chsdbacks Chapter 491 Curse
Chapter 491 Curse
Chapter 491 Curse
Because the Hokage's office rejected Fugaku Uchiha's proposal, the reception room in his residence was once again filled with people.
The Uchiha clan head's residence has always served as a meeting place. As for the underground secret chamber of the Naka Shrine, it is a place that is only used when the fate of the entire clan is decided.
The last time it was used was when the remaining members of the police force collectively applied to be transferred to the secretariat.
Ordinary complaints or putting pressure on the clan leader usually take place at Fugaku's house.
Sasuke had forgotten when he was allowed to eavesdrop outside the reception room and not just stay there.
Looking back now, it was probably after he became an intern in the bureau chief's office that he was considered by the tribesmen as one of those who could put pressure on the chief together.
But after he became qualified, the meetings he held every now and then were just ordinary briefings.
Therefore, Sasuke had never personally witnessed how the clansmen's conversation escalated into pressure.
He saw it today.
"This is a conspiracy against our clan," Yaowei said. "Those who commissioned us deliberately concealed crucial information, and only after we discovered the truth did we use our Sharingan to uncover the facts."
"Since the client concealed information first, the mission team should have the right to determine the appropriate methods themselves."
The other members who were also complained about chimed in.
Fugaku sat at the head of the table, without saying a word.
Others also spoke up.
"If this trend continues, and Yaowei and the others are eventually expelled from the secret service, they will lose their assistants."
"The headquarters is already overflowing; adding more staff is simply impossible."
"At least half of the effort that the clan has invested will be lost."
Sasuke sat in the corner, listening to these sounds.
This wasn't their first time here. Ever since the complaint surfaced, the meeting room has been frequently filled with people. But today the atmosphere was noticeably different.
They received a formal notice of investigation and inquiry, which meant that the matter had moved from private coordination to formal processing.
"This isn't just a problem for our clan," Fugaku finally spoke up. "The village also has its own concerns."
Seeing that Fugaku had spoken, Yakumi fell silent. He sat up straight again, placed his hands on his knees, and the resentment on his face subsided somewhat.
Uchiha Yatsushiro said, "The position of Director of the Secretariat is currently the closest path to becoming Hokage."
"As long as this matter doesn't affect Itachi, it's not unacceptable to endure it for a while."
Sasuke listened to those words.
The path closest to becoming Hokage.
He thought of Green Aoi. Even though that Chunin claimed to be willing to help, he still felt uneasy.
Now, putting the words "Uchiha" and "Hokage" together, and listening to the Eighth Hokage's words, he suddenly realized that his clansmen cared about this matter no less than Midori Aoi's obsession with becoming a Jonin.
"Sasuke."
Someone called his name. It was Tiehuo.
"Be extra careful these days," Tiehuo said. "There are people in the secret service who don't like us, and they might try to get back at you. If you run into any trouble, don't try to tough it out; come to us."
Yao Wei added, "If you feel anything is wrong, you can tell us first. If we are to be expelled from the Bureau, at least we can help you brothers solve some problems before that happens."
Sasuke replied, "I understand."
The meeting dragged on for a while. The focus of the discussion shifted from appeal strategies to how to retain staff within the secretariat, and then to whether people from other departments within the clan should be transferred ahead of schedule.
As the other clansmen left one by one, Fugaku remained seated in the same spot.
Sasuke got up, went back to his room, and spread out the report about Green Aoi.
It turned out he didn't intend to draw a final conclusion so soon. There were still many details about that Chunin that he hadn't figured out yet.
The extent of his connections across various departments, and whether he played any role in this complaint incident—these questions remain unanswered.
But after today's meeting, Sasuke felt it was unnecessary.
He held the pen and added the last few lines to the end of the report. After finishing, he read it through from beginning to end, then rolled up the scroll and tied it tightly with a thin string.
The following evening, he returned to the West Suburbs Experimental Building.
Tobirama Senju took the scroll, unfolded it, and glanced at it.
"Is that enough?"
