Light and Darkness (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Under the moonlight, the Uchiha Clan compound was not as brightly lit as the commercial district; despite being located in the "Second Ring," the atmosphere was vastly different from the rest of the village.

As he was about to leave the area, Shu Furukawa, hands tucked into his pockets, looked toward the shadows and spoke a warning:

"You've been following me for long enough. Don't make me invite you out."

"..."

No one responded. The Root ninja hidden in the corner held his breath, forming hand seals, attempting to lock onto the target to use the Mind Transfer Jutsu.

The pupils behind the mask suddenly constricted. Kneeling on the ground, the Root ninja realized Shu Furukawa had vanished, and he mentally cried out, "Body Flicker Technique!"

"Urgh..."

Shu Furukawa gripped the Root ninja's throat and hoisted him into the air. The ninja let out an involuntary sound, his youthful face behind the mask turning hideous from the lack of oxygen.

"What a despicable tactic. Sending a child to monitor me—a boring provocation."

Shu Furukawa commented in a low voice and casually tossed the Root youth to the ground. The boy was undoubtedly marked with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, rendering "Talk no Jutsu" useless.

In a previous mission, a Root ninja from the Aburame Clan had left a deep impression on Shu Furukawa; had his Chidori Current not caught the opponent off guard, that battle would not have ended so easily.

The child from the Yamanaka Clan before him likely possessed special talents as well; Root always managed to absorb these outliers from the great ninja clans.

"Captain Yamanaka has looked after me before. Send an adult next time."

"Just go back and report exactly what happened."

Shu Furukawa left the boy with nothing but his retreating back. The Root youth, collapsed on the ground and gasping for air, struggled to prop up his upper body. He felt no relief; instead, a sense of loss welled up in his heart:

"I have disappointed Lord Danzo..."

At 5:00 AM, Shu Furukawa finished refining Sage Chakra at home. Through the senses of his Spirit Transformation Technique, the mist of Sage Chakra stored within his Strength of a Hundred Seal had grown even denser.

His body was slowly absorbing this power. As he aged, the most obvious change in Shu Furukawa was his increasing strength and the growing volume of chakra he could extract.

Katsuyu, perched on his shoulder, began to wiggle her antennae happily, her perception strengthening every day:

"Will Lady Tsunade become the Hokage?"

Shu Furukawa was surprised to hear Katsuyu's soft, sweet voice and asked out of curiosity:

"Even Katsuyu cares about such things? The Hokage shouldn't mean much to you."

"It is merely a guess based on the changes in Lady Tsunade. She told me of this dream when she was young."

Katsuyu's tone turned light; seeing a contractor's dream come true was an interesting experience for her.

Shu Furukawa hadn't expected the slug sage to have such a hobby. Thinking of the increasingly diligent Tsunade, he said softly:

"Teacher Tsunade has a great chance, but in the end, it depends on the village's decision."

"I only want to give my teacher a push. As for the result, it is not that important; after all, I haven't held too many expectations."

"Most people do not like to share power. Breaking the balance might trigger turmoil, and the 'darkness' of Root will continue to spread."

Katsuyu wiggled her antennae. She couldn't be bothered to think too deeply about it and simply sighed casually:

"Human thoughts are truly complicated!"

The disappearance of the Third Kazekage had made the atmosphere in the ninja world tense. Konoha began to strengthen border patrols, and the stockpiling of supplies accelerated accordingly.

At Konoha Hospital, the number of wounded began to rise. C-rank missions were becoming dangerous, and even Genin could not avoid sustaining injuries.

In the lobby, Rin Nohara performed the Healing Technique with a solemn expression to complete a preliminary treatment. The girl had been busy from morning until afternoon, and her body had reached its limit; when she stood up, she couldn't help but sway twice.

"Rin, don't push yourself too hard! Leave the remaining wounded to me."

Shizune supported the girl. Rin Nohara revealed a bright smile and replied in a low voice:

"It's alright, a few minutes of rest will be enough."

