Chương 255: Chapter 254: One Heart
When Orochimaru returned to the Hokage Building, his expression was particularly unpleasant. He always had a cold and sinister appearance, but now his golden snake-like eyes emitted a dangerous gleam, as if he might strike at any moment.
In truth, Orochimaru's mood was even worse than his appearance suggested.
"Summon Tsunade back to the village. Sensei can't stay on the front lines any longer; we need someone strong in the village to hold the fort."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shisui responded with a bow. "But if Hiruzen-sama also returns to the village, won't the battlefield in the Land of Water..."
"We can't worry about that now. The Mist shinobi are a lesser threat compared to Yuto and Obito." Orochimaru rubbed his temples, hesitating slightly. "Shisui, I'll be summoning Danzo to this office soon. While I do that, you take some men and detain all of Root's members. If they resist... deal with them on the spot."
"...Understood." Shisui pressed his lips together before asking, "Hokage-sama, do you think Elder Danzo was the one who swapped out the Fourth Hokage's remains?"
"Not necessarily, but whether it's the Nine-Tails Incident six years ago, the Crimson Night, Obito's execution two years ago, or today's attack on the village by the Phantom Organization, neither he nor his subordinates have ever shown up. It's unsettling." Orochimaru replied calmly, "We'll discuss Danzo once Sensei returns."
"Yes."
"And, Shisui, tonight, handle all the village's affairs. I need to examine the remains of the previous Hokage. We cannot afford to lose the power of Impure World Reincarnation."
---
Two days later, in Amegakure.
"Sigh... I really got played this time."
Yuto tossed aside the intel in his hands and spoke to Konan, who stood beside him.
"With no way to confirm the ownership of the remains, there's almost no chance that Orochimaru will risk using Impure World Reincarnation."
"It's fine, Yuto-sama. Konoha is only barely holding on."
"You're getting better with your words… Where's Kitsu?"
"He's still at the experimental base."
"Tell him to come see me. Oh, and you don't need to come along."
"Yes."
The purple-haired woman dissolved into paper and disappeared. Shortly after, Kitsu climbed the tower and appeared behind Yuto.
"Kitsu," Yuto scratched his head, hesitating. "You won't need to stay in Amegakure for the time being. Go enjoy yourself—eat whatever you want, do whatever you like. By the way, I have no idea what you enjoy..."
Kitsu's clone was momentarily stunned but quickly understood.
His face flushed, his breathing quickened, and his voice trembled with excitement as he gulped, "The time has finally come, hasn't it? To return to your body…"
"Mm, the bloodline powers of all four of you have developed well. Now is the perfect time to absorb you."
"A wise decision!" Kitsu jumped in place, his hands waving with excitement. "Sasuke and Naruto are still just kids. Indra's and Ashura's powers haven't fully awakened yet. Once you gain the pure Ōtsutsuki bloodline, who in the entire shinobi world could stop you? Even if the Sage of Six Paths himself showed up, you could fight him!"
"Don't get too excited. Go clear your mind. Before I absorb you, you can..." Yuto patted Kitsu's clone on the shoulder.
Kitsu shook his head, grinning, "I know you may feel like you owe me something, but even you can't understand how we clones feel." He paused, his tone becoming extremely serious, "Being absorbed by you is my greatest wish."
"You don't care about freedom or individual will at all... I always thought there would be some kind of... 'heart' between us."
"Why would you think that? You are you, and I am me. To use an imperfect example, do fathers and sons always have the same personality? Of course, certain... preferences are bound to be similar, hahaha..." Yuto nodded but said nothing more, leaning back.
A few rays of starlight broke through the clouds hanging over the Land of Rain, shining through Yuto's fingers as he stretched out his hand, calmly grasping at them, as though he held the world in his palm.
---
Shisui yawned, rubbing his shoulders as he exited the Hokage building. He hadn't walked far when he spotted the familiar figure of a white-haired girl.
"Ruri, what are you doing here so late?"
"Just got back from the interrogation department," Ruri tilted her head playfully. "Want to go play in the forest for a bit?"
"The way you say that..." Shisui laughed, tapping her head, "Just say you want me to teach you how to throw shuriken properly."
"You Uchiha people always act like throwing shuriken is child's play."
"You can't say that. There's a lot of technique involved..."
The two of them walked further and further as they spoke until they exited the village gates, heading towards the old training ground of Team 9.
Clang, clang! Various throwing weapons flew through the night sky, colliding and creating brief sparks. Both of them were exceptional shinobi, skilled enough to spar while continuing their conversation.
"Shisui, what did the Third Hokage say?"
"He trusts Elder Danzo. He believes that while Danzo is self-interested, he wouldn't swap out the remains to resurrect Obito."
"They were in the same squad when they were young, just like us. It's only natural that they'd say that."
"Ruri, do you think their bond is clouding the Third Hokage's judgment?"
"It's just a guess. Anyone who knows the burial sites of the previous Hokage can't be excluded as a suspect... Ha, even you and I are suspects."
"They didn't give you too much trouble at the interrogation department, did they?"
"They wouldn't dare. Everyone in Konoha knows that you, their Shisui-sama, have my back." Ruri threw all her kunai at once, wiped the sweat from her brow, and sat high on a tree branch.
"Ruri, let's head back."
"No, I want to practice a little more."
"Then I'm leaving. You know, with Clan Head Fugaku's death, the Uchiha need me now."
"Alright, alright, go be a busy man." The white-haired girl waved her hand, smiling as she bid him farewell.
Shisui looked up and saw only a faint glow surrounding her figure—beautiful beyond words. Due to his frequent use of the Mangekyō, his vision had worsened, and things were already starting to blur.
Still, no matter how much his sight faded, Ruri was always beautiful.
With that thought, Shisui cleaned up the leftover shuriken and headed back to the village.
The quiet forest was left with only her lying on the tree.
Moonlight pierced through the leaves, falling on the girl's body. She raised her hand suddenly, grasping it fiercely. She used so much strength that her pale skin turned blue, veins popping out, like someone drowning who had just grabbed hold of dry land.
(End of Chapter)
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