man who upheld justice for the weak. And he, the Fire Temple master was a ruler's lackey who didn't know the right from the wrong.

Chigo's mind fell into chaos. He had great doubts about himself, and he muttered, "You all… do you all think… I'm wrong…"

Tonan, who was bleeding continuously because the blade was still stuck in his body, walked to the square step by step. The monks surrounding him were silent, and with their hands lowered, they made way for him on their own.

Tonan walked over to Chigo and solemnly said, "Hypocrisy is a great evil. The millennium reputation of the Fire Temple has been damaged in your hands."

Enduring the pain, he bent over and carried the corpses of the old woman and Naoko on his left and right shoulders respectively. Then, under everyone's gaze filled with admiration, he left the Fire Temple. Tonan had a resolute look while carrying the two corpses and walking down the steps.

On the flight of stairs, an old monk was sweeping the stairs. When he saw Tonan going down the mountain, he quietly put away the broom. He stepped aside and lowered his head, putting his palms together.

In the Fire Temple, after Tonan left, Chigo's heart was in chaos. Everything in front of him blurred. His body swayed. Fortunately, the sharp-eyed Chiriku supported him. After a long time, Chigo raised his head and glanced at the Buddha statue sitting in the hall. There was guilt in his eyes as he murmured, "Chiriku, take me to the main hall."

"Yes."

After the onlookers saw that the matter was over, they all sighed and left the Fire Temple. But when they arrived outside the temple, they found the two corpses were placed at the temple's gate and Tonan had long since disappeared.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know."

"Perhaps, his injuries were too serious, and he wasn't able to carry them."

"Even so, he can't just leave the corpses here."

"Does he have any conscience? How can someone leave a corpse here?"

"Forget it, let's carry the dead bodies. In any case, we are all neighbors, we can't trouble others."

……

At this moment, Chigo and Chiriku came to the main hall. Chigo declined Chiriku's support and knelt in front of the Buddha statue. "Chiriku, do you think I was wrong?"

"I… I don't know."

"Perhaps, that girl's death didn't have much to do with me. But the death of that old woman was indeed caused by me. I'm guilty." Chigo closed his eyes. His mind was full of the strange gazes of the believers and disciples when looking at him.

"Abbot, please don't think like that."

"Then, do you think I was right?"

"Well…"

Seeing Chiriku was unable to answer, clarity flashed through Chigo's eyes. "Chiriku, I'm very optimistic about your talent and perception. My comprehension is lacking. I lack common sense, and I also don't accept changes. I shamed Buddha, shamed that grandparent and grandchild, and also shamed the millennium reputation of the Fire Temple. From here onwards, the Fire Temple will be handed over to you."

Chiriku asked in confusion, "Master Chigo?" But even after a long time, Chigo sat there cross-legged without replying. With a bad premonition, Chiriku extended his trembling hand and placed his finger below Chigo's nose.

……

At the same time, in the forest outside the town. Tonan was continuously jumping from one tree branch onto another while carrying two corpses. Suddenly, a strong warm current came pouring into his limbs and bones. He stopped and placed those two on the ground, and pulled out the chakra tanto from between his ribs.

It was easy for him, who had Byakugan, to know which part of the body was the least fatal. This injury looked terrifying but it was not even a minor injury. Moreover, under the effect of the oncoming current, Tonan could feel his wound healing rapidly.

"This physique… is it the Senju or Uzumaki clan?"

Many secret techniques and Buddhist doctrines appeared in his mind. Most of the secret techniques were of little use to him but several others made him very happy. Especially the core cultivation secret technique: Gift of the Hermit Group!

At this moment, he understood what this secret technique which was not very different from senjutsu, was. Before the arrival of the God Tree, this world had gone through countless eras. In the past, the world had an extraordinary power that was not inferior to chakra. It was now called the power of nature or natural energy.

Self-healing power was a naturally produced special power, similar to spiritual qi in Xianxia novels. The energy had produced many monsters and powerful humans. For instance, many summoning beasts of today were these monsters' descendants. In ancient times, after the God Tree was planted, all creatures in the entire world were marked with a mysterious imprint, and then, they were able to cultivate chakra.

