Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 408 Untitled

In a very strange atmosphere, I finally managed to finish my bento lunch.

Since Konoha expanded layer after layer, the range of the current Konoha Barrier Team responsible for sensing abnormal chakra has also been expanded to the limit.

The mountain clan is primarily responsible for communication and coordination issues during the operation of the entire barrier team.

A person may be absent, but in the event of an emergency, they must be able to notify the Hokage immediately.

At the same time... it is also necessary to be able to notify Uchiha Un at any time if necessary.

Although Haiyi felt that the guy's perception was probably not much worse than the village's barrier.

"Cough cough."

Yun coughed awkwardly, glancing at Haiyi not far away before looking at Ino, who was clearing the dishes and preparing to wash them.

Or... should I say I'll do it myself?

Before Yun could even speak, Ino across from him said with a smile, "I've been looking forward to this since this morning. Yun-kun, are you busy this afternoon?"

Yun shook her head: "I've already arranged everything this morning, so I'm quite free."

"Let's go on a date then."

Ino, carrying two bento boxes, turned and walked towards the pool before Yun could speak.

Her golden ponytail swayed, and she had indeed changed a lot in the past few years.

With an appreciative gaze, Yun suddenly sensed a gaze from the side that seemed to be directed at her.

Uh... he's Ino's dad.

After looking away, Yun rubbed her nose to ease the awkwardness.

If we sat together now, it would probably be even more uncomfortable. Let's just take Ino and slip away quickly.

……

"Where would you like to go?"

After leaving the barrier class, Yun looked at the girl who was holding his arm beside him.

Ino thought for a moment and replied, "I've always known that Yun-kun likes good food, but Yun-kun has probably tried all the delicious food in the village..."

Do you like food too?

"I definitely like delicious food, but I have to maintain a good figure. I pay a lot of attention to my appearance."

Ino's eyes lit up as she spoke: "We passed through the Land of Hot Springs on a mission before, and there are many delicious foods there that our village doesn't have. But we can't leave the village without a reason, sigh..."

Yun thought for a moment, then looked at Ino: "Hurry up!"

The next moment, the two figures disappeared into the street.

……

Hidden Cloud Village, Thunder Cloud Gorge.

Amidst the swirling mist, Killer Bee had been sitting there motionless for a whole day.

Behind him, Omoi and Karui stood guard, their eyes filled with worry.

Meanwhile, in the sealed area within Killer Bee's body, the Eight-Tailed Gyūki also didn't know how to persuade him.

"Compare……"

After a day, Killer Bee finally raised his head and looked at the Eight-Tailed Gyūki.

"I know..."

"Uchiha Kumo is getting stronger way too fast..."

"Originally, the Flying Thunder God Technique couldn't return from another dimension, so I thought the Chakra Cannon would definitely be able to deal with him."

"As long as we deal with Uzumaki Sora, Kumogakure can become the next Konoha, and become the actual controller of the entire ninja world."

"But now it seems... the difference is too great. Even the conjectures are far from accurate, let alone the actual power?"

Hearing this, the Eight-Tailed Gyūki breathed a sigh of relief.

He then advised, "Sometimes in an era, there will always be one or two geniuses who make everyone feel the vast gap between them. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, who ended the Warring States period, are just like Uchiha Kumo and Uzumaki Sora now..."

"You've done very well. The fact that Cloud Village was able to survive, and that you and Yugito are its two strongest fighters, is already a result of your hard work..."

effort?

What efforts did I make?

Kirabi sat cross-legged and looked at his own hands.

At that time, perhaps I survived more because of my personality? Because I wasn't a fighter.

"In fact, the alliance between Uchiha Kumo and Uzumaki Sora is indeed a good thing for the future of the ninja world."

As the Eight-Tails Gyūki spoke, he glanced at Killer Bee, and seeing that he had no problem with it, he continued, "Neither the Sage of Six Paths nor the Ten-Tails were born in the ninja world. After the Ōtsutsuki clan discovered this world, only those two people were able to contend with them."

"I understand now."

Killer Bee let out a breath: "I was still holding onto a sliver of hope that Uzumaki Sora just needed a collaborator, since his bloodline reversion should have reached its peak by now."

"But now... Uchiha Kumo can still stand shoulder to shoulder with Uzumaki Sora. Their relationship is still one of cooperation, not vassalage."

As he spoke, Killer Bee stood up and clenched his fist.

The eight-tailed demon's tail was handed over.

