Think Less, Read More

The wind blew through the forest, and Hyuga Shingetsu broke into a cold sweat.

She was immersed in the words of Akashi, her mind a tangled mess; the teachings of her clan, the ideological education from the academy, and Akashi's radical theories were all knotted together.

Meanwhile, Akashi tore off a strip of cloth to extend the strap of his forehead protector.

"There, that should be wearable now."

"Many thanks." Shingetsu spoke from the bottom of her heart, "I have been thinking a lot, but I have no clue where to start. Perhaps concepts like fate are too profound for me; the more I think, the more confused I become."

"It is not yet the time for you to be thinking." Akashi smiled, "You should start by reading more books."

"Read more books?"

"That is correct. Thinking must be built upon a foundation of knowledge. You have not even seen what the world is truly like, so how could you possibly understand it? Go to the library and read more."

The library?

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

"Follow me." Akashi struck while the iron was hot.

Shingetsu nodded. She did not know what she was doing, but an inner impulse seemed to guide her, telling her that this was the right path.

The Konoha Library was a fine place. Although it did not house the vast collection of ninjutsu scrolls and classified archives found in the restricted section, the various connected bookshelves were filled with intriguing volumes.

The level of detail was beyond imagination.

It contained subjects from the ninja world such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, with further subdivisions into mechanics, thermodynamics, engineering materials, and more.

This knowledge was almost entirely ignored. Children could not understand it, and adults were too busy struggling to make a living, reading nothing more than the occasional novel to unwind after a hard day's work.

Ninjas generally focused more on ninjutsu-related matters and often scoffed at such books.

Because most people were uninterested, the library rarely saw visitors and was usually empty, which suited Akashi's intentions perfectly.

Walking into the building, it was completely deserted.

It was Shingetsu's first time here, and she could not help but feel surprised: "Why is there no one here?"

Akashi laughed: "Is it not better that it is just the two of us?"

He had visited many times to research information regarding the God Tree, so he was quite familiar with the place.

The two walked and browsed, their gazes lingering on the shelves. Most of the books were serious academic papers, but as their eyes swept across the rows, they discovered some rather unconventional titles.

Postpartum Care for Summoned Beasts

Appreciation of Wood Style Architectural Art

Three Steps to Soloing a Tailed Beast (includes Funeral Banquet Guide)

Akashi eventually selected a few ancient texts describing Kekkei Genkai and picked up some treatises on chemistry and biology from various nations, including the Encyclopedia of the Ninja World.

"Why are you taking these?" Hyuga Shingetsu frowned, a wave of confusion rising in her heart.

Given her current understanding, it was difficult for her to grasp Akashi's line of thought.

"There might be a way to undo the Caged Bird Seal in here. As long as it is a technique, it must have flaws; the only difference is whether or not they have been discovered."

"So you intend to find the answer in these books?"

"I intend to try."

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

"Sometimes, knowledge is power."

Akashi did not want to say something like "in the ninja world, we don't talk about chakra, we talk about science." After all, in this world, every person possessed 130 trillion cells, a number far removed from the human anatomy he knew, and the fact that the First Hokage Hashirama Senju could create an entire forest in seconds exceeded the very definition of ninjutsu—it was nothing short of a miracle.

Chakra was the cornerstone of science here.

Everything he had learned previously had to be applied with certain limitations.

However, scientific knowledge remained universally applicable.

Of that, there was no doubt.

"Hardly anyone would read about biology, would they? An average person wouldn't be able to understand it at all."

Shingetsu had only glanced at them for a moment before feeling dizzy.

The professional terminology was obscure and difficult to pronounce, leaving her completely lost. She suddenly felt that the calculations for kunai throwing arcs taught at the ninja academy were much more approachable.

More importantly, for a ninja, was reading this even useful?

Especially for the Uchiha clan.

In their hearts, shouldn't powerful strength be the top priority?

Could it be because of me?

An unrealistic thought suddenly surfaced in Shingetsu's mind, and her face flushed bright red.

