"Phew—"
On the street outside the Sarutobi clan compound,
Tsunade glanced back at the blurry cluster of buildings behind her and let out a long breath.
"This is exactly why I can't be bothered dealing with those old fossils. Whenever something happens, they hesitate over every little thing, unable to make a clean decision. They don't have even a fraction of the decisive spirit they had when they were young. It's infuriating!"
After a pause, Tsunade continued,
"Still, the final result was barely acceptable. At the very least, the families of the ninja who died will receive a substantial amount of compensation. That should give them some security in their lives…
"Right, Yuu?"
"…"
Yuu said nothing, distracted by his own thoughts.
After Sarutobi Hiruzen made the final decision, the meeting to judge Danzō had temporarily come to an end.
Aside from Danzō himself, most of the people involved were reasonably satisfied with the outcome.
Yuu, however, was not entirely sure whether Danzō still had some hidden cards prepared.
Logically speaking, six months of confinement was not particularly long.
If Danzō behaved himself, Yuu would not need to rush too urgently to deal with him.
Furthermore, judging from the original story, Danzō had remained out of power for several years after the Uchiha massacre. That proved that if Sarutobi Hiruzen truly made up his mind, he was capable of restraining Danzō.
But Yuu could not rely too heavily on the original storyline.
After all, people died when they were killed.
Now that the two sides had already torn away part of the facade and developed direct conflicts of interest, Yuu had to consider the possibility that Danzō might seek an opportunity for revenge and secretly cause trouble…
Beside him,
Tsunade noticed Yuu's silence and vaguely guessed what he was thinking.
She stopped walking and naturally raised one arm, wrapping her strong, pale arm around his shoulders.
With that movement, a faint feminine scent mixed with medicinal herbs immediately surrounded him.
At the same time, those heavy "divine peaks" pressed against Yuu's arm without the slightest restraint.
The substantial softness made his body stiffen slightly.
"Hey, are you worried about your parents' safety?"
"That's easy. There are plenty of empty houses on my side of the clan grounds. A lot of them even still have furniture inside. They're just a little old.
"Why don't you have your parents move directly into the Senju compound?
"With me around, I'd like to see which idiot dares come over and cause trouble!"
"Besides, Kana and Naoto, those two descendants of the Uzumaki clan, could use a couple more neighbors to talk to.
"What do you think? Want to consider it?"
"…Huh?"
Yuu was somewhat surprised by the suggestion.
But after thinking about it carefully…
it actually sounded pretty good.
"That works. But I'll need to discuss it with my parents first. If they agree, then we'll move over and become your neighbors, Teacher Tsunade."
"That's more like it."
Tsunade grinned, then changed the subject.
"By the way, since you finally came back and most of the important matters are already settled, come over early tomorrow and accompany me for a few rounds of gambling.
"My hands have been itching lately. I have a feeling I'm definitely going to win big this time…"
"…"
Yuu thought that if she really did win big, then someone somewhere was probably about to suffer.
In a certain sense, Tsunade's causality-like ability was rather frightening.
When he had time, perhaps he could invent some new form of entertainment and redirect her attention away from gambling.
Otherwise, given their current relationship, Yuu feared that one day he himself might become the sacrificial offering required for Tsunade to win money.
That would be far too unlucky…
At once,
the two continued walking shoulder to shoulder through Konoha's streets, chatting casually along the way.
Their shadows stretched long beneath the moonlight.
Occasionally, patrolling ANBU would see the two of them and tactfully avoid the area from a distance.
They continued like this until they reached the Mikami residence.
Only then did Tsunade release his shoulders and stretch lazily, her curvaceous figure fully displayed before Yuu's eyes.
"I'll leave you here, brat.
"If you decide to move, remember to tell me. I'll have Shizune come over to help."
"Alright. Then thank you in advance, Teacher Tsunade."
"It's nothing. Just don't forget tomorrow's gambling session."
Tsunade waved and disappeared into the night.
Yuu quietly pushed open the door and entered without disturbing Mikami Tajima and his wife, who were already asleep.
He returned to his room, lay down, and closed his eyes.
Mm…
Although he was only a shadow clone, his physical sensations were the same as those of a normal person.
He could feel hunger and exhaustion.
He needed proper rest if he wanted to maintain himself for a longer period.
