I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 89 Three's Company!

In the Hokage's office, in the afternoon, Minato put down his pen and looked at Sakugo standing in front of the desk.

"The wielder of the Executioner's Blade, Zabuza Momochi, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, and one..."

"Ice Shield Bloodline Limit?"

Minato rubbed his temples. Sakugo had brought him one, no, two big problems.

The importance of the decapitation sword to Kirigakure is self-evident.

Moreover, Zabuza was a rogue ninja.

As for that kid with the Ice Shield Bloodline Limit—

In any case, a sharp blade that has been acquired cannot be returned to the enemy, at least not easily.

Minato is not a weak and useless person like the Third Hokage.

"I'll handle the rest—" Minato had already made up his mind. "Don't leak their information for now."

""

"Zabuza is imprisoned in the Anbu, and Haku is at the Kage's training ground." Sakugo's tone was indifferent, as if he were stating something that had nothing to do with him.

Minato leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers twice on the armrest. "Kirigakure will find out about Zabuza sooner or later. Let's keep it hidden for as long as we can, and deal with it when they find out."

He trusted Shuoge, and he had no problem with Bai staying in the shadows.

"————" Shuoge turned and left.

Minato picked up his pen again, his gaze falling on the Hokage Rock outside the window. The sunlight was perfect; his portrait was on the far right, his features gentle. The intermittent laughter of children drifted in from outside.

He lowered his head and continued reviewing documents.

Training base, underground training ground.

Bai stood in the center of the open space, wearing a black training uniform, his hair tied back. Shuoge stood opposite him, a knife behind his back.

Ice Release.

White Seal.

Water vapor in the air condensed into ice crystals, and sixteen ice mirrors appeared in the air, forming a circle. His figure moved among the ice mirrors, and thousands of books flew towards Shuoge from all angles.

Sakugo didn't move. His Mangekyou Sharingan activated, three black crescent moons spinning in his red pupils. He turned his head to dodge the first senbon, the scabbard deflected the second, and the third grazed his shoulder.

Bai burst forth from the ice mirror, his thousand swords aimed straight at Shuoge's throat. Shuoge pressed down with his scabbard, locking Bai's wrist in place.

"The attack is too scattered." Sakugo loosened the scabbard. "What did Senbon sash contain?"

"Anesthetic."

"Replace it with a deadly toxin."

Bai remained silent for a moment. "Yes."

Shuoge turned and left. Bai stood there, looking down at his hands. Ice crystals condensed in his palm, then quickly shattered. Water dripped silently from between his fingers.

Haku's kind nature is fatal for a ninja.

Moreover, for Bai, the harshest instructions are more effective than gentle words of comfort.

Three days after the mission to the Land of Waves ended, Sakugo found Shiro in the underground training ground.

Bai is practicing throwing a thousand sticks. The target is a moving wooden dummy that is shot at from different angles and at different speeds.

His wrist was wrapped in bandages, and the skin between his thumb and forefinger was chafed, with blood seeping out and staining the bandages dark red.

He heard footsteps, stopped what he was doing, and turned around.

"Lord Shuoge."

Shuoge stood in the shadows of the corridor, a knife hanging on his back and a mask tucked into his waistband. He looked at Bai for a moment, then spoke calmly:

"From today onwards, you have teammates."

Bai paused for a moment, stunned. "Teammates?"

Such unfamiliar, such niche vocabulary.

He was born an omen of misfortune, abandoned, and his only purpose was to become Zabuza's tool.

And at this very moment—

teammate----

Shisui and Izumi were already waiting at the training ground.

Shisui leaned against the wall, twirling a kunai in his hand. His three-tomoe Sharingan was not activated; his eyes were just ordinary black eyes. He saw Haku approaching and nodded as a greeting.

Izumi stood beside him, holding a rice ball in her hand, half-eaten and still chewing, and said indistinctly, "Hello!"

He also handed one to Bai, which he shaped into a rabbit-shaped rice ball.

Bai took the rice ball in a daze, feeling its soft warmth in his hand.

He looked at them, unsure of what to say.

He never had any teammates. During the Hidden Mist Village, he only had Zabuza, who was not a teammate but a tool.

He is not used to standing shoulder to shoulder with others.

Sakugo stood before the three, expressionless. "From today onwards, you are a team. Shisui, captain. Shiro, main damage dealer. Izumi, support."

He paused. "Train together, eat together, live together. Three months from now, I want to see you all acting like one person."

"Three months?" Quanmei swallowed the last bite of rice. "Brother Shuoge, three months isn't enough!"

Shuoge didn't answer, and turned to leave.

Day 1, training.

Shisui stood opposite Haku, holding a kunai in his hand. "Come."

Bai nodded. He formed a hand seal, and the water vapor in the air condensed into ice crystals, creating sixteen ice mirrors that floated in the air, forming a circle.

