The next day, after Kyōi went to the izakaya to work, Yōkō got up and opened Yuka's sealing technique scroll.
Blue Secret Medicine is good. Need to use more of that Blue Secret Medicine.
Yōkō had previously learned the Contract Seal and Summoning Technique from Yuka. This time, the sealing techniques Yuka provided were more numerous and highly practical.
The first technique: Sealing Technique: Sealing Object Formula.
A sealing technique to store items like kunai, shuriken, or even corpses into scrolls.
With this technique, Yōkō could create his own weapon storage scrolls.
The second technique: Five Elements Seal.
A sealing technique that seals and disrupts an enemy's chakra. It divides chakra into five parts, forming a stable sealing ring based on a generative cycle relationship. It has a special effect on those with massive chakra reserves.
The third technique: Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Seeing this technique, Yōkō thought, It's over.
Have I become Danzō?
Did I get the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal before Danzō?
This technique was very complex.
Write a task or command on a scroll, use one's own blood as a medium, and seal the text and blood from the scroll into the target's body, forming a firm seal.
Those affected by the technique cannot reveal the sealed content. If they try to say anything, their whole body becomes paralyzed and immobile.
Even if they become a corpse, the seal can destroy the brain, ensuring the information never leaks.
After studying the sealing scroll for a while, Yōkō put on his mask, left the izakaya's backyard, and headed for Yakushi Nonō's orphanage.
He wanted to try to contact Yakushi Nonō and see if he could obtain Root intelligence.
There were four or five orphanages in Konoha. The village did not allocate funds to the orphanages; they relied entirely on charity.
The village would support the orphans of fallen shinobi until they graduated from the Ninja Academy. Ordinary orphans did not receive such treatment; all four or five orphanages struggled.
If someone donated, or if orphans donated some money after growing up, the orphanage would fare better; otherwise, they faced uncertain meals.
Yōkō arrived at a remote courtyard in the village and found the orphanage.
The person who received him was actually an acquaintance, Kurumi.
Kurumi was busy preparing simple New Year's gifts for the over twenty orphans in the orphanage and wondered what this tall young man wanted.
He wore a mask, so she couldn't see his face. Kurumi didn't recognize him.
Yōkō said, "I heard there's an orphanage here. I have some spare money, and since it's the year's end, I wanted to do a good deed, make a donation here. You look quite young. Where is your director?"
Hearing it was a donation, Kurumi quickly said, "I'll go get the deputy director right away!"
The deputy director was a rather elderly woman. She said the director had gone on a shinobi mission and hadn't returned for a long time.
Because of Yakushi Nonō's faulty intelligence, Kirigakure suffered heavy losses, and she could no longer stay there.
Who knows where she went now.
Following the deputy director around the orphanage, Yōkō saw the children slept in triple-decker bunk beds and ate simple food with little meat.
The productivity of the shinobi world was extremely low. Both agriculture and industry were in a terrible state, living day by day.
No one knew if their farmland would be destroyed by a Fire Release technique tomorrow.
Meat was extremely expensive, both in the Land of Fire and in Konoha Village.
Over twenty children crowded into a small room for lessons, with simple arithmetic on the blackboard.
The children were very serious and focused.
Their faces and hands were clean, their eyes bright. Apart from the poor food, the orphanage took good care of them.
Yōkō took out 300,000 ryo and a letter, saying:
"This money is my donation to your orphanage. This letter of blessings is for your director. I hope your orphanage gets better and better."
The letter of blessings Yōkō left contained a small part of the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal and a communication code.
Yakushi Nonō had obtained the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal from the Uzumaki laboratory in the Land of Whirlpools.
Seeing that small part of the seal, Yakushi Nonō would guess his identity and contact him using the communication code.
Yakushi Nonō's intelligence had been crucial, helping Yōkō rescue the two Uzumaki Guardian Ninja.
Cooperation with Yakushi Nonō couldn't stop; he needed to see if he could get more information.