But they were unable to absorb the energy in nature. Over time, most monsters instinctively absorbed natural energy and strengthened their bodies. And the monsters of the three great holy lands adopted a special method to absorb natural energy, combine it with their chakra, and created the so-called senjutsu.

Senjustu energy required cultivation. For example, the senjutsu learned by Jiraiya and the others were, in fact, already developed senjutsu energy bestowed by monsters. It was not that Jiraiya and the others had activated the Sage Mode, it was more accurate to say that they had obtained the energy of monsters. That energy was not absorbed from nature but passed on by monsters via summoning technique. This was also the reason why they couldn't cultivate senjutsu themselves and non-human characteristics manifested every time they entered this mode.

The Gift of the Hermit Group was a method to use natural energy discovered by a certain genius human. By cultivating this secret technique, one could open up an illusory space within the body, just like the so-called dantian in the novels. It could also absorb strong emotions and store them.

Drawing the emotional energy in the illusory space, one could absorb the natural energy and combine it, finally forming the senjutsu energy exclusive to the human race. Even if this energy was not used, it could subtly strengthen a person's physique. And when this energy was used, the senjutsu energy could be combined with chakra to enter the Sage Mode.

Because this senjutsu energy completely belonged to humans, there would be no change in appearance after entering the Sage Mode. But the biggest limitation of this method was absorbing others' emotions. The emotional energy was very stable, and it was firmly locked within the mortal body. Only when people were emotionally stable, they would emit a small amount of emotional energy for the people around them to absorb.

However, Tonan had inherited Chigo's legacy. He already had a considerable amount of senjutsu energy within his body.

"Are you going to bury them here, evil-hearted ninja youth?"

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Chapter 143: The Sweeper Monk, Failing To Deceive

"Are you going to bury them here, evil-hearted ninja youth?" Suddenly, an old voice came from behind Uchiha Tonan. He got up and looked at the beautiful mountains and rivers around and nodded with satisfaction. He then leisurely replied, "Yes, the mountains and rivers are beautiful here. It's a very good place to bury the dead."

"Then why didn't you bury them and stayed put for so long?"

A hint of a smile appeared on his face, and putting his hands behind his back, he said without turning his head, "I was waiting for you, Master."

"You knew I was coming?"

Tonan chuckled and replied while shaking his head, "Master, when you sweep the stairs every day, you sweep from left to right. But today, when I was going down the mountain, you were sweeping from right to left. Your heart is in chaos…"

Immediately after Tonan spoke. Crackle, crackle, crackle~

The ground where that old monk was standing suddenly exploded. Tonan jumped out from the ground with a chakra tanto covered in lightning. Since the sunlight was bright, when it reflected on the chakra tanto, it dazzled people, making them unable to open their eyes.

The sharp tip of the chakra tanto was pointed straight at the old monk as if it was about to pierce through him in the next second. At that moment, the old monk's otherwise cloudy eyes sharpened, and he stepped aside, dodging the sudden attack.

However, in the next moment. Bang! Bang! Bang! …

The sounds of explosions resounded continuously, and the trees around collapsed one after another. The bits and pieces of stones flew everywhere, mercilessly hitting the animals that hadn't reacted yet. In the blink of an eye, a huge dust cloud mushroomed in the forest. Thick smoke enveloped the surroundings, and the sound of wind and insects that existed before disappeared.

There was also the faint smell of blood in the air. Tonan had used a shadow clone to plant dozens of explosive tags underground in advance, and he had ignited them now. The dust and smoke slowly dissipated, pits were faintly visible on the ground, and the red spattered blood drops looked like red roses.

Suddenly, a light flashed at the center of the smoke and dust. A pure white Thousand-Armed Kannon image had appeared behind the old man, and it used countless hands to protect the old monk.

The eyes of Thousand-Armed Kannon were closed. She sat cross-legged on a pure white lotus throne, and her appearance was filled with mercy and sympathy. The old man looked calm and relaxed. He looked straight at Tonan with cloudy eyes and leisurely said, "Sure enough, you are vicious. I wanted to know what exactly you wanted to do."

