Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

Chapter 93 Obito's Spying!

Jiraiya left.

They left Tanabata Street together with the team of secret agents.

He wanted to personally tell the old man this information, the sooner the better.

The setting sun cast a long shadow over him, yet his steps were hurried and heavy, as if a single moment's hesitation would bring his terrible thought to fruition.

Now we can only hope that Konoha can untie this knot.

But Jiraiya knew in his heart that the hope was slim.

The Yin Seal is Tsunade's secret technique, and very few people can fully understand it.

In addition, due to the unique nature of sealing techniques, the Uzumaki clan, who were truly proficient in this art, had long been wiped out.

Although the legacy inherited by Konoha was substantial, it was still merely a rehash of others' ideas in comparison.

It's adequate for dealing with ordinary seals, but it's simply not enough to handle things at such a deeper level.

And the person who did it—

Jiraiya's gaze darkened.

A traitor to the Hidden Mist Village, the Hidden Mist Village is highly likely one of the main culprits in the destruction of the Hidden Uzumaki Village.

No one can say for sure what the other party might gain from the legacy of the Uzumaki clan.

Perhaps it is those lost sealing techniques that have become the chains that bind Tsunade now.

He clenched his fists and strode away into the twilight.

On the streets of Tanabata, Tsunade and Shizune stood side by side, watching those figures gradually disappear into the distance.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire street in a warm orange hue, with pedestrians hurrying by and the aroma of cooking wafting through the air.

Tsunade simply stood there quietly, her face expressionless.

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune said softly, "Lady Jiraiya has left."

"Um."

Tsunade responded and turned to walk towards the inn, appearing quite carefree, but in reality, she was preoccupied with worries.

Now that she's been disturbed like this, she's lost her enthusiasm.

Instead of frowning and thinking about all sorts of things, you should go back and get some rest.

Eat and drink as you please, and gamble a couple of times when you have nothing else to do, just to relax.

Anyway, she has money again now.

Thinking of this, Tsunade's lips curled up slightly. The money she had "robbed" from Jiraiya was enough for her to squander for quite some time.

The only pity is that the money is in Jingyin's hands. That girl is too strict with it, and every time I want to gamble, I have to go through a lot of trouble to "snatch" it away.

But it doesn't matter, I'll get it eventually anyway.

She walked along, lost in thought.

In fact, given her current condition, plagued by hemophobia, she is already practically a crippled ninja.

What value can a medical ninja who can't stand the sight of blood have?

At least that's what she thinks.

As for empty titles such as "Granddaughter of the First Hokage," "One of the Three Legendary Sannin," and "Princess of the Land of Fire," she intentionally or unintentionally ignored them.

Those identities may indeed attract countless eyes, but for her, they are nothing more than an extra burden.

If we can't go back to Konoha, then we'll find somewhere else to stay.

Tsunade looked up at the setting sun on the horizon and made a plan in her mind. She would stay in Tanabata for a while and wait for things to calm down before taking Shizune to other countries to see the sights.

Of course, the scope of their activities is largely limited to the area surrounding the Land of Fire.

but----

She suddenly remembered a place.

The ruins of Uzushiogakure (Vortex Village), the Land of Whirlpools.

Perhaps something is still buried in those ruins. Since the person who committed the act could obtain those methods from the legacy of the Uzumaki clan, why can't she try her luck?

Whether it's a case of giving up entirely or trying anything as a last resort, it doesn't matter.

We have to give it a try.

Tsunade withdrew her gaze, pushed open the hotel door, returned to her room, and collapsed onto the bed, becoming lazy and listless.

Nearly a year has passed since that bloody night of the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha Village.

As autumn deepens, the village's scars have long been healed by time and human effort; collapsed houses have been rebuilt, and broken streets have been repaired to their original state.

Even the deep pits created by the Tailed Beast Balls have been filled with new soil and planted with new vegetation.

But some things can never be made up for.

Those who will never open their eyes again, those who will never go home again, those who will never say "good morning" again.

And the person who says "goodnight".

The void they left behind, like invisible cracks, is embedded in every corner of this village.

A broken mirror is hard to mend.

In this disaster, the Uchiha clan was the most deeply suspected.

Now, they have moved away from the core area of ​​the village and been settled in a corner on the edge of Konoha.

The area was originally a wasteland. The newly built houses were neat and uniform, which looked nice, but it made the place even more isolated.

The duties of the guards are still performed by them, but everyone knows that this is just the last fig leaf.

The Uchiha clan had long been excluded from Konoha's core decision-making body.

The death of the Fourth Hokage wiped out Fugaku's years of investment.