His figure moved swiftly through the ice mirrors, and thousands of arrows shot towards the still water from all angles.

Shisui's Sharingan slowly rotated, revealing two tomoe. He tilted his head to dodge the first senbon, raised his hand to deflect the second with a kunai, and the third grazed his shoulder. He didn't retaliate, he simply dodged, like a leaf blown by the wind.

Haku burst forth from the ice mirror, his senbon needles aimed straight for Shisui's throat. Shisui blocked the needles with his kunai, then twisted his wrist, pressing Haku's hand down.

"I can see the trajectory of your ice goggles." Shisui released his grip. "But Izumi can't. You need to consider your teammates' vision."

Bai remained silent for a moment. "Yes."

Izumi stood to the side, twirling a kunai between her fingers. "I'm not that weak, am I?"

Zhi Shui glanced at her. "Then you go."

Quanmei rushed forward.

After a day of training, Bai was a little out of breath, after all, his opponent was Shisui.

A genius of the Uchiha clan.

It's lunchtime.

The three of them sat in the corner of Ichiraku Ramen.

Izumi ordered a large bowl of miso char siu, with an egg and char siu. Shisui ordered a regular bowl, while Shirai stared at the menu, unsure what to order. Izumi leaned closer.

"Is this your first time here? I recommend the miso chashu, it's super delicious!"

Izumi's enthusiasm left Shiro somewhat flustered, and he nodded hesitantly. "Um..."

'

The noodles were served, steaming hot. Izumi slurped up a mouthful of noodles, making a loud noise. Shisui ate slowly and quietly. Shiro lowered her head to eat her noodles, took two bites of the char siu in her bowl, and then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Izumi asked.

"It's nothing," Haku continued eating. He remembered Zabuza; when they went on missions before, Zabuza never took him to eat, and he always had to fend for himself.

Sometimes I eat rice balls on the roadside, and sometimes I go hungry.

No one ever recommended any delicious food to him.

Eating is just to avoid starving to death.

Izumi picked up a piece of char siu from her own bowl and put it in the white bowl. "Eat more, you're too thin."

Bai stared blankly at the extra piece of char siu in his bowl for a moment. "Thank you."

Zhi Shui didn't say anything, but put the soft-boiled egg from his bowl into Bai's bowl.

Bai looked at the extra egg in his bowl, then lowered his head and continued eating. The noodles were a bit salty, but he finished them.

After the meal, it's time to rest.

The three of them (Izumi) unanimously decided to go shopping.

Quanmei dragged the two of them to buy clothes, equipment, and desserts, buying whatever they saw.

Haku needed new gloves; his old ones were worn through from all the senbon needles. The owner of the ninja tool shop was a balding middle-aged man. Seeing Shisui, he greeted him with a smile, "Shisui-kun, here to buy something again?"

"Mm." Shisui nodded.

Quanmei wandered around the store, picking up a kunai and putting it down, then picking up a pair of gloves and putting them down again.

He picked out a pair of black gloves, put them on, clenched his fist, then relaxed it. He closed his hands.

"How much?" Bai asked.

"One thousand taels," the shopkeeper said.

Haku touched his pockets; they were empty. He had no money. Before, when he was with Zabuza, Zabuza hadn't given him any money. Now, in Konoha, at the Kage's training base, he had food, drink, and lodging, and Haku hadn't realized he needed money.

Shuoge didn't care about any of that.

Yi Ying has a basic salary, but Bai hasn't reached the age to receive his salary yet.

Quanmei leaned closer and glanced at the price tag. "It's too expensive, boss, can you make it cheaper?"

"Eight hundred, that's the lowest I can go."

"Six hundred!"

The shop owner sighed. "Seven hundred, that's the lowest I can go."

Izumi pulled a wad of crumpled banknotes from her pocket, counted them—only five hundred. She looked at Shisui. Shisui pulled a one-thousand-tael banknote from his pocket and placed it on the counter. "That's enough."

Bai looked at him. "I will repay you."

"No need." Shisui stuffed the change into his pocket.

Shizumi and Izumi are not short of money.

It was this haggling and change-giving behavior, this atmosphere full of everyday life, that allowed Bai to feel the vibrancy of Konoha Village.

White—just like snow.

It's not good.

These are Shuo Ge's original words.

Therefore, Shizumi and Izumi put a lot of effort into making the white water reflect the realities of everyday life.

Shiro put on his gloves and followed the two out of the ninja tool shop.

Quanmei walked ahead, humming a song. Shisui followed behind her, at a leisurely pace. Bai walked at the very back, watching their backs. He suddenly felt that this wasn't so bad.

That evening, the three sat on the veranda of the Uchiha compound. The moon was full, shining into the courtyard and casting a cold light on the stone path. Izumi hugged her knees, gazing at the moon.

