Chapter 126: True Identity Exposed By Collision!
In front of the Konoha Gate, a merchant caravan was slowly advancing along the wide road.
On the carriage at the end of the merchant caravan, Uchiha Hikari, draped in a windproof cloak, slightly raised her head, her gaze passing through the shadow of the hood and falling on the majestic Konoha Gate.
‘Uzumaki Clan Crest…’ When her line of sight touched the icon on the lintel that was very similar to the Uzumaki Clan Crest, her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
Having been sealed for hundreds of years by the Senju Clan in alliance with the Uzumaki Clan and Sarutobi Clan, Uchiha Hikari had a deep impression of this icon.
After the Uzumaki Clan’s Uzumaki Clan Crest fused with the leaf, it became Konoha’s symbol, which showed just how deep the relationship between the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha was.
‘Menma is also from the Uzumaki Clan, right.’ Uchiha Hikari recalled when Menma had released her from the seal, his self-introduction as he reached out to her under the setting sun.
‘But his hair color isn’t red either.’ Uchiha Hikari was puzzled.
As distant relatives and allies of the Senju, Uchiha Hikari had clashed with the Uzumaki Clan multiple times and knew that red hair and sealing jutsu were the characteristics of that clan.
But Menma had black hair, while Uzumaki Kushina and Uzumaki Karin both had standard red hair.
While pondering, the bustling merchant caravan entered Konoha.
Uchiha Hikari looked around, with the village gate as the center, the city walls visible from her gaze were seven or eight meters high, stretching endlessly out of sight.
Although Konoha was nominally a village, whether it was its defense system, construction facilities, or population, in this era it was completely on the scale of a large city.
“Name.” At the village entrance, Kotetsu Hagane, with spiky hair, a cloth strip covering his face, and a mustache, was registering the passing merchant travelers.
Beside him, Izumo Kamizuki, with his hair covered by a blue headscarf and a slanted bangs covering his right eye, had a foxtail grass in his mouth, scrutinizing the pedestrians of this merchant caravan.
“Natsuhi.” Uchiha Hikari said calmly, directly using Natsuhi’s name.
“Welcome to Konoha, have a pleasant journey.” Kotetsu Hagane felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this little girl.
It wasn’t familiarity with her appearance, but her demeanor made him feel like he saw it often—where had he seen it before?
After registration, Kotetsu Hagane watched the merchant caravan enter the village, still unable to figure it out, and scratched his head.
“Hey, hey, didn’t you think that girl just now seemed a bit like an Uchiha?” Izumo Kamizuki, with a foxtail grass in the corner of his mouth, walked over and elbowed Kotetsu Hagane.
Reminded by Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane suddenly realized—this deep arrogance in her eyes was exactly like the Uchiha.
After entering the village, Uchiha Hikari found an opportunity to separate from the merchant caravan.
But after separating, looking at the prosperous street block, she felt a bit confused.
‘Where should I go to find Menma?’ Uchiha Hikari looked around blankly and started wandering the streets, thinking she could first look for Uchiha clansmen—their clan territory should be in the village center.
Walking along, Uchiha Hikari saw a dense crowd ahead, with what seemed like argument voices coming from inside.
She originally had no intention of watching the excitement, just wanting to quickly find the Uchiha clan territory and then Menma.
But walking along, she suddenly heard the gathered villagers discussing in their mouths, remarkably the conflict between Uchiha Clan ninjas and the villagers.
“How did that guy Saga piss off the Military Police Force’s Uchiha again?”
“Who knows, maybe the Uchiha were picking a fight.”
“Hah, I heard Saga’s stall was short-weighting, and someone complained to the Konoha Military Police Force.”
“Even so, just fine him, does the Uchiha have to seal someone’s stall? Too much!”
Uchiha Hikari moved closer, listening to the surrounding villagers’ discussion of the Uchiha, and frowned slightly.
In the Warring States Period, let alone ordinary people, even ninjas and ninja clans didn’t have anyone qualified to point fingers at the Uchiha Clan.
Now that the Uchiha Clan had joined Konoha, were they instead hurt by rumors and gossip?
Uchiha Hikari squeezed into the inner circle and saw two ninjas wearing Uchiha Clan robes yelling at a vendor.
“Saga Tenta! Tell me yourself, how many times has this happened this month?”
“One or two visits from us to admonish you, and you don’t learn at all, treating the Konoha Military Police Force’s penalties as background noise, huh?”
“Then you can’t run this stall anymore, confiscate it for seven days to teach you a lesson.”
The two Uchiha said this and pasted several seal strips on this snack stall.
“No!” The stall owner Saga Tenta was a balding little old man; seeing his stall about to be confiscated, he burst into loud sobs.
This only sparked more discussion from the surrounding villagers, pointing fingers at the two Uchiha.
But the Uchiha wouldn’t abandon enforcement because of these villagers’ pointing, especially since Saga Tenta repeatedly ignored the Konoha Military Police Force’s penalties—they had to handle it strictly!
“Disperse! Everyone disperse!” One Uchiha ninja waved his hand signaling everyone to leave.
The surrounding villagers then dispersed while discussing.
After the crowd had dispersed, Uchiha Hikari still stood nearby, sizing up these two Uchiha clansmen who were moving the snack stall away.
‘So the Konoha Military Police Force is basically city management…’ Uchiha Hikari remembered that Menma had also set up such an administrative unit in the Land of Stars, mainly for grassroots security maintenance, occasionally cooperating with Hoshigakure ninjas for joint drills.
Mainly drills for screening spies infiltrating their own city’s region and such tasks.
“Huh? Why haven’t you left?” One Uchiha ninja saw a girl still standing there and couldn’t help pausing his cart-pushing.
Seeing this, Uchiha Hikari turned and left.
“Strange kid.” That Uchiha ninja didn’t take it to heart and continued pushing the snack stall with his companion.
‘Konoha Military Police Force, huh? Pretty easy to find the location.’ Walking along, Uchiha Hikari tucked away her outer long robe.
Her black long hair under the golden headband gently swayed, the Uchiha Clan Crest on her blue coat gleamed with light spots under the sunlight, her fingerless ninja boots stepped on Konoha’s streets, her demeanor leisurely yet carrying a cold arrogance.
That heroic and valiant aura drew sidelong glances from pedestrians, but no one suspected, just assuming she was a village Uchiha.
Thus, Uchiha Hikari boldly walked through Konoha’s bustling downtown, even nodding to several patrolling Konoha Military Police Force Uchiha ninjas she encountered; they showed no suspicion and nodded back.
“Seems like a very peaceful village.” Uchiha Hikari held a popsicle in her hand, sucking on it.
She had also learned the location of the Konoha Military Police Force, different from what she thought before—it and the Uchiha Compound were both in the village outskirts, so she had to head back.
Moreover, after wandering Konoha, she hadn’t encountered Menma.
Suddenly, Uchiha Hikari stopped in her tracks.
In the distance, Naruto bounced out rubbing his round belly.
Menma walked behind with hands behind his head, saying something to the blushing Hinata.
‘Menma?’ Uchiha Hikari’s mind went blank for a moment.
Seeing that kid who really looked like Menma chatting and laughing with the girl who had Byakugan and a flushed little face, Uchiha Hikari’s hand movements paused.
Menma seemed to sense something and turned his head to look, also spotting Uchiha Hikari holding a popsicle.
In the instant their eyes met, the street’s clamor seemed to suddenly fall silent.
