After Shen had walked far away, there was finally new movement at the Naka Shrine.
"Everyone on alert!" Kazushi, as clan head, immediately ordered his clansmen to prepare for danger.
"Watch both the sky and ground carefully," Aiko added, indicating key areas needing close attention.
The previously sluggish Cocoon suddenly jolted upright, like someone waking up in a panic from a serious illness. "Let's discuss this seriously—what would happen if he found out the truth?"
"At the very least, we won't have peace for a whole month."
"Worse yet, you might even get beaten up, Elder Cocoon."
"Uh... Why not leave the village overnight, and live somewhere unfamiliar to anyone?"
Most of the clan members held no hope whatsoever.
Keep it secret? Their opponent could fly through the skies and vanish into the earth—truly an unpredictable and elusive existence.
"Cough cough! For the future of the Uchiha, Elder Cocoon will just have to sacrifice his personal interests to serve the greater good!" After assigning positions, Kazushi made a light-hearted joke.
This very joke instantly froze Cocoon's expression.
Realizing the joke may have gone too far, Kazushi quickly apologized, "Don't get angry, Elder Cocoon! I didn't mean what I said just now..."
"No, what Clan Head said indeed makes sense." Cocoon helped straighten Kazushi's slightly stooped back. "I can't actually die—but a fake death is definitely possible!"
"You mean..." Kazushi suddenly seemed to grasp the idea.
Cocoon nodded. "A large-scale genjutsu—a true ultimate illusion technique."
"I see!" Understanding dawned on Aiko, whose lips curved upward in a slight smirk the next moment.
What if everyone tells you someone's already dead? Would you question them—or yourself?
At Uchiha Hotpot, after placing his takeout order, Shen settled in to wait.
In two lifetimes, he'd never faced the loss of someone close—now, he felt completely at a loss.
"I should first check Grandpa Cocoon's physical condition." Calmer now, Shen recalled how Naruto once sensed the entire Konoha.
In Sage Mode, sensory abilities could be infinitely expanded—if chakra reserves were sufficient, one could sense the entire planet.
A face marked by white pigment and black lines appeared instantly across his features.
Closing his eyes tightly, Shen began gradually expanding his range of perception.
He could sense the lonely atmosphere in Uchiha Casino, students freshly dismissed from Ninja Academy, and even The Third stomping off angrily to use the restroom—their outlines all clearly visible.
Unsatisfied with just vague images, Shen filled in the details—colors, shapes, everything—until his entire sensory range came alive, as if he were watching it from above.
Meide and Nayou engaged in a father-daughter duel, Nawaki training alone in Water Release, and Kushina taking Minato along with Ino–Shika–Cho to the theme park—all these scenes filled his mind.
"With my current chakra reserves, I still can't fully perceive all of Konoha (Hidden Leaf Village)..."
When he reached Kage Rock direction, Shen packed up the soup base and ingredients, then left the hotpot restaurant while maintaining his Sage Mode.
Several minutes later,
As he arrived at Nama River, Shen's expression turned extremely strange.
He sensed the shrine's general shape. As he imagined small details, he suddenly realized—he'd been tricked.
Shen's face darkened, shifting from gloom to full-blown fury as rage built within him—at the whole clan conspiring to trick him.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to go along with their act.
Sure, it's still a lie—but you shouldn't ignore the good intentions behind it.
[I Who Should Perform for You Pretended Not to See]—humming a little tune, Shen sauntered toward the Naka Shrine Pass Technique.
Among the Uchiha today, when it came to acting skills, perhaps only Aiko could rival him.
By controlling every muscle and letting water-based chakra naturally form tears, Shen had shown the potential to become a top-tier actor since childhood.
Inside a massive natural cave on the western edge of the Land of Lightning,
Orochimaru carefully packed away his research materials, beginning to consider his next move.
Two months ago, he had already recognized Tsunade and Jiraiya's crisis as a test.
Since then, Kumogakure's retreat into secrecy further confirmed his suspicions.
"The process of cracking something like that should be quite enjoyable."
Tapping his finger against a map, Orochimaru seemed to envision scenes of Kumo's researchers dying one by one in explosions.
He always remembered how Shuren Zhou, that remarkable figure, had viewed this man-eating world.
"If that year, I hadn't agreed to Shen's proposal..." Orochimaru shook his head, dismissing the hypothesis.
Seriously speaking, even without his assistance, Shen would have brought those new technologies to Konoha a few years later.
The war started because of the greed in every ninja's heart.
Though Orochimaru believed he understood most truths about the shinobi world, human nature remained unfathomable to him.
A ninja can willingly give up his life to protect what matters most to him.
They could also do terrible things just for a better life.
After pondering alone for a long time, Orochimaru took out his mobile phone and dialed a number.
"Sensei, what do you think is the essence of a ninja?"
Silence.
Moments later, a weathered voice finally responded: "I believe it is endurance. The essence of being a ninja is endurance."
"Endurance?" Orochimaru blinked slightly; this answer was beyond his expectations.
"Doing whatever one pleases is extremely dangerous. Without learning endurance, what distinguishes ninjas from bandits?"
"Asuma Sarutobi, I understand now."
"But this is merely my personal opinion. Orochimaru, in the future, you must find your own answer."
"I will definitely find it." After ending the call, there was no longer any confusion in Orochimaru's eyes.
At the Hokage Tower, Third Hokage walked smilingly out of the restroom.
This phone call had not only cleared up his favorite student's confusion but his own too.
"Knowing how to gather intel, exploit the enemy's weakness, and choose the right attack strategy…"
"Hmph, sensei, I'll admit defeat this time!"
The Third Hokage was somewhat lecherous yet deeply concerned with his dignity, so he didn't even appear slightly angry.
Shen suddenly sensed a strong malicious presence just before arriving at Naka Shrine.
He instantly entered Sage Mode and stood in place for over five minutes, searching unsuccessfully for its source.
"Whatever. Time to finish this little performance!" His expression turned utterly solemn.
Before stepping into the shrine, he had already crafted countless plausible scenarios in his mind.
It would even fool the observant Uchiha. Not even a Hyuga could detect a single thing off about him.
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