Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 172 Applying Eye Drops (4000 words)

Time flew by as they chatted about everything under the sun. After delivering Orochimaru to the Konoha camp in the Land of Rice Fields, Genji Uchiha returned to Konoha Village.

This round trip covered 1.5 miles of the Land of Fire. By the time they arrived outside Konoha Village, it was already evening, with only the last rays of the sun remaining and a faint golden-red hue on the horizon.

Landing in the forest, Zhu Rong, exhausted from a day's work, shrank and crawled into his sleeve to rest. Uchiha Xuan leaped from the forest onto the main road and strolled leisurely toward the gates of Konoha.

After a long day of running around, Uchiha Gen was too lazy to go grocery shopping and cook at home. He planned to buy the freshest produce the next morning and headed straight for the bustling commercial street.

Although the wounds inflicted by the Nine-Tails have never been completely healed, they have been cured. The war with Kirigakure and Kumogakure has had little impact on most people, and Konoha Village has long since returned to its former prosperity.

The orange streetlights illuminated the streets, and the signs of various shops shimmered with colorful lights. Whether ninja or civilian, everyone could relax and enjoy the nightlife with their loved ones, family, and friends.

The bustling commercial street was even more lively, with pedestrians thronging the streets. The shop signs were more ornate than those on other streets, and the aroma of various foods wafted in all directions. The sounds of hawking, chatting, and playing around mingled together, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere.

Uchiha Gen started eating from the street stalls on the edge of the shopping street, intending to try all the street food until he was basically full.

"Hey, Xuan, when did you get back?"

Uchiha Gen, who was eating tricolor dumplings, suddenly heard someone call him. He turned around and saw four people in front of him.

There were two men and two women. The men were being held in the arms of the women, and they were Uchiha Mikoto and Uzumaki Kushina.

Uchiha Mikoto wore a light blue top and a light blue knee-length skirt. Her long, smooth, black hair was casually draped behind her. A kind smile graced her beautiful and gentle face as she held a little boy with black hair in her arms.

Kushina Uzumaki wore a light red long dress, her long red hair, almost reaching her waist, cascading down her back. A hair clip was pinned to her left bun. Her delicate features were not without a touch of heroism, and she wore a faint smile. In her arms, she held a little boy with yellow hair and a beard.

At this moment, both little boys were biting their fingers, staring wide-eyed at Uchiha Gen, or more accurately, at the skewer of dumplings in Uchiha Gen's hand.

"Oh, it's Mikoto and Lady Kushina. I just got back."

"Is that Sasuke and Naruto?"

"You've grown so much in the blink of an eye."

Uchiha Gen was slightly taken aback, then smiled broadly.

I didn't expect to run into these two while shopping. They must be best friends taking their kids for a walk or stroll.

"Sasuke, go say hello to your brother."

Mikoto pulled the finger out of Erzhuzi's mouth, gently bounced it, and coaxed him with a smile.

"Naruto, say hello to your brother too."

Kushina followed Mikoto's movements and did the same.

Uchiha Gen knew Uzumaki Kushina, having served under Namikaze Minato for a period of time, though they weren't particularly close.

Sasuke was already a year old at this time, while Naruto was not yet a year old, but he would be soon.

A one-year-old child can already speak, but mainly uses single words and repeated words; they can't speak or can't speak clearly if the words are too complicated.

"Brother," said Sasuke Uchiha.

"Brother," Naruto Uzumaki said.

"Why……"

Uchiha Gen smiled and agreed, then saw that the eyes of Sasuke and Sasuke were focused on his hand, so he raised his hand and shook the dumpling.

"Want some?"

"Yes!" The two little ones' eyes lit up and they quickly replied.

Human babies are really cute when they're young, but they become all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures when they grow up.

"Miss Mikoto, can they eat this?"

"Meatballs are not easy to digest, but it's okay to eat a little bit."

"In that case, let's have tofu pudding; it's easy to digest."

"Boss, give me three servings of tofu pudding."

This roadside stall not only sells meatballs and red bean soup, but also tofu pudding.

"Okay, what flavor do you want?"

Uchiha Gen looked at Mikoto and Kushina, naturally ignoring the opinions of Sasuke and Sasuke himself, as they had no say in the matter.

"Salty," Kushina Uzumaki said slightly.

"It's sweet," Mikoto Uchiha said with a slight smile.

The two spoke almost simultaneously, which surprised Uchiha Gen slightly. These two best friends were complementary, weren't they? Their tastes in tofu pudding were completely opposite.

