An hour had passed by the time Shinji returned home.
His figure slowly appeared in the living room, his face as pale as paper. He casually tossed his backpack onto the floor.
Shinji collapsed onto the sofa, his hands propped on either side as he leaned back weakly, desperately trying to calm his racing heart.
"That was a close call."
He murmured under his breath. His Chakra was almost completely depleted, and his palms were still trembling slightly.
Tonight, he had almost not made it back. The Uchiha had practically sent out all their elites, but thankfully, he was a step ahead.
"Good thing the System offered a consumable item like the Solar Fist this week, which can blind people."
"Thank you, True Love System Shop."
Shinji pressed his palms together, smiling as he thanked the System.
This worked on the same principle as when the Allied Shinobi Forces used Lightning Release: Lightning Pillar to block the Ten-Tails' vision with a powerful light during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Of course, people wearing sunglasses, like Ebisu or members of the Aburame Clan, would not be affected.
But Shinji had seen clearly that the ninja who had surrounded him just now were not wearing any similar goggles or sunglasses.
After a long while, his mind gradually calmed.
Shinji got up and walked over to his spoils from the night. He placed the backpack on the table and took out the contents one by one.
When he finally took out two sealed preservation jars, his breathing couldn't help but quicken.
One jar contained a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
It was because he had taken this eye that he had triggered the alarm in the shrine's basement, leading to the subsequent pursuit.
But when he picked up the other preservation jar, a trace of regret appeared on Shinji's face.
He had grabbed this one in a panic after the alarm went off, with no time to look closely.
Resting quietly in this jar was just a pair of Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
"What a pity!" Shinji said softly.
He then looked at the special, deep-black scroll placed next to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile as he consoled himself.
"At least I achieved all my goals for tonight. And I even got the Transcription Seal Technique!"
As for the ancient books he had taken from the Clan History Archive at the end, he raised a hand to rub his chin, not in the mood to examine them for the time being.
But he would definitely have to go through them carefully later.
He wanted to find any records related to the Sword of Totsuka and the Yata Mirror.
Once his Sharingan evolved into a Mangekyō, he might actually be able to try searching for these two legendary divine artifacts.
In the original story, Itachi Uchiha had taken a large number of books from the Uchiha clan after defecting from Konohagakure.
Shinji had always felt that the clan histories preserved within the family might still hide some overlooked clues.
He went up to his room on the second floor and took out three Sealing Scrolls he had prepared. Shinji had specifically bought these from other scroll shops in Konohagakure two days ago. He hadn't gone to Cat Granny's shop and had even used the Transformation Technique.
He was confident that not even the clan head and the elders would be able to trace it back to him.
Soon, Shinji packed away the Sharingan and the ancient books one by one, sealing them into the scrolls.
Shinji let out a yawn. Now that he had relaxed, he felt a wave of drowsiness. He took a hot bath in the bathroom, then dove into his pillow and quickly fell into a deep sleep, the sound of snoring quietly filling the bedroom.
...
On the third floor of the Hokage Building, inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep puff from his pipe, sitting quietly in his chair.
Before long, the door opened, and an Anbu ninja wearing a dog mask entered, bowing and kneeling on one knee.
"Lord Hokage, the incident tonight was a disturbance within the Uchiha clan..."
The Anbu reported everything in detail, from the Uchiha members pursuing Shinji to what Fugaku had said on the spot, and then waited quietly for instructions.
When Hiruzen heard that Shinji had successfully escaped, his pupils suddenly constricted.
He gently set down his pipe and said kindly to the Anbu ninja, "I understand. Thank you for your hard work. You may leave."
Gazing at the Anbu's departing back, he murmured in a low voice, "Uchiha!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of his old friend, Kagami Uchiha.
He raised a hand and gently pressed his brow, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "The culprit tonight may pose a danger to Konohagakure. We must investigate this thoroughly."
"Perhaps I can send Shinji or Shisui to investigate in secret. They are outstanding ninja who carry the Will of Fire and will surely be willing to accept this mission."
At this thought, a smile unconsciously touched the corners of his lips.
After the dog-masked Anbu left the Hokage's office, he glanced left and right. Confirming that no one was around, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He carefully removed his mask, his gaze sweeping his surroundings warily. The next moment, he began rubbing his eyes frantically, unable to stop himself from sucking in a sharp breath.
A low curse drifted down the hallway: "Damn that guy, my eyes!"
...
Root, underground base.
Danzo's hand unconsciously clenched as he listened to his subordinate's report.
"There must be a rift within the Uchiha clan."
"I can use this to my advantage, but first, I must find out who made a move tonight."
"The Uchiha are an inherently evil clan. Master Tobirama's guidance was not wrong."
He rapidly calculated in his mind as one sinister plot after another emerged.
Thud—
His cane struck the ground heavily, Danzo's voice sounding particularly harsh in the dim space.
"Go, find that person for me. Report immediately as soon as you have any news!"
He looked down with a blank expression, but his tone carried an unchallengeable resolve.
He had developed a great interest in the Uchiha who had appeared tonight.
"He might just be a key piece in destroying the Uchiha."
As this thought crossed his mind, a cold glint flashed in the depths of Danzo's eyes.
The Anbu bowed to accept the order, and with a flicker, his figure vanished into the darkness.
"Danzo, it seems you're very interested in this matter."
A man with pale skin and snake-like vertical pupils walked out slowly from the shadows, a sinister smile on his lips.
Danzo was slightly startled and turned to look. "Orochimaru?"
His words stopped abruptly, his gaze landing strangely on the other's eyes. "What happened to your eyes?"
Orochimaru's eyes were red and swollen, with an unusual puffiness around the sockets.
He squinted at Danzo without explaining, but a dangerous chill had entered his gaze.
That's right, Orochimaru had also been lurking nearby at the time. He was just there to watch the show, but ended up becoming one of the victims blinded by Shinji's flash of light.
He licked his lips, silently making a mental note about Shinji.
A rare smile touched Danzo's lips before he quickly suppressed it. "Orochimaru, there's something I'd like your help with."
Orochimaru tilted his head, his tone laced with curiosity. "Oh? What is it?"
...
Naka Shrine, second basement level.
Uchiha Yuichi watched as the clan head, Fugaku, returned with his team, along with Elder Yashiro and the Police Force members behind him. The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Clan Head, your eyes?"
The clansmen all had red, swollen eyes, a sight that made him suck in a cold breath.
Fugaku raised a hand to rub his eye sockets, his expression grim. "It's nothing, just an injury from the enemy's bright light. It's not serious."
"Elder Yuichi, have you finished tallying the missing items?"
Yuichi was taken aback for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the group of young men behind Fugaku.
Fugaku immediately understood and turned to give an order, "Elder Yashiro, you stay. The rest of you, return to the surface."
Once only the three of them remained, Yuichi said in a heavy voice, "Two jars of the most important Sharingan are missing, three ninjutsu scrolls have been lost, and most of the ancient books have been stolen."
"We have backups for the ninjutsu and ancient books, but those Sharingan!"
Yuichi didn't continue, believing that both Fugaku and Yashiro understood the gravity of the situation.
Once the Sharingan were lost, they would be difficult to find again.
Yashiro slammed a fist into his palm and roared angrily, "Investigate! There must be a problem within our clan! Start a thorough investigation from within!"
Fugaku sighed softly and slowly closed his eyes. "Let's do as you say for now."
No one knew what he was truly thinking at that moment.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!