Do You Want to Join a Mysterious Organization?

After settling Sasuke Uchiha down and promising to find him a powerful ninja to train and guide him, Daren Yi and Izumi Uchiha finally managed to shake off the little guy's reluctant clinginess.

Though he was still deeply disappointed that his instructor would not be a senior clansman who had awakened the Mangekyo, he pouted and sulked... which made him look even more like a cute little girl!

As they walked down the bustling streets of Konohagakure, watching families happily shopping together with their children, Izumi Uchiha grew increasingly melancholy and could not help asking:

"Brother Yi, why are there so many conflicts and so much harm in this world? Does eternal peace not exist?"

Daren Yi glanced at her, his expression a little strange. What was this? Did she want to pursue eternal peace too? "Invite" everyone in the world to dream at the moon together?

As long as all humanity was wiped out, the world would naturally enter "eternal peace"... Ultron and Little Moss would both want to cross the dimensional wall to give you a thumbs-up!

After thinking for a moment, Daren Yi spoke to her very solemnly:

"As long as humans have Emotions and Desires, the conflicts and contradictions they cause are unavoidable.

"But without any emotions or desires, would humans still be human? What would be the difference between living and dying?

"What humanity needs to avoid is only for those conflicts and contradictions to completely spiral out of control and lead to self-destruction.

"Do you remember that sea of emotions in my inner world? I emphasized it back then—it is both a burden and a source of strength!

"Riding the ship of the self, sailing through the sea of desires,

"I am myself,

"And I also symbolize humanity!"

In his heart, eternal, absolute peace did not exist, nor should it exist.

If humanity truly entered eternal absolute peace one day, it would also mean humanity had lost one of its greatest driving forces for progress and development.

Perhaps it might stagnate forever. After all, not moving and not changing were essentially equivalent to "death."

Night fell, and darkness once again shrouded Konohagakure. Too much had happened from last night until today, and every Ninja Clan was especially vigilant that evening, afraid that one careless misstep would somehow lead them down the same path as the Uchiha.

It had left them with quite the psychological shadow!

When Daren Yi slipped into the Hyuga Compound, he found Hyuga Branch Family guards taking turns standing watch with their Byakugan activated. The range covered by their Byakugan had sealed off the entire outer perimeter of the compound without leaving the slightest gap.

"Fortunately, I'm no ordinary ninja!"

Without even forming hand seals, Daren Yi swaggered straight past the activated Byakugan. After multiple upgrades and enhancements, he no longer needed hand seals to deceive and confuse the senses and cognition of ordinary Jonin.

The Hyuga Branch Family ninjas stood in pairs, their veined Byakugan glaring as they seriously guarded their assigned areas. Yet they turned a blind eye to the person walking right beneath their noses, making the scene especially ridiculous.

Byakugan: Report, I've spotted a suspicious person!

Brain: No, you saw nothing!

After entering the Hyuga Compound, perhaps due to privacy concerns, no one kept their Byakugan active to scan everywhere. Daren Yi walked to the gate of a fairly large courtyard in a more secluded area and politely knocked, showing not the slightest awareness that he was an uninvited intruder.

"Who is it? I'm already resting!"

The boy inside noticed that something was wrong, yet calmly refrained from shouting or calling for help. Perhaps his painful experiences had forced him to mature early, or perhaps he simply did not value his own life all that much.

"I'm the old grandpa who grants wishes, and I'm here to help fulfill one of yours! The wish you made during the day seemed to be for the Hyuga Clan to be exterminated just like the Uchiha. Is that right? Let me confirm it again!"

"..."

Even Neji Hyuga, calm as he was, visibly choked at that. Hearing Daren Yi's undisguised youthful voice and thinking back a little, he hesitantly asked, "Ancestor of Shamate? Daren Yi?"

"Huh? It's normal that you'd think of the Ancestor of Shamate, but it's a little surprising that you also know the Ancestor of Shamate is me, Daren Yi..."

Daren Yi paused briefly, then understood.

"You young clan heads from these Ninja Clans must have investigated the true identity of the Ancestor of Shamate out of curiosity. I never deliberately hid much about that identity anyway, so it's normal that you could investigate it easily."

"Yes. Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Shino Aburame, and most of the rest of us know a great deal about your experiences. Although we had never met in person, everyone in The House of the 'Shamate' Tribe regarded you as a very good friend and a reliable older brother.

"But I never expected that what we knew was only a tiny part of the truth..."

Neji Hyuga felt exceptionally conflicted. With a bitter smile, he walked out, opened the door, and invited Daren Yi in almost without any guard up.

Though it was late at night, Neji still strictly followed the Hyuga House's rules and etiquette. He politely invited Daren Yi to sit at the tea table, quickly brought him clear tea and several delicate pastries, then sat upright across from him with a serious expression.

At only eight years old, Neji Hyuga looked both polite and stiff, making him quite adorable.

Daren Yi sat there casually, watching the little guy bustle about without the slightest embarrassment. He only found it amusing. Clearing his throat, he teased, "Aren't you afraid? A net friend you've never met suddenly appearing at your door in the middle of the night?"

"I'm willing to trust you! Ancestor of Shamate, Daren Yi!"

Neji Hyuga recalled the countless times over the years when he had poured out the pain and torment in his heart to a stranger online, only to receive precise understanding and comfort in return. If he had not repeatedly vented the negative emotions piling up in his heart through that channel,

he did not know what his personality might have been twisted into. Perhaps he would have killed himself early? Perhaps he would have come to hate everything equally and want to destroy everything? Or perhaps he could have endured without changing much? He did not know...

"Uh..."

Faced with such a sincere child who trusted him, Daren Yi—who had always had a nasty personality and loved teasing others for amusement—suddenly did not know what to say.

Sincerity really was a killing move, no matter what it was used for!

The demon had been defeated by innocence...

Setting down the teacup in his hand, Daren Yi decided to speak plainly:

"The Shamate Group you know is only an outer organization. I'm here to invite you to join the real Shamate Organization. You have that potential! In return, the Shamate Organization will solve the problem of your Caged Bird Curse Mark!"

Bang!

Neji tried hard to maintain a calm expression, but the teacup he accidentally knocked onto the floor revealed just how excited he was.

The Caged Bird Curse Mark, which he had desperately believed to be fate—an eternal curse—was so easily resolved by this mysterious Shamate Organization?