"Brother Zhishui, what do you most want to do?"

"Open a breeding farm." Shisui looked at the kunai in his hand.

"A crow?" Izumi knew that Shisui liked crows, so even his spirit beasts were crows.

Itachi and Izumi's summoning beast, Phantom Raven, were both gifts from Shisui.

Shisui was silent for a moment. "Hmm."

Izumi turned to Shiro. "Shiro, what about you?"

Haku hesitated for a moment. "I want to—free Lord Zabuza."

"Zabuza? That rogue ninja from Kirigakure?" Izumi tilted her head. "Was he strong?"

"Very strong." Bai's tone was certain. "He is the strongest person I have ever met."

"9

Shisui glanced at Bai but did not refute him.

"So you followed Sakugo-nii so that Zabuza could be free?" Izumi asked.

Bai nodded.

Izumi didn't ask any more questions. She took a piece of candy out of her pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth. "Sweet."

She reached into her pocket, pulled out another one, and handed it to Bai. "Want some?"

Bai took it, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. It was sweet. He hadn't eaten candy in a long time.

Training, eating, shopping, resting.

day to day.

Time passed just like that.

Three months later.

Shuoge stood at the edge of the training field, watching the three sparring.

Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique to move between the three, Haku used the Ice Mirror to block their escape route, and Izumi used her shuriken to block the sky above.

Their teamwork wasn't perfect, but it was already taking shape.

"Stop." Shuoge stepped forward. "Bai, your ice mirror is blocking Quanmei's view. Quanmei, your shuriken almost hit Shisui. Shisui, you're too fast, they couldn't keep up."

—Shisui and Izumi are not really that weak. Izumi is a genius who awakened her Sharingan earlier than Shisui and Itachi.

Everything was just for the sake of the subsequent "performance".

The three people remained silent.

Shuoge glanced at them. "Keep practicing."

He turned and walked away. Behind him, the sounds from the training field rose again.

A thousand books pierce the air, metal clashes, footsteps tread on the sand.

He walked away, but the sounds lingered, muffled, as if separated by a layer of water.

Six months later.

At Ichiraku Ramen, the three sat in their usual spot. Izumi ordered miso chashu again, with an egg and extra chashu. Shisui ordered the regular version. Shiro also ordered miso chashu.

"Shiro, you look much better lately." Izumi slurped up her noodles.

Bai did not answer.

"You're talking more now. You used to barely say three sentences a day, but now you can say at least five."

"————" Bai lowered his head and continued eating his noodles. There was an extra piece of char siu in his bowl, which Quanmei had given him. There was also an extra soft-boiled egg, which Shisui had given him. He didn't say thank you, but he finished eating.

The moon rose and shone on the shadows of the three people.

Zhishui walks in the middle, Quanmei is on the left, and Bai is on the right.

Footsteps rustled on the stone pavement; three pairs of footsteps sounded like one person's.

one year later.

Shuoge stood at the edge of the training ground, watching the three of them. Shisui's Body Flicker Technique had become even faster, Izumi's shuriken was more accurate, and Haku's Ice Mirror could now cover the entire training ground in an instant.

The three of them worked together like a precise machine; they didn't need to look at each other or say anything, and they knew each other's next move with just a single gesture.

"Not bad." Shuoge stepped forward. "It's time to test the results after a year of training."

"There's a mission."

The three people stood up straight and looked at him.

"Land of Rivers, pursuing a rogue ninja. Rank C. Departing tonight."

The three exchanged a glance, but said nothing more.

Pack your things, check your ninja tools, and put on your black combat uniform.

Haku inserted the senbon needles one by one into his ninja tool pouch, the silvery tips gleaming coldly in the lamplight. Shisui twirled the kunai between his fingers and put it away. Izumi arranged the shuriken by size, neatly and orderly.

Shuoge stood at the entrance of the Dark Guard's stronghold, watching the three men disappear into the night.

He turned and walked back to the base, sitting at the end of the corridor.

The knife was held close to his side, and the mask was tucked into his waistband.

He didn't go with them.

He knew what would happen tonight, and he knew what Bai would go through. This was a lesson he had arranged; Zhiwu and Quanmei both knew it, but Bai did not.

"I hope that when you come back this time, you'll understand what a ninja is."

"The most superfluous things in the ninja world are gentleness and kindness."

Shuoge closed his eyes, and his Mangekyou Sharingan silently activated, with three black crescent moons slowly rotating in his red pupils.

The moon outside the window was bright, shining on his mask, and the knife scar gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

He opened his eyes, and the kaleidoscope pattern faded from his pupils.

He stood up, slung the knife over his shoulder, and walked towards home. Behind him, the lights of the outpost went out one by one.