In the dim cave, Danzo unwrapped the bandage on his forehead, and his tightly closed right eye slowly opened.
Looking at the red eye in his right eye socket in the mirror, and the three black Tomoe within the eye, after a moment of silence, Danzo turned to look down at the Root ninja kneeling below him.
The rate of decline in his right eye's vision had exceeded his expectations. If he couldn't find a replacement before going completely blind, he would truly become blind.
Unfortunately, during the war, although the Jonin of the Uchiha Clan suffered casualties, their final bodies did not end up in his hands.
Danzo squinted down at the crowd below, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Report on the situation of the Uchiha Clan's movements."
"Yes!"
With that, a Root ninja stepped forward and half-knelt on the ground to report.
"Most of the Uchiha Clan Jonin have been active within the village with no signs of leaving. Three Chunin have left the village for a B-Rank Mission, and seven Genin have left for a C-Rank Mission. Uchiha Asuka left the village this morning for a D-Rank Mission."
Uchiha Asuka...
After murmuring to himself for a moment, Danzo looked down at the kneeling ninja and asked,
"What about those two troublemakers from last time?"
"They are recovering at home."
"Bring someone skilled in interrogation to visit them, and inform them that the matter of Uchiha Asuka is to be set aside for now. Once they have recovered, have them come over."
"Yes!"
After the ninja disappeared from the spot, Danzo reached behind his head and continued to wrap the bandage.
Jonin are also categorized. Under similar circumstances, Uchiha Clan's Jonin have a significant advantage compared to other ninja clans.
Defeating a Uchiha Jonin isn't difficult; numbers will suffice.
However, killing one is a whole different challenge.
Especially those who are skilled in Medical Ninjutsu, the difficulty level rises significantly.
Danzo shook his head, his gaze falling on the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Last time, he only wanted to test how strong that guy was. He didn't expect to discover nothing and end up spending a lot on medical bills.
It was more irritating than inviting Hiruzen out for a meal.
"Achoo!"
Asuka wrinkled his nose, glanced at the small cats hanging from Uzuki Yugao's body, and looked up at the dense forest ahead, muttering to himself,
"I always feel like someone is cursing at me."
Tonight, I'll visit that Root ninja's home and discuss matters concerning our enemies with him.
Tomorrow, I'll explain the Will of Fire to the children in the clan.
The day after tomorrow, I'll take them on a mission.
The day after that, I have to hold an impromptu clan meeting.
So busy."
Listening to her sensei mumbling, Uzuki Yugao took the small cat off her head and looked up at her sensei, puzzled.
"Sensei, what are you mumbling about?"
"Nothing much. I think I just figured out why I don't have a girlfriend."
"Why's that?"
"My schedule is too packed, too few holidays, no time for romance, and no suitable targets."
"Sensei, don't you like anyone?"
At her words, Asuka paused, then looked down at Yugao for a while. He gazed at her evasive eyes and said somewhat speechlessly,
"The person I like doesn't exist in this world."
"Ah?"
Uzuki Yugao blinked in surprise and asked, "Why?"
"Sigh."
Asuka sighed and began counting on his fingers.
"I like Tsunade's figure, Kushina Uzumaki's hair, Uchiha Mikoto's gentleness, Inuzuka Tsume's wildness, Kurenai's red eyes, well, white eyes are fine too. And add the intelligence of the Nara clan, the appetite of the Akimichi clan, and the versatility of the Yamanaka clan..."
"Wait!"
Uzuki Yugao interrupted her sensei's rambling. She stared at Asuka with a strange look, slowly took a step back, and uncertainly said,
"Sensei, why do you only like parts of each person? Isn't that a bit weird?"
"You don't understand. It's because I haven't found a woman who is that perfect. That's why sensei has been single until now. Do you know Kakashi?"
Asuka pointed towards Konoha and said, having accidentally revealed quite a bit just now, he needed to divert attention away.
"Do you know why Kakashi still doesn't have a girlfriend?"
"Why?"
Uzuki Yugao's curiosity was successfully piqued. She was quite interested in the village genius.
After all, Kakashi became a Jonin at the age of twelve.
