Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 396 Changes

Before reforms and progress slow down, caution has become inevitable.

The negative consequences of a single measure, amplified to an extreme degree, have occurred several times in the past four years, and as the Hokage, I dare not take it lightly.

Because of this, fatigue is inevitable.

"Bang!"

A mountain of documents was placed on the desk, and because it was too tall, Shikamaru divided it into several stacks.

Shikamaru, with dark circles under his eyes, turned to look at Uchiha Un.

Now he understands that the seeds sown by the series of illusion questions during his graduation assessment have, over the years, made him the best laborer.

Thinking about it this way, the assessment I passed so easily back then was practically a trap.

If it weren't for the Nara family father and son, the Hokage would probably have died suddenly in the office these past few years.

"Brother Yun is here too? Is he going to become the Fifth Hokage? As the leader of peace and the initiator of a series of reforms, he should be more capable of handling these matters, right?"

Shikamaru spoke very seriously, and Shikaku and Minato, who were standing next to him, also expressed their agreement.

However, the next moment, his broad forehead was struck, with no way to avoid it.

Yun looked at him with annoyance and said, "Many people would envy your position. You have a clever mind, so you need to make good use of it. It's wrong to be lazy all day long."

"And... don't keep trying to trap me. If I really get buried by these documents, and our combat strength can't keep up with the changes, then everything will be in vain."

After he finished speaking, the three people in the office fell silent.

After a while, Shikaku waved his hand: "Shikamaru, go down first. Let the research department see if there's any other significance to that experiment in Kumogakure regarding the need for chakra carriers."

Shikamaru nodded and left.

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut, and only then did Minato turn to Yun and ask, "Where does the pressure come from? From the whirlpool? Or from the so-called god?"

Yun pulled up a chair and sat down: "If there's still trust in the future fifteen years from now, then Uzumaki Sora won't be a source of pressure. The real pressure... comes from the Otsutsuki."

Shikaku frowned. "According to the original agreement, it should still be a long way off, right? Perhaps a thousand years from now?"

After pondering for a moment, Yun looked at the two: "We've received new information from Uzumaki Sora... The crisis originating from the Otsutsuki clan has been confirmed to be in the future, within... thirty to forty years!"

The moment the words left his mouth, both men in the office were stunned.

One thousand years...forty years...

The time difference between these two figures is too great. The former would be faced by descendants a thousand years from now, while the latter...

god……

This term was once used to describe Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi.

But after witnessing the power of Uchiha Kumo and Uzumaki Sora, the First Hokage's power was no longer enough to define the word "god".

Even just a glimpse of the whole picture—the Otsutsuki Kaguya sealed with the moon, and the Otsutsuki Urashiki who appeared—is enough to make everyone understand the meaning of the Otsutsuki gods.

"Uzumaki Sora... what did you see?"

Minato, as the Kage, had a solemn look in his eyes, but the wrinkles that had already appeared proved that he was powerless to do anything about it.

After discussing the possibility of the concept of God, in terms of high-end combat power, the entire ninja world can only rely on Uchiha Kumo and Uzumaki Sora.

I have the will but not the power...

I originally thought that there was a long time to go, and that the enemy might appear a thousand years from now, so I could leave it for the future.

But now... no one doubts the authenticity of the Vortex Sky intelligence, because it has never made a mistake.

Uchiha Yun looked at Minato: "When power reaches a certain level, the future is not unpredictable. For example, the Sharingan's dynamic vision, or one of Otsutsuki Urashiki's abilities."

"But the future is no longer predetermined once it is known. He didn't tell me what he saw, but the timeline put me under pressure. That's why I've been practicing taijutsu all this time; the potential of the Eight Gates can still be explored."

After a long while, Shikaku sighed, "Thirty to forty years... By then, our generation will be too old to move, and the real pressure will indeed fall on your generation."

After sitting in the armchair with his eyes closed in deep thought for a long time, Minato opened his eyes and said, "Although it is indeed very tiring, this is all we older generation can do to help you."

