Chapter 223: Hey, This Is Fun!
Konohagakure, deep underground beneath the Hokage Rock.
There is no sunlight here, only cold stone walls and a perpetually damp aura that never dissipates.
The flickering light of the oil lamp barely illuminates Shimura Danzō’s face, full of wrinkles and sinister.
He sits alone behind the large desk, his remaining left eye sinisterly staring at the scrolls and documents piled up like a mountain on the desk.
These are all intelligence about that emerging great power in the west, the Land of Stars, gathered through various channels.
His fingers slowly slide over a scroll marked “top secret,” which details how the Land of Stars crushed the Snow Ninja main force with thunderous momentum, captured Fukazake Nutou alive, and subsequently annexed the Land of Snow, the Land of Swamps, and the Land of Shadows.
It even includes descriptions of some battlefield details, such as that boy who uses strange bone spikes and Ice Release, and that shark-faced freak who uses a great sword.
“Shura…” Danzō mutters the name in a low voice, his single eye flickering with dread and deep doubt.
Currently, the identity of the Land of Stars’ leader is the highest secret in the entire Ninja World, known only to a very few like the Konoha High Council, and Akatsuki’s Nagato, Obito Uchiha, and others.
The other four great nations’ understanding of the Land of Stars mostly remains at the vague level of “a new force formed by powerful rogue ninjas.”
Footsteps sound, and an important member of Root, Yuruma Aburame, appears silently in the office, bowing respectfully.
“Lord Danzō.”
“Yuruma, any new news?” Danzō asks without lifting his head.
“Regarding the intelligence from Stone Village,” Yuruma Aburame’s voice is steady and emotionless: “Our spy embedded in Stone Village has confirmed that the infiltrator, Nono Yakushi, is indeed dead. Stone Village’s official statement is that she encountered a mysterious ninja attack during border patrol and unfortunately died in battle. Her body is said to be difficult to find due to battle damage.”
Danzō’s finger tapping the desk pauses, his single eye narrowing slightly: “Hmph, what a clumsy excuse. Nono Yakushi is skilled in medical jutsu and stealth, but she herself is also an experienced special jonin. How could she die so easily?”
“Keep investigating! If alive, we want to see the person; if dead… we want to see the body! I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Yes.” Yuruma Aburame bows and accepts the order.
Danzō pauses, as if recalling something more important, his tone becoming even more sinister: “Also… Shisui Uchiha. Our informants scattered throughout the Ninja World still have no news about him?”
Yuruma Aburame shakes his head, his voice carrying a hint of bewilderment: “No reliable clues, Lord Danzō. He has disappeared completely from this world. We even secretly searched all known hidden bases that might be connected to the Uchiha, including some long-abandoned Uchiha compounds, and found nothing.”
Danzō’s brows furrow tightly; this is a huge puzzle and source of unease in his heart.
That sneak attack, he had clearly succeeded, taking Shisui’s last Mangekyo Sharingan, and Shisui was severely injured, with no possibility of escaping far.
But afterward, no matter how he searched, Shisui vanished like he evaporated from the human world—no sign of life, no corpse.
Where could a Uchiha who lost his eyes go?
“Keep searching!” Danzō’s voice carries a trace of barely perceptible irritation: “Even if we turn the Ninja World upside down, we must find his trail! If alive, see the person; if dead, see the corpse!”
“Understood!” Yuruma Aburame bows again, his figure slowly retreating into the shadows and disappearing.
In the empty and cold office, only Danzō remains.
He leans back in his chair, his single eye gazing at the flickering lamp flame, lost in long contemplation.
The rise of the Land of Stars, Shisui’s disappearance, Nono Yakushi’s “accident”…
These events all seem shrouded in fog, making this man accustomed to controlling everything feel a trace of unease at losing control.
Meanwhile, in the distant Land of Stars, Star Capital.
The sunlight is bright, the spring breeze gentle.
In stark contrast to the coldness of the Konoha Root Base is the tranquility and comfort under the veranda of Menma’s family courtyard.
At this moment, Menma and Shisui Uchiha sit facing each other, with an exquisite go board placed between them.
Black and white pieces are scattered artfully, engaged in a silent slaughter.
Menma holds black, placing stones calmly and unhurriedly; each move seems ordinary but often contains profound layout and killing intent.
Shisui holds white, his brows slightly furrowed, expression focused; his chess style is agile and sharp, seeking breakthroughs in black’s grand layout.
Both are men of meticulous minds and exceptional wisdom; the confrontation on the board is, to some extent, a clash of ideologies and ways of thinking.
“Clack.” Menma places a stone, sealing off a large white dragon’s escape route.
Shisui takes a gentle breath, fingers pinching a white stone, pondering for a long time before slowly placing it, barely rescuing a small group.
“It’s rare to see you come find me on your own,” Menma picks up the teacup beside him, takes a gentle sip, his gaze not on Shisui but on the board.
“Not just to play go to relieve boredom, right? Star Capital is still under construction, but there are plenty of entertainment facilities.”
Shisui is silent for a moment, then puts the stone back in the bowl.
