At the home of Bieshu Feifan's son acquired on the cheap, in the Capital of the Land of Wind.
The fat, middle-aged man felt that something was off.
He remembered that his father had been dead for years,
but he also remembered having a father who was a child.
The fat, middle-aged man thought for a long time, but still could not make sense of these two memories.
"Someone, come here."
The fat, middle-aged man called out, and a servant immediately ran over.
"Your orders, sir?"
"Go find out who my father is, whether he's dead, and where he's buried. Sort out every piece of information concerning my father."
The fat, middle-aged man still could not figure out whether his father was dead, or whether he was a dwarf.
The servant who left with his orders was puzzled too. Why did he remember his master seeming to have two fathers?
One had been dead for years, and one was a child.
The servants put their heads together, and their scalps immediately prickled.
Had the old master been reincarnated?
Before the news of the old master's reincarnation could be verified, the frustrated, fat, middle-aged man received another piece of news.
Something had happened to the daimyo's nephew, Itadori Daiji.
Itadori Daiji had accepted a mission to transport supplies to the front a few days earlier. Nothing remained of their transport team's bodies; most of them were probably dead.
Hearing this, the fat, middle-aged man was overjoyed.
His business rival had actually died just like that.
No longer sparing a thought for who his father was, the fat, middle-aged man immediately sent people to fill the gap his rival had left in the market.
A few more days passed, and the hypnosis Bieshu Feifan had left on him gradually faded.
The fat, middle-aged man gradually became certain that his father was not a dwarf, and had been dead for years.
Yet the talk of his father's reincarnation continued to linger in his mind.
Returning to Bieshu Feifan, after several days of arduous travel and evading Sunagakure's patrols, he finally returned to Konoha with the Inuzuka Clan Jonin.
The instant he saw Konoha's gates, the Inuzuka Clan Jonin's breathing quickened. He was clearly very excited.
He patted Bieshu Feifan on the shoulder.
"Genin Bieshu, you did well. I'll report everything truthfully to Lord Hokage."
Bieshu Feifan had not actually wanted to return. If he had not run into this Inuzuka whose intentions he could not judge, he thought staying in the Land of Wind to develop his abilities would have been pretty good too.
He had not even worked on his newly acquired Magnet Release yet.
So Bieshu Feifan was not excited in the slightest, and his voice was rather cold.
"No need, Inuzuka Clan Jonin. The Third Hokage is my big brother."
Hearing this, the Inuzuka Clan Jonin froze, unconsciously easing the hand resting on Bieshu Feifan's shoulder.
"Is that so? Then let's go report together."
Bieshu Feifan refused again.
"Go ahead, Inuzuka Clan Jonin. I still have things to do. My Hokage bro is busy. I'll go see him later."
The Inuzuka Clan Jonin did not try to persuade him further, merely patting Bieshu Feifan's shoulder again.
"You're very talented."
Then he swiftly ran toward the Hokage Building.
Bieshu Feifan's expression darkened. That settled it about this Inuzuka Clan Jonin.
He was no good, saying things about how talented he was.
Was that something you could say in the village?
What if Danzo heard it and actually believed it?
Bieshu Feifan quickly turned to look around, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, there were not many people nearby.
Bieshu Feifan did not immediately go report to Hiruzen Sarutobi, instead plunging straight into Konoha Hospital.
The genin guarding the Morgue was still the same one as before. The instant he saw Bieshu Feifan enter, his expression changed dramatically.
"Genin Bieshu, you're still alive?"
"No, I'm dead. I'm here to find a suitable Morgue Cabinet."
As Bieshu Feifan spoke, he ignored the genin's constipated expression.
He had not been back in so long. Hopefully, he would get to touch some useful corpses.
But his luck was poor this time too.
Several hundred corpses, and not a single portion of special chakra.
After finally finishing touching the corpses, a somewhat tired Bieshu Feifan was just thinking of resting a little, then getting a meal and going home to train.
But just then, an Anbu wearing an animal mask came looking for him.
"Bieshu Feifan, Lord Hokage wants to see you."
He stepped into the Hokage's Office once again. Everything here was unchanged.
The spacious room, the Shinobi adept at climbing through windows, the mountain of documents, and Hiruzen Sarutobi smoking his pipe.
"Bro, long time no see. I heard you've been looking for me?"
As unceremonious as ever, Bieshu Feifan pulled over a stool and sat directly beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, even picking up the tea he had been drinking and gulping down a few mouthfuls.
Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully looked Bieshu Feifan over.
All in one piece.
Still looking the same as before.
But whenever he thought of how hard the Inuzuka Jōnin had just tried to impress Bieshu Feifan's excellence upon him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched.
