Chapter 104: Nara Shikaku: Third, Your Move Stinks
Outside Ichiraku Ramen, Kakashi and Guy were walking side-by-side, just about to enter the shop.
Swish! Boom boom boom!!
"Huh? Distress signals? No, wait, there are retreat signals too?"
Guy, in his green jumpsuit, froze for a moment upon seeing the signals.
Reacting, without considering why such chaotic signals would appear, he said to Kakashi, full of hot-blooded enthusiasm: "Kakashi! Let's race to see who gets there first!"
However, Kakashi ignored this worked-up fellow.
He put away the small book in his hand, looking up towards the signals' location with his pair of dead-fish eyes.
"If I remember correctly, that should be the direction of the Uchiha clan grounds, right?"
During this period, ANBU had stopped interfering in the Uchiha clan's affairs; everything was transferred to Root.
Heard Root had a secret operation, unfortunately, their ANBU couldn't obtain internal core intelligence.
"Hmm?"
Guy stopped, puzzled, scratching his head: "What's wrong, Kakashi?"
Kakashi frowned deeply but just shook his head.
He had many thoughts, but ultimately, they were just speculations.
Regardless, as a qualified ninja, one must immediately provide support upon seeing a distress signal.
"Alright then! Let's..."
Seeing Kakashi not stopping him, Guy crouched down, shouting.
But just as he was about to sprint towards the target location,
A masked figure appeared before the two.
"By order of Lord Hokage, all ANBU ninja are to proceed to ANBU Headquarters and await orders."
With that, he vanished before Kakashi and Guy using the Body Flicker Technique.
Thump!
Under the force of inertia, Guy braked sharply, nearly falling flat on his face.
"Huh?"
He stared blankly at the ninja who had vanished before him, then turned to Kakashi: "Kakashi, what do we do?"
Go support the target location first, or follow Lord Hokage's order and assemble at ANBU Headquarters?
A trace of doubt flashed in Kakashi's eyes. He murmured: "I thought I was overthinking it, but now it seems..."
Could the higher-ups... have actually made a move against the Uchiha clan?
And that ninja just now was clearly ANBU, not Root.
ANBU wouldn't take orders from Danzō.
Meaning...
Kakashi's face suddenly changed.
No matter what, his speculation was truly outrageous.
No matter how arrogant the Uchiha were, no matter how ruthless Lord Third was, they couldn't possibly, and shouldn't, go down that path, right?
The more Kakashi thought, the more his head ached.
"What should we do next?"
...
Hyūga clan grounds. The candlelight in the Clan Head's residence flickered.
Swish!!
A Hyūga ninja suddenly appeared in the courtyard, kneeling on one knee outside the Clan Head's residence.
"Lord Clan Head, those signals..."
He looked at the dark silhouette sitting cross-legged inside, about to report the signals coming from afar.
"Mm, I already know."
But before he could finish, Hyūga Hiashi's complex-toned voice came from the residence, directly interrupting him.
Hiashi said: "The Third has already ordered all Hyūga clansmen to remain within the clan grounds and await orders. No one is to act rashly before receiving commands."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Hyūga ninja's eyes widened.
"This..."
Although he wanted to say more, looking at the silent dark silhouette, he finally swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
The Hyūga ninja hesitated for a moment, then slowly lowered his head: "I understand."
As a branch family ninja, he had no right to question any decision of the main family head.
After this Hyūga ninja left,
The upright figure inside the room suddenly slumped.
"Sigh..."
Hyūga Hiashi collapsed onto the floor, sighing deeply, his eyes filled with the sorrow of a fox grieving for a dead rabbit.
"Konoha's number one ninja clan is about to disappear. Those old geezers should be very happy, right? But the Hyūga's future... can we only be dogs?"
Inside the Nara clan grounds, Nara Shikamaru and his father Nara Shikaku were sitting before a Go board, playing against each other.
Only at times like this could Shikamaru muster some enthusiasm.
However, looking at the bad move his father just made, Shikamaru couldn't help frowning.
Such a low-level mistake; he didn't even suspect it was a trap from his father.
After all, a trap needed to be sufficiently concealed.
Shikamaru asked: "Father, are you troubled by something?"
Shikaku, whose gaze was somewhat unfocused, finally snapped back to reality.
"Really now, you actually saw through me, brat."
Shikaku shook his head with a bitter smile: "It's still too early to tell you these things now."
The Ino-Shika-Chō and other clans had also received similar orders.
This made him understand: the Uchiha clan was completely finished.
Although he had been cultivating Shikamaru's military knowledge, political matters could only be systematically cultivated after graduation at the earliest.
Knowing too much too early would only cause a child to develop badly.
Slap!
"Tch, adults are so troublesome."
Shikamaru curled his lip, made a move, and said lazily: "If you don't want to say, then don't. Anyway, I just want to be a casual ninja, earn some casual money, then retire and play Chinese chess or Go with friends, living a leisurely and carefree reclusive life."
