Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 108 The Passing of an Era

"Captain, your sensory ninjutsu is so useful! You caught a spy so easily."

On the way back, Uchiha Xiu couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, it's really useful. Is this a sensory ninjutsu from our Uchiha clan?" Uchiha Chen agreed.

They weren't ignorant ninjas either.

Even the sensory ninjutsu used by clans like the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka to search and track enemies isn't this convenient; it allows them to anticipate events and wait for their prey to walk right into their trap.

"This is not a sensory ninjutsu of our Uchiha clan; it is a sensory ninjutsu developed by Orochimaru-sensei."

If something is hard to explain, just push it onto your teacher. Anyway, it's hard for others to verify, and the teacher will cover for those who can verify it. It's so convenient.

"As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin, he was able to develop such a powerful and useful sensory ninjutsu."

The two exclaimed in unison, without the slightest doubt. After all, they were strong, so it wasn't surprising that they could do such a thing.

"Xiu, I'll trouble you to take this spy to the interrogation department."

"By the way, I brought back seventeen servings of instant noodles on the way back. The guys should be a bit hungry."

"Yes, Captain," Uchiha Shu said with a smile.

Uchiha Chen smiled upon hearing this. What subordinate doesn't like a leader who is considerate of them?

Although it was just a bowl of instant noodles, it shows that the new team leader is a good leader.

Back at the meeting point in the forest, Uchiha Gen closed his eyes to rest again.

Only after Uchiha Shu returned with the instant noodles did he take two subordinates to distribute them, winning over people's hearts while also scouting other directions.

It wasn't that Uchiha Gen wasn't putting in the effort; although his soul perception was powerful, his shadow clones couldn't divide his soul equally, so they lacked the ability to perceive the soul. This was a drawback of his soul perception ability.

It's not appropriate to unleash one's soul in front of subordinates, nor to split one's soul to perceive the surroundings. Since they are all ninjas, the appearance of one's soul cannot escape their eyes.

After wandering around, the three returned to their gathering place, used fire-style techniques to boil water and make instant noodles, and then happily ate them.

Instant noodles can get tiresome if you eat them all the time, but they can taste especially delicious if you eat them occasionally.

Especially in the wilderness where one is hungry and exposed to the elements, it can even evoke a sense of happiness.

The rest of the night passed peacefully, and at daybreak, the Ninth Squad returned to their quarters to rest.

During the day, there are spies everywhere in and around Konoha Village, making it difficult for spies from various countries to sneak out of Konoha Village.

The administration has issued a notice warning the villagers of Konoha to be on the lookout for suspicious individuals.

The villagers are naturally happy to help with this, because the better Konoha Village is, the better they will be.

With the help of the villagers, there won't be as many ninjas watching the village. There will be more ninjas watching the edge of Konoha and the outskirts of Konoha Village, with various ninjutsu and secret techniques covering the area, making it much more secure than at night.

Unless a spy is completely stupid, it's impossible for them to escape during the day; delivering messages during the day is far more risky than at night.

Most of the spies fell into the hands of other ninja villages and will certainly not have a good end!

Given this risk, and given that Konoha cannot be sealed off for too long—after all, there are merchants from various countries, nobles who come to visit from various countries, and so on in Konoha—how can these people be kept locked up indefinitely?

Therefore, spies from various countries did not have the awareness to endure torture and lose their lives in order to pass on the intelligence.

While the intelligence delay has some impact, Konoha's losses cannot be made up for out of thin air, so the decision-making process is not significantly affected.

……

The next day, Uchiha Gen stayed up all night again.

I was planning to go home and catch up on sleep after get off work, but I received a notice to attend Minato Namikaze's funeral and pay my respects at the memorial.

There was no way to refuse. You have to understand that not just any ninja can attend the Fourth Hokage's funeral and memorial service. In the Uchiha clan, only the clan head, the three elders, Shisui, and him were allowed to attend.

Uchiha Gen could only muster his spirits. Fortunately, he was young, healthy, and strong, and once he got through that period of drowsiness, he was full of energy again.

Minato Namikaze's funeral was not held at his own home, as that place was too small to accommodate so many guests or to have a grand funeral. Instead, it was held at the Hokage's official residence, the Hokage's House.

Entering the solemn hall, Uchiha Gen followed behind the clan leader and three elders, bowed respectfully, circled the flower-covered platform supporting the coffin, and put down the white chrysanthemum in his hand.

The specially made coffin was not closed. Minato Namikaze's body had undergone special treatment, and his face was specially made up with funeral makeup. His eyes were closed, his hands were folded on his lower abdomen, and his face was rosy and glowing. He was still handsome and dashing, and looked as if he were asleep.

After the flowers were laid out, family members expressed their gratitude. Kushina Uzumaki, Kakashi Hatake, and Shisui Uchiha were all dressed in plain black mourning clothes, and they all looked quite haggard. Kushina, in particular, had noticeably red and swollen eyes.

Besides the three of them, Mikoto Uchiha was also there. Kakashi and Shisui were, after all, men and juniors, so it was not appropriate for them to get involved in certain matters. Kushina really needed Mikoto as her best friend.

As for Naruto and Jiraiya, neither of them were there.

The former is too young and this place is not suitable for him, while the latter may not have received the news yet, or he may have received the news but has not yet returned.

After offering a few words of comfort to Kushina on behalf of everyone, Fugaku left. There was no other way; there was a large group of people behind him, and he didn't have time to say more.

The words of comfort were genuine. Among those present, Fugaku's grief over Minato's death was perhaps second only to Kushina's, even surpassing that of Kakashi and Shisui.

Because Fugaku placed too much hope in Minato, the most important of which was his dream of becoming Hokage!

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it's like having a friend who owes you tens of millions and has no descendants die.

After paying their respects to Minato, no one left. Instead, they rested in the living room until the appointed time, when Minato was taken to the memorial stone for burial.

At the time of the burial, Kushina reacted strongly, silently shedding tears and rushing over, as if she wanted to sleep with Minato in the earth, which made even the ninjas who were used to life and death feel quite sad.

Fortunately, Mikoto managed to pull Kushina back in time, and it took a lot of comforting from everyone before she came to her senses.

With Minato's coffin buried deep underground, an era known as Minato Namikaze came to an end.

After Minato was buried, as everyone paid their respects to the ninjas who had sacrificed themselves in the Nine-Tails' attack, rain began to fall from the gloomy sky.

The light drizzle lacked the torrential downpour of a heavy rain, but in the area around the Memorial Monument, the air seemed to thicken with sorrow, making one feel utterly dejected.

Looking at the figure at the front of the formation, dressed in black mourning clothes, with a slender figure, red hair, and bowing deeply, many ninjas who had lost loved ones and friends felt a complex mix of emotions.

Logically speaking, the culprit is the attacker.

Their family should be considered victims, and the Fourth Hokage even sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails and protect the village.

But the thought that the Nine-Tails came from her body made the ninja, who had lost her family and friends, feel uneasy.

This awkwardness, though not blame or complaint, can subconsciously create distance between people.

After the mourning ceremony, everyone dispersed and rushed back to where they were going, braving the rain.

……

Three more days passed, and by then the ruins of Konoha Village had been completely cleared, and reconstruction was put on the agenda.

The night before the reconstruction meeting began, Danzo went to Mitokado Homura's house and asked him to invite Koharu Utatane and Hiruzen Sarutobi over...

I just realized today that I've basically used up all the outline I drafted. It's really difficult to come up with a plot and write on the spot. It's frustrating. I'll have to spend time designing some follow-up plots tomorrow. I won't stop updating, but I might only update two chapters. Please forgive me.

(End of this chapter)