Chapter 199: Chapter 198: It's All Just the Real Body's Mission

"Saint-sama, this is my child. He has had a high fever that hasn't subsided and spends most of the time sleeping..."

"Poor child." The young man with red hair sighed, took out a small knife, and cut both his and the child's palms, then held them tightly together. "My blood will protect him."

Visibly, the slightly convulsing child quickly calmed down, his breathing no longer rapid, and the painful expression on his face disappeared as he fell into a comfortable sleep.

"Saint-sama..." The mother holding the infant covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. "You are simply a reincarnation of a god..."

The residents of the Land of the Sea, who witnessed the miracle with their own eyes, became even more fanatical, falling to their knees and lowering their heads, not daring to look directly at the face of the young man with red hair.

"What a powerful technique... Is he from the Uzumaki clan?" The three tomoe in Shisui's Sharingan slowly rotated. Although he couldn't see through the human body like the Byakugan, the Sharingan could see the color of chakra and was incredibly insightful.

In Shisui's vision, the strange chakra flowed with the blood into the child's veins, quickly spreading throughout his body, continuously exerting a healing effect.

The life force of the Uzumaki clan was too strong. During the golden age of Uzushiogakure, there were people born with this innate Heal Bite ability.

The three members of the former Team 9 hid behind a large tree, not moving forward.

"He must know where Sensei is." Shisui glanced apologetically at the white-haired girl before continuing, "Ruri, I'll be straightforward."

"You, Kitsu from Amegakure, and this saint are, respectively, wielders of Shikotsumyaku, Mokuton, and Uzumaki."

"All signs indicate that Sensei seems to be interested in people like you who possess powerful bloodlines. I wouldn't be surprised if someone from the Uzumaki clan is by his side, especially since he said things similar to what Sensei used to say..."

"Let's wait until there are fewer people. We must get to the bottom of this."

The three of them hid in a secret spot, waiting until after sunset when the residents of the Land of the Sea slowly dispersed from the deep forest.

They waited a little longer until the moon was high in the sky, and only the young man with red hair was sitting quietly in front of the small courtyard.

The trio put on their Konoha headbands and emerged from behind the tree, walking straight toward the "Saint."

"You've finally come out, huh?" The young man with red hair smiled warmly. "I sensed three large chakras early in the day... Are you shinobi from Konoha?"

"Yes, Saint-san," Uchiha Shisui responded politely. "You don't seem surprised."

"Why would I be surprised? I often see headbands with this symbol. It's just that..." The red-haired young man raised his thumb to his forehead and lightly traced a line. "It's just that this part usually has a deep scratch in the middle."

Shisui's breath hitched; he hadn't expected the person in front of him to reveal such a shocking fact right away.

The Sharingan user steadied himself and continued, "I am Shisui Uchiha. This is Ruri Mochizuki, and Muta Aburame. We are all shinobi of Konohagakure. The owner of that headband is our..."

"My name is Natsume Mahiro. He is my sensei."

"Where is he?" Shisui blurted out. "Is he also in the Land of the Sea?"

"I don't know." Natsume looked genuinely sincere. "I haven't seen Sensei in a long time. He didn't tell me where he was going before he left."

"Natsume-san, we are also students of him. You don't need to be so guarded..."

"I'm really sorry, but I truly don't know." The young man with red hair sighed. "If you are also Sensei's disciples, you should know that he isn't the type to talk openly with his students."

The three members of the former Team 9 fell silent. Natsume Mahiro didn't seem to be lying, but there was no way to be 100% certain that he was telling the truth either. The best approach would be to "apply some pressure," but...

'Don't take action, don't take action, don't take action.' Shisui repeated Hiruzen Sarutobi's instructions in his mind three times.

Muta secretly tugged at Shisui's equipment pouch from behind. The Sharingan user snapped out of it, no longer pressing the matter, and instead continued chatting with Natsume, avoiding topics related to their sensei. The atmosphere remained fairly cordial.

After a while, the three from Konoha, not wanting to overstay their welcome, took their leave of Natsume. The red-haired young man seemed genuinely good-natured, even loudly reminding them as they departed, "If you're planning to leave the Land of the Sea, it's best to go before next week. The hurricane season is coming. You probably noticed the strong winds and waves when you arrived by boat, right? The weather's been rough lately..."

Back at the inn, the three former members of Team 9 were somewhat silent.

Muta was the first to speak, "Don't lose hope. It wasn't a complete waste. At least we found someone connected to Sensei. As long as we keep waiting here, we'll have a chance to meet him again."

"But no one knows when Sensei will come to the Land of the Sea." Shisui scratched his head in frustration. "It seems the village will need to station shinobi here permanently. We'll go talk to Natsume Mahiro again in the next couple of days. If nothing comes of it, we'll head back and report the situation to Lord Hokage..."

...

Later that night.

Natsume Mahiro opened his eyes and yawned.

"I've been waiting for you for three whole hours... You were too slow, sister."

"Hmph, do you think it's easy to avoid Shisui's Sharingan?" Ruri emerged from the forest, speaking bluntly. "Where's the real body?"

"I really don't know. Everything I said during the day was the truth."

"Why expose your whereabouts?"

"It's all part of the real body's plan." Natsume stroked his chin. "The last time I saw him was two months ago. He told me to 'lure the people from Konoha here,' and then he vanished."

"...What exactly is he planning?"

"I used to have some ideas, but now I have no clue." Natsume plucked a split end from his red hair and sighed. "Four years ago, about three months after the Crimson Night massacre, the real body created me using the Uzumaki blood and flesh that Konan collected. So, I only know what the real body was thinking and can remember his memories from when he was sixteen years old."

"The real body slaughtered the Hyuga clan, defected from Konoha, and killed countless people."

"At that time, he clearly had better options. For example, he could have framed the Hyuga clan, forced them into rebellion, and then played the role of a righteous savior himself."

"But the real body chose to stand against Konoha, openly declaring to the entire shinobi world—'I, Yuto Hyuga, have exterminated my clan and defected from the village because I couldn't stand the oppression of the Caged Bird Seal!'"

"In our previous life, we might have called the 'Crimson Night' when the real body became "Enlightened". If we had transmigrated into a cultivation world, the real body might have overcome his inner demons and ascended on the spot, hahaha..."

The Uzumaki clone laughed awkwardly, then suddenly sighed. "Do you understand what I'm saying... By using bloody means to fulfill his desires and break free from his cage, the real body became like a bird flying for the first time. From the Crimson Night until the time he created me, his thoughts were changing every day."

"Now, no one can guess what he's thinking."

(End of Chapter)