"Being so lazy at such a young age isn't very good, you know. Besides, if you don't find a wife, your mother won't agree."
Hearing his father's teasing, Shikamaru pondered for a moment, then reluctantly said: "Then I'll marry an ordinary woman who's neither too beautiful nor too ugly, have two kids, first a girl, then a boy. After the children get married and the son becomes independent, I'll retire."
Shikaku merely smiled upon hearing this, noncommittal about his son's dream.
His son was very much like himself.
Likes to be lazy, likes to sleep, wants to wake up naturally every day.
Unfortunately, things are never that simple.
Living in this world, one often cannot act of their own volition.
He turned his head to look out the window, towards the Hokage Tower, a gloomy look flashing in his eyes.
"Lord Third... this move of yours... stinks..."
The Ino-Shika-Chō clans have always been loyal to the person sitting in the Hokage's seat.
Sarutobi Hiruzen just happened to be sitting in that position.
This doesn't mean they, Ino-Shika-Chō, can only be loyal to him.
...
At this moment, inside the Root base, Danzō was also flying into a thunderous rage.
The successive distress signals nearly lit up the entire Konoha sky.
Anyone in Konoha, as long as their eyes weren't blind and ears not deaf, could basically see them.
Thump!
Danzō, furious, directly smashed the teacup on the table to the ground.
"What's going on?! How could someone send distress signals? Wasn't it sealed off?!"
Although he knew Sarutobi Hiruzen would help him deal with it, it definitely couldn't be hidden after the clan extermination night.
And since Sarutobi Hiruzen was "unaware" from beginning to end, he would surely have to take the blame.
The Root ninja kneeling before Danzō was startled, his body trembling slightly.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke: "Sir, that location... should be outside the Uchiha clan grounds, near the Konoha barrier."
That area should be ANBU's responsibility.
"Konoha barrier?!"
Instantly, Danzō's eyes widened further: "Why is someone sending signals at the Konoha barrier's location? Could that masked man be planning to break ties?!"
He had thought it was Uchiha clansmen who seized an unguarded moment to send distress signals.
But just then.
Rumble!
Another distress signal exploded in the night sky.
Veins bulged on Danzō's forehead. He forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart.
"Go! Go check out the situation right now!!"
"Yes!"
The Root ninja hastily vanished from Danzō's sight.
Looking at the light in the night sky, an ominous premonition rose in Danzō's heart.
Could some accident have occurred?
...
Meanwhile, Obito had already left Konoha's area.
He looked around with an ugly expression, feeling somewhat alarmed and uncertain.
"Obito."
A black and white pitcher plant suddenly emerged beside him, its tone grave: "Who was that masked man? Why did you suddenly leave?"
It was just collecting Sharingan when it suddenly noticed Obito's chakra disappear, so it hurriedly chased after him.
Moreover, it had a feeling.
That masked man seemed to have noticed it.
"Do I need to report my actions to you?"
Obito snapped back, glancing at him coldly: "I have already fulfilled my promise. Now I need to go back for treatment. You wait here to meet Uchiha Itachi and bring him to the Akatsuki base."
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu heard his arrogant tone and couldn't help their lips twitching.
Does this guy really think he's Uchiha Madara?
Escaping so wretchedly, yet still talking tough.
Unfortunately, Uchiha Obito didn't know their thoughts.
After instructing Zetsu, he entered his intangible state again, heading towards the base.
"Crimson Moon, Ame-no-Minakanushi..."
Obito walked through the Kamui dimension, pondering inwardly: "Where on earth did that guy pop out from?"
And that guy actually knew the principle of his pupil technique!
This gave Obito, originally extremely conceited about his abilities, a sense of crisis.
The reason he hadn't thought of taking back his other Mangekyō Sharingan, besides still harboring some indescribable feeling for Kakashi, was also because until now, no one had been able to pose a threat to him.
Mangekyō Sharingan, Space-Time pupil technique, plus the enhancement to his pupil power from half a White Zetsu body...
Even Nagato, wielding the Rinnegan, couldn't cause him any harm.
But, his ever-victorious pupil technique was actually deciphered today.
That guy called Ame-no-Minakanushi had discovered Kamui's weakness.
"Should I take back that eye...?"
As long as he took back Kakashi's eye, he could use the other eye's pupil technique, even use Susanoo.
Obito looked down at the large hole in his left abdomen, a trace of hesitation in his eyes.
...
Inside Ichiraku Ramen.
Slurp slurp~
Naruto, for a rare change, ate his fill, slurping down the ramen heartily.
Then, under Teuchi's expectant gaze, he drank all the remaining soup in the bowl.
"Thank you for the meal."
Hearing Naruto's proper thanks, Teuchi also smiled contentedly: "Ahaha~ As long as the guest likes my ramen!"
Naruto smiled gently, about to say something, but was suddenly interrupted by the Nine-Tails' voice.
"Naruto, something doesn't feel right!"
(End of Chapter)
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