In the evening, when Obito Uchiha came to the Medical Corps to visit Rin Nohara and saw the girl's pale complexion, he immediately asked with concern:

"Why are you so exhausted? Rin, don't push yourself so hard!"

Perhaps the sight of the two being affectionate irritated those ninjas who had lost their comrades. A Genin with his right arm in a sling sneered:

"Can staying in the hospital to enjoy subsidies really be called pushing yourself?"

"It's naive brats like you who make the enemy more arrogant. You cowards only advocate for passive defense..."

Obito could endure the mockery directed at himself, but when it touched upon Rin Nohara, he immediately rushed over, grabbed the man by the collar, and shouted in a burning rage:

"Apologize to Rin right now! Otherwise, I'll make you regret it!"

"Do people of the Uchiha Clan only know how to bully us civilian ninjas?"

"Get out, you Uchiha bastard!"

"..."

The Uchiha crest incited the wounded in the lobby. Obito did not realize that as local conflicts intensified and war loomed, many people's hearts were filled with anger and fear.

Gradually surrounded by the crowd, Obito tried to argue loudly, but the ninjas were in no mood for patience, and soon they began to shove one another.

Just as a conflict was about to erupt, a "chi-chi" sound suddenly rang out.

Chakra-infused Chidori Senbon, shimmering with blue electricity, struck the legs of the group with pinpoint accuracy, causing the men who had been shoving each other to collapse to the floor.

Obito Uchiha fell as well, but when he looked at his legs, he saw nothing. Just as he was about to stand up and continue the argument, a familiar voice reached his ears:

"Conflicts are prohibited here."

Shu Furukawa appeared in the hall wearing his medical ninja uniform. The Chidori Senbon he had just used had forced everyone to regain their composure, and they all lowered their heads in unison, saying:

"Apologies, Lord Shu..."

The chunin responsible for maintaining order in the hospital finally "stepped forward" at this moment; they had been watching the show the whole time, secretly hoping to see the Uchiha get taken down a peg.

The thick-headed Obito Uchiha didn't notice the details. With eyes only for Rin Nohara, he immediately rushed to the girl's side and asked with concern:

"Are you alright, Rin? Those guys are despicable, but I will protect you."

Rin Nohara had keenly sensed the recent changes in the hospital and associated them with the war, but seeing Obito's concerned expression, she smiled and said:

"Thanks to you, Obito! Don't mind everyone's attitude; many people have lost their companions."

Obito beamed at the praise. After a moment, he connected it to the tense atmosphere in the village and muttered subconsciously:

"War, huh?"

By mid-February, news that the Third Kazekage had vanished and that Sunagakure was likely in the midst of internal strife was spreading widely throughout the village.

As Sunagakure chose to reinforce its border with more ninja units, the "Hardline Faction" in Konoha once again petitioned for war.

At some point, a rumor had begun to circulate through the village that if they won the war, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind would entrust his commissions to Konoha.

Although a moment of careful thought would reveal this to be impossible, many ninjas chose to believe it, and for a time, the "Hardline Faction" stirred up a massive wave of support.

Tsunade, who had been buried in paperwork in her office since early morning, was in a foul mood. War always triggered unpleasant associations for her, and the calls for war within the village only filled her with disgust.

"Master Tsunade needs to balance work and rest; frowning will cause wrinkles."

Shu Furukawa handed her a cup of hot tea. Tsunade shot him an annoyed glance before sitting up straight and whispering:

"What is the village trying to do? Spreading rumors like this, and the Old Man hasn't even stopped them."

"Master, the commissions aren't enough to go around. War seems to be the only way to solve that problem."

There were too many "tools" that needed to be expended, and they could secure more benefits in the process. Tsunade understood this, but hearing it from Shu Furukawa still made her feel uneasy:

"This isn't something a brat like you should be considering! Go pour me another cup of tea."

Shu Furukawa put on a helpless expression. Tsunade finally smiled, watching her disciple's back as she sighed inwardly:

"Having talent that is too outstanding really does cause one trouble..."