Chapter 398: Choose
The next day, at the crack of dawn.
Masahiko and Itachi searched for Shisui in the vicinity all night, and once again returned to their starting point.
"Sigh, back to the original starting point again, the memory of your green face... Ahem!" Masahiko coughed lightly, turning to look at Itachi. "Are you really not lying to Great Ancestor? We've searched a radius of over ten miles, and there are absolutely no signs of battle. If you aren't tricking me, then Shisui must have walked away on his own."
Itachi shook his head. "I'm really not lying to you, Great Ancestor. What should we do now?"
Masahiko sighed helplessly. "This child Shisui really doesn't give anyone peace of mind, playing some runaway game."
Itachi paused, changing the subject to ask, "That senior from the Uchiha clan you mentioned before, she...?"
"Her?" Masahiko shook his head and sighed. "She was about my age and was only 20 when she died. Now, over 100 years have passed, and her bones have long gone cold. Moreover, her death wasn't natural, and her remains weren't buried in the Uchiha ancestral lands. It couldn't possibly be her."
Itachi spoke with a hint of curiosity, "You seem to know her very well?"
Masahiko smiled, tilting his head to glance at Itachi. "She was very beautiful, and... Let's not talk about useless things. You're 13 now, it's about time you start paying attention to pretty girls. But right now, we need to resolve this matter with Shisui first... Go back and explain to them what happened."
Itachi nodded, his body slowly turning into wood as the Wood Clone dispersed.
Masahiko, however, stood rooted to the spot, his expression slightly dazed. "Naori Uchiha... I remember that according to seniority, Madara had to call her Second Grandmother. Back then, if I had... Hehe, then Madara would have had to call me Second Grandfather. That would have been a whole different story..."
After pondering for a long time, Masahiko couldn't help but laugh at himself. "Why am I thinking about all this nonsense? Better go back and check the situation. Shisui playing missing is really troublesome... Every family has a difficult sutra to chant, but God played favorites and gave me a whole sutra pavilion..."
...
Ten minutes later, at the Konoha Village entrance.
Masahiko frowned, turning his head to look to the left.
"Obito, come out! Hiding in your dimension, where are you trying to go?"
Dozens of meters away, space distorted slightly, and Obito's figure slowly emerged. "Master, you can even discover me like this?"
"I was just yelling to test the waters. I felt someone watching me from over there, but I couldn't spot them, so it could only be you," Masahiko chuckled.
Obito scratched his head. "Master, you're still as smart as ever. I have things to do, I'm leaving first!"
"Stop right there!" Masahiko felt helpless. This kid had just praised him for being smart and was immediately trying to fool him like an idiot. "Where are you going? Shisui is fine. Come here, your master will break it down for you."
Obito obediently nodded and walked over. Masahiko raised his hand to pat his shoulder, but it passed right through. Masahiko swayed slightly, almost straining his old back...
"Good boy, you've gotten smarter." Masahiko said, turning his head somewhat awkwardly. "You know Shisui's strength; he's not much worse than you. I've searched a ten-mile radius from where he went missing, and there are no signs of battle. You should know that even if he were facing me, he'd be able to make enough of a noise to let Itachi know. So it's impossible that he met with an accident."
Obito mumbled softly, "Itachi already said all this. That bastard junior actually went out to play without taking me along..."
Masahiko blinked. "Roll back home!"
What a total waste of his worried heart.
...
The sun slowly rose over Konoha Village.
The Senju clan compound, having been in turmoil all night, gradually returned to peace.
Ninjas had excellent physical fitness and abundant energy, but there were, after all, many children and civilian women in the Senju compound who needed to rest. The Uchiha weren't so unreasonable as to push things that far.
Now, everyone had relocated to the Hokage Building.
Because the space was limited, there were only six people in the Hokage Building's conference room at this moment: Nawaki, Itachi, Hiruzen, Kagami, Fugaku, and Kazuki Uchiha.
The other two elder advisors were advanced in years and lacked sufficient strength; unable to bear pulling an all-nighter, they had already gone back to rest.
Moreover, when Masahiko walked into the room with Obito, Kagami and Hiruzen were moving in perfect sync—right elbows propped on the table, palms rubbing their temples—clearly both feeling slightly fatigued.
Even my great-grandsons' generation is reaching their twilight years, Masahiko's gaze swept over their graying hair, and he sighed inwardly.
There was the usual assorted chorus of greetings. Masahiko nodded in response to each, using his gaze to signal Obito to roll back behind Kagami.
"Did Itachi tell you all? There are no signs of battle around. Shisui left on his own; he's not in any danger."
"That is good." Hiruzen sighed softly. "Shisui probably discovered something suddenly and didn't have time to inform Itachi before going to investigate on his own. He will return in a few days. Don't worry, Kagami."
Kagami nodded and stood up. "Elder Masahiko, could you step outside for a moment?"
Masahiko was startled but stepped outside after him, leaving everyone in the conference room looking at each other in dismay.
Outside the conference room, Kagami spoke softly, "Did you really not find anything?"
"There truly are no signs of battle whatsoever, and there are no fluctuations of Shisui's chakra within a radius of over twenty miles."
Kagami sighed, "But Shisui doesn't seem like the kind of child who doesn't know his limits."
Masahiko chuckled and told Kagami about the three boys' plan from before.
"Something like this happened?" Kagami was stunned. "This child Shisui... No, that's not right. An accidental injury during sparring is vastly different from a whole person going missing. He wouldn't do this!"
"Stop worrying. You have to believe in Shisui's strength. He might just come back in a few days. Even if he's being playful, it won't be more than ten days to half a month," Masahiko shook his head and comforted him.
Kagami pondered for a moment. "I hope so. We've troubled you this time."
"It's nothing, I'm very happy to help."
Kagami smiled lightly, shook his head, and turned back into the conference room. As everyone's eyes converged on him, he squeezed out a slightly tired smile. "Sorry to trouble everyone. This time, it seems Shisui didn't know his limits and left on his own. It has nothing to do with Itachi."
"I will discipline the clansmen when I return and will not push the responsibility onto Itachi. Clan Head Senju can rest assured... Cough, cough...!"
"Clan Head!" Fugaku exclaimed in alarm.
Masahiko frowned. He gently pressed his right hand against Kagami's back and cast a medical ninjutsu. "Kagami, you've reached the age where you need to take care of your health. It's time to pass on the position of Uchiha Clan Head."
Kagami stopped coughing, turned around, and nodded. "Over the past half year or so, my body's condition has indeed been deteriorating day by day."
Hiruzen stood up and chimed in, "I also need to go back and rest. I can't compare to these young people, let alone compare to you."
At least you aren't muddled, knowing to rank me after these young people, Masahiko murmured internally.
"Please wait a moment, Lord Hokage, Clan Head Kagami!" Nawaki suddenly spoke up. With a slightly conflicted expression, he stopped the two: "Since everyone is here, let's resolve the matter regarding Sasuke as well!"
"Father!" Itachi turned around in surprise.
Masahiko frowned slightly, and Kagami also frowned as he turned around: "How do you propose to resolve this matter?"
Nawaki clenched his right fist tightly. He glanced at Obito, then turned to Hiruzen: "Third Hokage, this has been delayed for so long. It's time for Konoha to elect the Fifth Hokage."
Hiruzen was slightly startled, his expression becoming complicated. "That's right, let's elect one..."
Kagami revealed a smile. "Let's elect one."
Masahiko was also taken aback. He turned to the bewildered Obito, the corners of his mouth curling up. "Let's elect one!"
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