Thankfully, there's no conflict between sweet and savory lovers in this world, otherwise how could we be best friends?

"I want it half sweet and half salty."

That's right, I'm neither a sweet person nor a savory person, but a neutral hybrid. I can eat sweet, savory, and even a mix of both!

Boss: "..."

Having sold tofu for so many years, this is the first time I've seen it eaten this way... but I still have to fulfill the customer's request.

"OK."

While the boss was busy, Uchiha Gen put a string of dumplings into his mouth right in front of Sasuke and Sasuke, and deliberately leaned in to chew loudly.

Big Pillar and Second Pillar were furious at the behavior of their bad older brother, Uchiha Gen. They pouted and were about to start howling, which scared Mikoto and Kushina so much that they quickly joined in the commotion.

Uchiha Gen laughed heartily, while Mikoto and Kushina glared at him fiercely, each displaying their own unique charm—the former gentle, the latter fiery.

Since Kushina did not die in this life, everything Minato has rightfully belongs to Kushina Uzumaki and Naruto Uzumaki.

Kushina Uzumaki was a Jonin, and although she lost Minato as her pillar, she didn't have to worry about making a living.

After paying, Uchiha Gen took three bowls of tofu pudding and said with a smile, "Mikoto-nee, this isn't a good place to talk. Let's find a quieter spot."

"it is good."

The group left the commercial street and went to a nearby park, where they found a bench to sit down.

Kushina and Naruto sat on the left, Mikoto and Sasuke sat in the middle, and Uchiha Gen sat on the right. A gentle breeze blew, and a fragrance mixed with a faint milky scent lingered in their nostrils.

The three of them ate and chatted.

Of course, they didn't forget to feed Dazhuzi and Erzhuzi. The amount of tofu pudding was too much for the two one-year-olds to finish, so they could only eat a small amount.

"Xuan, your return is rather sudden. Has the battle in Kirigakure ended?"

Mikoto didn't mention the Land of Whirlpools because it was Kushina's hometown, and she was afraid it would trigger her emotions.

Kushina has moved on from Minato's passing, thanks not only to her strong nature but also to the support of her son and best friend.

It's no surprise that Mikoto was unaware of the news; the administrative department doesn't need to announce such military mobilizations.

Only those who need to know will know, unless they deliberately inquire.

"No, but barring any unforeseen circumstances, he probably won't be able to play for much longer."

"It makes me angry just thinking about it."

"Orochimaru and I finally managed to accumulate small advantages into a large advantage, and then accumulate that large advantage into a winning advantage."

"At this critical moment, the higher-ups changed their commanders at the last minute, transferring the commanders of Kumogakure, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Nara Shikaku, to the front lines of Kirigakure, while transferring me and Orochimaru-sensei to Kumogakure."

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

"What? Such a thing actually happened?" Mikoto said angrily.

Isn't this an attempt to suppress Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen?

In her and her husband's plan, once Orochimaru becomes the Fifth Hokage, Itachi will become Gen's apprentice and strive to become the Seventh Hokage.

The fact that the Konoha leadership did this clearly indicates that Orochimaru did not have the support of the higher-ups.

Although Orochimaru could still become the Fifth Hokage without the support of the higher-ups, the possibility has undoubtedly been greatly reduced.

If Orochimaru fails to become the Fifth Hokage, won't their path to Hokage be cut short again?

This is absolutely outrageous!

How many years has the Uchiha clan been hoping for a Hokage to emerge?

Kushina Uzumaki also felt that the Konoha higher-ups had acted rather unfairly; wasn't this just stealing credit?

"Sigh, what's done is done, there's no turning back now."

"This incident has disheartened Orochimaru-sensei, and he is now prepared to give up and not compete for the Hokage position."

While eating tofu pudding, Uchiha Gen was also trying to sow discord among Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, sighing and looking worried.

Not vying for the Hokage position?

How can this be allowed?

Mikoto was startled and forgot about feeding Erzhuzi. She hurriedly said, "Xuan, you should try to persuade Lord Orochimaru. It's not like there's no hope."

"Misaka-nee, it seems like there's hope, but actually there's no hope."

"What do you mean?"

"If even the higher-ups in Konoha don't recommend Orochimaru-sensei, we can't even get past this hurdle, so how can we have any hope?"

"How could that be?"

"The Third Hokage was Orochimaru's teacher."

"The Third Hokage had the biggest problem with Orochimaru-sensei," Uchiha Gen dropped a bombshell.

"What?"

"How is that possible?"

Mikoto Uchiha looked shocked, her fleshy mouth wide open, a hint of redness faintly visible.