"Yes," Sasuke replied. "His personal answer has always been out in the open. What influenced my judgment was not a lack of information, but my aversion to it."
Tobirama set the scroll aside: "There's still one question that hasn't been answered."
"What he brings isn't solely his responsibility," the boy said. "Those things were always there. I just hadn't noticed them before."
"I will continue to observe how things develop, but not to write a report."
Tobirama Senju did not object to the boy's additional question: "You once intended to borrow the power of others. Why did you give up in the end?"
"When I asked Sakura and Ino for help, they readily agreed," Sasuke replied. "But they didn't really think clearly about what they were agreeing to."
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"They nodded simply because I asked them to."
"And because of my request, they will become bargaining chips that Green Sunflower can use."
Didn't you explain this to them?
"I didn't think of that before I spoke with Green Aoi again." Sasuke didn't try to cover up his mistake in front of the Second Hokage. "I was so focused on completing the mission that I didn't consider what kind of situation the people around me would be dragged into because of it."
Tobirama Senju looked at him for a few seconds, then looked away and turned to the wall on the other side of the laboratory, which was tinged green by the culture medium.
"I have had many subordinates in the past, but the six I rely on most and consider to be the future of the village are the most."
Sasuke waited. Tobirama's tone was different from usual, less stern and admonishing.
"Among them, some are still serving the village to this day, some died on the battlefield long ago. And one person almost ended his life as a traitor."
"No, in the end, he probably did end up in that way," Tobirama said.
"Traitor?" Sasuke repeated the word subconsciously.
Even someone trusted by the Second Hokage, could he really end up like that?
"I've never had the leisure to tell stories. If you want to know the details, go and find out for yourself."
Sasuke silently noted down this request.
A subordinate who could be singled out by the Second Hokage couldn't possibly be completely absent from Konoha's history. If you search, you'll likely find some clues.
"There's another matter on this side. It concerns Shuji."
Sasuke almost instinctively became wary: "What did he say now?"
He hadn't gotten a spot in line at the school, and he hadn't seen that person when he came to the lab building this time.
Kabuto said he might not be coming over much lately. In other words, to find out what exactly happened in the class the other day, I'll have to go back to school and wait in line to meet him.
"What did you say?" Tobirama Senju frowned.
Sasuke realized he had lost his composure. He quickly composed himself, lowered his eyes, and resumed his usual cold demeanor.
At least Shuji hasn't said anything about Tobirama Senju yet. That's probably the only good news for now.
"No, it's nothing," he said.
The Second Hokage didn't press further, but continued, "How much do you know about him?"
"Mr. Shuji is a Jonin of the village, and someone the Fifth Hokage relied on."
He told everyone he knew, and then stopped.
Jonin.
My brother's senior.
The village's hero in the war, the central figure in all the important scenes he could witness.
These were all the Xiuji he knew.
But once all those labels are stripped away, who exactly is that man? He found himself unable to answer.
Tobirama Senju said, "Then, the third task: find out who Shuuji is."
"This isn't a difficult task. You can come over anytime you have an answer."
Sasuke didn't ask about the deadline for the mission, nor how it would be evaluated. As he walked up the stairs from the lab, he silently identified several possible directions for investigation.
Given Shuji's status, his information must be kept very confidential.
But since the second generation said it wasn't difficult, it means that what needs to be known is actually obvious, but few people specifically inquire about it.
But the truly crucial one is perhaps the person who was once the second generation's disciple, but died as a traitor.
Upon reaching the first floor, Sasuke saw Hyuga Neji. Neji was coming from the other side of the corridor, seemingly having just emerged from the examination room. The two met face-to-face at the top of the stairs.
"Again?" Sasuke asked.
"No." Neji didn't explain further, and walked past him after saying that.
After saying that, he walked past Sasuke, exited the laboratory building, returned to the Hyuga clan's territory, and entered the clan head's residence.
He promised Hinata that he would train with her.
However, when Neji stepped into the courtyard, the scene before him made him stop in his tracks.