"Well, well, Feifan. How did your mission go this time? Where's Uchiha Qiongyue?"
Hearing this, Bieshu Feifan felt great disdain inwardly, though he did not show it.
Not even going to pretend, huh?
He asks about Uchiha Qiongyue the moment he opens his mouth, without so much as asking about Dajirō and Feng You.
But Bieshu Feifan reckoned Hiruzen Sarutobi did not even know who Uchiha Qiongyue's teammates were.
"Hokage bro, what mission are you talking about?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened. Dealing with Bieshu Feifan was still as infuriating as ever.
But this time, he had agreed to send Bieshu Feifan to his death, so Hiruzen Sarutobi found a little more patience.
He drew a deep breath, then took another couple of puffs.
Uchiha Qiongyue's mission had been arranged by Danzo. He, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had merely not opposed it.
Three talentless pieces of cannon fodder useless to Konoha in exchange for one Uchiha genius-however one looked at it, it was no loss.
But now, the cannon fodder had returned.
And it was the piece of cannon fodder he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had thought least of.
Yet Uchiha Qiongyue had not returned, nor was there even the slightest news of him. This
made Hiruzen Sarutobi very curious about what exactly had happened.
"Feifan, the mission you went on with that Uchiha Qiongyue over two months ago.
What happened? Why did you come back alone?
Where are your chunin leader and your teammates?"
Hearing this, Bieshu Feifan thought hard.
A long time passed, until Hiruzen Sarutobi was growing impatient. Then Bieshu Feifan's eyes suddenly flew wide, and he slapped the desk hard.
"Bro, now that you mention it, I remember.
That Uchiha Qiongyue was a walking disaster.
We were having a perfectly good time in the Land of Wind, but that Uchiha Qiongyue ran into Sunagakure Shinobi wherever he went.
It was downright uncanny."
At this point, Bieshu Feifan was clearly very agitated, and Hiruzen Sarutobi personally poured him a cup of tea.
After drinking it, Bieshu Feifan continued:
"Bro, I suspect Uchiha Qiongyue is a Sunagakure spy.
Every time he went out, he'd bring back a whole bunch of Sunagakure Shinobi.
You know, with the level of education those Sunagakure Shinobi have, they couldn't understand a thing when I was Expounding the Will of Fire to them.
Bro, this time, I don't think the problem lies with your book, 'The Third Hokage's Will of Fire: Deluxe Edition.' Sunagakure's educational standards just can't keep up.
I suggest expanding the Konoha Ninja Academy into the Land of Wind. They're simply too stupid.
Bro, you'd better go teach them yourself, otherwise..."
"Stop."
Hiruzen Sarutobi truly could not stand Bieshu Feifan's digressions anymore and interrupted him.
"Feifan, just tell me what happened to Uchiha Qiongyue."
"Oh, you mean that Uchiha Qiongyue.
Bro, I think he's a spy. He always managed to draw a huge group of Sand Ninja over to us.
When we went out, we never ran into any Sand Ninja.
Bro, hurry and have people blockade the Uchiha Clan. They're planning to Defected from the Village."
Just then, the door to the Hokage's Office opened again.
A young man with long, straight black hair walked in. His expression was serious, and he had a certain bearing, but he was simply ugly.
His vest even bore the Ping-Pong Paddles design.
"What happened to my younger cousin?"
Without first greeting Hiruzen Sarutobi, the newcomer immediately began questioning Bieshu Feifan.
Bieshu Feifan was startled when he saw him too.
This Uchiha, if he was not mistaken,
was Uchiha Fugaku.
"Bro, isn't he Captain Qiongyue? Someone, quick! Uchiha Qiongyue brought the Sand Ninja here."
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uchiha Fugaku frowned simultaneously.
The Anbu within the walls also turned their gazes toward Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku, who had been worrying about whether Qiongyue was alive or dead, immediately calmed down.
Hiruzen Sarutobi grabbed the visibly agitated Bieshu Feifan and spent a long time explaining before finally convincing him that the newcomer was not Qiongyue, but Fugaku.
"Tsk, tsk, you look so alike. I thought Captain Qiongyue had brought Sunagakure Shinobi to beat me up again.
Hokage bro, you know how those people from the Land of Wind are. They don't understand the Will of Fire."
"Genin Bieshu, where is Uchiha Qiongyue?"
Fugaku was somewhat impatient, but his voice remained calm.
Only the gaze he directed at Bieshu Feifan was rather fierce.
Bieshu Feifan shuffled behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Captain Qiongyue, he got slashed at by Sunagakure wherever he went?
The last time I saw him, he was being chased by a dummy trying to kill him. He probably ran deeper into the desert."
Before you continue