Infiltration Operation

Within the Hidden Leaf Village, Shin'yu darted out of the bushes while no one was around.

He deactivated his Sharingan. His right eye was as clear as ever, and all the bloodshot veins from before had vanished.

It turned out that the target he had chosen for reversal was the overall time-and-space state of his own body. Aside from spatial coordinates, it included his physical health and Chakra state.

Other than his consciousness and memories, every aspect of his body would return to how it had been five minutes earlier.

The power of time was just that wondrous and profound.

As long as the reversal target was himself, he could activate his eye technique almost without injury, with Chakra consumption infinitely close to zero.

That was also why he could maintain normal eyesight even after opening his Mangekyo.

Shin'yu glanced back toward the main gate and, while no one was around, lightly stepped out.

He did not alert anyone. Acting as though nothing had happened, he returned to the Clan Territory, intending to rest until nightfall.

The streets were filled with people—civilians and ninjas alike. People from different clans appeared to coexist harmoniously, but upon seeing him, an Uchiha, they all avoided his gaze without exception.

Shin'yu sneered inwardly. He knew this was all a scheme concocted by the Senju, meant to drive a wedge between the Uchiha. Only by obediently falling in line could they earn the villagers' approval.

But in reality, in the eyes of the high-level officials, rotten oranges were still rotten oranges. No matter how much they cooperated or accepted brainwashing and control, the Uchiha Clan would never be accepted by the Hidden Leaf Village.

He increasingly felt that leaving with Lord Madara had been an exceptionally wise decision.

Just look at the Uchiha's fate in the Original Timeline: ostracized, hated, divided, incited, and ultimately subjected to Clan Annihilation at the hands of their own people! Only Sasuke, a single surviving sapling, remained!

Not one Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village had been willing to face the Uchiha Clan fairly. Hashirama had been slightly better, but Tobirama after him, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo who inherited Tobirama's will, along with all the Hidden Leaf Village's high-level officials, were no good either! As an Uchiha, he might not even live to see Minato born before being schemed to death.

Yet one strange thing was that all the Senju clansmen in the village were unfamiliar faces. The people who had participated in the war seemed to have vanished from the world.

"Making those involved in the war disappear from the public eye in order to win over People's Hearts..." Shin'yu mused. The Senju truly had impressive methods.

When it came to politics and conspiracies, a simple-minded clan like the Uchiha would never be able to outmaneuver them.

After returning to the Clan Territory, he ignored the whispering clansmen and went back to his room alone.

He gave his equipment one final inspection: ninja tools, Soldier Pills, clothes, wartime armor, temporary tents, and so on. He stored all of them in a Storage Scroll and carried it with him.

"Strange. Why isn't Kagami around?"

During the day, after Uchiha Madara's call had failed, Shin'yu had sought out his Younger Brother and urged him to leave the Hidden Leaf Village with Madara and him.

But what he received was a complicated look filled with panic and confusion, along with a tone as though he were avoiding a venomous snake.

"Brother, we worked so hard to forge this peace! Why do you want to destroy it?"

"Good Younger Brother, I really don't know whether you're innocent or stupid..." Shin'yu lay on his Tatami Mat with his hands behind his head, closing his eyes to rest and conserve his strength.

The reason he had brought up Uchiha Hikari to Madara was, in truth, partly selfish.

It was not because of his attachment to the "Bo Light CP" from the Original Timeline, but because Uchiha Hikari's abilities were simply too overpowered. If Madara ever found himself at the end of his rope in the future, he would not need to seek Shin'yu out as a tool; Uchiha Hikari alone would be enough.

Moreover, with Hikari as a teammate, even if Uchiha Madara fell in the future, Shin'yu's safety would be greatly assured.

Golden light slanted westward. The sun disappeared, and night soon descended.

Shin'yu opened his eyes, glanced at Uchiha Kagami, who was sleeping soundly on his side with his back toward him, and shook his head.

He put on a mask, draped himself in his black outer garment, climbed out through the window, and silently left the Clan Territory.

Along the way, relying on his nimble movements and superb Body Flicker Technique, he avoided the ninjas on night patrol without being discovered. Within minutes, he reached his destination.

Two Senju Clan guards were on duty in front of the Hokage Building.

Entering the Hokage Building at night without being summoned would normally be a serious crime, but now... Shin'yu silently walked toward the entrance.

"Kid, stop! What are you wandering around for in the middle of the night?"