Hinata is already training, and her opponent is none other than Hinata Hanabi.
Hiashi Hyuga stood under the eaves, leaning on his wooden sword, watching his two daughters exchange blows in the twilight.
He noticed Neji standing at the entrance to the courtyard, so he nodded slightly, signaling him to come over.
Neji approached and sat down on the veranda.
Hiashi's gaze remained fixed on his two daughters as they trained, but he spoke to Neji instead: "An important figure from our clan will be visiting tomorrow."
"It is Prince Taketori and Prince I. You will also join in the reception."
Neji had a vague impression of the name, but could only recall very limited details.
"The relationship between the Hyuga and the Taketori dates back hundreds of years," Hiashi said. "Back when ninjas were still divided into clans and independent factions, we were on good terms with each other and even had marriage alliances."
"The Kaguya clan possesses its own territory and still maintains a considerable military strength. The clan has strict rules, which are passed down from generation to generation in an orderly manner."
The term "military strength" is not used lightly; very few people would use it to describe something, even for the head of the Hyuga clan.
But as a clan that lives near the Land of Fire, their reputation should not be so obscure.
"Aside from cultivating the land and engaging in trade, that tribe rarely had any disputes with the outside world, so there are very few records about them."
"Even the villages have limited knowledge of the full picture of the bamboo grove."
"The village doesn't know either?" Neji was somewhat surprised.
Ri Zu nodded.
"This is one of the reasons why Hyuga chose to join Konoha in the first place," he said. "Although the Kaguya clan is on good terms with us, they have never been willing to get involved in conflicts outside their territory, nor do they expand their land by even an inch, and they don't even accept any commissions."
"In that era, such a stance, while respectable, could not be a source of support for Hinata."
This was the first time Neji had heard this story.
"Moreover, how long that clan can continue to exist is unknown."
Neji couldn't help but ask, "Are they facing war? Is that why they've come seeking reinforcements?"
"No," Hiashi shook his head, "They don't have many men left."
"Over the years, the bloodline of the Taketori family has become increasingly thin, with only one or two offspring per generation, and so far there has only been one child in this generation."
"The origins of their past marriage with Hyuga lie here."
"If it is still so difficult for this generation to continue the lineage, perhaps that clan will be wiped out."
"You just said that their military strength is outstanding, but then you said that they don't have many men left—"
Neji was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized something. The branch family was almost deserted, yet maintained a considerable military force.
The main branch of the Taketori family declined, and the clan relied on numerous branch families to maintain its military strength; only this explanation makes sense.
"No." Hiashi denied his speculation. "Based on our interactions over the years, I can confirm that the entire Kaguya clan consists of only a handful of people. As for their military force, it's the ninja tools passed down through generations."
Ninja tools.
A clan whose population has dwindled to single digits maintains a military-level fighting force using ninja tools.
Neji fell silent. He looked at Hinata and Hanabi in the arena, but another question arose in his mind.
The other party is a clan that once had a marriage alliance with the Hyuga clan, but now only one child remains in the current generation.
"The one who was the main incarnation of the Bamboo Cutter was—"
"A boy," Hiashi said.
Neji's gaze involuntarily shifted between Hinata and Hanabi for a moment.
The other party is a clan that once had a marriage alliance with the Hyuga clan, but now only one child remains in the current generation, and he is a boy. Their visit at this time makes their purpose almost obvious.
"Their purpose—could it be—?"
"It's probably just a routine greeting." Hiashi had clearly considered this possibility beforehand. "His Highness's desire isn't that strong. After all, the previous marriage alliance didn't really improve their situation."
"Even when they tried to send people here on their own initiative to leave the Bamboo Clan's territory, it was to no avail."
He paused, his brows furrowing slightly.
"The curse that race bears cannot be dispelled by attempts of this magnitude."
"curse?"
This time, even the Japanese national football team was unable to provide an answer.
"That was a long time ago, and the relevant records have long been erased. In short, although it is customary to propose marriage, we have not accepted any since Hyuga joined Konoha."
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