Konoha Notes.

Chapter 544 Exchange

Chapter 544 Exchange

Neji didn't understand Shuji's reason for making this request, and he was even puzzled by the sudden appearance of the name Toneri.

Did the village reach an agreement with that person? How are Hiashi and the others who haven't returned yet?

But he didn't ask these questions.

The sixth generation's expression told him that now was not the time to ask questions.

"Within the territory of the Bamboo Cutter, our range of movement is restricted, and we rarely leave our rooms."

Neji painstakingly retrieved his memories bit by bit from his mind.

"Even with a critical eye, I have not seen any real people other than the Toneri; there are only puppets."

"After Lord Hiashi and the others were taken away, I found a chance to break out. There were many puppet pursuers, so I escaped into an underground river—"

At this point, Neji suddenly stopped.

There's a blurry blank space in my memory here.

Neji remembered the impact when he jumped into the dark river, the feeling of the cold water filling his collar and cuffs, the muffled explosion above his head, and the glowing moss on the cave walls as he drifted downstream.

But what happens after that?

How did he escape from that underground river?

How did it end up on the border of the Taketori territory?

"Can't remember?"

Shuji's voice pulled him back to reality.

"—Yes. I have some vague memories of the time I spent emerging from the underground river, but I can't recall exactly what happened."

Shuji understood.

Is the problem at the point of escape?

In that case, not much time has passed.

"Stretch out your hand, Neji."

Neji raised his hand as instructed, and Shuji checked it to confirm that no black diamond-shaped mark had appeared yet.

At this moment, Nagato and Toneri arrived.

The blue-haired boy's still full eyes made Neji unconsciously let out a slight chill.

Sheren did not avoid that gaze, but also did not say anything to explain.

Shuji said, "Hiashi's eyes have returned to him; they will be back soon."

Neji lowered his head: "—I lost my composure, Sixth Hokage."

"Since it involves family members, there's no question of 'losing one's composure'."

After comforting Neji, Shuji asked Nagato and Toneri what they could glean from Neji.

The Otsutsuki, being highly atavistic, can see things like fate in others even without eyes.

The attendant stared at Neji for a long time.

Finally, he shook his head.

Without the Great Tenseigan, at his current age, the senses belonging to the Otsutsuki within him are far from mature enough.

He could sense an aura about Neji that was different from that of ordinary people, but he couldn't determine what it was.

Nagato looked closely at Neji.

"He possesses chakra and power that do not belong to him."

"It hasn't been fully released yet, but it has already seeped into his body."

This was all the conclusion Nagato could draw. If it weren't for the implantation of Hashirama cells, he wouldn't have even been able to detect that extremely faint anomaly.

This information was enough for Shuji.

He looked at the black-haired boy in front of him.

"Whether this world is kind or cruel to you, I really can't say for sure, Neji."

Neji understood what he meant.

What happened to me that even the Sixth Hokage found troublesome?

"Lord Hokage, I have walked a path beyond what my father imagined and have gained more choices than he did."

The twelve-year-old boy spoke these words without fear.

"Even if it only stays in the present, it's nothing to regret."

Compared to his father's lifelong fate of being trapped in the division of the family property, he has gone much further.

The only regret is that the reform of the clan has not yet truly begun, and it seems that it will come to an end here.

Shuji said, "It won't stop there. At worst, we'll just suffer a fatal wound, but we won't die."

Neji was slightly taken aback. A fatal wound and not being able to die seemed to contradict each other logically.

"Go get a full medical check-up first, and we'll arrange the rest after I've confirmed the situation."

"Yes, Sixth Hokage." Neji obediently left the room.

After he left, Shuji asked the attendant, "Can your eyes now transform into the Reincarnation Eye?"

The hermit replied, "If we could, our clan would not sacrifice our eyes to the Great Reincarnation Eye."

Is it similar to the Senju and Uchiha cases?

So, the next thing is something else.

"The person who killed Yoichi has been identified as likely to be located by Konoha."

The servant's expression immediately changed. Undisguised ferocity appeared on his handsome face.

"Where?"

Shuji said, "You can't win, not even when the Great Tenseigan is around."

