Journey to the Mist Shinobi

If each type of capital develops solely for its own maximum benefit, without considering others, the total value of free market development will always exceed that of a market developed according to a predetermined plan.

In economic theory, this is just a basic concept. Of course, without fully considering that humans are living beings, this theory also has a prestigious name— the Invisible Hand.

It's as if an invisible hand is pushing the entire market towards maximizing profits.

Kato Osamu was not a historian, and he didn't quite understand why the Heroic History Theory was wrong; in his eyes, history was created by heroes.

But now, for some reason, he always has a strange feeling, as if there is an invisible hand manipulating everything behind the scenes. Maybe it's a person, maybe it's a god, or maybe it's his paranoia caused by his long-standing loss of security.

These so-called heroes are nothing more than playthings in their hands...

"Wood Release..."

"It couldn't be Danzo..."

Kato Osamu, who had personally conducted experiments with Wood Release, also suspected that the scroll sent by Minato Namikaze was Danzo's work.

But he knew that it was almost impossible for anyone to survive that experiment, and even if someone did, it would be impossible to achieve such a level of success in such a short period of time.

This is the second time...

Kato Osamu gently closed the scroll, pondering whether he had overlooked any details. For a thinker, even a single coincidence has a special reason behind it. There is no such thing as coincidence; all coincidences are inevitabilities.

From his perspective as someone behind the scenes, Kato Osamu would never have so blatantly exposed himself.

The only possible explanation, aside from some perverse sense of humor, is that the person behind the scenes has become so powerful that they no longer need to conceal their actions.

Madara is the main character.

However, if that's the case, then there's no need to be someone behind the scenes. In this world, absolute power means absolute authority.

Kato Osamu's mind raced, considering all the possibilities. Night was falling, and darkness enveloped the entire Konoha. The silvery starlight scattered across the land, yet it couldn't illuminate the secrets hidden beneath the night.

He paced slowly, his gaze fixed on something, as if peering through the bamboo building to a hidden corner of the Shinobi World, where someone was operating behind the scenes.

There can only be two possibilities...

"The person behind the scenes is very strong, but not so strong as to be fearless. He doesn't care about revealing some clues, but he won't completely expose himself to the world."

"Another possibility is that he is waiting for something, some kind of opportunity that can only occur in the near future..."

With a deep frown, Kato Osamu felt as if he had missed something; these scattered events seemed to lack a crucial piece of information to connect them.

"Wood Release... Could it contain some undiscovered secrets?"

Having obtained the Wood Release Cells for several years, Kato Osamu's understanding of Wood Release is perhaps second only to Orochimaru in the entire Konoha.

"Senjutsu, huh...?"

Aside from the parts that require Senjutsu, which he doesn't yet understand, he is familiar with every detail. If there's anything he doesn't understand, it can only be the Natural Energy that's called Senjutsu.

"It seems there's another important matter on this trip to Mist Shinobi..."

Kato Osamu was more excited than ever about this trip to Mist Shinobi. He clenched his fist slightly, thinking that he now deserved Orochimaru's respect.

A hint of anticipation flashed in his eyes, Kato Osamu fell silent, simply sitting cross-legged on the ground to continue his cultivation.

Within the mental space, various intricate Sealing Jutsu characters flashed out, forming dark blue chains that crisscrossed and coiled. These countless rune chains seemed to be collapsing and reforming every second, each rune carrying some kind of mystery.

The sealing techniques recorded in Minato Namikaze's Sealing Jutsu scroll made him truly realize the terrifying nature of Sealing Jutsu for the first time.

Compared to basic Sealing Formula, high-level Sealing Jutsu are like countless chaotic knots. Unless you are a sealing master who has thoroughly studied the single rune at the bottom of the Sealing Jutsu, you cannot master them.

Even Elite Jonin can only imitate the Sealing Jutsu proven by predecessors; any slight modification will cause the entire Sealing Jutsu to completely collapse.

Even the strongest Sealing Formula in the scroll— the Four Symbols Seal —is only thirty-two intersecting chains of runes, and Kato Osamu could clearly sense that the potential of Sealing Jutsu was far more than that.

As night fell, Kato Osamu, engrossed in his training, was unaware that Iruka and Uzuki Yugao were on pins and needles because of the 'trouble' he had caused.

Although the Uchiha Clan's territory was located in a remote part of Konoha City, as the largest clan in Konoha, the Uchiha Clan's territory covered a vast area and was extremely complex.

If that were all, it wouldn't be anything special for ordinary Konoha residents. The Sarutobi, Hyuga, and Ino- Ino–Shika–Cho Clan also occupy vast areas, but unlike them, outsiders almost never enter the Uchiha Clan's territory, and even visitors are extremely rare.

The moment Iruka stepped into the Uchiha Compound, he could clearly feel a peculiar atmosphere in the air, making him feel uneasy and even tempted to flee. However, with Itachi Uchiha still unconscious on his back, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and proceed deeper into the territory.

He was even somewhat relieved that he had Uzuki Yugao by his side...

"Yugao... can you feel it...?"

"Please call me by my full name, thank you..."

Uzuki Yugao glanced at Iruka, but continued walking forward as if no one else was there, seemingly feeling no discomfort whatsoever, causing Iruka to swallow back the words he was about to say.

