Acting His Heart Out, Finally Leaving the Village

Inside Konoha's main gate, the two great "gate guardians," Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, were boredly trading jokes.

One was currently a Chunin, while the other was a Genin who had only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy. Thanks to their families' arrangements, they had begun enjoying the leisurely routine of clocking in and out early in life.

The village now strictly controlled entry and exit, so there were not many people passing through Konoha's gates. Those allowed in and out were either familiar faces with authority or people with missions approved by the higher-ups. The two either could not ask questions or had no need to, making their jobs quite easy.

It was not until Uchiha Feng arrived at Konoha's gates with an exit permit from the Konoha Military Police Force that Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane perked up a little.

"Greetings, seniors. I'm Uchiha Feng. I need to leave the village for the nearby Valley of the End. Here is the Military Police Force's permit."

Uchiha Feng looked at the two and spoke with a smile.

At the same time, he could not help recalling a joke from his previous life: because of Izumo and Kotetsu, Konoha's two great "gate guardians," even the Six Paths of Pain would not dare use the front gate and could only take a detour...

"Uchiha Feng? A Military Police Force permit? The village is under wartime management lately, so this permit is useless.

"If you want to leave the village, you need authorization from the Elder Council or Lord Hokage."

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane accepted the permit and looked Feng over. Then Izumo, who was slightly older and stricter by nature, spoke.

"Oh, all right. Then I'll go ask the elders." Feng turned and headed toward the Hokage Tower.

Feng had expected Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane's response. Besides, Uchiha Yosuke, the captain of the Military Police Force, had warned him beforehand. Going to find the elders had naturally been part of his plan.

The elders were all quite busy these days, so the actual plan was this: after being refused at the village gate, he would tell the guards he was going to see the elders, but in reality, he would only circle around the Hokage Tower before returning to Konoha's gates.

Thus, half an hour later, Uchiha Feng once again stood before Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane.

"Uh, seniors, the elders are all very busy. If I want to see them, I'll have to wait in line until evening.

"And as for Lord Hokage... I still don't dare go see him.

"So, could you please make an exception? I just want to visit the Valley of the End and pay my respects to the statues of the First and my Uchiha ancestor.

"If I leave now, I'll be back this afternoon."

With an expression that was half embarrassed and half ingratiating, Feng spoke to the two "gate guardians."

Of course, in truth, this was when he began acting his heart out.

"Hmm?!?" The moment Feng finished speaking, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, who had been lounging around moments ago, instantly stood up and scrutinized him.

The same thought arose in both their minds: Not wanting to wait in line was understandable, but not daring to meet Lord Hokage? There had to be something wrong with this guy!

"Seniors, seniors, it's not what you think." Faced with their scrutinizing gazes, Feng hurriedly explained, continuing his performance.

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane relaxed slightly, but their examining looks did not change. They gestured for Feng to continue.

"Uh, seniors, I only became a ninja a few months ago because of an accident.

"So, I... had a lot of misunderstandings about the Will of Fire, which caused some unpleasant incidents.

"That was why, a month ago, Lord Hokage personally summoned me, reprimanded me, and gave me this copy of Will of Fire.

"Lord Hokage also said he would test my understanding of Will of Fire after one month.

"But this book takes six years to study at the Ninja Academy. How could I possibly understand it thoroughly in a single month?

"So I thought I could pay tribute to those heroes who sacrificed themselves for the village, learn about their pasts and their spirits, and help myself understand the Will of Fire as much as possible.

"I have visited the village cemetery many times and learned quite a bit about the heroes on the Memorial Stone.

"I discovered that most of them died on the border battlefields. Those places are too dangerous. Though I want to understand their pasts, I don't dare risk my life for it.

"Not long afterward, I discovered that there was a battlefield not far outside the village. It was where my Uchiha ancestor fought the village's First when Konoha was founded.

"So I wanted to go take a look and see whether I could gain a deeper understanding of the Will of Fire from the First.

"Especially since Lord Hokage's inspection is only a few days away. If I still can't get this book right... sigh, I'm afraid I'll be in huge trouble."

Uchiha Feng rambled on for quite a while and even took out the copy of Will of Fire in his hand.