Both Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion are typical skills for easily defeating weaker opponents. They have very high stats, but no mechanics whatsoever.

Shuji's blunt assessment startled Toneri, who then asked, "Is that person related to Hyuga Neji?"

"It can only be said that Neji is likely his target."

As he spoke, Shuji looked at Shigenobu with some doubt. If we were to talk about talent and ability, Shigenobu should be more outstanding.

The reason why Yishi didn't choose to fight Shiren was because he was worried that Cixian's body couldn't withstand the battle with Shiren.

Or is there another reason?

The Karma seal cannot be applied to members of the Otsutsuki clan? Even among their descendants, those whose bloodline has reverted to its ancestral form to a sufficiently high level are not candidates for the Karma seal?

Or is there some absolute prohibition within the Otsutsuki clan that forbids the use of Karma on recognized members of their bloodline?

He kept his guess to himself; if it was the former, then something like the wedge wasn't entirely unmanageable.

"Don't rush off to your death. Or do you think the Ten-Tails they have is short of food, and you're planning to feed it yourself?"

The servant's eyes turned cold: "What do you plan to do?"

Shuji asked, "After the Great Tenseigan disappears and the artificial sun is gone, what will happen to the ecosystem on the moon?"

"Hamura's treasures were not completely destroyed," Toneri replied. "Although those eyes were scattered, they can still maintain the existence of that world."

"That's good." Shuuji nodded, then turned to Nagato. "There's something I need you to relay to the Akatsuki."

Naruto and Sasuke followed Kabuto's footsteps, walking deeper and deeper into the unfamiliar corridor.

The temperature in the air dropped step by step, and even the lighting was dimmer than in the upper floors.

"This place is so strange—" Naruto felt a little cold, which was due to the temperature difference caused by the atmosphere.

Dou smiled, his glasses reflecting the cold light from above.

"This is the place that holds the most secrets of the village, Naruto-kun."

"Neji-kun and Sasuke-kun both gained a lot here."

Naruto immediately turned to look at Sasuke and pointed his finger at his nose.

"You've already been here, Sasuke!"

"Don't make a fuss." Sasuke didn't even bother to look at him.

Naruto rubbed his hands together: "Hehe, in that case, I'll immediately become stronger than you."

"We'll talk about it after you've done it, you idiot."

Sasuke spoke coldly, but he was thinking about something else.

The direction he led them was to a deeper area that even he had never entered before.

Gates descended from overhead and closed heavily after the group passed through.

When the last door opened, a familiar figure came into view.

Silver hair, red eyes, and an expression as stern as ever.

"Second-generation uncle!"

Tobirama emphasized, "I have already said that you should call him Lord Second Hokage."

Sasuke greeted him politely, "Second Hokage."

Tobirama nodded slightly to him.

Naruto looked around, his gaze passing over Tobirama and landing on the cylindrical containers behind him, sealed with transparent glass. There were eight in a row, each containing a twisted tree.

"Is the Second Hokage going to teach us some kind of ninjutsu?" he asked. "Is it Wood Release? Like Shuji's?"

Tobirama's gaze fell on the blond boy who had never learned to use honorifics.

"It's not ninjutsu, it's an experiment."

Seeing his expression, Naruto couldn't help but shudder: "A...experiment?"

Tobirama didn't give him time to process it. He turned around, walked to the nearest glass cylinder, and placed his palm on the sealing incantation on its surface.

After the procedure is completed.

The Nine-Tails inside Naruto suddenly opened its eyes, sensing the chakra within.

"That is—our chakra."

The blond boy subconsciously repeated the sentence: "Everyone's chakra?"

Tobirama was somewhat surprised, but he quickly understood.

"The Nine-Tails told you? That's right. This is a backup of all the tailed beast chakra the village has collected so far. Except for the Three-Tails, they're all here."

"Now, your task is to absorb all this chakra into your body."

9

Naruto looked at the twisting trees: "Why?"

This act, this behavior, gave him the feeling of stealing from his companion.

Therefore, Naruto couldn't help but ask, "And did everyone know about these things?"

Tobirama replied, "They don't need to know."

"It's better for them not to know. As Jinchuriki of their respective ninja villages, if they knew about this but didn't tell their villages, they would bear the pressure of betrayal."