"Alright... Go and train. I'll handle everything with Shikaku, and I won't bother you with the Fifth Hokage's affairs anymore. If you'd like, could you recommend him?"

……

After Yun left the office.

"Why……"

With a sigh, Minato looked at Shikaku, and their eyes met.

"Starting five years ago, Yun has been subtly reminding us that the real enemy is neither Akatsuki nor Uzumaki Sora."

"We don't know exactly how long it took for him and Uzumaki Sora to reach an agreement. But judging from the outcome, it's for the best. Peace... isn't it?"

"Peace has been restored to the ninja world, and the five great ninja villages are undergoing subtle but profound changes. A long-lasting peace is on the horizon, but an even more powerful, even despair-inducing, enemy is also about to emerge..."

"Hokage-sama!"

Shikaku's voice rose two degrees.

"The appearance of the enemy is not because of Kumo and Sora. Even without them, if the five great ninja villages continue to fight their own battles and Black Zetsu's Eye of the Moon plan succeeds, this world will face death."

"I understand... a bird that cowers will eventually be killed, and there's no point in deceiving yourself."

For a moment, the office fell silent.

After a long while, Shikaku finally looked up and said, "Six years ago, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki appeared with a Noble Phantasm that could travel through time. At that time, I had some guesses. Information trading, foresight..."

"Perhaps they came from the future? Faced with a hopeless end, they traveled back in time to complete their mission using a special artifact called the Trading Space."

Minato paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "No one can change the past, because the past you change may itself be part of history. These are the words of the future Yun."

……

Research Department.

Shikamaru didn't like this place because it had damaged the reputation of the Nara clan.

The Nara clan, which had been united with the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans since the Warring States period, was known for its intelligence.

But things changed after the research department was established and Orochimaru joined it.

A sharp mind requires a certain level of social skills and judgment, but for scientific research, it often requires flashes of brilliant ideas.

The combination of unconventional thinking and adherence to logic has given rise to a different perspective on the Nara clan's supposed intelligence.

"Bang bang".

Shikamaru knocked on the door and waited.

Several minutes passed, but no one answered the door.

But Shikamaru wasn't angry; he seemed to be used to it.

I kept knocking, and after several times, someone finally opened the door.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and said apologetically, "There have been a lot of experiments lately, so everyone's been busy. I'm really sorry, Shikamaru. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Shikamaru was unimpressed and tried to step inside, but was subtly blocked.

Left with no other option, I had to retrieve the examination certificate I had taken when I first entered the research department and verify my identity before I was allowed to enter.

"The Hokage needs an assessment report from Kumogakure regarding a massive chakra reservoir. The dangers and potential risks of such a thing need to be clearly defined."

Kabuto nodded, then led Shikamaru into a room.

The doors to all the laboratories in the research department were tightly closed, and nothing could be seen. I don't know why such strict security measures were in place.

Even Konoha's protective barrier is probably no match for the power of this research department.

A paper report was handed to Shikamaru.

Dou pushed up his glasses and said, "A massive chakra carrier. Such a material, as an energy reserve, would indeed be much more convenient for Kumogakure, which primarily uses lightning-style chakra."

"But at the same time... the gathering and compression of chakra is also a pattern of the Tailed Beast Ball. Its destructive power is very strong, and the Hokage needs to consider this carefully."

These words startled Shikamaru. He glanced at the documents in his hand and then hurriedly ran out.

Could it not only serve as an energy reserve, but also form giant projectiles like the Tailed Beast Ball?

What does the Hidden Cloud Village want to do?

Is it a misunderstanding? Or is there another motive?

Fortunately, the dangers of this kind of thing are already known, so even if the research department makes it, they won't give it to Yunyin.

……

Having completely gotten rid of the entanglement with the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yun was once again free.

Strolling through the shopping street, eating and drinking, and the afternoon is over.

Upon returning to the Uchiha clan's territory, they happened to run into Shisui and Itachi, who had just had a fight.

After Sasuke obtained the eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, Itachi received a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan from Shisui.

From then on, a half-blind man and an Uchiha who had lost his Mangekyou Sharingan began a relaxed retirement life.