The next day,
Mikami Tajima and his wife, who had gotten up early to prepare breakfast, were pleasantly surprised when they saw Yuu emerge from his room.
There was no need to mention the ordinary conversation between father and son.
Yuu spent some time concisely explaining why he had returned, then repeatedly reminded the two elders to be careful during this period and not to discuss "village matters."
Only afterward did he bring up the subject of moving.
"…So many things happened in such a short period of time. It's unbelievable."
Mikami Tajima sighed emotionally.
Mikami Aoi, however, looked somewhat uneasy.
"Moving to the Senju compound would certainly be good. The location and environment are excellent, and it's convenient to go anywhere from there…
"But wouldn't that trouble Lady Tsunade too much?"
"It won't. There are already plenty of old houses there, and hardly anyone lives in them. Leaving them empty would only be a waste.
"Besides, Teacher Tsunade is actually very easygoing."
Yuu explained briefly, then pulled out a scroll he had specifically prepared and placed it on the table.
"You can think about the moving issue first. There's no need to answer immediately.
"I also have a summoning contract here. Later, both of you should sign your names on it.
"That way, if an emergency occurs, you can immediately use summoning or reverse summoning to escape from danger."
"…Alright."
Mikami Tajima and Mikami Aoi exchanged glances before nodding solemnly.
That basically settled things on his parents' side.
Yuu planned to find Might Dai later and pay him several million ryō to serve as Tajima and Aoi's bodyguard, adding another layer of insurance.
Although Tsunade had promised to protect the couple, Yuu was still not completely reassured.
After all, Tajima and Aoi could not remain inside the Senju compound forever. They would inevitably need to go outside.
Tsunade also had her own affairs to handle, such as working at the hospital and gambling.
She could not watch them at all times.
Therefore, hiring a dedicated bodyguard would be better.
During this period, Might Dai's financial situation had improved significantly compared with the same point in the original story because he had been working for the "Raw Cola" factory.
He now had more money to spend on medicinal food and supplements.
Although he had already passed his growth period and therefore could not make huge improvements in strength, healing his hidden injuries had still increased his abilities considerably.
With him around, if the remaining members of Root tried to seek revenge, they would most likely suffer badly.
And if he truly encountered an enemy he could not defeat, he still had the final trump card of opening all Eight Gates.
As for money…
after robbing Gatō, money was the thing Yuu lacked the least.
If he were not trying to keep his wealth hidden, he could even hire an entire squad of jōnin to protect Tajima and Aoi.
…
At the same time,
inside the Sarutobi residence,
Mitokado Homura, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and the others had gradually left after the meeting ended.
Danzō had also been taken away by ANBU for supervision and house arrest.
Yamato, meanwhile, had been taken to Konoha Hospital by Sarutobi Biwako for a physical examination and questioning.
Thus, only Sarutobi Hiruzen remained in the living room.
At this moment, the Third Hokage sat alone on the sofa with his pipe in his mouth, surrounded by drifting smoke and wearing a deeply troubled expression.
What troubled him now was no longer merely Danzō.
Or rather, not only Danzō.
How should one put it…
Sarutobi Hiruzen certainly still felt sentimental toward Danzō.
He could not bear to see his old companion of many years, who had done Konoha's dirty work for so long, end his life completely disgraced.
But that was not the primary reason Hiruzen had chosen to deal leniently with Danzō regarding the Wood Release experiments.
The more important issue was…
Where had Danzō obtained the scientific expertise?
Root certainly possessed some talented people with decent academic knowledge, such as Yakushi Nono.
But when it came to Wood Release—complex cell transplantation, genetic harmonization, rejection responses, and so on—
none of that was something an ordinary researcher could accomplish.
Producing an outstanding "result" like Yamato inevitably required the involvement of a top-tier researcher.
There were very few people in Konoha with that level of ability.
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew only one.
"Could it be you… Orochimaru?"
That possibility frightened Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After all, Orochimaru was the disciple upon whom he had placed enormous expectations and the person he believed had the greatest chance of inheriting his mantle.
Hiruzen had always firmly believed that Orochimaru could lead Konoha toward an even stronger future.
But if Orochimaru had also participated in Danzō's inhumane forbidden experiments—or had secretly conducted even worse experiments on his own—
then…
it would be an extremely heavy blow to Konoha's future.
It could even cause their many years of master-disciple affection to completely collapse.
