章 11: Chapter 11: Discontent
Chapter 11: Discontent
Several ninja had arrived in the Hyuga clan's territory, reportedly sent by the Hokage to investigate the murder of Hyuga Jinshu.
Among them, a blonde man wearing clothes bearing the Yamanaka clan crest stood out.
This wasn't really a matter that required investigation. The Hyuga clan seemed to have concealed the theft of the Byakugan, so it would never be traced back to him.
It truly had nothing to do with him anyway.
Ayari hurried over to Shin's house again, looking worried.
"Shin, I heard your surgery was postponed..."
She seemed concerned that Shin might be overthinking things.
"Yes, the clan said there were some issues. We have to wait for Lord Hiashi to return before making a decision," Shin replied calmly.
He was reading again - his only pastime these days. He had finished all the books at home, but kept rereading the acupuncture charts multiple times.
Ayari felt Shin's reaction wasn't quite right. She hesitated, then asked, "Are you... okay?"
Shin said, "Why wouldn't I be? I'm about to fully recover."
Ayari thought that even if Shin didn't have an extreme reaction, he should at least feel disappointed. But here he was, lounging casually on the sofa.
She sat down across from Shin, looking at the book in his hands. After some thought, she said, "You seem to be reading this book a lot lately."
"Just reviewing when I have nothing else to do," Shin said. Suddenly, he sat up straight on the sofa, staring intently at Ayari.
"What are you doing?" Ayari tensed up under his gaze.
"Sister Ayari, give me your hand," Shin said. He had read the book so many times but never had a chance to practice.
Ayari hesitated briefly, then slowly extended her arm.
Without hesitation, Shin grasped it and pushed up her sleeve, revealing smooth, pale skin.
Feeling uncomfortable, Ayari asked, "What are you trying to do?"
One of Shin's hands lightly stroked Ayari's arm, as if searching for something. To Ayari, it seemed like he was about to give her an acupuncture treatment.
"This is the Tai Yuan point, right?" Shin said, pointing to a spot on Ayari's wrist.
Ayari fell silent for a moment before responding, "Yes, it is."
"Striking this point would prevent someone from forming hand seals to use ninjutsu," Shin continued.
Ayari sighed, then used her other hand to move Shin's finger slightly on her wrist.
"The chakra pathways in the human body are very fine. You need to be extremely precise. Without the Byakugan, you can't see them clearly."
She felt she understood what Shin was thinking. This child had become obsessed - was he trying to use the Gentle Fist technique without relying on the Byakugan?
"Shin," Ayari suddenly grasped Shin's hand, her eyes full of sympathy.
"You don't need to do this. The war will end soon. Just wait for Lord Hiashi to return. For now, stay at home and pretend you're not a ninja."
Shin was taken aback. Seeing the emotion in Ayari's eyes, he realized she had misunderstood.
"I told you I'm fine. I just want to study some things," he explained.
"Really?" Ayari clearly didn't believe him. She was now convinced that Shin was psychologically troubled due to the setback.
Shin felt helpless and decided not to explain further. He lay back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.
"Sister Ayari, why don't you find me some books instead?" he suddenly said.
"Books?" Ayari was surprised.
"If I'm reading, I won't overthink things."
"What kind of books do you want?" Ayari asked, puzzled.
"Anything about the human body or chakra would be good."
After some thought, Ayari said, "I can try to find some for you."
"Thank you, Sister Ayari."
Seeing Shin return to his book, Ayari still felt uneasy. After much deliberation, she said, "How about I introduce you to a girl?"
Shin was confused. "What did you say?"
Ayari looked serious. "She's from our clan too. You've met her before. Though I think she might be a bit out of your league, it would still be good for you to get to know her."
Ayari thought that at Shin's age, he should be curious and fantasizing about the opposite sex. Perhaps this could divert his attention.
"It's settled then. I'll bring her over another day."
...
When Sarutobi returned to his office after another war strategy meeting with village leaders, he found Orochimaru sitting in his chair, casually browsing through documents on the desk.
That was the Hokage's seat. No one had dared to sit there during the Third Hokage's tenure.
Seeing this, Sarutobi said nothing and slowly walked over, asking, "Why are you here?"
Orochimaru picked up a letter, saying, "All these letters requesting supplies. Has the daimyo delayed resources again?"
Sarutobi didn't answer his question, instead smiling faintly. "I'm surprised you're interested in such matters."
Orochimaru said, "It's about our village. Of course I should care."
This response made Sarutobi's eyes flicker. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Are you willing to go to the battlefield in the Land of Water?"
But Orochimaru countered, "If we repel the Hidden Mist ninja, will we win this war?"
Sarutobi frowned silently. Of course not. The Land of Earth to the north was still the Hidden Leaf's greatest enemy and current biggest threat.
The Hidden Mist Village didn't seem intent on all-out war with the Leaf. They were just carrying out small-scale harassment, likely hoping to take advantage of the Leaf's weakened state.
Orochimaru sat casually in the Hokage's chair, one hand propping up his cheek on the armrest, smiling faintly as he looked at Sarutobi.
But Sarutobi avoided his gaze.
Only Orochimaru dared to treat the Third Hokage this way. If Jiraiya had been so disrespectful, Sarutobi would have kicked him out long ago.
And Jiraiya would never act like this.
"Minato is becoming more and more impressive. Hearing about his exploits in the village, I feel like we're about to win the war under his leadership," Orochimaru remarked.
Sarutobi was silent for a while before asking, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Orochimaru picked up another letter from the desk and said, "Naturally, I want to help the village. How about letting me handle the supply issue with the daimyo's office?"
Sarutobi replied, "The daimyo has never withheld supplies. They understand the stakes. A delay of a few days is just their way of expressing dissatisfaction."
Orochimaru didn't argue the point, instead asking, "You don't want me to go?"
Sarutobi was at a loss for words, falling silent again.
After a long while, Sarutobi frowned and said, "Don't do anything rash."
Orochimaru scoffed, "I'm just going to request supplies. What are you afraid I'll do? At most, I'll reaffirm our loyalty to the daimyo."
With that, he stood up from the chair and left.
"I'll depart tomorrow. Please arrange an escort team, Sarutobi-sensei."
Orochimaru walked past Sarutobi and straight out of the office without stopping.
Hearing the door close behind him, Sarutobi let out a long sigh.
He looked at the chair where Orochimaru had been sitting, his gaze complex.
Orochimaru, are you expressing your dissatisfaction with me? Why won't you give up...
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