Kushina Uzumaki recalled a conversation between Jiraiya and her husband, and realized that the Third Hokage did indeed have some opinions about Orochimaru.

"This is what Orochimaru-sensei told me personally."

"What opinions does the Third Hokage have about Lord Orochimaru?"

"It seems they feel that Orochimaru-sensei has gone astray and entered the darkness, so he is not suitable to become Hokage."

"this……"

If even the Hokage's teacher is leading the way in not supporting it, how could the other higher-ups possibly support it?

Even if it's supported, the effect will be minimal.

The Konoha ninjas ultimately had more faith in the Hokage, and the Daimyo generally wouldn't contradict him.

"What did Lord Orochimaru do wrong?"

"Is there still a chance to correct it in time?"

Uchiha Gen lowered his voice and asked, "Does being obsessed with human body research count?"

"Human research?" Kushina Uzumaki exclaimed in surprise.

"Waaaaah..."

The three were so engrossed in chatting that they forgot to feed the animals. Da Zhuzi and Er Zhuzi endured it for a long time, but finally couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears.

Mikoto and Kushina's family quickly started to cheer, while Uchiha Gen lowered his head and focused on finishing the remaining tofu pudding.

Seeing that attention had returned to them, that there was food to eat, and that their mother was speaking gently to them, Da Zhuzi and Er Zhuzi quickly stopped crying.

"Why is Lord Orochimaru so obsessed with that kind of research?" Mikoto asked while feeding him.

"At first, I was doing human research on orders from higher-ups, but I gradually came to enjoy it."

"In the later stages of the Fog Concealment Battlefield, I handled most of the military affairs."

"Konoha actually conducts human research?" Kushina Uzumaki felt her worldview shake and exclaimed in shock.

"Lady Kushina's question is..."

"Where there is light, there is also darkness, and the bright and beautiful Konoha is no exception."

"Orochimaru-sensei told me that every village conducts human research, only the scale of the research projects varies."

"For example, Konoha has now restarted the research on Wood Release. The research project is controlled by Danzo, and Orochimaru is conducting the actual research."

"I heard from Orochimaru that after the Second Hokage died, Konoha began researching Wood Release in order to prepare for the Fourth Shinobi World War."

"Because all the volunteers for this study died, including the Senju clan members who volunteered, it had to be sealed away."

"Human research has always existed, but the bottom line is that it is not allowed to use village ninjas and ordinary people for research."

While Mikoto and Kushina's values ​​weren't completely shattered upon hearing this, they were certainly significantly affected.

The seemingly glamorous and highly respected Konoha high-ranking officials didn't appear as virtuous and upright as they seemed...

"Since Lord Orochimaru was initially ordered to conduct human research, then even if he became addicted, the impact wouldn't be that significant, right?" Mikoto asked with a puzzled look.

"The impact of mere addiction is naturally not that significant."

"But perhaps because Orochimaru-sensei has witnessed too much death since childhood, he developed the idea of ​​pursuing immortality."

"That's probably the root cause," Uchiha Gen said with a wry smile.

"Immortality?"

"How is that possible?"

"Outlandish!"

"No wonder……

Although this world possesses extraordinary powers, the two women's reaction upon hearing this was similar to that of modern people; they felt it was not just a daydream, but an extremely absurd one.

"If Lord Orochimaru corrects his ways, will there be a chance?"

"That's the theory, but Orochimaru-sensei is completely obsessed with it."

"I've tried to persuade them many times, but it's no use. If I keep trying, they'll probably get annoyed."

"This is basically a dead end."

Uchiha Gen shrugged and then got up to throw the box into the trash can.

"But this is a scheme within the clan..."

"Plans can't keep up with changes, so we can only hone our skills and wait for the right opportunity."

"Sister Meiqin, don't spread this around your Hui community. At most, let the higher-ups know. If too many people know, it will cause trouble."

"I see."

"Since it's unlikely that Lord Orochimaru will become the Fifth Hokage, what do you think, Yaoxuan, will be the Fifth Hokage?"

Uchiha Gen sat down next to Mikoto again, casually crossing his legs, and said, "There are only a few people qualified to be Hokage."

"Besides Orochimaru-sensei, there's Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and Danzo can barely be counted as one."

"As for the other two Hokage assistants, according to the information I received from Orochimaru-sensei, neither of them has the ambition to become Hokage, and their qualifications in various aspects are not quite up to par."

Mikoto's face darkened. "You mean Danzo will take over?"

(End of this chapter)