Although half of his face was covered by a mask, it couldn't hide his handsome appearance. His white hair made people want to ruffle it a bit. His formidable strength also gave a sense of security.
Asuka took out a tissue and bent over to wipe away the drool that had escaped from Uzuki Yugao's mouth, then said mysteriously,
"A few days ago, I saw Kakashi holding onto Might Guy's pants, saying that Guy, such a mighty man, unexpectedly had something similar to an 'acorn' there."
"You didn't see it then, but Kakashi had a regretful expression all over his face when he saw the 'acorn'."
"I now have reason to suspect that Kakashi wants to..."
"Shut up!"
Uzuki Yugao stretched out her hand and pulled her hair hard, her eyes instantly becoming somewhat wild.
She had just been fantasizing about rubbing Kakashi Senpai's hair, so why bring up something like this?
She looked at Asuka in frustration, gritting her teeth.
"You've ruined my admiration for Kakashi Senpai."
"So what?"
Asuka stood up, scratched his nose casually, and said, "What about your revered Third Hokage, who sneaks a peek at widows bathing every day?
That Jiraiya isn't a good person either. He often stands on the wall on top of a toad, peeping into the bathhouse.
Oh, not long ago, when Jiraiya returned to the village, he announced loudly that the material in his mind was about to overflow after years of accumulation.
In a while, the Intimacy Series will be released.
When the time comes, sensei will snatch one copy for you and secretly deliver it to your home."
Bang!
Before he could finish his sentence, Asuka felt a gust of evil wind coming towards him. He looked at Yugao's fierce expression and glanced at the cat flying in the sky, quickly advising,
"Don't throw the cat. Losing fur will make it harder to complete missions."
"I don't care. I feel a bit empty inside."
"This is a sign of lacking love and the Will of Fire. Let me fill that void for you."
"No!"
After saying that, she grabbed the cat lying on her head and continued to throw it towards Asuka.
Meow~ Meow~
When Iruka saw Uchiha Asuka again, he looked at the cat hair on sensei and the patchy kittens around him. After hesitating for a moment, he pointed at one of the balding kittens and hesitated in his tone.
"Sensei, are you so violent when you catch cats?"
"Of course not!"
Asuka shook his head dispiritedly, sneaking a glance at Uzuki Yugao's flushed face. He then reached out to Iruka and asked,
"How's the information gathering going?"
"It's all here!"
Taking the notebook handed to him, Asuka scanned the information recorded inside and then turned to Hyuga Hanabi.
"Hanabi, it's time to test your sensing abilities. Treat our actions as a covert operation. Pay attention to anyone who gives us an extra glance or quietly follows us. Then discreetly inform me."
"Got it!"
Hyuga Hanabi activated her Byakugan and vigilantly scanned her surroundings.
Although she didn't know the purpose behind sensei's actions, she trusted that sensei's words wouldn't be wrong.
And sensei was so fast at catching cats—just half a day had passed, and he had already caught over twenty of them.
No wonder he's a fanatic for D-Rank Missions.
"..."
When the four arrived at a small dyeing workshop with the kittens, Hyuga Hanabi began to question her own judgment.
After hearing sensei propose to the boss that they dye the cats different colors using the information they had painstakingly collected, Hyuga Hanabi glanced sideways at Asuka. She then reached out and tugged on his sleeve, expressionless as she said,
"Sensei, this feels like deception."
"???"
Asuka looked at Hyuga Hanabi with a puzzled expression, then shook the kitten in his hand and said,
"Iruka, let me give you an analogy. If someday you get married, and your wife suddenly disappears, leaving you anxious and putting out a mission to find her. Eventually, you discover she was just lazing around at home and had gone out to enjoy the world for a few days.
At this moment, someone presents a new wife to you. This new wife is affectionate, clingy, doesn't wander off, is thoughtful, and treats you like a god even when you stutter. If you don't abandon her, she won't abandon you at all.
Also, she doesn't mind if you're broke or if your house is falling apart; a can of food can last her three days.
With a wife like this, would you want her or not?
Be honest with yourself would you want her or not?"
Upon hearing this, Iruka blinked and began to seriously consider it in his mind.
If I follow sensei's logic, it seems like...
