Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

As night fell, the whole town became silent. Only the occasional barking of dogs from the alleys proved that this place was not deserted.

Sarutobi Sasuke, who was waiting at the temporary shelter, looked at the sky and waved his hand to interrupt F6 who were whispering.

"It's almost time, let's go."

According to the mission details, several people would mysteriously disappear in this town every night at the end of the month, and abandoned body parts would be found outside the town the next day. The body parts smelled terrible and looked horrible.

Although the client who issued the task repeatedly emphasized that the man-eating culprit was an unspeakable monster, the experienced Sarutobi Sasuke believed that the criminal should be some kind of human-shaped beast. The missing wandering ninja a few years ago probably lost his life because of his poor skills.

"Father, Captain Sarutobi! Do you have any tactics?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was on a mission for the first time, was rubbing his hands in excitement, wanting to use this mission to prove himself to his father.

"That's right~"

The other few little ones nodded quickly, their tense little faces filled with eagerness to try.

"Uh, follow my lead."

Sarutobi Sasuke, who felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by the little guys, looked evasive, hesitated for a moment, and then made arrangements aloud.

"Roger that!"

The alluring moon hung high in the sky. Sarutobi Sasuke and the others disappeared into the darkness, wandering through the dark alleys of the town, looking for suspicious figures. However, after walking around for a long time, they didn't even find a ghost.

"Hiruzen, come here."

Sarutobi Sasuke thought for a moment and felt that it was not a good idea to keep wandering around like this. It was said that the murderer came and went without a trace, so his hiding skills and moving speed must be very good, so he waved to the few little ones who were peeking around.

"Captain Sarutobi, what are the plans?"

The little ones immediately stood at attention, waiting for orders.

"We will split up next. You will form groups of three and wait near the two gates of the town. If you find anyone suspicious, do not act rashly and send a signal immediately."

As he spoke, Sarutobi Sasuke took out a few flares from his backpack and distributed them to several people.

"Yes!"

The next step was the grouping phase. Without any hesitation, little Danzo went straight to his childhood friend Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was in the same boat with him. The two hit it off immediately and then both set their eyes on Uchiha Kagami, who was entangled by Utatane Koharu.

"Kami-kun, please take me with you. I'm just a medical ninja who can't even lift a chicken~"

Utane Koharu, with a pouty mouth, pulled Uchiha Kagami's arm like a spoiled child and spoke in a coquettish voice.

"Xiaochun, there are differences between men and women, and everyone is watching."

Uchiha Kagami looked at the tearful Utane Koharu and couldn't help but break out in a few cold sweats. If he didn't know the true face of this girl, he would have fallen into her trap.

"How can you say that? Aren't we good friends?"

"Jing, join us in a group!"

Just as Utane Koharu was still pestering them, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo came over and made an invitation in a very sincere tone.

"It was obviously me first"

Utane Koharu was immediately displeased, and immediately turned around, looking at the two men with fierce eyes.

I'm here to pick up a rich man, so don't come messing with me, you guys.

"You're wrong to say that. Team formation must follow the principle of voluntariness. Jing, our team needs you!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and stretched out his hand towards Uchiha Kagami.

"I'm sorry, Haru."

Uchiha Kagami gave an apologetic smile to Utane Koharu, then shook hands with Sarutobi Hiruzen and joined their team.

"You Danzo, just wait for me!"

The cooked duck flew out of her mouth, and Utane Koharu was so angry that she immediately warned Shimura Danzo.

"Huh? What does it have to do with me? I didn't say a word!"

Danzo Shimura, who didn't know that he was a congenital scapegoat, was inexplicably warned by Koharu Utane. He touched his head in confusion, with an innocent expression.

Since Sarutobi Hiruzen's three-man team had already assembled, Utane Koharu had no choice but to form a temporary team with the timid Mito Kado En and Akimichi Tofu while cursing.

"Okay! If nothing happens, we'll gather here before dawn."

After witnessing the process of the little ones forming a team, Sarutobi Sasuke's evaluation of his son became higher. He did not expect that this kid actually had some leadership qualities.

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, the kids immediately turned into several black shadows and dispersed in two directions.

Sarutobi Sasuke watched the little ones leave, feeling a little worried. He then formed seals with his hands and slapped the ground. Two clever little monkeys jumped out of the white smoke, scratching their ears and observing the new environment.

"Please, help me keep an eye on them. If anything unexpected happens, please notify me immediately."

"Squeak~"

After receiving the order, the little monkeys did not nod immediately, but stretched out a hand towards Sarutobi Sasuke. He understood what he meant and fumbled in his backpack, took out the banana he carried with him, and handed it to the two little monkeys.

