Prejudices That Are Hard to Erase / Forming a Group to Enter Ryūchi Cave

Because the actual Empty Zone is underground.

Cat Granny of the Ninja Cat Clan is a black market merchant with extensive connections.

The Uchiha Clan also used her to make contacts and identify buyers when selling weapons on the black market.

Uchiha Shingen mainly wanted Haku to familiarize himself with the place, since Haku had been trained in the Uchiha Clan's Ninjutsu system since childhood, and in the future he would need to use the various ninja tools that the Uchiha Clan had tailored for this system.

As they walked through the gate with a sign that read "Empty Zone," a Ninja Cat leaped out from the wall to their right.

"Lord Shingen, it's been a long time."

"Long time no see, Denka. Is Cat Granny here?" Uchiha Shingen said with a smile.

To enter the underground section of the Empty Zone, one must traverse a very complex corridor; without Ninja Cat to guide the way, it is impossible to enter smoothly.

That's how it's supposed to be, but in reality, Uchiha Shingen had already figured out the route because he came here frequently—he could just use the Flying Thunder God.

No matter how complicated the corridors are, it doesn't matter if you don't have to walk through them.

However, out of respect for his allies, he never did so.

There were two Ninja Cat leading the way, one of whom was Denka in front of them.

Another one, Uchiha Shingen didn't like much, was named Hina. She was a Ninja Cat who liked receiving gifts when she met someone, and would give a hard time if she didn't receive a gift.

Hina was given the cold shoulder by Uchiha Shingen the first time they met, but afterwards, she became afraid to see Uchiha Shingen.

Are you kidding me? He's asking for it! He's Uchiha Clan ninja, and you expect him to bring a gift when he meets Cat Granny?

Cat Granny, as a partner in the Uchiha Clan's arms dealing business, also made a considerable amount of money.

To put it bluntly, without Cat Granny, does that mean the Uchiha Clan can't run their black market business?

Therefore, Uchiha Shingen never engaged in gift-giving; some gifts should be given, while others should not.

"Lord Shingen, please follow me."

Denka jumped down from the wall and began to lead the way.

Signaling the students to follow, Uchiha Shingen led them, following Denka into the downward passage.

They quickly entered the underground corridor.

Uchiha Shingen was used to the winding paths here, Uchiha Sasuke had been here with Itachi before without much surprise. However, Haku and Mitarashi Anko felt very oppressed, and the constant turning around made them dizzy.

"Don't even think about memorizing the route; that's a security measure for the Empty Zone," Uchiha Shingen said, observing the two of them. "Trying to memorize the route is itself disrespectful to the owner of this place."

Upon hearing this, Haku and Mitarashi Anko stopped trying to memorize the route.

"Shingen your understanding, Lord Shingen," Denka said with a smile as he led the way.

The Ninja Cat still held Uchiha Shingen in high esteem.

I always felt this person was fierce, even though he's always been very nice.

But the cats still get nervous when they're standing next to him.

Even Denka, who was leading the way, would unconsciously walk faster than usual.

A short while later, a small door appeared in front of them.

Denka ran to the small door and squatted down.

"Lord Shingen, we've arrived."

"Thank you for your hard work, Denka."

Uchiha Shingen stepped forward and pushed open the door.

Chapter Fifteen: Prejudice That's Hard to Eradicate

Cat Granny is a true cat lover, at least from her appearance.

She was not young, wearing an orange cotton-padded coat, a large scarf around her neck, and a rather flamboyant hairstyle, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

She was wearing cat-ear headdress.

When Uchiha Shingen pushed open the door, the black market merchant was sitting on the carpet playing with a group of cats.

The name "Cat Granny" largely originates from this.

"Shingen, it's been a long time."

"I've been busy these past two years, otherwise I would have come to see you much sooner," Uchiha Shingen said with a smile.

"You guys, come over and greet Grandma, especially you, Sasuke, don't cause her any trouble, cats aren't easily frightened."

Uchiha Sasuke was going through a very mischievous phase, and he liked to scare the cats every time he came by.

Not all cats here are Ninja Cat.

"Hello, Grandma!" Uchiha Sasuke energetically.

"Hmm, little Sasuke is still very energetic." Cat Granny looked at Uchiha Sasuke with a smile, her expression full of affection.

Cat Granny likes cats, but she likes Uchiha Clan children even more.

Cat Granny is not a lone wolf; she comes from a merchant family that specializes in the black market. This family is a long-standing friend of the Uchiha Clan in the black market.

Although this family operates in the black market, they are known for their upright conduct. For example, they place great importance on the quality of their goods and do not flatter customers, making them a breath of fresh air in the black market.

Selling inferior goods as superior ones, inflating prices, and flattering customers are the mainstream practices of black market merchants.

Cat Granny is the head of this clan in the black market. She has an excellent personal relationship with the Uchiha Clan, and even with the Uchiha Clan's pride, they still respect this old woman.

In the original timeline, even though the Uchiha Clan had been extinct for many years, Uchiha Sasuke was still buying weapons here, even before he defected from Leaf Village. Clearly, Cat Granny was giving him special treatment, because Genin's financial resources couldn't afford the expense of frequently buying weapons from her.

Uchiha Sasuke always ready to argue with anyone and everything, was well aware of this. This old woman was one of the few people he respected after his family was destroyed. Before leading Team Taka to find Uchiha Itachi, perhaps because he lacked confidence in victory, he expressed his gratitude to Cat Granny for the years of care she had given him.

Perhaps, in Cat Granny's eyes, Uchiha Sasuke is simply Uchiha Sasuke, the child she watched grow up.

In that timeline, she was also the only person in the world who felt sorrow for the fact that Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi were forced to kill each other.

"Didn't Itachi come today?" Cat Granny glanced behind the group but didn't see Uchiha Itachi.

