Konoha Notes.

Chapter 502 Catching the Cat

Chapter 502 Catching the Cat

The evening breeze carried away the lingering heat from the hot spring bath, but the restlessness in Naruto's chest just wouldn't dissipate.

Jiraiya's declaration made him feel as if he were participating in a remarkable undertaking.

They even forgot that Jiraiya had told the two of them to go home on their own, while they themselves stayed at the inn.

"Sasuke, what are your thoughts on the next steps?"

Sasuke did not answer.

"Hey, are you listening?"

Sasuke remained silent.

Naruto walked around to his front, took two steps backward, his shoes scraping the pavement: "It's just a discussion, nothing serious will happen. There's no one else here." "Shut up."

Sasuke warned, "Don't say a word outside. Unless you're absolutely certain it's safe."

Naruto was a little intimidated by his posture, but still felt that he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

However, on the way back to the village from the venue area, it was late at night and there was hardly a soul in sight.

"See? Completely—"

As he was speaking, his gaze swept across the streetlights ahead, and he suddenly noticed something blurry. The thing was motionless, like someone standing at the boundary between light and darkness.

My heart skipped a beat.

Naruto blinked frantically.

The warm yellow light outlined a silhouette from behind the figure. The face was obscured, but it was clear it was an adult.

Only when he got closer could he see the mask on the man's face and his blond hair.

Naruto's shoulders slumped, and he let out a long sigh: "What? It's Dad."

Minato Namikaze stood under the streetlight, curiously asking, "Who does Naruto think it is?"

Then he looked at Sasuke, who had relaxed from his state of high alert.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sasuke. You've taken care of Naruto on top of your work. Thank you so much."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and chuckled twice.

The shift from tension to relaxation made him completely unwind, and before he could even control his mouth, the words slipped out.

"I thought it was something else—Shuji-nii's—"

Minato's voice remained gentle: "As for Shuji, hasn't he always been following behind you?"

Naruto's smile froze on his face.

A chill ran up my tailbone, creeping down my spine to the back of my head. My scalp tingled.

He first looked at Sasuke. The black-haired boy stood motionless. Not calm, but stiff in a way that even his breathing seemed to be deliberately suppressed.

Naruto forced a smile: "Dad, don't joke around. What's Shuuji-nii doing here—"

He turned around.

That was the path he had just walked. A few dozen steps away, the street was empty, with sparse streetlights, and there was clearly nothing there.

But now, in the not-so-bright light, there is indeed a person standing there.

Shuji stood there. His dark casual clothes almost blended into the night, and it was unclear how long he had been following him.

Naruto nearly choked on his breath, stumbled back a few steps, and bumped his back against Minato's leg before he could barely regain his balance.

Shuji spoke.

"Were you scared?"

Naruto felt his tongue get tied: "Ah—haha—when did Shuji-nii arrive?"

Shuji walked over slowly and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

Naruto could even see that when Shuuji's hand landed on Sasuke's shoulder, the black-haired boy, who had been stiff just moments before, seemed to tense up inch by inch.

From shoulders to back, and from back to tailbone, every muscle was silently bristling.

Like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck from behind.

"Yes, when were you there?" Shuji replied with the same question.

"Shuji-nii, really. How was I supposed to know I was still just a student?" Naruto chuckled dryly.

"I was startled," Shuji said again.

Sasuke finally found his voice. He forced his shoulders to relax, letting his tone return to its usual indifference.

"It's only natural that someone would suddenly appear behind us. Naruto always overreacts."

Shuji squatted down.

His eyes remained fixed on Naruto, but his voice fell into the black-haired boy's ears.

"I'm not talking about Naruto."

"It's Sasuke, you."

The wind stopped.

Sasuke's dark eyes widened inch by inch. Seeing this, Naruto mustered his last remaining courage and shouted, "That's because Sasuke is a coward! He's afraid of someone standing behind him!"

Shuji's lips curled up slightly.

He didn't reply immediately, but remained in that position, prolonging the silence for a few more seconds. Only then did he turn to Sasuke.

"Is that so, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke clenched his fist.

He responded very softly before speaking: "—Yes. Please don't tell my brother."

