The showdown with Might Guy is not so much a competition as a pure and wild release of power.
When Senju Chen ended this "friendly exchange" that almost broke his bones due to lack of physical strength, Might Guy was still in high spirits and even offered to run two hundred handstand laps around the village as a thank you to his old enemy for his guidance today.
Senju Chen smiled and declined.
He looked at Might Guy's face that was flushed with excitement, and at those eyes that were so clear that they contained no impurities, only fighting and passion, but there was a cold silence in his heart.
Farewell to this passionate "best friend", Senju Chen also left the Senju mansion.
He turned around the corner and walked in the opposite direction to the Senju mansion.
There, is the location of another core department of Konoha - Intelligence Division.
It is similar to the direct unit of Strategic Command.
Different from the Strategic Command that Shikaku Nara is in charge of, which is full of birds and beasts and where information flows at high speed, the appearance of the Intelligence Division building looks much more ordinary, even a little old.
It is like an inconspicuous gray rock, standing silently in the corner of the village, neither grand nor solemn.
However, any ninja who is Konoha knows the weight of this building.
If Strategic Command is the brain of war, then this is the bottomless memory palace of Konoha.
It collects all the open, secret, bright and dark past of the village since its establishment.
Senju Chen stood at the door, tidying up his collar that was a little messy from the fight. The gentle and harmless smile appeared on his face again, and he stepped in.
The hall was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a strange smell of moldy paper mixed with some special preservative.
It was very quiet here, with only the occasional, deliberately muted footsteps and the slight friction of scrolls being taken and placed.
Most of the people who work here have reserved expressions, sharp eyes, and walk quietly, like a group of owls living in the shadows.
The appearance of Senju Chen is like a stone dropped into an ancient well.
Several scrutinizing eyes fell on him calmly from different corners.
A middle-aged ninja who wore glasses and looked like a civilian employee came out from behind the counter. His posture was very casual, but Senju Chen could feel that the other person's body had been maintained in a posture that was ready to explode at any time.
"This is the Intelligence Division archives. What can I do?"
His tone was polite, but his eyes were full of professional vigilance and scrutiny.
Senju Chen handed over a scroll with just the right amount of humility and courtesy on his face. "Hello, senior, I am Senju Chen. On the order of Minister Shikaku Nara, I came here to check some past mission information for post-war strategic review and summary."
What he handed over was a letter of appointment personally signed by Hiruzen Sarutobi regarding his entry into Strategic Command.
The middle-aged ninja took the scroll and read it carefully. When he saw the bright red seal at the end that represented the will of Hokage, his eyes changed slightly.
He raised his head again and looked at the teenage boy in front of him. The scrutiny in his eyes was gradually replaced by a trace of solemnity and fear.
"Senju Chen... So you are Deputy Commander Chen."
The middle-aged ninja respectfully returned the appointment letter, his posture was much more humble than before, "I'm sorry. What kind of files do you need to check?"
"I want to see the records of all C-level and below supply missions related to the Land of Grass border seven years ago."
Senju Chen smiled. This request is quite strange.
For strategic review, the valuable ones are usually those high-level classic battles with significant results or tragic failures.
Looking through a bunch of insignificant and low-level supply mission records from seven years ago, this behavior itself is unreasonable.
A trace of doubt flashed in the middle-aged ninja's eyes, but he didn't ask any more questions.
When working in this place, the first principle is "don't ask what you shouldn't ask".
"Okay, please wait a moment."
He turned around and walked deep into the rows of huge scroll racks that towered from the sky.
Senju Chen was guided by another female ninja to an independent reading room.
The room was not big, with only one table and one lamp, and the walls were empty, giving off a depressing chill.
Not long after, a middle-aged ninja walked in with a stack of scrolls half as tall as a man and placed them gently on the table.
"Deputy Commander Chen, all the low-level supply mission records on the Land of Grass border seven years ago are here."
"Thank you, senior." Senju Chen nodded in greeting.
The middle-aged ninja bowed, retreated, and closed the door considerately.
Senju Chen didn't take action immediately. He sat quietly until he could clearly hear his steady heartbeat, then he stretched out his hand and took the top scroll.
He flipped through the pages very quickly, his fingers running across the yellowed paper, his eyes like lightning.
Most task records are the same and boring.
"XX team, transport 300 military ration pills and 50 kilograms of Kunai to the A2 post. Mission accomplished."
"XX team, escort medical supplies to Land of Grass frontline camp, mission completed."
"..."
These records, like running accounts, were quickly passed by him.
Finally, his fingers stopped on one of the scrolls. The cover of this scroll was older than the others, and it was marked with a dazzling word - "Failure" in red ink.
Senju Chen took a deep breath and slowly unfolded the scroll.
[Task number: C-0874]
[Task content: Transport regular supplies (military rations, Explosive Tag, medical supplies) to the Land of Grass border K-17 outpost]
[Task team: Captain, Chunin Uchiha Tenka; Team member, Chunin Akimichi Sōta; Team member, Genin Tsume Inuzuka; Team member, Genin Might Duy.]
Seeing this, Senju Chen's pupils shrank suddenly.
Uchiha Clan and Akimichi Clan?
But even so, two Chunin and two Genin can carry out a C-level supply mission. This configuration is already quite safe.
[Task Result: Failed.]
[Brief description of the process: The team was attacked by unknown enemies on the planned route "Bellflower Path" and all supplies were lost. Afterwards, the investigation team dispatched by the village arrived at the scene and found traces of fierce fighting and bloodstains throughout the scene, but no complete bodies were found. Based on the comparison of tissue fragments and blood types remaining at the scene, it was confirmed that all members of the team were killed.]
Senju Chen's eyes were fixed on the last line of words.
[Judgment: Uchiha Tenka(KIA), Akimichi Sōta(KIA), Tsume Inuzuka(KIA), Might Duy(KIA).]
[Note: Since no clues belonging to the enemy were found at the scene, the identity of the attacker cannot be traced. The mission file has been sealed.]
Senju Chen read the entire scroll in silence.
He closed the scroll, leaned back on the chair, and closed his eyes.