But simply ignoring it did not seem right either.
Doing so would clearly violate the Will of Fire.
Investigate or not investigate?
That was the question.
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into a dilemma.
…
Southeastern Land of Fire, Shakuka Town Stronghold.
Two or three days had passed since Asuma returned to Konoha.
Although they had not yet received a response from the village,
the atmosphere inside the camp had relaxed considerably compared with before.
The wounded had been properly treated, and most of them had survived.
Repairs to the stronghold were progressing steadily, with new improvements completed every day.
The frequency with which patrol teams encountered combat had also fallen sharply.
At this moment,
in a temporarily cleared open area near the edge of the stronghold,
an impromptu sparring match was underway…
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Obito formed seals almost simultaneously.
A scorching fireball and countless scattered sparks intertwined in midair, carrying waves of burning heat toward Yuu at the center of the field.
"Water Release… Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive torrent of water appeared seemingly from nowhere and crashed violently into the crimson flames.
A huge cloud of white steam instantly rose, swallowing the figures of both sides.
The thunderous collision between fire and water echoed violently across the training ground.
Naturally, this technique was one of the spoils Yuu had obtained from Kirigakure.
He had directly gifted it as a skin to Wild Water Wave.
Thanks to the Ever-Changing Flowing Form trait, even though it was being used in a place without a natural water source, the scale remained considerable.
The flames of the two Uchiha were quickly extinguished.
It was only after Kakashi slammed both hands against the ground and used Earth-Style Wall that the surging water was stopped and diverted into smaller muddy streams flowing to either side.
But immediately afterward…
"Careful!"
Shisui suddenly shouted.
Before his words had even finished, Obito and Kakashi felt the air in front of them distort.
Obito did not even have time to understand what was happening before a tremendous force struck him in the chest.
His entire body flew several meters off the ground before crashing heavily onto the earth.
Kakashi managed to raise his arms in defense, but he was still blasted backward by a punch. He performed a flip in midair and landed four or five meters away.
Only Shisui reacted immediately.
He raised an arm in front of himself and blocked one strike, only to be struck in the waist by another sweeping side kick.
He retreated several meters, dispersed the force, and regained his footing.
As the air twisted,
Yuu's figure appeared in place.
It was as though an invisible veil had been peeled away, allowing his body to become clear and solid once again at the center of the field.
Transparent Escape.
More precisely, it was Transparent Escape combined with the Substitution Technique and Super Strength.
The three together produced a visual effect roughly equivalent to a low-budget version of Limbo.
Aside from Shisui, whose Sharingan possessed the strongest visual power and had managed to catch a few clues, even Kakashi had failed to react in time and had taken a solid punch.
If Yuu had been using a sword just now…
someone might already have died.
Of course, Obito was definitely not satisfied.
After jumping up from the ground, he began forming seals with both hands while shouting,
"Yuu, you bastard! You actually used invisibility to sneak attack me…
"Fine! If you use Transparent Escape, then I'll use Transparent Escape too!
"Let's see whose is better!"
Obito had indeed learned Transparent Escape from Jiraiya and had practiced it privately quite often.
Although he was nowhere near as proficient as Yuu, when he activated it, his body really did appear as though it had been covered with a layer of frosted glass.
From certain angles, his outline became difficult to make out.
At this moment,
a text box from the galgame system quietly appeared.
[Transparent Escape: (Dressed in a seductive translucent veil, reclining lazily in an alluring pose) Tsk, tsk. What a crude imitation. It's practically an insult to this lady's elegance! My dear young man, hurry up and teach that ignorant little brat a lesson. Afterward… I'll make sure to "reward" you properly~]
"…Really?"
Yuu's eyes flickered.
After knowing Transparent Escape for so long, he had already become extremely familiar with this "perverted older sister's" speaking style.
From previous experience, these temporary requests that suddenly appeared could grant additional affection if completed.
Therefore…
"Then let's continue, Obito.
"Show me the limits of your caliber!"
What followed
was a completely one-sided training session in which Yuu also activated Transparent Escape and thoroughly beat Obito into shape.
From Kakashi and the others' perspective, all they could see was one vaguely visible silhouette repeatedly attacking another half-transparent figure.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After only a few punches, Obito was already howling in pain and was forced to cancel his translucent state.
[Transparent Escape affection +4! Current affection: 62/100]