Konoha Notes

Chapter 421 Lights (Part 2)

If someone who is physically relatively healthy but may be in a very depressed mood dies suddenly, in addition to considering their own reasons, other factors should also be taken into account.

After the medical team couldn't find any clues, Shuji called in the analysis team. In this kind of world, death doesn't mean the end.

Yamanaka Inoichi was forced to work an extra shift.

During his imprisonment, Uchiha Enjin's mental activity was disappointingly barren. He spent most of his time blaming others and his family—hating the village, hating his clansmen, hating his colleagues who had betrayed the Uchiha clan, occasionally interspersed with brief moments of self-doubt, but ultimately always returning to the cycle of "I was right."

And so it went, day after day.

Even with the fragmented memories from the last few days, Haiyi couldn't extract any valuable information. No unusual figures appeared in Yanren's field of vision, and he received no external information.

He simply ruminated in his mind the resentment that was already deeply ingrained in his heart, the regret and self-justification for how he had sent his compatriots to prison.

Flipping to the latest clip, the content remains largely the same.

After listening to the report, Xiu Si had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

How many ways can a person with three tomoe Sharingan die? Even if you exhaustively list them, you can guess about 80-90% of them.

So the real problem lies not with the person who is already dead, but with the people who might be affected by his death.

In which parts?
Uchiha family.

There was no one else besides them.

"What was he thinking about at the end?" Shuji asked.

Yamanaka Inoichi pondered for a moment: "Very brief. The time spent with eyes open was extremely short, and even if there was visual information, it was very blurry. If I had to describe it... it was like seeing some kind of liberation? But it's more likely just a delusion experienced when near death."

“Starting from the second year of his imprisonment, he frequently had…fantasies without any basis in reality. Most of them were scenes of torture that other captured tribesmen might have suffered.”

“Those images were repeated so often, it felt like part of my self-torture.”

Shuji said, "Thank you for your trouble, Senior Inoichi, for coming all this way."

Yamanaka Inoichi said, "This is what I should do, but Shuji, if you feel the timing of his death is abrupt, then perhaps..."

"I have a rough idea of ​​what might happen."

A user of the three-tomoe Sharingan died silently from exhaustion under close surveillance. Medical methods could not detect anything abnormal, and the analysis team could not extract any valuable memories.

An overly clean death often signifies some kind of unconventional intervention.

In this world built on chakra, there are only a few ways to deplete a person to this extent. And the only way to do so without provoking violent resistance, or even leaving a trace…

White Zetsu's Spore Technique.

This was indeed his oversight. Flame Blade was arrested by Itachi, but Shuuji did not examine him for the Spore Technique.

I never expected it to be like this.

Under normal circumstances, once the Spore Technique begins to absorb the host's chakra, it will be detected and cause resistance.

With White Zetsu's abilities, it would be difficult to drain a person to exhaustion if they resisted.

But what if the host itself has given up resistance in despair, or even actively provides nourishment for the spores?

A prisoner whose emotions have gone to extremes and who has long lost hope in life, not only does not resist, but also regards spores as some kind of distorted companionship or a way to escape... then his sudden death is no longer an accident.

Why now? If it's a White Zetsu, where are the White Zetsu he's been supporting? How many are there?
Who will be affected by Yanren's death? Who will be implicated?
The number of White Zetsu and their location are unknown, but the potential range of Flame Blade's influence is known.
-
Sasuke hasn't been to the Joint Affairs Bureau for three days.

Sasuke didn't say much about the mysterious yellow-eyed man to anyone, and there were many reasons for that.

For example, when the older brother is too busy with work, he comes home to find that the younger brother has already fallen asleep, and when he wakes up, Itachi has already left.

For example, her father seemed indifferent to her, and even when he praised her, he was very stingy.

Whatever the reason, Sasuke chose to go and investigate on his own.

For three consecutive days, he wandered through the secluded alleys of the clan's territory. He deliberately avoided familiar places like the training grounds and the Nanga River, heading instead to old residential areas, abandoned courtyards, and sparsely populated corners of the clan.

When encountering a lone member of the tribe, one would approach them and strike up a conversation, using the pretext of "I heard that we haven't seen so-and-so senior for a long time" to tentatively inquire where those who rarely appeared in the tribe's territory had gone.