Shin'yu had no intention of wasting words on them. The instant he raised his eyes, his Sharingan opened. Three Tomoe slowly rotated, and after just one moment of Eye Contact, the two guards' gazes went blank as they fell under an Illusion Technique.

Although he was not particularly skilled in Illusion Techniques compared to Itachi and Shisui, his Eye Power was already at the Mangekyo level. His hardware was simply too overpowered, so dealing with two Jonin guards was effortless.

Shin'yu stepped forward, brushed past the guards, and swiftly entered the building.

He hurried in the direction of the secret chamber. A light layer of Chakra clung to the soles of his feet, cushioning and silencing his steps to conceal any movement as much as possible.

His black clothes fluttered as he raced through the midnight halls like a ghost, quickly arriving at the secret chamber's entrance.

"You—" The ninja guarding the door was about to cry out, but beneath the flowing red light of the Sharingan, he immediately lost consciousness.

"Demonic Illusion: Puppet Technique!"

Shin'yu swiftly commanded, "Open the secret chamber!"

The entrance to this secret chamber was covered in Sealing Jutsu Formulae. Forcing his way in was certainly impossible. Shin'yu knew nothing whatsoever about Sealing Techniques, but by controlling the Senju Clan ninja guarding the door, he quickly opened the secret chamber.

Shin'yu gently pushed the door open and entered. Seeing the dazzling array of books and the wide variety of scrolls, he could not help but frown.

"How long will this take to find?"

To prevent secrets from leaking, most of the scrolls were inscribed with seals. Aside from densely packed Jutsu Formulae, they did not even have titles. Without opening them, there was no way to know what they contained.

Shin'yu turned toward the entrance and quietly said to the Senju Ninja, "You. Find Warring States Sealing History for me."

The man nodded. Though his expression was dull, he obediently entered the secret chamber and began searching through the scrolls.

"Illusion Techniques really are useful. Should I focus more on training them in the future..." Shin'yu stood with his hands on his hips, smiling.

Before long, the man handed Shin'yu a red scroll.

Shin'yu's eyes shifted as he tested him. "Go find the Flying Thunder God Technique for me."

"There is no record of the Flying Thunder God Technique in the secret chamber," the Senju Ninja said expressionlessly.

"Then... what about the Book of Sealing?"

"I do not know what that is."

Shin'yu scratched the back of his head. "Could it be that the Book of Sealing hasn't been compiled yet?"

The so-called Book of Sealing was a scroll that recorded a series of forbidden techniques, compiled and organized by successive Hokage. That was how it was said, but most forbidden techniques had come from the inventor extraordinaire, Tobirama Senju.

Thinking about it, that made sense. The Hidden Leaf Village had only been established for two years. Tobirama spent every day busy plotting and figuring out how to squeeze out Uchiha Madara, so he definitely had no spare time to compile the Book of Sealing.

"In that case..." Shin'yu stroked his chin. "Go find every S-rank Ninjutsu or forbidden technique in this secret chamber for me."

The Senju Ninja nodded mechanically. After searching several times, Shin'yu had two more scrolls in his hands.

"Only two scrolls? Still, that's enough. If I take too many, it'll be hard to explain things to Lord Madara..."

Shin'yu was somewhat excited. Although a Ninjutsu's rank corresponded to its difficulty of learning, the more difficult a technique was to learn, the greater its power often was.

He had no idea what forbidden techniques the scrolls contained, but getting them was already a profit. Bolstered by a gambler's mentality, his anticipation had reached its peak.

Not long afterward, Shin'yu fled the Hokage Building with his spoils. After knocking out three patrolling ninjas in succession, he finally approached the Hidden Leaf Village's main gate.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred!

Every hair on Shin'yu's body stood on end, and he felt as though a sickle were hanging above his head.

In an instant, the threat of death enveloped his entire body. Yet before he could react, an icy Kunai pressed against his throat.

The moonlight was cold, and the Kunai reflected a chilling gleam, as though it would pierce his throat the next second.

Shin'yu swallowed, and he could not help but break out in goosebumps along the back of his neck.

"Kid, where do you think you're running to?" A cold, stern voice drifted from behind him.

Shin'yu's Pupils constricted slightly. That deep, resonant voice...

Why was he here? Had he been waiting for me by the gate all along?

In that critical moment, his thoughts raced. No! My senses can't be wrong. I clearly avoided all surveillance, unless...

His eyes widened as his gaze fell upon his sleeve.

At some point, a Body Flicker Jutsu Formula representing the Flying Thunder God had been quietly imprinted there.