Konoha's Daily Life

Black Shadow's words precisely struck at Sasuke's hard-to-describe inner thoughts. Simply killing Itachi or destroying Konoha would never put his mind at ease. He wanted to stand on the moral high ground and judge Konoha's crimes in the name of justice.

But he knew very well that was impossible. Death could hardly change a ninja's convictions, especially those of Konoha's upper ranks. For all he knew, they might even have a final flashback before dying, making him look like the villain!

No, he was the villain!

Indiscriminate slaughter in the name of revenge, destroying the existing order and peace—this was a very real villain's template!

Sasuke wanted revenge, yet also wanted to stand on the moral high ground. He was simply dreaming! Because the ones who had slaughtered the Uchiha Clan were "Konoha's officials," the people who made the rules and laws. Legal means could never punish people like them.

Unless the ninja village system was overthrown, the Uchiha Clan would never be vindicated. To acknowledge the existence of ninja villages was to acknowledge the rules and authority created by the Hokage Faction. Under those rules, ninja villages held absolute power over the lives and deaths of their residents. If they said you were evil, then you were evil. You would forever bear an unremovable label, and resistance for any reason would be treasonous rebellion!

Konoha was like the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty's literary inquisitions had massacred countless innocents, and every one of those innocent people bore "guilt." It was guilt defined by the Qing Dynasty's rulers. Only by completely overthrowing the Great Qing could the "guilt" on the innocent be erased. So long as the Qing Dynasty remained, anyone seeking revenge for the literary inquisitions could only be called a "rebel"!

Of course, Demon would not teach Sasuke how to take revenge properly. He would only tell Sasuke one word: "Kill!"

"If you say the Uchiha are innocent, then kill anyone who dares disagree. If one person refuses to submit, kill one person. If one village refuses, slaughter one village. If one nation refuses, destroy one nation. Kill every unyielding bone until people tremble at the sound of your name and revere you as their master. Kill until you are the only person left in the world, and you alone can represent all humanity."

Black Shadow spoke those incomparably bloody and brutal words as if they were nothing. This was not merely talk; he was doing exactly that right now.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had already fallen into the dreamscape created by the Box of Bliss. The efficiency of a village's Kage far surpassed the minor antics of Sasuke and Neji.

Demon shifted his focus to Iwagakure. Neji and Sasuke became backup options, and Demon left them to grow freely for the time being.

The disturbance in the Land of Grass last time had been too great. Both Mount Myōboku and the Sage of Six Paths had taken action. Unfortunately, they could not foresee Demon's true body and could only find the people he had possessed at most.

Inside the Hokage's office.

"Has Itachi sent back any useful intelligence from Akatsuki?" an elderly woman's voice asked.

"We now understand the Box of Bliss and the witch's identity," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied. Then came a long silence. They could not seize the Box of Bliss, and the Uzumaki witch appeared extremely dangerous and uncontrollable. She was not something Konoha could lay its hands on.

"Has there been any progress in the recent missing-person cases?" Mitokado Homura changed the subject. "If ANBU had not compiled the statistics, I would never have known that so many people in the village had already gone missing! Danzo, you haven't been doing something in secret, have you?"

"Humph!" Danzo shot him a fierce glare and could not be bothered to respond.

"You..." Mitokado Homura had not expected Danzo to be so disrespectful and could not help getting angry.

"Enough. Don't start infighting over something so trivial," Utatane Koharu advised.

Shimura Danzō still wore a cold expression. Failing to reclaim the Box of Bliss had left him in an exceptionally foul mood lately.

Looking at half of Danzo's sour old face, Utatane Koharu was helpless as well. After a moment, she and Mitokado Homura made excuses and left one after the other.

Just as Mitokado Homura was about to leave the office, he suddenly paused at the doorway and said meaningfully, "Times have changed, Danzo. You should take care of yourself. Konoha is no longer what it once was; it cannot withstand any more turmoil."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and left without looking back, unable to stop himself from sighing inwardly. Whether they wished to admit it or not, Konoha... had truly declined.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō remained in the office, facing each other in silence. Though Mitokado Homura had spoken of Danzo just now, his words had actually been directed at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

In the adult world, no one cared about the process. What mattered was the result. Konoha's changes over the years were plain for all to see; no amount of excuses would help.

Shimura Danzō was the first to break the awkward silence. "Set the missing-person cases aside for now. Thoroughly investigating the disappearances would require substantial manpower and resources. The bigger picture comes first. ANBU and Root should prioritize more urgent matters."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep pull from his pipe. He neither agreed nor objected, merely staring at Danzo without a word, his expression unfocused. Combined with the hazy smoke, it lent him an extra touch of eerie inscrutability.

Shimura Danzō finally could not endure his old friend's "affectionate gaze" any longer and turned to take his leave.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not stop him. He merely said faintly behind Danzo's back, "Only Uchiha blood can bring out the Sharingan's true power. Otherwise, it becomes an exquisite burden, just like Kakashi's. Danzo, you've been rubbing your right temple a little too frequently lately."

"Hiruzen!" Shimura Danzō's face changed drastically. When he turned back, Hiruzen Sarutobi was handling the documents on his desk, as though nothing had happened.

Danzo's expression was complicated. In the end, he simply left quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, Hiruzen Sarutobi rose and took out his crystal ball. He gently stroked it a few times, then muttered softly to himself, "Where Konoha's leaves dance, the fire burns on. Its light shall illuminate the village and make the new leaves sprout..."

The crystal ball then reflected Konoha's "new sprouts."

At the Uchiha training ground, two youths were exchanging blows.

"Sasuke, mystery can only submit to a higher level of mystery. Just like Five Elements Ninjutsu and Truth-Seeking Orbs, merely stacking power cannot even break through the defense. The power bestowed by that lord far surpasses chakra. That Great Fireball Technique you used just now was completely wasting your effort!" Neji spoke eloquently even as he fought.

"Humph!" Sasuke was extremely displeased. Neji was showing off again. He had once thought Neji was merely a cool, handsome guy. How had he never noticed that Neji was such a poser?

Wasn't showing off supposed to be the Uchiha Clan's greatest specialty?!

"Alright, let's pause for a moment. This is the tenth draw already." Neji rubbed his aching, numb wrist, his tone somewhat dissatisfied. "It's only a spar. Why do you look like you're fighting to the death every time?"

Sasuke kept a straight face. "I just go all out more easily. I'm bolder."

Neji rolled his eyes. "You should still be more careful. What if someone sees us using these strange techniques? Have you thought about how to explain them?"

Sasuke raised his chin. "Wouldn't it be enough to get rid of everyone who knows?"