The answers received were varied and diverse.

"You mean Long? He went to the Anbu; he was transferred there last year."

"Miyuki is on the medical shift this week, working the night shift."

"That child? He got into the analysis class, and was personally mentored by Master Haiyi."

There were also less positive answers, with a low voice hiding dissatisfaction: "Where else can I go? There are no positions in the police department, so I was transferred to the border patrol team."

"Hmph, they say they're sending people abroad for further studies, but who knows if it's actually an exile?"

Sasuke heard resentment, and he also heard expectations; he saw integration, and he also saw alienation. These fragments, instead of piecing together a clear picture, only made him more confused.

If the family was truly purged, why are so many clansmen still holding positions in key departments of the village? If the father and brother were indeed accomplices of the village, why do some of those who were sent away seem to have been transferred to other jobs?

So after his personal investigation, Sasuke still went to the Joint Affairs Bureau.

When Kakashi saw him, he was leaning against the office window, flipping through a small booklet. The silver-haired man glanced at him and actually smiled: "You managed to wait three days to come. I'm starting to have a slightly different opinion of you, Sasuke."

Despite being stood up, Kakashi said something like that. He didn't continue his previous questioning about the nature of ninjas, but simply led Sasuke to the training ground and calmly said, "Shuji doesn't know it, and I don't know many ninjutsu. There's only one ninjutsu that would make him specifically send you to find me."

"Thousand Birds".

That was an A-rank ninjutsu, on par with the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique that Naruto acquired.

After learning about the effects of this ninjutsu and the power of Chidori, Sasuke fell into another layer of confusion. If the village truly harbored ill will towards the Uchiha clan, why would they go to such lengths? And what did this treatment he received mean?
Sasuke didn't know that he had just practiced hard all day and dragged his body home, his mind a little blank.

Until I saw an extra pair of shoes in the entryway of my home.

Shuji has arrived.

Sasuke knew his eavesdropping had already been exposed once. But perhaps out of confidence in his current abilities, or perhaps because he still harbored a secret hope that "it's better to be discovered than not, at least I'll get an answer," he still silently disappeared into the shadows of the pillars.

"...Uchiha Enjin is dead."

It was Shuji's voice.

“The death of such a traitor will not cause any ripples in the clan,” the father’s voice remained unchanged. “He did something that is absolutely unforgivable.”

"He betrayed both the village and the clan. It is enough that the village entrusted his funeral arrangements to the clan after his death and properly disposed of his eyes."

The man who had always been dominant in front of his father did not utter any words of belittling at this moment.

Shuji said, "The fact that Chief Fugaku said such a thing has solved a lot of problems for the village."

"However, this is not my main reason for coming tonight. In the coming period, I request that the police headquarters increase the frequency of patrols and conduct thorough investigations of personnel in key departments."

"The biggest drawback of that technique is that it cannot completely replicate one's own memories." "You already know the key point, Clan Chief Fugaku."

"I understand," Fugaku replied succinctly and forcefully.

"The village will share key intelligence with the police department. The rest is up to you."

Footsteps approached the courtyard. Sasuke held his breath, burying himself even deeper into the shadows. Shuji stepped out of the living room and walked straight down the hallway without looking back.

Fugaku stood there for a moment. He turned and walked toward the study, glancing briefly at the shadows as he passed the pillars—so quickly it was almost an illusion—before saying anything, he closed the study door.

Sasuke leaned against the cold wall, able to hear his own heartbeat pounding in his eardrums.

He waited for more than ten seconds, confirming that he could hear the faint sound of papers turning in the study, before he slid like a shadow toward the courtyard.

Sure enough, Shuji was there.

The man stood by the pond, his back to the main house. The night was already cool in late August, and the stone lanterns in the courtyard had just been lit, their warm yellow light illuminating a small patch of darkness.

The flickering lights were reflected on the surface of the pond, and koi carp swam slowly between the light and shadow.

Sasuke hid in the shadows of the eaves, his breathing as low as possible. He assumed Shuuji was simply waiting for someone or contemplating something.

But the next second, Shuuji spoke.

"Starting with the Second Hokage, Tobirama, the Uchiha clan has faced a long trial."