"Chiji~"

The little monkeys who got the reward nodded excitedly, jumped up with bananas in their arms, and chased in the direction where the little ones left.

"Phew~ This should be fine now."

Only then did Sarutobi Sasuke put his heart back in his stomach, and slowly disappeared into the darkness to search.

Although this is only a B-level task, if it cannot be completed, Konoha will lose evaluation points.

"Monkeys"

Uchiha Madara, who was sitting in front of the former mayor, took a sip of the fragrant tea, but his thoughts flew elsewhere.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Konoha ninja who came to carry out the mission is most likely the patriarch of the Sarutobi clan, Sarutobi Sasuke. As for the children he brought with him, they should be the disciples of Senju Tobirama.

So, Jingzai is here too.

No, he has to take care of this matter.

As a branch of the clan leader's lineage, Uchiha Kagami holds a great deal of weight in Uchiha Madara's heart, especially since the other party is the most valued child of his eldest cousin. If something goes wrong, how should he explain to Uchiha Gin?

"Thank you for the tea, I won't bother you anymore."

Uchiha Madara, who was worried that something might happen to Uchiha Kagami, said hello to the old man, stood up and was about to leave.

"Wait! Are you crazy? What I just told you was all in vain, right?"

The old man suddenly became anxious. He had just told Uchiha Madara so many things about ghosts just to remind the young man not to waste his life in vain.

"Don't worry, I'm a ninja after all."

In order to reassure the old man, Uchiha Madara chose to reveal his identity as a ninja, but the old man did not buy it.
"You wandering fellows always like to call yourselves ninjas, just like that young man five years ago."

It turned out that the old man mistook Uchiha Madara for a wandering ninja, and then he couldn't help but bring up the old matter again.
"Call yourself a ninja?"

This sentence actually aroused Uchiha Madara's interest.
"That's right. Five years ago, that young man claimed to be a ninja from the Land of Grass, but he ended up getting killed by a demon."

It turns out that the missing ninja five years ago came from the Land of Grass. Uchiha Madara didn't have a deep impression of that country. He only said that their ancestors were once rich, but the family fell into poverty and never recovered.

Uchiha Madara stroked his chin and sat back down.
"What's his name?"

"he is."

"My name is Kagami! I'm a ninja from the Land of Grass. I heard you have a mission commission?"

A thin young man with a ponytail stood in front of the old mayor, slightly awkwardly adjusting the worn sword at his waist, with a hint of anticipation on his pale face.

"Are you a ninja?"

The old mayor, who was worried about the recent haunting, looked up and down at the young man in the red shirt in front of him, his face full of suspicion.
"It's genuine! If you don't believe me, just look~"

Feeling that he was being questioned, the young man named Vulcan immediately drew the sword from his waist and struck the table beside him, causing the exquisite square table to collapse instantly.

"Hehe~ How's it going?"

The God of Fire took back his sword and asked proudly,

"Three thousand taels!"

The old mayor looked at the scrapped table, and the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched.
"Ah? Didn't we agree on 10,000 taels?"

"I said table!"

"."

"Remember, after the matter is completed, I will only pay you 7,000 taels."

The ninja in front of him didn't look like a ninja and didn't look like he could afford three thousand taels. So with the mentality of giving it a try, the old mayor finally gave him the task.

"Is there food provided? I have a big appetite~"

Unexpectedly, he turned out to be blessed in disguise. The young man named Vulcan was so excited that he asked.

Could this be a guy who is just trying to get free food and drinks?
The old mayor rubbed his temples with a headache, weighed the pros and cons, and replied,
"The world is not peaceful right now. I can only feed you one meal a day. If you can't complete the task within three days, you will go back to where you came from."

"One meal is fine, let's eat!"

Wiping the crystal clear saliva from the corner of his mouth, the Fire God urged anxiously, and the old mayor had no choice but to make the arrangements.

"Delicious! Delicious! Another bowl please!"

"No. Isn't this too much to eat?"

Standing in a restaurant, the old mayor stared at the young man who swept everything away in a flash.

"Mayor, he has already eaten his third bucket of rice. If this continues, your food allowance will not be enough for me!"

The restaurant owner nearby also opened his mouth in surprise. He had been running the restaurant for so many years, but he had never seen anyone who ate so much. Even the Akimichi Ninja who passed by before did not have such a big appetite.

"No food, eh?"

Finding that the boss did not come to refill the meal, the young man named Kagami touched his flat stomach with regret.

"No more! You've eaten all the food in the kitchen. How can I open for business today?"

The boss's face was livid. This ragged guy in front of him actually ate up all his stock in one go. If the old mayor hadn't stopped him, he would have put the whole pot in the pot. "Alas, I only ate until I was 60% full."