"Misunderstood the Will of Fire? An Uchiha who only became a ninja by accident not long ago?

"Oh! I know now! You're that Uchiha Feng."

The moment Feng finished, Izumo Kamizuki, who had only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy and was cheerful, fond of gossip, and eager for excitement, immediately picked up the conversation.

His response directly interrupted his companion Kotetsu Hagane, who had been about to refuse Feng permission to leave the village.

It also left Feng utterly confused. He had introduced himself as Uchiha Feng the moment he arrived. Who else was "that Uchiha Feng" supposed to be?

In Feng's expectations, after hearing about his plight, the two guards would either mercilessly refuse him or agree out of sympathy. He had prepared different responses depending on their answer.

"Hehe, I know who you are now.

"You're the Uchiha Feng who said, 'I hope to meet as many trash ninja as possible who abandon missions to save their comrades. As many as there are, I hope to meet them all. And true ninja who abandon their comrades for the sake of missions, please stay far away from me.'

"And you're the one who twisted the Will of Fire in all sorts of ways and caused such a huge uproar.

"Also, when you said you caused some unpleasant incidents, you meant that 'Club Enforcement' fiasco that became known throughout all of Konoha, right?

"Hahaha! Then you really did deserve Lord Hokage's reprimand. You should study Will of Fire properly."

Laughing heartily, Izumo Kamizuki recounted the messy incidents Uchiha Feng had caused recently.

After he finished speaking, Kotetsu Hagane also remembered those chaotic events and grinned as he laughed.

Neither of them knew Uchiha Feng personally or knew what he looked like, since they had never met him before.

But what Uchiha Feng had done was indeed known throughout the village. He was considered quite the celebrity in Konoha lately.

Naturally, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane had also heard that, after being reprimanded by Lord Hokage, he had turned over a new leaf and devoted himself at home to studying Will of Fire.

With that, the two basically understood Feng's background. His family had lived in Konoha for three generations, so he could not possibly be a spy.

Furthermore, Konoha had never produced an Uchiha rogue ninja—Madara had openly walked out through the village's main gate, while Obito was considered dead by everyone else—and Feng also had a permit from the Military Police Force.

So, after Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane laughed for a while, they exchanged a glance. Then Kotetsu Hagane spoke.

"Let me tell you this: without authorization from the Elder Council or Lord Hokage, the two of us will never just stand by and watch you leave the village."

After saying that, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane tacitly turned sideways and looked up at the sky.

At first, Feng thought he would have to use his backup plan. But seeing their actions, he understood.

He turned and headed out through Konoha's gates, but after only a few steps, he came back.

If he were really only taking a stroll around the Valley of the End and returning, then Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane secretly letting him leave would not be a problem.

But his true purpose was to escape Konoha—the kind where he left and never came back.

If the village discovered afterward that the two had allowed him through without authorization, they would definitely receive severe punishment.

Feng might have been somewhat selfish, but he still possessed basic morals toward those who helped him. He would not make them take the blame.

So, Feng drew the sword at his waist and lightly struck both of them on the neck with its sheath.

Then, as he turned and once more walked out of Konoha, he muttered softly.

"Hmph! You're just two gate guards, yet you dare block a proud Uchiha like me.

"This time, I'm only knocking you out to teach you a lesson. If you dare block me again next time, it won't be as simple as knocking you out."

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane had initially felt a little irritated after being struck, but after hearing Uchiha Feng's muttering, they understood.

The two of them had pretended not to see him in order to let him leave the village, while he had pretended to knock them unconscious so they would not possibly be punished later.

They were both actors... Well, they should play along.

Having figured it out, the two smiled knowingly. Rubbing their necks, they naturally moved the chairs beneath them aside, then went with the flow and sat on the ground before lying down.

As they lay on the ground, the two even chatted and praised Uchiha Feng for being a decent person.

As for pretending to be unconscious, come on, it was only acting. There was no need to take it that seriously. As long as it looked convincing and could be explained afterward, no one would fuss over it.

However, that was only what the two thought at the moment. A few days later, when Uchiha Feng had completely vanished without a trace, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane would regret it deeply and desperately wish they had truly been knocked unconscious then.