After a fist bump, they understood each other perfectly.

Killer Bee then opened his eyes and looked at the two disciples behind him: "Tell Yugito that I'm going to Konoha."

……

Night falls in the Land of Hot Springs.

Shopping, eating, drinking, buying things...

Before this, Yun wasn't very interested in the other two things besides eating and drinking.

But this time, because of my different mindset, time seemed to pass quite quickly.

In the hot spring residence, Yun lay in a private pool, looking up at the gradually darkening sky.

After a good meal, a visit to the land of hot springs definitely includes soaking in the hot springs, according to Ino.

"squeak……"

The door opened, and Yun, who turned around, was stunned...

Swimsuit Ino?!

However, the real person looks prettier than the anime/manga image.

Without any hesitation, Ino sat down next to Yun and asked, "Yun-kun, is it beautiful?"

Yun felt a little awkward: "Ino has always been beautiful."

"whee……"

The compliment came from the boy she had always liked, which made her very happy.

"Finally... I've bloomed like a cosmos flower..."

Ino raised her head as she spoke: "Hmph! Sakura has always been showing off, even though I helped her so much back then."

"Sakura?"

Yun thought for a moment and smiled, "I think... perhaps you could become her elder, that way you'd definitely have the upper hand over her, wouldn't you?"

Ino's eyes lit up at the reminder.

Yup!

I should be considered Sasuke's elder now, so wouldn't I also be Sakura's elder?

"Ha ha……"

He couldn't help but laugh, but quickly suppressed it, then looked worriedly at Yun beside him.

"You don't need to restrain yourself so much."

Yun rested her hands behind her head and looked up at the sky: "I've always known Ino's personality very well. It's precisely because I like and admire her that I'm thinking about dating her..."

As she spoke, Yun looked over and said, "Speaking of which, your father put a lot of pressure on me today."

Ino smiled and replied, "A seed is carefully nurtured, from sprouting to blossoming. Then someone appears, carrying the flowerpot along with it. At first, it's bound to be very disconcerting..."

Yun was taken aback: "Did Haiyi say that?"

Ino stopped Yun's arm: "You need to call me 'uncle' now, otherwise do you expect me to call you 'Uncle Yun'? Some weird uncle who's watching goldfish?"

Uh……

"Little Nine-Tailed Fox said that it has wanted to cooperate with my family's flower shop for quite some time now."

Yun was somewhat surprised. Have street hustlers started adopting a philosophical approach now?

After a while, Yun spoke:

"It's already this late, we should head back soon, otherwise your dad will probably get worried and start looking for you everywhere."

……

Meanwhile, at a barbecue restaurant in Konoha.

Inoichi originally wanted to find an izakaya to sit for a while, but at Choza's insistence, they changed it to a yakiniku restaurant.

The main reason is that due to the reforms of the past few years, the Akimichi clan and the Yamanaka clan are different from the Nara clan. They do not have flower shops and cannot earn a living like the Nara clan by using their brains.

The family business sells some secret medicines—pills. Because the conflicts in the entire ninja world have decreased sharply, the number of missions has also dropped rapidly, resulting in much lower income.

With everyone in the family eating a lot, and income not meeting expenditure, they have started to take manual labor jobs.

This time, Haiyi is treating everyone, and knowing that this old friend is financially well-off, we'll definitely be having barbecue!

How can you fill your stomach with side dishes from an izakaya?

Akimichi Choza, standing to the side, kept both hands busy, grilling with one hand and eating with the other. Across from him, Shikaku and Inoichi slowly drank their sake. Shikaku would eat a little, but Inoichi had no appetite at all.

"Bang."

They clinked their glasses, and Shikaku said, "That expression of yours... it's not a bad thing. Ino's grown up now, isn't that normal?"

Haiyi put down his glass after drinking: "It just feels quite sudden, and Yun..."

Shikaku said helplessly, "Although that kid has been exercising power on behalf of the Uchiha since he was eight years old, he's not from our generation. He's only five years older than Ino. Isn't that normal?"

Hai nodded slightly: "It's just that I couldn't quite get over it for a while. Back then, when the Third Hokage forced the Hyuga clan to rejoin the Uchiha clan, Shisui was always standing behind him."

After he finished speaking, Shikaku remained silent for a while.

At only eight years old... he was able to single-handedly pull the Uchiha clan, who had gradually fallen into a quagmire, back out of trouble.

