Church of Bones

"Uchiha Sōgetsu, by Lord Hokage's order, I am here to take you to the Anbu."

An Anbu wearing a white Animal Mask was already waiting in the corridor outside the Hokage's Office.

His codename was Elephant. Rumor had it that he was one of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's most trusted guards. Sōgetsu narrowed his eyes slightly and activated Spiritual Vision to observe him.

The Ether Body's aura was somewhat black, indicating that he was in a poor mood, mixed with a certain sorrow.

"Alright, thank you for the trouble." Sōgetsu was very polite.

However, to the Anbu, emotions were merely unnecessary burdens. Elephant only gave him a cold glance, signaling for Sōgetsu to follow.

Alright, looks like he didn't appreciate it.

Sōgetsu sighed inwardly. Though he had known the outcome long ago, he still could not help but curse. The Second Hokage really was a fucking piece of work.

Thanks to Tobirama Senju's policies, as the Uchiha Clan grew increasingly powerful and its internal conflicts with the Hokage faction intensified, the Uchiha Clan's reputation throughout Konoha at this time was not quite to the point of being universally despised, but it was not far off.

Following Elephant to Anbu headquarters, Sōgetsu could clearly sense that the atmosphere here seemed quite heavy.

Almost everyone's emotions carried a faint trace of sorrow.

"Was it because of Hatake Sakumo's suicide?" Sōgetsu narrowed his eyes slightly, roughly guessing the reason for the Anbu's low spirits.

Hatake Sakumo, an Elite Jonin, was known as Konoha's White Fang.

His name carried even greater deterrence in the ears of the ninja nations than the Legendary Sannin.

The fact that he had made ninjas who would sacrifice their lives to complete missions voluntarily say, "If you encounter Konoha's White Fang, you may abandon the mission," spoke for itself.

Hatake Sakumo was not merely a powerful ninja. He also served as the head of the Anbu division, an inspiring and powerful symbol both within and beyond Konoha.

Yet such a powerful spiritual "symbol" had died by absurd suicide for what was practically a joke of a reason.

He had abandoned a mission to save his companions, only to be blamed by the very companions he had saved. In the end, unable to endure the ostracism and gossip, he chose suicide.

Heh. No matter how one looked at it, that reason was complete bullshit.

Konoha's White Fang, who had carved out a fearsome reputation with nothing but a short blade, had actually committed suicide over something so trivial?

In the end, White Fang had simply been in someone's way. If anyone was to blame, it could only be himself. Who told him that Konoha's universally admired White Fang had accomplishments and fame that were about to overshadow Lord Hokage himself?

From that perspective, calling it "suicide" was not exactly wrong.

The process of joining the Anbu was not particularly long. With the Hokage's written order, he only needed to choose a codename and register the relevant information.

For example: name, age, gender, ninjutsu he excelled at, missions he had completed before, and so on.

"Uchiha Sōgetsu, male, fifteen years old, jonin, codename Owl, specializes in Medical Ninjutsu, Psychological Therapy?"

The Anbu in charge of registration looked up at this point and stared at him in surprise.

The Anbu's full name was the Assassination Tactics Special Force. As the name suggested, they were a special unit responsible for assassinations.

It was not as though no one knew Medical Ninjutsu, but few people would list Medical Ninjutsu as their specialty in their records.

And what the hell was this Psychological Therapy?

"It is treatment aimed at the spiritual realm, with theories similar to Medical Ninjutsu." Sōgetsu seemed long accustomed to such surprised looks and smiled.

"The human mind is very fragile. Grief, pain, fear... even the slightest harm can leave irreparable scars. My responsibility is to help such people smooth over the scars in their hearts."

"I... roughly understand." The Anbu's expression was strange.

"Oh, right. I recently introduced a new treatment program." As he spoke, Sōgetsu handed over a business card.

The Anbu lowered his head and saw the words written on the card: Sōgetsu Psychological Clinic.

Under the other man's puzzled gaze, he smiled and explained, "Wish Fulfillment Therapy can allow patients to realize their former dreams in their sleep and make up for past regrets. If you have time, you can come try it. Since we will be colleagues from now on, I can give you a twenty percent discount."

Holy shit, 100,000 ryō per session?!

Seeing the price on the business card, the Anbu's whole body trembled, and he nearly threw it onto the floor in fright.

A B-rank Mission usually only paid around 50,000 Ryo. This was almost as much as an A-rank Mission!