“A test of life and death.” Shuji did not turn around, still staring at the surface of the pool. “Eight years ago, after the Nine-Tails’ rampage, this test came to an end. But because of the external crisis, it was temporarily suppressed.”

"In the 54th year of Konoha, the situation stabilized. The problems between the village and the Uchiha clan became increasingly acute."

A night breeze swept through the courtyard, the bamboo tube striking the stone with a crisp "click." Shuji finally turned around, his gaze not fixed on the direction where Sasuke was hiding, but seemingly piercing through all shadows:
"At that time, the Uchiha clan didn't have their own ideas on how to break the deadlock. They found others to solve the problem—so the Fifth Hokage and I became the problem solvers."

"The Uchiha clan has come back from the brink of extermination. But after that, they faced new problems."

He paused for a moment. For a split second, Sasuke almost thought he was about to reveal the most crucial secret—about the clansmen who had been sent away, about the true roles of his father and brother, about the invisible rift between the village and the clan.

But Shuji simply continued:
"The Fifth Hokage will not answer this question for you, nor will I. This is a question that a family that truly wants to produce a Hokage must solve itself."

Sasuke felt his throat go dry. He wanted to ask, to refute, to rush out and confront the accusations about cleaning and sending people in.

"Sasuke."

Shuji called his name. It was a calm, understated call, yet it sent a jolt through Sasuke's heart.

"If there's one thing you did right during this time—"

"It's that you didn't rush to piece together fragmented information into the truth, didn't directly transform your wariness of strangers into questioning those around you, and didn't twist your desire for power into an excuse for revenge."

“You still retain the instinct to observe and verify,” Shuuji said. “That’s why I’m willing to talk about these things now.”

The air was still for a few seconds.

Sasuke emerged from the shadows.

The light from the stone lantern fell on his face, illuminating his eyes, which still held a touch of childishness but were already filled with too much confusion. The fatigue, struggle, and bewilderment of the past few days were all written on that still-youthful face.

"You... already know?" he asked.

“There are only a few weak points that can be breached.” Shuuji looked at him. “In a way, this is actually an opportunity for you.”

"It simply depends on whether you have the ability to deal with the other party right now."

"From this perspective, it might be more beneficial for you to say nothing and let yourself adapt to their rhythm."

Shuji's tone remained calm.

“But,” Shuji continued, “you shouldn’t have gotten that result. Your performance so far shouldn’t have earned you that outcome.”

The courtyard was quiet for a moment. Only the rhythmic tapping of bamboo tubes and the occasional soft swishing of carp on the water's surface could be heard.

"It's up to you, Sasuke."

"That's what Shuuji said last," he concluded. His gaze fell on the boy's face, his dark eyes reflecting the flickering lamplight, deep and unfathomable.
"It doesn't matter which path you choose."

"In the end, you'll always come back."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the courtyard gate. His footsteps were very light and quickly disappeared into the night.

Sasuke stood alone in the glow of the stone lantern. The night breeze brushed his cheeks, carrying the chill of early autumn. He looked down at his reflection in the pond.

Black hair, black eyes, and a deep, unyielding worry etched between his brows.

The door to my father's study remained tightly closed.

My brother is probably still working overtime at the secretariat.

Naruto is probably thrilled about that weird rehearsal right now.

Everyone is on their own path.

But strangely, the anxiety and confusion that had been churning inside me had subsided considerably. Xiu Si's words acted like a calming stone, stoking my turbulent emotions.

You can go and find the answers, and whatever you find, you'll find your way home.

You can come back.

Sasuke took a deep breath, turned around, and walked towards his room.

I will continue practicing Chidori tomorrow, which is a ninjutsu that is very helpful to me now.

School starts the day after tomorrow.

I'm a third-year student at the Ninja Academy, and I've heard the curriculum will become more intensive. Teacher Guy mentioned that the special training program will also be adjusted.

There is still a lot to do.

Sasuke opened the door to his room, lay down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling with his eyes open.

Shuji's words echoed in his mind.

After an unknown amount of time, the boy closed his eyes.

In the moments before falling asleep, he vaguely thought:
At least, some people believe he can find his own way.

This is enough.

That's enough for now.

(End of this chapter)