Chapter 561: Investigation
Ino shared the vague intelligence she had sensed with the three of them. "I've roughly sensed that the Minato Namikaze of this time is not in the village. Kakashi, Uncle Choza, and Shibi Aburame are also not here. They should have gone to Rōran. The powerful ninja in the village now are the Third, Danzo, and Orochimaru. We'll be fine if we're a little careful. The main concern is the Third. The old man's Telescope Technique has a larger detection range than I expected. Remember, gather information in the commercial district, and do not go near the Hokage's office or the women's bathhouse."
Choji didn't really understand what was going on, but he just pursed his lips and nodded vigorously.
Shikamaru and Sasuke thought more about it. Not going near the Hokage's office to avoid being discovered by the Third Hokage made sense; he was the "Strongest Hokage," after all. But why not go near the women's bathhouse? What did that have to do with the Third Hokage?
They were all ninja; infiltrating a village to gather intelligence was a basic skill. After learning the detailed information about the sensory barriers, they split up and infiltrated Konoha Village.
There was nothing to worry about with Shikamaru and Sasuke's intelligence. Choji's size wasn't a big problem either.
In a village full of starving people, a stout person like Choji would stand out. But Konoha had the Akimichi clan. Counting all the stout members of the Akimichi clan, young and old, there were over a thousand of them. One more or one less stout person in the village would not be noticeable.
Remembering Ino's warning, Sasuke forcefully suppressed the urge to go to his old family home to take a look and focused on the task at hand.
He had overlooked one thing, and Ino hadn't thought of it either.
Sasuke took off his ninja headband and walked down the street like an ordinary villager. His disguise was flawless; his expression, movements, and the strength he used when walking were all just right. But he still broke down.
The Konoha Military Police Force existed in this era. Sasuke inadvertently saw the Uchiha clan's flame fan crest hanging on top of the police headquarters and froze in place.
When he saw a man and a woman holding a baby walk out of the building, his heart shook violently. Relying on his last shred of reason, he hurriedly hid in a nearby bush.
Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha looked so young at this time. The man was handsome, the woman was beautiful, and their relationship was harmonious. With their recently born eldest son, Itachi Uchiha, the family of three was surrounded by happiness.
Sasuke watched the family of three leave his sight with a complicated expression, his body covered in a cold sweat, as if he had just fought a life-or-death battle with a powerful enemy.
He watched their retreating backs, wanting to burn this scene into his memory.
His heart was filled with sadness. Several times, the urge to rush over and reveal himself welled up, but he forcefully suppressed it.
He kept telling himself that he didn't belong here, that a ninja should not be influenced by external factors, to focus on his mission, and that he was an excellent ninja!
While Sasuke was so heartbroken he felt like ending it all, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji were sitting in Ichiraku Ramen, eating ramen.
Today was the opening day of Ichiraku Ramen. The three of them had split up, but as they walked, they had followed the crowd and gathered at the ramen shop.
Ino had spoken seriously before, but in reality, none of the three of them had been born at this time. No one knew them. As long as they didn't shout "I am so-and-so" in the middle of the street, they would be fine.
The "Teuchi Ōtsutsuki" of this time was still very young. Ino asked a few casual questions and found out that his beautiful daughter had also just been born. It seemed she was about the same age as Itachi.
A one-year-old baby certainly couldn't help out in the shop. The middle-aged Teuchi was extremely busy, but he was very happy and did his best to serve the customers.
Today was the opening day, and there were many customers. Ino and Shikamaru each had a bowl of ramen and were done. Choji was worried about his father and had no appetite. He tearfully ate fifteen bowls of ramen and then said he was full.
Ino paid for the ramen, and Teuchi bowed sincerely. "I apologize for the poor service!"
He was being polite, so Ino also said a few polite words in return.
As she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something. "Boss, do you have any coupons? If we come back next time, is there some kind of discount?"
Teuchi had a sudden realization. "I really didn't think of that. It was my oversight, my apologies!"
He took out a piece of paper and hand-wrote a coupon for half-price ramen.
Ino smiled and took the paper, waved, and left the ramen shop.
She sealed the paper in a sealing scroll.
Shikamaru didn't understand her intentions and had a strange expression. She explained, "Naruto's status is different now, after all. This can be his birthday present for this year. It's an opening day commemorative edition coupon. It's very meaningful."
Shikamaru: "..."
You're really a penny-pincher. I hope you choke on your savings!
After leaving the ramen shop, the three of them split up again to gather information.
Ino even went for a stroll at the training grounds and happened to see a cocky Obito with a lollipop in his mouth, arrogantly challenging Might Guy.
The Might Guy of this time was still a hundred thousand miles away from the seventh and eighth gates, but the fool was even weaker.
The young Guy-sensei knocked Obito out with a "Leaf Whirlwind," and the lollipop flew over two meters away.
Rin Nohara, who was watching from the side, was stunned.
"So weak..." For a moment, Ino even had the thought of killing Obito right there. She had already planned the process of killing, cremating, and scattering his ashes. But it was just a thought. The timeline was already in great turmoil. Killing Obito now? It would completely collapse!
An hour later, the four of them reassembled and exchanged information.
Unlike the ramen-eating trio, Sasuke had actually gone to gather intelligence.
In this timeline, there had indeed been a major change in Rōran.
Many genin knew that Rōran was shrouded in a thick fog. People outside couldn't get in, and people inside couldn't get out.
"The Fourth's mission report didn't mention any fog. Does this mean that history has already changed?" Shikamaru said, offering his analysis.
Ino nodded lightly. She had the same thought. There must have been some unforeseen change, and a major one at that.
Sasuke shared a piece of information. "According to the villagers, some merchants have seen a huge white pillar of light appear out of thin air near Rōran, with specks of red light inside. A fragrant aroma filled the air before it slowly disappeared."
Shikamaru nodded. "I also heard about this."
Ino was a little dismissive. There was no need to pay attention to some villagers' discussions.
These white pillars of smoke and red specks of light, what did they mean? Did it mean the Land of Fire was about to suffer a disaster? A sign from the heavens?
Could the disaster be averted if the Third Hokage resigned from his position?
I get it. This must be Danzo's behind-the-scenes plot! The Danzo of this time looks so young and naive!
"We'll investigate these matters thoroughly. Get ready. We're heading to Rōran today."
"Yes." x3
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