"No need." The Anbu decisively shook his head in refusal.

What kind of joke was this?

After risking one's life to complete an A-rank Mission, one would only receive around thirty or forty thousand Ryo. Only an idiot would spend it on some Psychological Therapy!

"Alright."

Sōgetsu was slightly disappointed. It seemed he still had a long way to go before completing the Side Quest.

"Alright, you may leave now."

Elephant, who had remained silent beside them, spoke up to interrupt his sales pitch. "If there is a mission, someone will notify you."

"Alright, then I'll be going." Sōgetsu waved goodbye. Before leaving, he smiled and said, "If you need Psychological Therapy, you can contact me anytime."

Gazing at Sōgetsu's back as it gradually disappeared into the dim corridor, Elephant's eyes turned somewhat solemn. "Owl... an unsettling codename."

"You seem very wary of him, Elephant." The Anbu registering the information said, "Is it because of the name 'Uchiha'?"

"N-No, it is not just because he is Uchiha."

Elephant shook his head, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes. "It is only a feeling. Lin Jiao, I do not know why, but when facing him, I feel uneasy."

"Perhaps you are simply mistaken."

Lin Jiao smiled and advised casually, "No matter how one looks at it, he is merely a somewhat talented Uchiha brat."

"I hope... so."

Elephant suppressed the unease in his heart and let out a deep breath. "Lord White Fang's funeral should be today, right?"

"Yeah, I heard it is today." At the mention of White Fang, Lin Jiao's voice grew lower, carrying a trace of barely perceptible sorrow. "Lord White Fang actually... Even now, I still cannot believe it. Do you think Lord White Fang really would..."

"Lin Jiao!"

Before Lin Jiao could finish, Elephant's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he shouted, "Shut up! Do not forget, we are Anbu!"

"Yes, we are Anbu."

Lin Jiao lowered his head bitterly and said nothing more.

Had Lord White Fang truly died by suicide?

He did not dare ask, much less seek the truth, because they were only Anbu.

And the Anbu's greatest duty was to obey the Hokage.

After finishing a busy day, Sōgetsu finally returned to the Uchiha Residence.

In the dim room, after washing away his fatigue, Sōgetsu was preparing to sleep when he casually ignited the inconspicuous brass-colored candlestick sitting in the corner.

"I hope tonight will be a good dream."

He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

Dark-stained mist spread through the dream. Time was stretched infinitely at this moment, and his perceptions became hazy and indistinct.

Star-like scenes flickered in and out of view within the Black Mist, occasionally mixed with murmurs like whispered voices—sometimes illusory, sometimes frenzied, sometimes restless.

His scattered thoughts gathered and sank toward the deeper layers of the dream.

Falling, falling without end.

At last, after sinking to the bottom of the dream, his scattered consciousness gathered once more.

The gathered consciousness formed a vague, hazy figure standing within a towering and magnificent cathedral. Every pillar and every arch supporting the church was formed from the bones of different races and creatures, densely piled together in chaotic heaps.

Its dome was covered with countless white skulls, their hollow eyes watching the hall below.

Upon the enormous cross forged from bones, countless hands twisted and coiled around it, as though worshipping it. Though so strange, it carried not even a bit of evil; instead, it was filled with sacred meaning.

Upon every window and door of the church, transparent, twisted faces struggled as though trying to force their way inside, tugging them into enormous bulges.

A moment later, another hazy figure appeared within the towering Church of Bones.

The first figure, standing beneath the Bone Cross like a devout believer, seemed to have long anticipated this. Smiling, he slowly said, "So, can you answer my question now? Having witnessed the course of your own fate with your own eyes, do you still intend to continue down this path?"

The second figure was silent for a long time before speaking in a complicated tone. "Will the future truly be as you described?"

"You may choose not to believe."

That figure's voice was soft and calm. Though gentle, it contained a trace of unquestionable certainty.

"Then... I agree."

The second figure let out a bitter sigh. "I hope our efforts can change the future you described."

"The future proclaimed by the Lord... will surely unfold and become reality."

Beneath the hazy veil, Uchiha Sōgetsu smiled faintly. "Welcome to the Twilight Hermit Society, Hatake Sakumo!"

December 2nd, overcast.

Today, I bought two scratch-off tickets and lost 40 Ryo total. Damn it, why didn't I win? Please, kind readers, have mercy and give me some bookmarks, recommendations, and investments.