He knows that in front of this unfathomably deep Lord Shura, beating around the bush is meaningless.
He lifts his head, his transplanted eyes looking at Menma, his tone becoming solemn: “Yes, Lord Shura. I do… have doubts in my heart that I can’t resolve.”
Shisui pauses, organizing his words: “The Land of Stars has recently… successively annexed the Land of Shadows, the Land of Swamps, and the Land of Snow. Although the process seemed smooth, it must inevitably involve military conquest, suppression, slaughter. This is far from the ‘peace’ in my understanding.”
“Forgive my bluntness, your and the Star Ninja’s war actions will only bring more pain, create more orphans and tragedies, letting the chain of hatred cycle endlessly. Is this… really the right way to end chaos?”
Shisui’s tone carries sincere bewilderment and a hint of doubt.
Although he was forced to stay in the Land of Stars and received treatment from Menma, his deep-seated ideal of peace clashed violently with the Land of Stars’ aggressive expansion.
Menma sets down the teacup, his gaze finally shifting from the board to Shisui’s serious face.
He does not get angry at Shisui’s doubt; instead, he gently shakes his head, a faint smile tinged with pity curving his lips.
“Shisui, your thinking is still trapped in the cage of old era ninja.” His voice is calm and profound: “What you see is the surface of ‘war’ and ‘conquest.’ What you fail to see is the rotten foundation beneath the surface and the more thorough destruction that is bound to come.”
Menma extends a finger, pointing at the board: “The old order is like this deadlocked position on the board. Daimyo, nobles—these parasites on the Ninja Continent for a thousand years maintain rule through bloodlines and oppression, treating commoners like grass, easily igniting wars between nations and villages for selfish gain.”
“The so-called ‘one nation, one village’ system is just another form of division and breeding ground for chaos. Maintaining such order is the greatest irony to ‘peace.'”
“The revolution to end chaos is never a dinner party, never gentle, courteous, thrifty, or yielding. It is destined to come with birth pangs, with bloodshed.”
“But long pain is worse than short pain. Only by uprooting these decayed foundations can we truly establish new, stable order. What the Land of Stars does is not meaningless conquest, but surgical removal and reconstruction.”
Menma sees Shisui’s still confused and not fully convinced expression, and smiles: “Fine, words alone are no proof. No matter how much I say, it’s better for you to see with your own eyes. Tomorrow, a team will escort a batch of important relief supplies and administrative personnel to Ghost County, formerly the Land of Shadows.”
“Go with the team. Use your eyes to personally see the changes happening on that land. See if the commoners freed from noble exploitation have more pain or more hope on their faces. After seeing, come discuss with me what is war, what is peace.”
Shisui’s body trembles slightly upon hearing this.
He stares at Menma, as if judging the truth of these words.
Finally, he nods heavily, his tone solemn: “Good! I will go. I hope… I really can see the ‘hope’ you speak of.”
At that moment, a gentle female voice comes from inside the house: “Come, come, have some fruit.”
Kushina Uzumaki appears, carrying a plate of cleanly washed and cut fruit, smiling as she walks over.
She gently places the fruit plate beside the go board between them.
Shisui instinctively looks up, and when he “sees” the visitor’s face, he is struck like lightning, abruptly straightening from his sitting position, his face filled with incredulous shock!
He even instinctively makes a guarded motion, though he immediately reacts and forcibly suppresses it.
“You… you are… Lord Kushina?!” Shisui’s voice distorts slightly from extreme shock.
How could he not recognize the wife of the Fourth Hokage, the former Nine-Tails jinchūriki!
She should have perished in the Nine-Tails Attack along with the Fourth Hokage!
Why is she here?
In the Land of Stars?
In Lord Shura’s home?!
And her appearance…
Though her face is somewhat ashen with strange cracks, it is undoubtedly Kushina!
Kushina looks at Shisui’s shocked expression and smiles gently, her gray eyes carrying a hint of nostalgia: “You’re Shisui from the Uchiha clan, right? Minato used to mention you often, saying you were the most outstanding and kind child of the Uchiha younger generation, a junior he thought highly of.”
Her words are natural and warm, as if meeting a long-unseen acquaintance’s nephew, yet they stir massive waves in Shisui’s heart!
Fourth Hokage… Lord Kushina… Land of Stars…
What exactly is going on?!
Shisui stares at this face—black short hair, blue pupils, looking like a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy.
But he thinks through all the ninjas he’s seen in Konoha Village and finds no one similar!
Shura… who exactly are you?
Shisui feels his mind completely chaotic, countless questions flooding his thoughts, leaving him momentarily unable to respond, frozen in place with the shock on his face lingering.
If Lord Kushina is still alive, then Lord Fourth…
A somewhat terrifying thought forms in Shisui’s heart, making his body tremble slightly.
The go game pauses, but greater mysteries and shocks are just beginning to surge into Shisui Uchiha’s heart.
Menma looks at the shock on Shisui’s face, the faint smile at his lips seeming to deepen a bit; he picks up a piece of fruit and casually puts it in his mouth.
Eh, fun!