"Well... okay..."

"Uzuki Yugao... wait for me..."

Fugaku Uchiha's house wasn't hard to find, but before they even entered the Uchiha Clan's territory, they had already noticed Itachi Uchiha on Iruka's back.

The two followed the guide to Fugaku Uchiha's house. It seemed that someone had already informed Mikoto Uchiha, who was waiting at the door. A hint of worry and anxiety could be seen in her eyes, but she remained composed and did not appear overly excited.

"You must be Itachi's teammates..."

"Thank you so much for taking the ferret home..."

Mikoto Uchiha smiled at Iruka and Uzuki Yugao before hugging Itachi. After a brief examination, she slowly channeled her Chakra and gently touched Itachi Uchiha's brow.

"Please..."

The maid at the door bowed slightly and ushered them inside, making Iruka feel somewhat flattered.

"No, no... we..."

"Keep up..."

Before Iruka could finish speaking, Uzuki Yugao frowned slightly and snorted, interrupting him. Iruka felt somewhat embarrassed and followed behind Uzuki Yugao Uchiha Clan Head's house.

The wooden pavilion exudes a faint sandalwood fragrance, and dappled golden-red sunset rays filter through the openwork carved windows.

Elegant green plants adorn the entryway shelf, their tendrils cascading down like fragrant vines, winding along the bookshelf. The green leaves and the blue-and-white porcelain complement each other, creating an elegant and unique ambiance.

"Um..."

Itachi Uchiha Kato Osamu's genjutsu, but he frowned slightly. He did not feel any headache after being under the genjutsu, and it was as if he had taken a comfortable nap.

"Itachi, it seems your teacher gave you a hard time..."

Mikoto Uchiha breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that the genjutsu had caused no harm, and instructed her servants to bring some snacks.

Iruka sat blankly on the carved red chair beside him, as if he dared not sit properly. When he saw Itachi Uchiha wake up, he seemed to want to say something, opened his mouth, but slowly closed it again.

He's fine...

"Also very strong..."

Itachi Uchiha glanced at Uzuki Yugao, who was looking at him with a hint of curiosity, and Iruka, who seemed rather restless, and nodded to them, as if to express his gratitude.

"Itachi, get along well with your teammates..."

"Then I won't bother you any longer..."

Seeing that Itachi had finally made friends, Mikoto Uchiha's mood improved somewhat. She smiled slightly at the two of them and left the room, leaving the three of them sitting silently facing each other.

"That..."

Iruka scratched his head and gently broke the silence, but for a moment he didn't know what to say, so he just smiled awkwardly.

"It's getting late. Since you're alright, we'll be going now..."

Uzuki Yugao's sudden words eased Iruka's awkwardness somewhat. It seemed that upon hearing that he was leaving, Iruka inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

"Um..."

"Dessert..."

"Thank you for your help today..."

Perhaps he was taciturn, or perhaps he was thinking about other things, but Itachi Uchiha never lacked the proper etiquette. As the eldest son of the Uchiha Clan Head, he knew what to do.

"No, no... we didn't do anything..."

Iruka waved his hand sheepishly and quickly stood up from his seat.

"Um... thanks..."

"Let's go, Iruka..."

Before Iruka could finish speaking, Uzuki Yugao picked up the sweets that were meant as a gift, including one for herself and one for Iruka. She glanced at Iruka briefly, then turned and left the room.

"Um... Itachi, no, Itachi Uchiha... see you tomorrow..."

The alleyways of the Uchiha Clan were long, but there weren't many people around. As dusk fell and the sky grew darker, the streetlights of Konoha gradually came on, though they seemed even more dim and yellowish today.

Iruka, following behind Uzuki Yugao, remained silent, his head bowed. He glanced at Itachi Uchiha's house, then at the composed Uzuki Yugao before him, and pursed his lips, a strange sense of loneliness creeping into his heart...

"Hey... yours..."

"It's like we skipped dinner..."

Uzuki Yugao handed a portion of the sweets she was holding to Iruka. Her sudden voice startled Iruka seemed a little embarrassed and stammered, unsure of what to say.

"I..."

"If you don't want it, I'll eat it all; it looks pretty good..."

Uzuki Yugao gave a soft snort and was about to take everything back into her hands when Iruka grabbed the gift box.

"Hey, I haven't had dinner either..."

A slow smile flickered across Uzuki Yugao's lips, but it seemed that the sky was somewhat dim, Iruka couldn't quite make out her face.

"Fine, you can have them all, but you have to treat me to ramen... This kind of snack isn't as good as ramen..."

"Yes... is that so...? I think so too..."

The thought of ramen made Iruka's stomach rumble, but looking at the exquisite-looking high-end desserts in his hands, he hesitated. Could they really not taste as good as ramen?

"Let's go... I'll have the largest portion of tonkotsu ramen plus a special chashu..."

"Hey! This is the most expensive set meal!"

The greatest deficiency that being in the lowest social class brings to a person is a deep-seated cowardice in their character.

They always carefully observe their surroundings, sensitively sensing everyone's emotions, daring not to do anything out of line, and even feeling unworthy of being in any high-class setting due to a lack of self-confidence.

The biggest regret is that such character flaws often last a lifetime for those at the bottom of society...