To be precise.
This wasn't a ninjutsu or secret technique, but an ability of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
"Hm?"
Kyoichi released his chakra and quickly sensed a figure concealed in the darkness nearby. From that person's position, they could clearly see into his courtyard, and even part of the interior of his house.
Anbu?
Kanda Kyoichi didn't turn around.
He knew the other party was most likely watching him right now.
Extending his perception farther, he sensed another Anbu member in a different direction from his house. Beyond that, however, there was no one else.
Two Anbu!
Kyoichi retracted his chakra. After thinking for a moment, he already understood.
He had only been a Chunin before, and the people above surely knew exactly how strong he was. After returning injured, his strength had increased considerably, and his physique had improved as well.
The Third Hokage might have guessed it.
The surveillance was partly a precaution, and partly to confirm his condition.
The two Anbu had probably been following him since yesterday.
"Senju bloodline..."
Kyoichi pondered for a moment and narrowed his eyes. In the end, he said nothing and pretended not to know that there were Anbu around his home.
But.
He wasn't only considering the Third Hokage.
There was also Danzo.
Most of Konoha's dirty business was connected to him. Saying that nine out of ten conspiracies were his doing would hardly be unfair.
That was why Danzo had been called the Pot Kage in his previous life.
Kyoichi had previously felt that Danzo was rather pitiful, spending his whole life taking the blame for the Third Hokage. But now that he was in Konoha, he couldn't help considering the influence Danzo brought with him—
That old bastard should have been secretly researching Hashirama Cells in recent years, right?
Previously, the only person with a true Senju bloodline left in Konoha had been Tsunade. Tsunade was extremely powerful and highly respected, so Danzo didn't dare touch her.
However.
He was different.
Only Kyoichi remained of the Kanda family. As a single Chunin, if Danzo secretly dealt with him, no one would dare say anything.
The more Kyoichi thought about it, the more dangerous the situation seemed.
The current Konoha was under the authority of the Third Hokage and Danzo. It was truly difficult to predict what these two old schemers might do.
Fortunately, he had obtained Chakra Sensing.
With this Sensory Jutsu, he could at least anticipate his opponent's actions in advance.
"Actually, if it were only Hashirama Cells, getting my hands on them would benefit me greatly. But dealing with Danzo... would be no different from seeking skin from a tiger."
"That's all for today's class. Many of you still haven't met the standard for the Three Body Techniques."
"You'll have to keep practicing when you go back."
Another day of classes ended.
Kyoichi was somewhat tired.
There were quite a few geniuses in this class, but many of them still had poor chakra control—
As students, they were naturally good enough.
However.
As Genin who would be sent to the battlefield, they still had a long way to go.
Obito, for one, was improving very quickly.
He could already climb trees!
That guy really did have decent talent. Unfortunately, he kept muttering about the Sharingan, as if opening his eyes would let him destroy the world.
Kyoichi felt helplessly exasperated.
After leaving the academy, he secretly used Chakra Sensing to observe his surroundings.
The Anbu were gone.
"Have they left?"
Kyoichi considered it privately.
If it had been Root, they definitely wouldn't have given up so easily.
It seemed they were the Third Hokage's subordinates.
That was a good thing.
He let out a sigh of relief, then touched his pocket and couldn't help sighing again.
He had originally planned to find someone to forge him a sword.
But...
He was broke!
He understood Kakuzu now.
Because at this moment, he almost wanted to find a wanted criminal and arrest them for the reward money.
A Chunin's salary was far too low.
Forget it.
He would train first.
As for the sword, he would wait until he got paid.
Kyoichi followed Konoha's roads and began running toward the outskirts.
However.
Before long, he sensed someone following behind him.
He continued forward without showing any reaction.
Shisui caught up from behind and was just about to move ahead when a cold Kunai suddenly pressed against his neck.
The runner ahead turned into a wisp of smoke.
A clone!
Shisui was astonished.
"Teacher, you noticed me?"
"How hard could it be to notice you? Don't you still have class?"
Kyoichi made a joke, then put away the Kunai.
Shisui bowed lightly.
He looked as if he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to.
"Come on. Want to run together?"
"Yes!"
Seeing that his teacher didn't question him, a hint of joy appeared on Shisui's face.
Then.
He followed behind Kyoichi as the two ran one after another along the road.
Only after they were far from Konoha did Shisui catch up and whisper, "Teacher, when I went home yesterday, the Clan Head hoped that I could graduate this year and then... join the Anbu."
"Your Clan Head? Fugaku Uchiha?"
Kyoichi raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.
No wonder Shisui had waited until they were this far away to say it. At the same time, Kyoichi was surprised that Shisui would discuss this with him.
This kid...
He really trusts me.
"Heh, what the hell does he know!"
"Huh?"
Shisui froze for a moment.
His teacher...
He was actually saying something like that? It left Shisui rather surprised.
"Shisui, you're a smart person. And the fact that you trust me enough to discuss this with me moves me. Do you understand what your Clan Head means?"
"I can guess."
Shisui lowered his voice.
Although he was young, he was clever and precocious, and already understood many things.
For example.
The Clan Head's intention was clearly for him to quickly demonstrate his talent and show that he leaned toward Konoha, then join the Anbu and serve the Uchiha.
But.
He felt that there was something wrong with doing that.
"Shisui, you're studying at the Ninja Academy. Have you encountered anything unpleasant?"
"Unpleasant? Hmm... not really. It's just that the other students don't want to get close to those of us from the Uchiha."
"Do you know why?"
Kyoichi smiled.
Shisui shook his head.
"You're still young, and there are many things you can't decide for yourself. You might not understand even if I explain them to you, but you can hold on to your own thoughts. Observe and think more from your own perspective."
"As for the problem you've encountered, you can think about its cause. Consider it an extra question for skipping class this time."
After saying that, Kyoichi directly increased his pace.
Think about the reason?
Shisui was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.
He pondered while running.
However.
Shisui had never thought about such things before.
Previously, he had simply thought that since those students ignored him, he would ignore them in return.
He would graduate soon anyway.
But.
Digging into the reason...
Could it be simply because he was from the Uchiha clan?
But.
Why?
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Before he knew it, he had followed Kyoichi for quite a distance. He was panting with exhaustion. Kyoichi had actually slowed down already, but Shisui seemed not to notice and continued running behind him.
Soon.
They ran back to Konoha.
"All right, that's enough for today. Once you've figured it out, we'll talk again."
Kyoichi smiled.
Class conflict wasn't something he could simply explain to Shisui. Shisui definitely wouldn't understand it.
It would be better to let him think it over himself first.
Besides.
There happened to be an example right here.
"Yes!"
Shisui nodded solemnly.
Kyoichi left. Shisui was about to return to the Uchiha clan compound when a casual glance revealed someone who surprised him.
Obito!
Why was he here?
This was a small village on the outskirts of Konoha. Most of its residents were civilians, along with some elderly men and women. Obito seemed to have an excellent relationship with them, chatting and laughing as he ate the fruit the old women had given him.
Why?
Before you continue