Shisui and Itachi both looked incredulous. They had no idea how Gua had dared to do it. This was Root.
The organization directly under Danzo, a member of the Konoha High Command.
And he had killed so decisively...
Gua's expression barely changed. He remained as calm and detached as ever.
A breeze blew past, rustling the trees.
Shisui's gaze grew more serious. "Gua, you killed him. If Lord Danzo holds us accountable, we could be in serious trouble."
Shisui himself was only a fresh graduate, just three years older than them.
Faced with this situation, he had no idea how to handle it.
Gua simply gave Shisui an indifferent glance and said calmly, "Leaving him alive would only cause more trouble."
Shisui hesitated, then sighed a few seconds later.
"All right. Maybe you're right."
Of course he knew they would face more trouble if they spared the man before them. And even if they let him go, Danzo would never punish him.
Most likely, Danzo had sent him in the first place.
After all, Root was an organization with strict discipline, just like the Anbu.
Its members almost never acted on their own.
When they did act, it was on Danzo's orders.
Handing a murderer over to another murderer for punishment? As if he would ever punish his own men.
Shisui understood that perfectly.
But Danzo was still backing the man, and under the village's rules, they had no authority to deal with him themselves.
Shisui had originally intended to report the matter to the Third Hokage.
But now that Gua had killed him, there was nothing they could do. If Danzo seized on the fact that they had acted without authorization, that alone would land them in plenty of trouble.
Their only option was to dig a hole and bury him.
The Shinobi World was chaotic enough as it was. Someone died today, someone else died tomorrow, and nobody cared.
Nobody would investigate deaths in an organization like Root. Even if someone did, it would only mean Danzo sending more Root members after them.
The three put their heads together.
Then they dug a hole right there and buried both Root members.
Fortunately, they had picked a remote spot this time.
Nobody would come here. As for killing people and burying bodies, Shisui had seen the battlefield, and Itachi's father had dragged him onto one for experience before he was even old enough to understand.
So once the two had mentally prepared themselves, disposing of the bodies did not weigh too heavily on them.
What surprised them was that Gua seemed just as untroubled.
He was frighteningly calm throughout.
They dug together, carried the bodies together, and filled the hole together.
Finally, Gua clapped his hands, dusted them off, and stamped hard on the filled-in pit twice.
Job done.
Itachi: ...
Shisui: ...
Had six years on autopilot given Gua nerves this strong?
When Gua had killed the two Root members, Shisui had already noticed something was off.
Gua was frighteningly calm.
He was like a robot. Faced with living, breathing people, his eyes held only the calm, steady focus of something executing a preset program.
Seeing their strange looks, Gua felt a stir inside, but his face retained that same bot-like expression, indifferent to everything he saw.
You think I'm not scared?
I was a fucking upstanding young man in my last life!
This was his first time actually committing murder and mayhem.
In his previous life, Gua's legs probably would have started shaking.
But in this life, after six years on autopilot, his body had long since developed muscle memory.
Nervous?
Gua could be, but his body could not.
Even though he was terrified inside, his body still went through every motion with precise, mechanical correctness.
"Shall we go?"
When neither of them seemed inclined to speak, Gua broke the silence.
He really could not stand the way they were looking at him, as though he were a monster.
I only killed two people, didn't I?
What's all the fuss about? Which of you hasn't killed someone?
Now you're acting all innocent?
"Let's go."
Shisui recovered from his surprise and prepared to lead them away.
A picnic?
At a time like this, who still had any appetite for a picnic?
Heading straight home to their mothers was a far better idea.
"Gua, Itachi, when I'm not around anymore, you two need to take good care of yourselves... You're best friends, after all."
Shisui swallowed the rest of what he had meant to say.
He had originally wanted to give Itachi a few words of advice.
Gua's usually a bit of a dope, so look after him.
Now... who'll be looking after whom is anyone's guess.
Shisui could vaguely sense some kind of force within Gua that made Itachi gravitate toward him, and the same went for Izumi, whom he had met that day.
Yet the boy had done nothing at all.
It really was strange.
Shisui shook his head. He could not quite understand how Gua had turned Itachi and Izumi into his diehard fans.
"We will, Shisui."
Itachi stood beside Gua, his eyes shining.
Shisui was slightly taken aback. He had never seen that expression on Itachi before.
"Yeah."
Gua nodded as well.
Shisui was a good person, but he was too good. People who were too nice rarely managed to accomplish anything earth-shattering.
Otherwise, all Shisui had to do was unleash Kotoamatsukami.
He had everything it took to be the protagonist!
Even Obito would have to step aside.
In the darkness, Shisui escorted Gua and Itachi home one after the other before leaving alone.
When Gua returned home, candlelight glowed in the living room.
His father, Dashan, and his mother, Nai, seemed to be having a late-night talk by candlelight.
Normally, his parents would already have been asleep at this hour, but not tonight.
Clearly, it was because of him.
Rattle-
Gua slid the door open.
Inside, Dashan and Nai both turned to look at him.
"Gua! You're back so early?"
His mother sounded a little surprised.
Gua nodded. "Yeah. Shisui didn't bring any supplies, and we couldn't catch anything."
It was an excuse to satisfy his mother.
Nai did not ask any further questions. Gua deserved his own personal space. That had always been her approach to raising him.
Gua took off his shoes and sat down beside the low table.
The candle flame flickered, casting dark shadows over the low table, where a newspaper lay open.
"Konoha Scientific Research Base established"
"Expanding the boundaries of ninjutsu! Improving life for ordinary villagers! Lighting the torch of science!"
"Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi to serve as the first director of the Konoha Scientific Research Base!"
"Orochimaru specially appointed chief scientist of the Konoha Scientific Research Base!!"
One bold, eye-catching headline after another swept past Gua's eyes, and their thunderous wording instantly grabbed his attention!
Holy shit!
I figured Orochimaru would clean up his act and go legit, but I never expected it to happen this fast!!
The Konoha Scientific Research Base is already up and running?
And the Third is personally pushing it forward!
This was effectively an official endorsement. Orochimaru's research was now a legitimate profession with the village's stamp of approval.
Still, that did not seem like a bad thing.
If the Third was willing to take responsibility as director, Orochimaru would not dare mess around, and the Third would not let him.
It looked like master and student really were ready to quit their shady dealings and put on suits and ties.
"The Third really is taking things too far."
Dashan grimaced at the newspaper's contents and thumped it twice with his hand.
The Uchiha had gathered a mountain of evidence, yet in the end, Orochimaru had merely been stripped of his old position and locked up for two days. On the third day, he had reinvented himself as the chief scientist. Who could possibly stomach that?
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