"But—but—"

"You can't even do this much?" Tobirama looked at Naruto. "If I told you that the five great ninja villages have already had their Jinchuriki hand over their chakra for joint research, would you be willing?"

"The last person to give up their chakra in your place was the Fourth Hokage."

"Apart from you, including Fu and Gaara, they all did this voluntarily."

"They knew the price to pay for war and for victory."

He stopped and looked into Naruto's eyes.

"However, it seems you're not mentally prepared for this yet."

Tobirama turned towards the burlap stalk.

"Take him back."

"Wait!" Naruto's voice rang out, "I—I have—it's just that everyone agreed—"

He couldn't find the right words.

At that moment, the Nine-Tails' voice rang out inside him.

"Take it, Naruto."

"Once you've absorbed all this chakra, you'll naturally understand what it's thinking."

Naruto was stunned for a long time.

A moment later, he raised his head, and his blue eyes showed a newfound determination.

"I will tell everyone about this, Uncle Second Generation."

"I will definitely tell them when I do it."

Tobirama gestured for Kabuto to take Naruto into the incubation tank. "Think about this after you succeed."

J

The blond boy disappeared behind the glass door, and the laboratory fell silent again.

Sasuke stood still, waiting for his instructions.

Tobirama turned to him.

"You didn't need to come here."

"Although your pupil power has already surpassed that of other people your age, you are still one level away from the next stage."

Sasuke's eyes flickered slightly.

"A kaleidoscope?"

"That is not a force that should be actively pursued."

Tobirama's tone was even more somber than when he spoke to Naruto earlier.

"However, you have already undergone cell implantation experiments, so your eye power is already higher than that of the Uchiha with the same three-tomoe.

"Therefore, there is still room for trying external stimuli."

Sasuke sensed something was off.

"External stimuli—what do you mean?"

"Get a pair of kaleidoscopes. Your father's, or your brother's."

Tobirama's voice remained calm and normal.

"With more mature eye power, I will activate the dormant power within you in reverse."

Sasuke's pupils suddenly contracted.

"I don't need it."

These four words came out almost reflexively.

He doesn't need to. He can prove everything on his own; he doesn't need to take anything from anyone, especially his father or his brother.

"You can't understand it either?" Tobirama said. "You should have understood the resolve required to become a Shadow and bear everything two years ago."

Sasuke remained silent. He understood, he knew, but—

At this moment, Shuji had finished his conversation with Nagato and Toneri and also arrived here.

Seeing Sasuke's barely suppressed inner turmoil, Shuuji said, "Let's proceed with this round of cell implantation, Sasuke."

His intervention brought Sasuke a sense of relief. Being suddenly asked to take away his loved one's eyes, even if it was just in exchange, put Sasuke under immense pressure.

He had the awareness to bear the darkness, but putting it into practice was not so quick.

Kabuto took Sasuke away.

Once the footsteps of the others had faded into the distance, Shuji said, "Once Naruto comes out and has lost a match, Sasuke will have the motivation, Second Hokage."

"I will first communicate with Fugaku about the eye issue."

"My son shouldn't have much resistance to having his eyes transplanted."

The original enemy was only Madara, which could be dealt with without the power of Ashura and Indra. However, now that there is an additional technique, it is necessary to try to activate it in advance.

Naruto's situation is relatively simple; he can activate Ashura's power by following the steps without needing any external stimulus.

But Sasuke is different; he can only try other methods.

As for whether this attempt will succeed, it mainly depends on Indra himself, the founder of the Uchiha clan.

As the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths, he has no brothers with kaleidoscopes, yet he still possesses eyes that do not go blind.

This proves that the Eternal Kaleidoscope, which requires the power of blood relatives to compensate for its defects, is the result of diluted bloodline, and is even more likely exclusive to the reincarnation of Indra.

With the improved White Zetsu cells, it might be possible to lower the threshold for activating Indra's chakra by one level.

Whether it succeeds or not, you should always give it a try.

Tobirama asked, "How are the other arrangements going?"

Shuji said, "If arranged properly, we can try to create a time gap to deal with the enemy, but that's only the best-case scenario."

"If that doesn't work, there's always a last resort."

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