To do this, one must have a thorough analysis of the village's situation at the time, as well as a good understanding of the personalities of the third and fourth generations of high-ranking officials.

More than a decade has passed. Back then, perhaps everyone still believed that Uchiha Shisui saved the Uchiha clan, but now it seems...

Others might not understand, but Shikaku saw it very clearly.

At that time, the decision that would determine a series of choices for the Uchiha clan would only be made by Uchiha Kumo, not Uchiha Shisui.

Furthermore, he had long suspected that Uzumaki Sora had destroyed the Root. When did the collaboration between Kumo and Uzumaki Sora begin?

Although I immediately dismissed this doubt, it's not a bad thing now, no matter how much time has passed.

Ultimately, digging too deep will only cause the current relatively good situation to collapse. A wise person sometimes needs to learn to suppress their inner suspicions.

"call……"

Letting out a breath, Shikaku looked at Inoichi: "The Fifth Hokage... it can't be Kumo."

???

Hai Yi was stunned.

How could that be? The Fifth Hokage, in everyone's eyes, that position would inevitably belong to Uchiha Un.

With his current prestige, how could it not be him? Even if the fourth generation is reluctant to relinquish power, there is absolutely no possibility!

Something happened?!

Haiyi's heart tightened. Even he knew that if the higher-ups wanted to use the same methods as before on Uchiha Yun, they might not necessarily succeed.

On the contrary, with Konoha falling apart, it would be inevitable that the four great ninja villages would seize the opportunity to make their move.

At this moment, even Ding, who had been eating barbecue non-stop, stopped.

After much hesitation, Dingza finally spoke up: "Let's try to persuade the Fourth Hokage. In my opinion, Uchiha Kumo is not the same as the White Fang of Konoha back then. This decision will destroy Konoha."

"Snapped!"

Shikaku reached out and patted Inoichi on the shoulder, then looked at Choza.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Minato is not the Third Hokage, and neither are Kakashi, Ko, or Danzo, Homura, and the others from back then."

At this point, Shikaku gave a wry smile: "Minato and I are actually hoping someone can take our place. Our hair has been thinning and our bodies are getting weaker over the past few years."

"The entire ninja world is being reformed. Everything has been torn down and rebuilt. All systems need to be combined with new technologies, and there's been a lot of trial and error... There's just too much to do..."

These words made Haiyi understand somewhat, and he asked in confusion, "He's unwilling?"

Shikaku glanced at him: "Of course your good son-in-law wouldn't want to. He'd rather have a carefree life with good food and fun every day. The position of Hokage means absolutely nothing to him."

"The guy with the strongest fighting power in the entire ninja world, capable of subduing the four great ninja villages, and who dared to threaten the Kage more than ten years ago—does the Hokage title even matter to him?"

For a moment, the other two fell silent.

It seems to be pointless.

When power reaches this level, authority is no longer something that comes with a position.

Shikaku patted Inoichi on the shoulder: "So what makes someone mature beyond their years is wisdom, not a desire for power. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio are indeed important in the village, but they mean nothing to him either."

Having figured it out, Hai nodded, and Ding, sitting opposite him, started a new round of grilling.

The food that had just been burnt on the baking tray had all gone into his stomach.

After thinking for a while, Shikaku decided to reveal a later prediction.

"In fact, based on the current system, the clan-based cliques within the ninja villages will likely be gradually broken down in the future."

Haiyi asked in confusion, "Break? The formation of clans is much older than that of ninja villages, even older than the Warring States period. Circles formed by the same surname are not so easy to break apart."

Shikaku shook his head slightly, and at this moment, Dingza temporarily forgot about the barbecue and looked over.

"The family structure will inevitably continue, since everyone shares the same surname. But the social circles will inevitably disintegrate, and things like clan lands will certainly be gradually eliminated."

"Do you know how much money has been generated from land development in Konoha?"

"With a stable and peaceful life, the ninja mortality rate has reached its lowest point. These two factors have determined that the clan's territory will not be enough."

"We don't have enough money, and we don't have enough housing. So naturally, we've settled down. And now, the income of a ninja is no longer the best option."

"As for power... everyone's saying Yun is the fifth generation. Given his age, how many years from now will it be the sixth generation?"

For a moment, the private room fell silent.

At this moment, all of Yamanaka Inoichi's original worries disappeared.

What he's worried about now is that the Yamanaka clan's circle will also fall apart, and after that, the Konoha clan's cohesion will completely dissipate.

……

(End of this chapter)