He knew, of course, that this person would tell. Itachi might find out before he got home tonight, and Kakashi might even find out tomorrow morning.

But if we don't expose a weakness now, the plan will really be ruined.

"Please, Mr. Shuji."

After saying those words, Sasuke completely relaxed. The tension in his shoulder dissipated, and the stiffness subsided.

"Why is Mr. Shuji here?"

He needed to ascertain the extent of this man's knowledge. Even Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, couldn't possibly be unaware that someone was following him, unlike him and Naruto.

In other words, it is highly likely that they appeared after they left the hot spring hotel.

If that's all—

Shuji raised his hand, revealing the food box he was carrying in his other hand.

"I brought dinner to your teacher and brother."

"Then, seeing the two students walking home alone, I followed behind to protect them."

His self-light moved from Sasuke to Naruto, and then from Naruto back to Sasuke.

"Shouldn't we express our gratitude?"

Sasuke lowered his eyes, his attitude respectful: "I'm sorry. Naruto wanted to go to the arena area, so I accompanied him."

"It was this awkward guy who wanted to go! That's why I went with him!" Naruto immediately realized and shouted back.

Sasuke turned his face away, feigning offense.

Naruto puffed out his chest, striking a pose as if he were about to argue.

The two of them started bickering under the streetlight, one speaking loudly and the other coldly.

Minato watched for a while before stepping in to stop him: "Alright, alright. Naruto, you can't talk to your classmates like that."

Then he turned to Shuji: "The Second Hokage is looking for you and wants you to come over."

Shuuji stood up, the food box swaying gently between his fingers.

"I'm leaving those two in your care, Mr. Uzumaki."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the spot.

Naruto and Sasuke struggled for a while before Naruto cautiously asked, "Has Shuji-nii left, Dad?"

"They've already gone far away."

Naruto stopped, wiping the cold sweat that had appeared on his forehead with the back of his hand: "That was terrifying, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked in the direction of the village: "It's not over yet. He must have become suspicious."

Xiu Si arrived at the West Suburbs Experimental Building and walked towards the stairs leading to the underground laboratory.

He had just stepped down two steps when he saw Tsunade leaning against the wall at the corner of the stairs, holding a coffee cup in her hand.

She glanced at the expression on his face: "You seem to be in a good mood."

Shuji touched his face.

"That obvious?"

"It's written very clearly." Tsunade took a sip of her coffee. "Who did you bully this time?"

"I teased Sasuke twice today, and each time it was different."

Shuji walked down the last step and walked alongside her toward the underground laboratory.

"You were quite normal when you were facing Itachi."

Shuji thought for a moment.

"Itachi is a true Uchiha, a born ninja, and doesn't have that many emotions."

"Kids are only fun when they're completely like little kids."

Tsunade didn't reply. She simply switched the coffee cup to her other hand, and with her free hand, tapped Shuuji on the back of the head.

"Fifth Hokage, you are abusing your power."

"This is on behalf of all the children you have bullied."

When the two entered the underground laboratory, Tobirama Senju was standing in front of the main control panel. The screen displayed Neji Hyuga's recent physical examination data, as well as previous structural comparison diagrams of the Sharingan and Byakugan.

Kabuto Yakushi stood to the side, holding a notepad. He bowed slightly when the two entered.

"Shuji-sama, Hokage-sama.

Tobirama did not turn back.

"Through my observations over this period of time, I have confirmed one thing."

"As a clan that also originated from the Otsutsuki, the Senju clan has had no members awaken ocular jutsu for a long time. This is not just a matter of bloodline."

"It's about how chakra is used."

He turned around to face the two of them.

"First, let's reiterate a premise: Chakra can affect the body."

"The habits of chakra usage will also be retained through one's personal fighting style, forming inertia, and may even inhibit the development of other abilities."

Tsunade crossed her arms: "You mean, the Senju clan originally possessed this ability, but it was suppressed by their own fighting style?"

Tobirama said, "At least the probability is quite high."

He took a scroll from the drawer under the console and unfolded it.

"During this period, I reviewed all the intermarriage records that the Hyuga clan could trace. Although the total sample size is not large, it still has reference value."

His finger was pointing to a line on the scroll.