Kurumi watched the tall young man leave, feeling something was odd. His voice gave her a sense of familiarity.
After leaving the orphanage, Yōkō wandered around Konoha.
He sat on a bench, watching people coming and going, shopping for New Year's items, feeling somewhat at a loss.
He had spent the whole year on the front lines, first the Land of Rivers front, then the Land of Whirlpools front. Suddenly returning to the village, he felt extremely out of place.
Coupled with the Anbu being on the eve of reform, with all actions waiting until after the New Year, the Anbu had nothing for him to do either.
After taking off his mask, apart from Kyōi, he realized he didn't have a single person in Konoha he could talk to.
Yōkō scratched his head vigorously, suddenly realizing he had forgotten how to live without his mask.
He followed passersby, buying whatever they bought, adding some New Year's atmosphere to the Tsurugetsu Izakaya.
The woman in front of him entered a paper-cutting shop, so Yōkō followed her in.
He saw the woman ahead buy some exquisite black paper cuttings, so he also asked to buy black paper cuttings.
The pretty shop assistant said, "You want to buy black paper cuttings? May I ask how many family members have passed away in your home this year?"
Yōkō was stunned. He turned and saw the shop mainly sold black paper cutouts, with only a few white and red cutouts in the corner.
He suddenly remembered that funerals in Konoha primarily used black. So he changed his words:
"Sorry, I was distracted just now. I don't need black paper cutouts. Please give me some red ones."
The pretty shop assistant looked at the masked Yōkō in surprise: "Oh my, finally a customer buying red cutouts today."
The Great Shinobi War had ended. Konoha had suffered around 4,000 shinobi casualties. Someone like Yōkō, with no family members lost, was relatively rare.
It wasn't that Yōkō was lucky, but that he had no relatives.
He left with a pack of red paper cutouts. After walking a dozen meters, Yōkō suddenly remembered that Kyōi's sister had also died.
Although Kyōi's sister had tried to kill Kyōi, Yōkō wasn't sure if Kyōi would hang black paper cutouts for her sister.
He threw the newly bought pack of red paper cutouts into a trash bin.
Walking down the street, Yōkō followed people into shops, buying candles, fruit, beef, and dango.
He didn't know what to buy, so he just bought whatever others bought.
He returned to the izakaya carrying large and small bags.
There were still quite a few customers on the last day. After putting the things in the backyard, Yōkō came to the front to help Kyōi.
The izakaya only had six tables and one counter; the area wasn't large.
Watching Yōkō help deliver drinks and snacks, Kyōi suddenly felt a long-lost warmth.
Being together, the two of them felt like a family.
Kyōi suddenly thought of her sister, wondering if her sister would hate her in heaven.
The customers in the izakaya were boasting about how dangerous their battles on the battlefield had been.
Yōkō unexpectedly spotted someone.
Senju Kaede from the Senju clan, who had retired due to a lost leg.
He was drinking alone, his crutch beside him.
Kyōi whispered, "Since his son and friend died, he often comes here to drink alone. The New Year is coming, and he's still drinking alone."
Senju Kaede's son, Senju Kashiwa, died before Senju Nawaki.
"Let me give him a complimentary plate of appetizers."
Seeing an extra plate of appetizers appear before him, Senju Kaede looked up blankly.
Seeing it was a masked young man, about the same height as his son, his eyes grew distant for a moment.
"Complimentary appetizers. Enjoy."
After seeing off the customers, the two had a late-night snack.
Yōkō finally welcomed the New Year, Year 40 in Konoha's calendar. He had reached his 18th year.
On the second day of the New Year, Yōkō went to the Anbu base. Learning that all Anbu members were to assemble in the training ground hall, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The rest period following the end of the Second Great Shinobi War was finally over.
He had things to do again.
Arriving at the training ground hall, Yōkō saw Danzō and Yellow Dog on the podium.
The Anbu reform was about to begin.
***
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(Chapter End)