Think Less, Read More

The wind swept through the trees, and Hyuga Shingetsu broke out in a cold sweat.

She was so caught up in Akashi's words that her mind had turned to mush. Her clan's teachings, the ideological education at school, and Akashi's outrageous arguments were all tangled together.

Meanwhile, Akashi tore off a strip of cloth and used it to extend her Forehead Protector.

"There. You should be able to wear it now."

"Thank you," Shingetsu said sincerely. "I've been thinking a lot, but I can't make sense of anything. Maybe things like fate are too profound for me. The more I think about it, the more confused I get."

"Now isn't the time to think about it." Akashi smiled. "You should read more first."

"Read more?"

"That's right. Thought has to be based on a certain level of knowledge. You haven't even seen what the world is like, so how can you understand it? Go to the library and read more books."

The library?

She knew the place existed, but she had never been there.

"Come with me." Akashi pressed his advantage.

Shingetsu nodded. She didn't know what she was doing, but an impulse seemed to be guiding her, telling her this was the right thing to do.

Konoha Library was a good place. It didn't house the many ninjutsu scrolls and classified records found in the forbidden archives, but its rows of shelves were packed with all sorts of interesting books.

The breadth of its collection was beyond imagination.

There were books on subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology in the Shinobi World. More specialized topics included mechanics, thermodynamics, engineering materials...

Almost no one showed any interest in this knowledge. Children couldn't understand it, while adults were busy making ends meet. At most, they read a few novels to unwind after a hard day's work.

Ninjas generally cared more about ninjutsu and tended to turn up their noses at books like these.

Since most people weren't interested, few visitors came to the library. It was usually very quiet, which suited Akashi just fine.

They entered the library. It was completely empty.

It was Shingetsu's first time there, and she couldn't help feeling surprised. "Why is nobody here?"

Akashi smiled. "It's just the two of us. Isn't that nice?"

He had come many times to look for information about the God Tree, so he knew the place fairly well.

As they walked, they scanned the shelves. Most of the books were serious academic papers, but out of the corner of his eye, Akashi spotted a few that were less than serious.

Postpartum Care for Summoned Beasts

Appreciation of Wood Style Architectural Art

Three Steps to Soloing a Tailed Beast, with Funeral Banquet Guide as a bonus

Akashi eventually picked out several old books describing Kekkei Genkai, along with some works on chemistry and biology from various countries, including the Encyclopedia of the Ninja World.

"What are you taking these for?" Hyuga Shingetsu asked with a frown, puzzled.

With what she knew, she found it hard to understand Akashi's thinking.

"These books might contain a way to undo the Caged Bird Seal. Every technique must have a flaw. The only question is whether anyone's discovered it."

"So you're going to look for an answer in these books?"

"I'll give it a try."

"But none of these books have anything to do with ninjutsu."

"Sometimes, knowledge is power."

Akashi didn't want to say something like, "In the Shinobi World, it's not chakra that matters, it's science." After all, everyone in this world had 130 trillion cells, an amount far beyond what he understood about the human body. The First, Hashirama Senju, could create a forest in a matter of seconds—something that went beyond any understanding of ninjutsu and could only be called a miracle.

Chakra was the cornerstone of science.

Everything he had learned before had to be taken with a grain of salt.

Even so, scientific knowledge still had universal applications.

There was no doubt about that.

"Do many people even read biology books? Ordinary people wouldn't understand them."

Shingetsu had only glanced at the pages, but she already felt a headache coming on.

The technical terms were difficult and awkward. She couldn't make heads or tails of them, and suddenly she thought the calculations for Kunai throwing arcs at the Ninja Academy were much more approachable.

More importantly, what use were these books to a ninja?

Especially to the Uchiha Clan.

Shouldn't they put powerful strength above everything else?

Could it be because of me?

An impractical thought suddenly popped into Shingetsu's mind, and her face turned red in an instant.