Tonan adjusted his glasses, and replied in a natural tone, "I just want to save this messed up world in my way. Everything is for world peace and the great love for all creatures."

The old monk snorted, not believing him. He pointed to the ground with one hand and pointed to the sky with the other as if entering another realm in the world. "I have achieved the heart eye, your lies can deceive them, but not me. You must have some hidden secrets."

Tonan's expression instantly became indifferent, and a powerful electric current appeared around his body. Crackle, crackle, crackle~

The current crackled around him, getting bigger and stronger. "Old man, you shouldn't be so stubborn. Do you know who I am? Do you dare to touch me?" Tonan's eyes were fierce. The exquisite eyebrows were knitted together. There was no gentleness on his face, and he seemed to be determined to win.

"I know you are Konoha's Hokage's student. That's why I endured for so long. So that I can get rid of a calamity like you when there was no one around." The old monk's voice sounded a little ethereal, floating throughout the forest, giving others a boundless sense of suppression. Tonan moved his right leg a little and asked, "You are too daring, who are you?"

"The former abbot of Fire Temple, Terachi."

After speaking, the old monk opened his eyes wide and roared angrily, "Welcoming Approach – Thousand-Armed Murder!"

Instantly, the pure white Thousand-Armed Kannon behind Terachi transformed into a red demonic-looking creature and each of her fists attacked Tonan like guided missiles. Tonan activated Lightning Spirit Wind Flash to dodge while rushing toward Terachi.

However, the fists he dodged made a turn and attacked him from behind, while more continued to attack from the front. Tonan didn't want to fight head-on. He sped up and continued to dodge. Meanwhile, he made hand signs and slammed onto the ground, "Earth Style – Multi Mud Wall."

Instantly, dozens of hard earth walls grew from the ground in front of him. Under the effect of his large chakra reserve, each earth wall was seven to eight meters high, protecting him both front and back.

"You can't escape!" Terachi shouted, and his powerful chakra fluctuation blew his monk robe. The ground around him also cracked like a cobweb, and small stones floated in the air as if defying gravity.

Meanwhile, the angry demonic-looking creature behind him attacked more ferociously with the momentum of toppling the mountains and overturning the seas. The speed was so fast that naked eyes couldn't see the attacks.

The earth walls were smashed into pieces, the debris flying in all directions, hitting the surrounding trees. And the dust and smoke formed by the powdered earth enveloped Tonan. At the critical juncture, Tonan's indifferent voice came from the midst of the dust.

"Welcoming Approach… Thousand-Armed Murder!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!…

Sounds of fists came from everywhere and the residual power energized the air current, dispersing the dust and smoke. In the next moment, an unscathed Tonan appeared in front of Terachi.

Tonan had put his palms together with his eyes closed. He had a look of compassion. Behind him, there was a Thousand-Armed Kannon, which was similar to the one behind Terachi.

Terachi felt dizzy for a moment, and exclaimed in disbelief, "How is this possible? How can you know the Fire Temple's secret technique?"

But Tonan just chanted with a compassionate face, "Merciful Buddha! All living creatures suffer. The good and evil in the world are constant. Since that is the case, it's up to me to bear the weight of darkness. Feed the demon and deliver all common people from torment. Master Terachi, although you and I have different methods, the results we pursue are the same."

After speaking, Tonan opened his eyes, revealing his scarlet Sharingan. He looked at Terachi with a sincere look. However, Tonan didn't realize something.

The eyes of the Thousand-Armed Kannon behind him also similarly became scarlet, giving people a strange feeling. Terachi could no longer maintain the appearance of an enlightened eminent monk. He pointed at Tonan in horror and said, "Evil spirit… demon!"

A hint of strangeness flashed through Tonan's eyes.

"This old man is much wiser than Chigo. It seems I can't fool him. I did want to take advantage of the situation to fool him, and if I could gain his acknowledgment, then I could have added some senjutsu energy. But looking at the current situation, I'm afraid there's no chance. What a pity…"

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