"If both parents are Hyuga, their offspring will invariably possess the Byakugan. However, if only one parent is Hyuga, the situation is entirely different."

"There are numerous cases that show that stronger chakra can directly override the dominant gene for the Byakugan."

"These children who did not show any signs of eye roll were rarely expected to open their eyes from the day they were born."

"Under this premise, most people will not attempt training to stimulate their pupil power."

"With frequent wars in the past, choosing a path that has already been successfully explored is the most reasonable option."

"Just like when Senju faced Uchiha, he never considered training his eye techniques to directly confront the Sharingan."

"It's okay if one generation makes this choice. But if two generations, three generations, or even dozens of generations make this choice, any potential that might have existed will be completely buried deep within them."

"Even the corresponding genes have gone dormant."

Tsunade asked, "So, Grandpa Tobirama, what's your conclusion?"

"Conduct eye power training," Tobirama replied.

"Should we transplant an eye with eye power first?" Tsunade came to a conclusion she didn't want to make; if she wanted to practice eye power, she at least needed to have one first.

"The only thing we have in stock right now is Sharingan." Tobirama didn't hide his bias. "I don't want to see my grandniece's personality change at this age."

"If it's just a change of eyes, it won't have any impact. Kakashi is a perfect example." Shuuji was quite curious to see what Tsunade with red eyes would look like, so he added at the right moment.

The fifth generation leader sensed the man's malice.

She rolled up her sleeves, and chakra began to gather in her fists. Shuuji wisely took a step back and hid behind the control panel.

Kabuto Yakushi said, "Um, the equipment underground—it's actually very expensive—"

"This place is not resistant to impact, Hokage-sama. So please restrain yourself a little."

Tsunade's fist hovered in mid-air, her knuckles cracking. She glanced at Tobirama, then at the laboratory filled with sophisticated instruments, and finally lowered her hand.

"The structure of the Sharingan is different from that of the Byakugan."

Tobirama seemed completely oblivious to what had just happened and continued speaking.

"Let's start by using White Zetsu cells as a base, combined with the Byakugan structure of the Hyuga clan and their training methods. This is the safest approach."

He turned to Tsunade.

"If that doesn't work, there's also the genetic data provided by Neji Hyuga. By comparing it, there's a chance to complete the sequence."

"In short, the priority is to awaken, not replace."

This involves a matter of principle, and Tobirama does not want to break it when it is not necessary.

"Tsunade, let's start with you."

Tsunade complained, "Training involving the eyes is extremely dangerous. Let that guy go first."

She pointed at Xiu Si.

Tobirama shook his head: "As I just said, the way you fight affects your body."

"He is skilled in using Sage Mode, Ninjutsu, and Wood Release, especially Wood Release, which is superior to other fighting styles in terms of genetic modification."

"Your chakra control is now more refined."

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"Even if problems arise, we can make timely adjustments."

Tsunade knew all this, of course. She was just feigning a complaint. Shuji's combat strength was the most important factor in stabilizing the situation; it was the crucial element that couldn't afford any problems at this time.

But she still spoke up.

"I know, I know. Grandpa just selectively abandoned his granddaughter, whom he raised, because he saw someone better."

"There's nothing we can do. Our granddaughter's gambling addiction is really a waste of her potential," Shuuji nodded.

Tsunade clenched her fist again and grabbed Shuji, who was hiding behind the equipment.

"Tell me what you're really good at. It's all just your grandfather's techniques, or some random, unoriginal magic."

"I've developed quite a few medical ninjutsu techniques, including the S-rank Hundred Healings Technique. What developments have you made?"

Tobirama could no longer tolerate it.

"Get out. Go outside and cause trouble."

Seeing that she couldn't maneuver inside, Tsunade dragged Shuji outside. As she walked, she kept berating him, "Come on, let's have a contest, you bastard! Bring it out one by one!"

Even as Shuji was being dragged along, he still managed to wave towards Tobirama and Kabuto.

The fifth generation put in even more effort.

"Stop pretending to be innocent now! Do you really think Grandpa Tobirama would be fooled?"

The laboratory door closed behind the two of them, shutting out their noise.

Tobirama stood there, silent for a long time.

Kabuto gently pushed up his glasses and wisely remained silent.

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