Pursing his lips, the young man stood up and stretched. This was the fullest meal he had eaten recently.

"Young man, if you are just a swindler, I hope you will admit it sooner rather than force yourself to stand out."

How could a normal person eat like this? I guess this young man must have been hungry for a long time and took the task perhaps just to have a full meal.

"I'm very strong!"

After wiping his mouth, the young man was still full of confidence.

"In that case, it will be the end of the month in two days. I'll leave the ghost business to you."

"It's packaged~"

In this way, the young man came to eat on time every day. His amazing appetite attracted people from the town to come and watch. The God of Fire was not restrained either, and greeted people with a smile.

"Brother, are you really a ninja?"

A young boy plucked up the courage to ask the God of Fire who was eating.

"Why, not like?"

The Fire God glanced at the child, but did not put down the bowl. He chewed his mouthful of food diligently and asked back:
"Aren't all ninjas dressed in gorgeous gear, breathing fire and spraying water, and swinging weapons in their hands~"

The boy recalled the ninjas he had the honor to see, and returned with great longing.
"Hic~ I'm so sorry, I'm a ninja from a remote place."

After burping, the Fire God did not feel ashamed of his downfall, but admitted it generously.

"A remote place?"

"My hometown is the Grass Country. The people there are not very strong, but they are very troublesome. They won't give in to anything. It's really a headache~"

Kagami was picking his teeth while complaining to the boy, without any ninja airs in his words.

"Can you really defeat the ghost?"

The young man stared at the God of Fire for a long time, and suddenly asked,
"what?"

"My father, the town's night watchman, was a man eaten by a ghost."

It turns out that the boy was also one of the victims of the ghost. His father was abducted by a ghost that suddenly appeared on the way to work, and his broken body was later found on the outskirts of the town. The boy became an orphan since then.

"So this is ah."

Looking at the young man with hatred on his face, the Fire God's eyes flashed with an inexplicable look, and he murmured in a low voice,
"That's really..."

"Big brother, you must get rid of the ghost!"

"Ha~ Of course."

The Kagami quickly regained his unreliable appearance, yawned lazily, and nodded casually.

Soon, three days passed and the day when the ghost appeared finally arrived. The old mayor gathered some young and strong men in the town in his yard. Everyone was holding iron weapons and ready for battle. The young ninja named Kagami sat calmly by the side drinking tea.

"The time is almost up."

The old mayor is very nervous because due to the frequent disappearances during this period, his position as mayor is in jeopardy. If he cannot solve the ghost problem, he will resign.

"Aren't you leaving yet?"

The old mayor asked the God of Fire beside him in a deep voice.

"Hoo~cough!"

The God of Fire didn't say anything more. He put down his teacup, stood up, and swaggered out of the yard, blending into the dark night.

"I hope he's not a liar."

The old mayor looked at the other person's disappearing back and couldn't help but pray in his heart.

The white moonlight shone through the dry treetops, leaving mottled afterimages on the dark streets. At the gate of the town, an indescribable darkness was quietly approaching.

As it slowly stepped into the territory of the town, the thick darkness on its body quickly shrank. In a moment, it turned into a tall figure and began to wander aimlessly, its scarlet eyes scanning the closed doors around it blankly.

“Eat, eat.”

Hoarse and indistinct whispers echoed in the empty streets, as the figure endured the unspeakable hunger in its stomach, looking for the appearance of its prey.

"squeak~"

The sudden noise was particularly piercing in the empty street. The figure was instantly attracted to it. After raising its head and sniffing, a greedy smile appeared on its face.
Familiar taste.
"Hoo~ho~ho~"

The terrified boy ran in the dark alley. He was just worried about the unreliable ninja brother, so he sneaked out in the middle of the night. However, he didn't meet the God of Fire, but met another strange person instead.

When the other person turned his head and looked at him, the boy instinctively felt fear. He immediately ran into the familiar alley without looking back and ran towards his home.

“Eat, eat.”

However, no matter how fast he ran, the devilish whisper still echoed in his ears. Entangled by the breath of death, the boy finally fell down out of fear.

"Don't come here!"

The boy's legs were weak and he found that he couldn't stand up no matter what.
“Eat, eat.”

The ghostly figure slowly approached, and the boy smelled a fishy smell that almost made him vomit. It was the smell of rotten food.
At this moment, the young man was very sure that the figure in front of him was the ghost that ate his father, but under the fear that penetrated deep into his bones, he could not make any other reaction except trembling.

"eat"

At this moment, a ray of moonlight shone down, and the dying boy was able to see the true face of the ghost.