"What's wrong? Is it hot?" Akashi noticed the change in Shingetsu's expression and asked curiously.

"N-no, I'm fine." She pressed a hand to her pounding heart and suppressed her wild thoughts. "Can you understand these books?"

"I can probably understand some of them, but I'm still a long way from figuring out how to undo the Caged Bird Seal. It'd be best to combine what I learn with practical experience."

"What kind of practical experience?"

"For example, studying your body and Kekkei Genkai." Akashi finally revealed his real intentions.

Shingetsu was taken aback, her expression confused.

Akashi continued to coax her. "Don't doubt the power of knowledge. For example, you can perform the Eight Trigrams Palms up to thirty-two strikes now, right? If you tell me its secrets, I can help you reach sixty-four."

"Are you... sure?"

"Of course, as long as you cooperate." Akashi smiled.

With that, he took his books to an empty table and began reading with great interest. Even if he couldn't master the techniques themselves, he could at least figure out the basic principles.

Shingetsu read a little of the Encyclopedia of the Ninja World, then borrowed books on human anatomy and dissection.

Akashi's earlier words had made an impression on her. She felt she should learn more about the world before making up her mind, but some of the illustrations were quite revealing, and they made her blush.

So this was what boys' bodies were like?

She couldn't help sneaking a glance at Akashi, her chest rising and falling.

Half an hour passed without either of them noticing.

The librarian, who had been enjoying a nap, yawned and got up from his seat. He stretched and went for his usual walk. Suddenly, he heard a noise. Curious, he followed it and found two figures reading at a table.

One was an Uchiha, and the other was a Hyuga.

Good grief!

He froze, then rubbed his eyes. "No way..."

?

Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Akashi's life remained very orderly. He trained, went on missions, submitted reports, studied materials, and occasionally met with Shingetsu to learn Gentle Fist techniques and discuss the future of their clans.

Little by little, Shingetsu began to understand the Hyuga Clan's decay and the Uchiha Clan's awkward predicament.

Taking advantage of their reading sessions, Akashi gradually introduced her to some ideas from modern society.

Her way of thinking began to change, little by little.

The librarian had also grown used to the two children's visits. He went about his usual duties, dozed off, read the newspaper, waited for his break, and then counted the days until payday next month.

It looked set to be another ordinary, dull day.

"Why are these books here?"

A hoarse voice suddenly rang out.

The librarian jolted awake, sprang to his feet, and bowed obsequiously. "Lord Orochimaru."

The visitor's voice was so distinctive that no one in Konoha could mistake it.

He was one of the Konoha Sannin!

Orochimaru was a regular at the library, and he didn't mind the librarian slacking off. He frowned slightly. "Answer my question."

He ran his fingers along the book spines, looking curious. There weren't many people in all of Konoha who could understand these books, and even fewer whose tastes matched his own.

"Ah, Lord Orochimaru, I'm sorry. A child just returned them, and I haven't had a chance to put them back yet. I'll take care of it right away!"

"A child? Can you tell me who?"

"His signature says Uchiha Akashi. He had them for about half a month."

"Akashi? For half a month?" Orochimaru's gaze darkened. His eyes moved to the topmost book, Biological Genetics, and he let out a low chuckle. "Heh, how interesting."

The librarian couldn't make heads or tails of what was so interesting, so he could only smile along ingratiatingly.

Orochimaru tapped the desk. "Don't bother putting these away. Leave them with me."

"Y-yes, understood."

"What else did he do besides borrow books?"

"He read with a child from the Hyuga Clan and wrote some things on paper."

"Where were they sitting?"

"I think it was in the third row, by the window, beneath the Second Hokage's portrait."

"Thank you for your effort," Orochimaru said coolly.

Uchiha Akashi's face appeared in his mind... His former subordinate had taken such a keen interest in biotechnology. That was something new.

How had he never noticed before?

Orochimaru smiled, his tongue sliding over his lower lip.