I Don't Know the Way Either

They received their exam admission tickets.

Emerging from the Hokage's office, Shinmoku sensed someone trailing him.

It could only be the Third's Anbu.

It was understandable; after all, he had been gone for so long, and the village had long since changed beyond recognition.

Let them follow if they wished. The priority was to visit the hospital to ensure there were no hidden injuries in his arm.

The Konoha Hospital was quite conspicuous. The nurses were gentle and beautiful, and after the physician applied the Mystical Palm Technique for a while, they declared that his arm was no longer in any serious condition.

"Actually, you don't have to keep following me," Shinmoku said to Shinna at the hospital entrance. "Why don't you go home first?"

"I don't know the way."

"Oh..."

"Are you going anywhere else?" she asked in return.

"To restock on ninja tools."

Following the signs, the two found the commercial district. There was a shop adorned with a ninja tool emblem that was bustling with people; it seemed to be a store of high quality.

"Oh?"

Upon entering, Tenten was sweating profusely as she hauled a crate of kunai.

"What a coincidence."

With a loud clatter, she set the kunai onto the shelf. Hearing Shinmoku's voice, Tenten turned her head and smiled. "Yeah, are you looking to buy something?"

"A sword, kunai, shuriken, explosive tags..."

Since he had nothing left, he naturally needed everything.

Recognizing a big customer, Tenten beckoned him over. As Shinmoku approached, she grabbed his arm and led him toward the back room.

"Where are you going?" someone in the shop shouted at her, looking like her mother.

"A friend is here to buy ninja tools, a lot of them!"

Tenten shouted back at her, then turned to Shinmoku with a sly smile.

"You know what I mean."

"I know."

"What kind of sword do you want?"

"A short sword," Shinmoku gestured. "Something about the length of my forearm will do."

Rubbing her chin as she looked him over, Tenten led them to a warehouse and rummaged around for a while, eventually pulling out a blade that met Shinmoku's requirements.

"This is the best one we have. Give it a try."

"Alright."

The short sword felt like an extension of his own arm in Shinmoku's grip—agile and precise. The blade shimmered, and azure electric arcs danced across its surface like a fluttering butterfly.

"Not bad. How much?"

"Hm?"

Tenten's eyes were still sparkling, but she snapped back to reality.

"Oh, oh, two hundred thousand ryo."

"Anything else..."

"I'll have it ready for you."

"Right!" Shinmoku suddenly remembered. "Do you have a map of Konoha Village?"

"Hm?" She looked confused again.

"I forgot where my house is."

"..."

"..."

Shinna glanced at him, and Tenten remained silent for a long moment.

"We do."

The total came to two hundred and fifty thousand ryo. Just as Shinna prepared to pay, Shinmoku produced a scroll.

"Summoning Technique."

There were several suitcases. Shinmoku opened the smallest one. "Is universal currency acceptable? I haven't had time to exchange it for Land of Fire currency."

"Uh... yes." Tenten looked as if she had just discovered a new world.

After paying, he asked, "What do you say? Do you need me to help you sneak out?"

"No need. It's just for today; I'll hire someone to help tomorrow."

"Okay, bye-bye."

"Bye-bye."

The map was incomprehensible.

Because it was for commercial use, only the main streets were marked, and the Uchiha compound was on the very edge.

So, he could only rely on the general direction, walking and constantly correcting his course.

As he rounded a corner, Shinmoku, who had been looking down at the map, suddenly had his sleeve tugged. He looked up to find someone blocking his path.

A woman in a hip-hugging skirt, carrying a fan on her back, with black fishnet stockings on her legs; a man with face paint, wearing children's clothes, carrying a... puppet on his back?

Then...

Hanging upside down from a tree branch was someone with a gourd on his back, looking like a bat.

Across from them were Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Konohamaru.

The atmosphere was a bit tense. The good thing was he didn't have to look at the map anymore.

"Are you Second Pillar?" he poked his head out, scanning towards the other end of the branch. Someone was watching him, so he had to play the part.

"Yes, who are you?" Sasuke felt a sense of familiarity with this person.

"Shinmoku, Uchiha Shinmoku."

At the mention of his name, Sasuke's pupils contracted instantly. He had been sitting on the branch and almost slipped off.

"Is the Uchiha compound still in the original place? Has it been sealed off? Has it been transferred to another clan?"

"It's still there. Some parts have been sealed, and some haven't," Sasuke answered instinctively.

"Then lead the way, I forgot how to get there."

The conversation between the two seemed to create a barrier, isolating everyone present.

"Hey!!!" a certain blond-haired youth yelled, "Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! Is Sasuke the only one in your eyes!"

"..."

Before he could get a response, the pink-haired girl's fist, like a sandbag, landed on his head. "Didn't you hear his name? He's Uchiha, don't you understand?"

"Uchiha isn't..." Naruto shut his mouth sheepishly halfway through his sentence.

The Sharingan!

The eerie eyes appeared. Nothing was more effective than this.

"So, what's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto!" he shouted.

"Hello," Shinmoku said calmly.

"H-hello," Naruto became shy instead.

At this moment, Sasuke also snapped out of his shock. He jumped down from the branch and walked up to Shinmoku, seemingly having many questions.

"We'll talk on the way. Let's go."

"Okay."

On the way, Shinmoku explained what he could: he had been away on a mission for six years, avoiding the clan massacre, and his mission had now ended, bringing him back to the village.

Sasuke accepted this explanation.

Although they were from the same clan, they didn't know each other, and their residences were not close. Moreover, Sasuke's mind was currently preoccupied with the Chunin Exams. After walking in silence for a while, once Shinmoku had recovered his memories, they parted ways.

His and Shinnai's residence was a manor with a large courtyard, long corridors, a clear spring, a well, and paved bluestone bricks.

Now, it was overgrown with weeds.

Inside the rooms, dust filled the air. Some parts of the roof were broken, and dust danced in the light.

"..."

Regarding ninjutsu related to cleaning, Shinmoku only knew Shadow Clone. Shinnai was a bit better, mastering several Water Style ninjutsu.

So, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work~

... ...

"Lord Hokage."

In the Hokage's office, the ANBU who had been tracking Shinmoku reported his recent whereabouts and actions to the Third Hokage.

"He has arrived home. Another ANBU is monitoring him, and no abnormalities have been found so far, but..."

"What?"

"I have a feeling that he might have already discovered me, or at least knows of my existence."

"Hmm, that's not surprising. They should have that level of sensitivity."

"Should we continue to monitor him?"

"Continue."

"Yes!"