The young Hokage, on whom he had placed so much hope, was supposed to be a bridge between the Uchiha clan and the village, but he closed his eyes forever on the night of the Nine-Tails' death.

Now that the Third Hokage has regained power, and Danzo, who is secretly eyeing the Uchiha clan with hostility, neither of them will give the Uchiha a friendly look.

Fugaku's face showed more and more fatigue each day, and he often didn't go home until very late.

Itachi saw it all, but didn't know how to speak.

The atmosphere within the clan was becoming increasingly unsettling; those who used to grumble in hushed tones were now openly discussing the matter.

Those who once remained silent and patient are now beginning to show their resentment, and more and more people's dissatisfaction with Konoha is almost overflowing.

He could only remain silent.

After that night, he learned the Shadow Clone Technique from Shisui.

From then on, the one who went to the ninja academy was always the clone who could take his place.

He himself, however, hid in a corner where no one noticed him, cultivating himself day after day, thinking day after day, investigating day after day.

He always remembered what that person said.

Regarding the hematogenous disease, the family conducted repeated examinations afterward, but no abnormalities were found in him.

Was that person really a liar?

But why————

Itachi closed his eyes, then opened them again.

He wanted to know the truth, to know why Madara Uchiha had left.

I want to know what exactly happened when Konoha was founded, and I want to know where the rift between my clan and the village began.

However, when he searched through the family's dusty books, all he found were pages covered in black ink and passages of text that had been deliberately erased.

Some people don't want future generations to know about those things.

On this day, Itachi arrived at the place where he and Shisui usually trained together, a secluded clearing in the forest, which was also the place where they first met.

The still water is already there.

"I'm sorry, Shisui." Itachi walked to his side and said in a low voice, "It seems that the clan's records about what happened back then have been deliberately erased, and I can't find the truth."

Shisui turned around, looking at the boy who was a few years younger than him, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He raised his hand and gently patted Itachi's shoulder.

"fine."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a soothing power.

"It seems there were indeed some hidden details about what happened back then."

He never forgot what that person said that night.

At that time, he was unwilling to believe it, or rather, dared not believe it.

Now it seems that some things are not as simple as he imagined.

The conflict between the village and the family—perhaps the seeds were sown from the very beginning.

"Then what should we do?" Itachi looked up, a stubbornness beyond his years in his eyes. "Shouldn't we do something?"

Shisui looked at him, remained silent for a while, and then gently shook her head.

"These things are none of your business."

His tone was gentle, yet unquestionable.

"What you should do now is study hard and graduate smoothly from the Ninja Academy. Don't think too much about anything else."

He paused, gazing at the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves in the distance.

"There will always be a solution to the problems between the village and the family."

Even so, he himself didn't really have much confidence.

We can only take it one step at a time.

Now, as a member of the Dark Guard, he has access to information that ordinary members of his clan cannot.

He had seen the Third Hokage's attitude; the old man was indeed trying to ease the conflict between the village and the clan.

As long as this continues—

Shisui withdrew his gaze, a fleeting look of worry in his eyes.

It should be achievable sooner or later.

As the two were talking, a twisted vortex quietly appeared in the shadows not far away.

Obito's figure stepped out of the void, and the pitcher plant-like humanoid beside him slowly rose up. Zetsu had been lurking here for a long time.

"That's Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Itachi?"

Obito's gaze pierced through the mask and landed on the two figures. His voice was soft, carrying a hint of casual scrutiny.

"Not bad." Black Zetsu's voice was deep and hoarse as he slowly revealed the information he had gathered.

"The slightly older one is Uchiha Shisui, who earned the title 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' on the battlefield. He currently belongs to the Konoha Anbu and enjoys the trust of the Third Hokage."

His gaze shifted to another boy.

"As for Uchiha Itachi—" Black Zetsu's tone held a hint of amusement, "within the Uchiha clan, he's known as a genius."

"Whether it's the speed at which he learns ninjutsu or his performance in actual combat, he far surpasses his peers."

"genius?"

Obito repeated the word in a low voice, a faint hint of mockery emanating from beneath his mask.

His gaze fell on the boy, who still had a somewhat childish air about him. A complex look flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly masked by indifference.

Genius?

He thought of another person, that white-haired boy who was also called a genius, that person who should have become even stronger, that person who—killed Lin with his own hands.

Obito's fingertips tightened slightly.

Let him see just how good this "genius" really is.

He needs a pawn, someone who can stir up and escalate the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.

Sometimes, the harder you try, the more the opposite of what you get.

The best way to test a piece is to create some surprises.

For example, the death of a companion.

Obito withdrew his gaze, turned around, and stepped into the distorted void.

"Keep an eye on them."

His voice faded into the air.

"I want to see just how qualified they really are."

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