"No, he's preparing to be promoted to Chunin," Uchiha Shingen said. "Shisui scolds him Tenten."

Uchiha Itachi will participate in this Joint Chunin Exams.

The lineup of participants is similar to that of the previous Sand Village event.

However, this time the Joint Chunin Exams will be held in Hidden Mist Village.

The team leader hasn't been decided yet, but it probably won't be Jonin from the Uchiha Clan; these kinds of situations are usually handled by rotating members.

Uchiha Shingen guessed that this time it would probably be Sarutobi Clan Jonin the team.

"What a pity, that child is so sensible, so sensible it breaks my heart."

"Yes," Uchiha Shingen sighed, "He's too sensible."

Uchiha Itachi's talent goes without saying, but he was also precocious, and his way of being mature was also unique.

Things seem to have become less extreme in recent years.

From Uchiha Shingen's current perspective, it's hard to say how things were in that dead end situation in the original timeline.

But from the perspective of protecting Leaf Village, that's a real mystery.

Putting aside everything else, have you considered how much Leaf Village's fighting strength would decrease after the Uchiha Clan was wiped out? Senju Tobirama Uchiha Clan so much, was single-mindedly thinking about how to make the Uchiha Clan's power work for Leaf Village.

In the original timeline, after Uchiha Madara's "death," the Uchiha Clan, although no more powerful figures appeared and they continued to weaken, remained the most important component of the Leaf Village Jonin's fighting force. As a result, everyone was researching how to deal with the Uchiha Clan members with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Otherwise, why would someone with nothing better to do than research this?

When the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, all nations rejoiced. Years later, the sole surviving member participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams. The mere mention of the Uchiha Clan drew everyone's attention, making everyone else seem like mere background figures.

Even from the perspective of protecting the village, eliminating the Uchiha Clan was the most likely act to trigger a war at the time— Leaf Village's most troublesome group was gone, everyone hurry up and attack!

From the perspective of protecting his younger brother, Uchiha Itachi's subsequent actions became even more mysterious, almost fantastical.

On the night of the genocide, the first thing to do upon meeting was to Tsukuyomi.

Years later, fearing that his younger brother was not being properly protected, he sneaked back into the village, beat him up, and then Tsukuyomi.

Uchiha Sasuke survived in Leaf Village for so many years, and the worst beatings he suffered were inflicted by Uchiha Itachi.

Tsukuyomi is different from Kotoamatsukami; it is the most powerful genjutsu among Mangekyo Sharingan Ninjutsu Genjutsu.

It's lethal! It's a lethal Genjutsu. This spell isn't used to confuse, control, or hypnotize; it's purely for killing. It's said that if you don't die after being hit by it, you'll be crippled.

What, would you do with a regular Genjutsu that causes constipation or something?

Therefore, Uchiha Shingen had absolutely no idea what Uchiha Itachi's thought process was like.

He had to admit that even today, he still harbored resentment towards Uchiha Itachi.

This prejudice doesn't stem from the things Uchiha Itachi did in the original timeline, since that timeline is no longer relevant. The prejudice lies in the thought process behind his actions, Uchiha Shingen couldn't understand at all.

Thinking is something a person is born with; things may change, but a person's thinking is very difficult to change.

There are so many options, yet they insist on choosing the most bizarre one.

As long as he hasn't figured out what Uchiha Itachi was really thinking, this prejudice probably won't disappear.

That's terrifying! Who knows if it'll go crazy again someday!

"Shingen, you should also keep an eye on Itachi. That child really admires you," Cat Granny said, taking a puff of her cigarette.

Although she liked the Uchiha Clan children very much, she only spoke in a very brief and to-the-point manner.

After all, she doesn't have the surname Uchiha Clan.

She knew that Uchiha Shingen harbored a prejudice against Uchiha Itachi.

The reason is roughly known.

However, it's not convenient to discuss her identity further.

"Of course, don't worry, we're all family," said Uchiha Shingen. He genuinely cared about the children of the Uchiha Clan, and he understood.

"By the way, besides visiting you, I also came here for two other things."

He beckoned to Mitarashi Anko and Shiraho, inviting them to sit in front of the Cat Granny.

"Mother-in-law, these two children are my students, and I'll need your help to take care of them in the future."

"What an adorable little girl!" Cat Granny smiled. "Come, sit closer, let Grandma take a good look at you."

Uchiha Shingen: "... Grandma, Haku is a boy."

It's unbelievable; every time he introduces Bai to someone, he has to explain himself all over again.

Cat Granny was stunned; it was rare for her to show such an expression.

"My goodness, it's a boy..." She stopped smoking and looked closely. "It's my fault, Grandma's getting old and her eyesight isn't good anymore, please don't mind."

"It's not my mother-in-law's fault, I'm just too thin," Bai said obediently.

"Good child, such a good child." Cat Granny felt sorry for him; she saw the shadow of Uchiha Itachi when he was young in Haku.

"If you need anything in the future, come to Grandma's," she said.

Mitarashi Anko and Shiro nodded like chicks pecking at rice.

Chapter Sixteen: Forming a Gang to Enter Ryūchi Cave

Seeing that he had already become familiar with the two students, Uchiha Shingen took out several sealing scrolls.

"Mother-in-law, this is the shipment."

"Oh! That's quite a lot." Cat Granny glanced at the seal and immediately made a rough estimate.

"It's been a long time since we've shipped anything," Uchiha Shingen said.

He found an open space and started digging.

The three little ones heard a series of thumping sounds in their ears and watched as Uchiha Shingen continuously conjured black briefcases from the scrolls.

Finally, a huge pile of them ended up on the open space.

Uchiha Shingen picked one up, walked to Cat Granny, and opened it for her to see.

The box contained stacks of Explosive Tag.