"What is wrong? Are you feeling hot?" Akashi noticed the change in Shingetsu's expression and asked curiously.

"N-nothing, it's nothing." Clutching her pounding heart, she suppressed her wild thoughts, "Can you actually understand these books?"

"I can understand a portion of it, but I'm still far from breaking the Caged Bird Seal. It would be best to combine it with practical circumstances."

"What kind of practical circumstances?"

"For instance, researching your body and Kekkei Genkai." Uchiha Akashi revealed his true intentions.

Shingetsu was startled, a look of confusion crossing her face.

Akashi continued to guide her patiently: "Don't doubt the power of knowledge. For example, you can currently perform the Eight Trigrams Palms up to thirty-two strikes, right? If you tell me the profound principles behind it, I can help you advance to sixty-four strikes."

"Are you... certain?"

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

Having said that, he carried the book to an empty desk and began reading with great interest; even if he couldn't master the specific techniques, understanding the basic principles would be no problem.

Shingetsu read the Encyclopedia of the Ninja World for a while, then borrowed books on human structure and anatomy.

Akashi's words from earlier had taken effect; she felt she should understand the world more before making judgments, but some of the illustrations were so explicit that they made her blush.

So, this is what a boy's physical structure is like?

She couldn't help but glance at Akashi, her chest heaving.

Half an hour passed before they knew it.

The librarian, having had a good sleep, rose from his seat with a yawn, stretched, and began his usual rounds. Suddenly hearing voices, he felt strange and followed the sound, only to see two figures reading by the desk.

One was an Uchiha, the other a Hyuga.

What the hell!

He froze instantly, rubbing his eyes: "No way..."

?

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

Akashi's life remained very disciplined: daily training, executing missions, reporting work, researching materials, and occasionally meeting with Shingetsu to learn the techniques of the Gentle Fist and discuss the future of their clans.

Slowly, Shingetsu began to understand the decay of the Hyuga and realized the awkward predicament of the Uchiha.

Taking advantage of their reading sessions, Akashi gradually began to instill concepts from modern society.

A shift in thinking was quietly taking shape.

The librarian had also grown accustomed to the visits of these two children, spending his time on duty napping, reading newspapers, waiting for his shift to end, and looking forward to his paycheck next month.

It looked to be another plain, simple, and boring day.

"Why are these books placed here?"

Suddenly, a hoarse voice rang out.

The librarian jolted awake from his drowsiness, stood up with a slap, and bowed obsequiously: "Lord Orochimaru."

The newcomer's voice was too distinctive; in Konoha, no one could mistake it.

That was one of the Three Legendary Sannin!

Orochimaru was a frequent visitor to the library and didn't care about the librarian's slacking off, though his brows furrowed slightly: "Answer my question."

He ran his fingers over the book spines, looking curious. There weren't many people in Konoha who could understand these, and even fewer whose tastes aligned with his own.

"Ah, Lord Orochimaru, my apologies. A child returned them just now, and I haven't had the chance to shelve them yet. I'll do it right away!"

"A child? Can you tell me who it was?"

"He signed as Uchiha Akashi. He's been borrowing them for about half a month."

"Akashi-kun? Half a month?" Orochimaru's gaze deepened as he turned to the book on top, Biological Genetics, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Heh, interesting."

The librarian was baffled, not knowing what was interesting, so he could only offer a flattering smile.

Orochimaru tapped the table: "No need to shelve them; leave these books to me."

"Un, understood."

"Besides borrowing books, what else did he do?"

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

"Where were they sitting earlier?"

"It seems to have been the third row by the window, right under the carving of the Second Hokage."

"Thank you for your hard work," Orochimaru said indifferently.

The face of Uchiha Akashi appeared in his mind... his former subordinate was actually focusing on the knowledge of biological technology; this was a fresh development.

How had he not noticed before?

Orochimaru couldn't help but smile, his tongue sliding over his lower lip.