Seeing Iruka's struggle in his eyes, Hyuga Hanabi clenched her fists and hit him on his head.
Thud!
Looking at Iruka, who was crouched with his head in his hands, she crossed her arms and stared coldly at Asuka, continuing,
"Sensei, you're sophistry! Cats and people are not the same."
"Oh, really?"
Asuka pulled out cat ears from his pocket and put them on Hyuga Hanabi's head. Then, he picked out a cat from among the kittens and whispered to its ear,
"Convince her, and I'll give you ten cans of food."
"Ten cans?"
Upon receiving Asuka's affirmation, the cat's eyes instantly brightened. It beckoned Hyuga Hanabi with a paw and led her to a secluded corner, beginning to tell her about its bedridden parents.
With its pitiful cat life, if it couldn't move the heart of a fresh graduate from the Ninja Academy, it might as well wander the streets.
"Why is my cat so fat?"
"Oh, when we caught it, we fed it several pounds of canned cat food, so it became like this."
"Why did my Small Black cat lose the fur on its head?"
"Your Small Black cat was fighting with stray cats outside, bravely repelling several attacks from wild cats."
"Why has the Small White cat suddenly become so clingy?"
"It wandered outside for a few days, understood the hardships of the outside world, and learned the warmth of a family. It's a good thing."
"Hmph!"
Hyuga Hanabi snorted coldly. She continued to disdainfully observe the expressions of passersby with her Byakugan while casting a disdainful look at her sensei.
"What a talker"
The cat is obviously not the same cat anymore, he managed to describe them like that.
These people who raise kittens really can't even recognize their own cats.
"Asuka sensei!"
Iruka ran a few steps, catching up with Asuka while holding the cat in his arms. He raised it and asked in confusion,
"Can we really learn knowledge like this?"
Mm!
Asuka nodded affirmatively. He turned to look at the three students, his playful expression instantly turning serious.
"The D-rank cat-catching mission tests your observational skills, intelligence gathering abilities, hands-on capabilities, and teamwork. Regarding intelligence gathering, both you and Hyuga Hanabi did well."
Just then, Uzuki Yugao suddenly looked up at Asuka, seized the opportunity, and continued to speak:
"To avoid being caught for deception, we must remain vigilant at all times, observing the villagers expressions carefully. Each of us must be alert and watch for any signs that they might notice something unusual about us and report us to Hokage-sama."
"This is just like going out of the village for a mission. If you're not careful, you can easily invite trouble.
But sensei has just raised the difficulty of our mission a bit. Originally, the cat-catching task only required observing cats, but we need to observe passing pedestrians too."
"What about hands-on capabilities and teamwork?"
Listening to Iruka's foolish remarks, Asuka rubbed his head, feeling a bit of a headache.
"For a D-rank mission, what hands-on capabilities do you need? Wait until next time when sensei takes you to pick up trash, that's when you need to be hands-on.
As for teamwork, just now, didn't you see how covertly we were acting? Isn't that teamwork?
Hyuga Hanabi was standing watch from afar, Iruka and Uzuki Yugao were on the street, constantly watching for any suspicious looks from people around.
Sensei personally returned the cats to their owners.
Our coordination was seamless. Back when I did this alone, I had to use a Shadow Clone, which was really troublesome."
"After saying this, Asuka looked at the three students with darkened expressions on their faces, his own face showing a hint of helplessness.
Other sensei would only stick to D-Rank missions by the book, but I've turned ours into something special.
Search all of Konoha, where will you find a sensei as good as me?
Indeed, teaching students can be troublesome.
No, teaching students who can't adapt is troublesome.
Is this what an excellent teacher faces with his idiotic students?
Hiss!
Asuka took a sharp breath, feeling a sudden sensation during his moment of distraction just now.
It seemed like someone was watching him, and not in a friendly way.
After discreetly looking around, Asuka's gaze suddenly fell on Hyuga Hanabi, and he asked in confusion,
"Was it you just now sneaking glances at me with the Byakugan?"
Shua!
Hyuga Hanabi's face instantly turned bright red. She quickly shook her head and vehemently denied it."
She did look before, but she didn't just now.