To paraphrase Itachi Uchiha: If it weren't for my mother asking me every day how long it would take for my grandson to have a baby, life would be just too good.

"Hey? Where have you two been? You're all so grumpy, thinking retirement is too easy?"

Yun stepped forward and stood between the two, patting Itachi on the shoulder and asking, "You're a complete winner in life now, who are you trying to fool with that long face?"

Zhi Shui, standing to the side, said helplessly, "We just went to the garrison, but we couldn't reach an agreement."

Itachi glanced at Yun: "The Uchiha clan is mostly made up of fire-style chakra, so the energy department isn't a good position. That's why everyone's attention is on the security forces."

Shisui sighed: "The Hyuga clan is more proactive, especially the branch family. They persuaded several squad leaders by citing the Byakugan's reconnaissance capabilities."

"It will be difficult for the Uchiha clan to secure more spots. After all, while the Sharingan has advantages in combat strength and real-time interrogation, we are currently in peacetime, where reconnaissance outweighs combat strength and interrogation."

As he spoke, Shisui chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I never expected that with the arrival of true peace, the first profession to become obsolete would be the ninja."

"Furthermore, not many members of the Uchiha clan have awakened their Sharingan, and even fewer have reached the three-tomoe level. Uchiha with the three-tomoe Sharingan have no trouble finding jobs, but those without it simply cannot compete with the Hyuga clan."

Itachi rubbed his temples. With his personality, spending the whole day arguing with Shisui was truly torture.

"I'll head back now, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

As Itachi left, Shisui looked at Uchiha Un.

"Yun, come sit at my place for a while."

Yun thought for a moment and nodded, since there was nothing else to do at the moment anyway.

With true peace arriving, Shisui, knowing his true identity, was quite curious to see what he would say.

After all, this person was extremely wary of me back then. If it weren't for the power of the secret scroll, I would have really fallen into the trap.

……

Tea room.

Even with one eye showing a sclera-like pupil, Zhi Shui still precisely controlled the pouring of tea into the cup.

After downing his drink, Yun smiled and asked, "What's wrong? This is the era you most wanted to see, isn't it?"

Shisui sighed again: "So sometimes when you look back, you realize that you've always been the most quick-witted person, even since childhood. You analyzed this situation from the very beginning, right?"

Yun replied, "Otherwise what? Ninjas, who possess strength beyond that of ordinary people, have been used for war and force for over a thousand years."

"When the war ended, it was inevitable that this generation of ninjas, who had become accustomed to using their power to kill, would be at a loss."

Shisui looked at the tea in front of him: "So that's why you took a series of measures to divert resources, right? Using the power of ninjas as a foundation, and with abundant resources, the use of chakra reached a new level."

"But similarly... scattered rebels and disillusioned individuals emerged one after another, unable to adapt to this new era."

Yun laughed and said, "That's why we need ninjas to clear them out. Although the number isn't large, it still provides a livelihood for a group of people."

At this point, Uchiha Yun thought for a moment and said, "You don't need to be too hasty. No one can stop the pace of the times. If you can't adapt, then let the next generation adapt."

"You can wait about the security forces. In the future, the more important towns in the Land of Fire will be guarded by security forces that are under the jurisdiction of Konoha."

"The Uchiha clan's understanding of awakening the Sharingan has finally begun to change over the years, so please don't let me revert to the old ways. Fortunately, the clan's records about stimulating the awakening of the Sharingan by killing off bonds were all destroyed before this happened."

After nodding, Shisui poured himself another cup of tea.

"Remember to reserve a few of those fast food restaurant jobs for the clan members, since making money is getting harder and harder these days."

Yun agreed: "I'm just worried that I might feel embarrassed and end up with no one in the new shop, which wouldn't be fun."

Shisui waved his hand: "Don't worry. Being a ninja isn't easy; they need to have something to do. If a new security force is established, it will need to have some capable personnel stationed there."

After the business was finished, another ten minutes or so passed.

After thinking for a moment, Shisui on the other side asked, "What's the current situation with Uzumaki Sora?"

……

(End of this chapter)