It turned out that the ghost was not the one with green face and fangs as described in the legend, but a pale woman. She was not beautiful, but not ugly. There was no expression on her face. Her long hair hung on her shoulders. She wore a gray robe that was washed to a pale color. There was no life in her body, as if she was a lifeless corpse.

Move a little!

The terrified boy flapped his trembling legs, trying to fight for his life.
"eat"

The reversal in the novel did not happen. The pale female ghost stretched out her hands to the boy's face in the blink of an eye. Looking at the other's smelly mouth slowly growing larger, the boy closed his eyes in despair.

"Da da da~"

However, just as the boy was in despair, the sound of footsteps coming slowly from the darkness behind him suddenly ignited a glimmer of hope in his heart. He used all his strength to shout,
"Help! There's a ghost here!"

“Da Da~ Da~”

The owner of the footsteps paused for a moment after hearing the boy's call, and then disappeared with a click.
“So it’s here~”

Just when the boy thought that the owner of the footsteps had met with an accident, a familiar voice came from behind him. Hearing this voice, the boy turned his head excitedly.
"Ninja brother! Save me!"

"You, you, I told you not to run around at night, why didn't you listen?"

The Fire God walked out of the darkness slowly. His face was less casual than usual and more complicated. He looked at the young man sitting on the ground and shook his head slowly.

“Eat, eat.”

The female ghost withdrew her hand from the young man and slowly stood up, staring at the God of Fire who suddenly appeared in front of her with her scarlet eyes.
"Whoo~"

The young man who survived the catastrophe breathed a sigh of relief. The appearance of the God of Fire gave him the courage to stand up, and his trembling legs regained their vitality. However, before he could get up, a faint voice suddenly came from behind him. There was no laziness from before, only a chill that penetrated deep into the bone marrow.

“You’re hungry again.”

"That day, the young ninja named Kagami never showed up again. Also abducted was a teenager from our town. Poor kid, his father was eaten by a ghost, and he didn't escape either."

There was deep sadness in the eyes of the former mayor. He still remembered the broken body of the boy and the red cloth tightly held in his hand.

"Didn't you find the body of the ninja?"

After listening to the former mayor's story, Uchiha Madara frowned and asked,

"No, but there are fragments of his clothes. I guess he was eaten alive."

The old man had a good impression of the ninja with a big appetite, but it was a pity that he died at such a young age.
"Strange, you said that the bodies of everyone abducted by ghosts would appear outside the town, without exception, so why did the body of that ninja disappear?"

According to the old man's narration, Uchiha Madara felt that the ninja was a little strange.
"Maybe it was taken away by a passing wild beast!"

Obviously, the old man didn't want to talk about this memory anymore, and his gloomy face made Uchiha Madara, who was about to ask more questions, shut up.

"You can sleep here with me tonight. The ninjas of Konoha are very powerful and will definitely help us eliminate the demon problem."

The old man pointed to the tatami beside him and asked Uchiha Madara to rest there for one night.

"Thank you then."

Uchiha Madara nodded, having considered it in his mind. The old man turned around and walked into the inner room without saying anything more. After a while, the sound of deep sleep was heard.

Uchiha Madara, who was sitting cross-legged, sensed that the old man was asleep, slowly opened his eyes, and then disappeared in the room in an instant.

Town gate

Hiding in the alley, Sarutobi Hiruzen's team was staring at the street intently, fearing that they would miss any details.
"Gulu~"

As a result, a hungry cry broke the tense mood of the three people. As the speaker, Sarutobi Hiruzen elbowed Shimura Danzo who was puzzled beside him without changing his expression, and whispered,
"Danzo, I told you to eat more in the afternoon, why didn't you listen?"

"Huh? Hiruzen, that's not me!"

Shimura Danzo, who was blamed for no reason, frowned and retorted in a low voice,

"If it's not you, could it be Jing?"

"Maybe it's him."

Little Danzo didn't want to take the blame for anything other than the monkey, so he pointed the finger at Uchiha Kagami behind him.
"Crunch~Crunch~"

"You guys want to eat too?"

Uchiha Jing, who was eating snacks, saw the two people looking at him, and handed over the cake in his hand with some embarrassment.

This was when he was searching for intelligence during the day. He was worried that he would be hungry at night, so he bought some snacks along the way.

"Thank you stepfather!"

Just imagine, it’s the middle of the night, you’re starving and can’t fall asleep, and at this critical moment, you receive a bag of snacks from your roommate. With such a great favor, how can you not call him your godfather?

"You're too polite. What's our relationship? If it's not enough, I still have more~"

"Danzo! Look at yourself, can't you learn from Jing?" (End of this chapter)