Shinji stood with his hands behind his back, a trace of vigilance hidden in his eyes as he asked calmly, "What mission?"
Yashiro remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "I want you to investigate Root."
"Root?" Shinji feigned surprise, instinctively glancing at Fugaku with a look of confusion.
How did this involve Root?
Fugaku lightly tapped the table with his hand and said solemnly, "We suspect that someone from Root has bribed one of our clansmen."
"The infiltration of Naka Shrine is almost certainly connected to Root."
"Exactly!" Yashiro slammed his fist on the table, unable to conceal his anger. "The thief who infiltrated the shrine fled straight out of the clan territory after succeeding."
"Using some unknown Ninjutsu, they were able to vanish into thin air and even unleashed a large-scale blinding Ninjutsu."
"Such bizarre techniques could only be mastered by Root or Anbu."
In Yashiro and the others' understanding, Shinji's Transparent Escape was merely a secret technique similar to the Camouflage Concealment Technique. After all, it was hard for them to believe that an Uchiha could possess two Kekkei Genkai. The blinding flash of light was also attributed to some rare optical Ninjutsu.
Root and Anbu were known to hoard techniques unknown to outsiders.
Moreover, Danzo had always harbored the deepest hostility toward the Uchiha, constantly making underhanded moves, while Root was infamous for brainwashing and assassination.
All clues pointed logically to Danzo Shimura.
On the surface, Shinji stood there stunned, but inwardly, he was both amused and exasperated.
So they think I'm colluding with Danzo?
At this moment, he even felt a certain admiration for Fugaku and the others' ability to jump to conclusions.
This was truly the most powerful brain—no wonder Itachi Uchiha had such a mind too!
Fugaku looked at him seriously and said gravely, "Shinji, you have a close friendship with Asuma, the Hokage's son, and the Hokage himself holds you in high regard."
"You are the most suitable person to investigate Root covertly."
"I'm counting on you. This is for the sake of the entire Uchiha clan."
Hearing this, Shinji inwardly chuckled but pretended to ponder for a moment before nodding. "If it's this mission, I accept."
"Good." Yashiro sighed in relief. "Report to us immediately if you find anything."
Shinji agreed, exchanged a few pleasantries with the others, and then took his leave.
After he had gone, Yashiro looked at the other two. "What do you think?"
Fugaku frowned. "I didn't notice anything unusual."
Yakumi also looked up. "I recently checked his whereabouts. Every day, he either trains in Ninjutsu or studies Medical Ninjutsu. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Fugaku rubbed his throbbing temples and sighed wearily. "Let's rule out Shinji as a suspect for now."
"Continue investigating other clansmen who were absent, or see if there are any hidden clansmen!"
Yashiro and Yakumi exchanged a glance and slowly nodded.
...
Returning to his residence, Shinji opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of chilled soda, and took a large gulp.
The cool liquid slid down his throat, refreshing his entire body.
"This isn't about investigating Root—it's about investigating myself."
If Fugaku and the elders questioned him in the future, he could easily muddy the waters and absolve himself by simply revealing some publicly known information, such as Root taking in orphans or coercing ninjas into joining.
He shook his head, suppressing the distracting thoughts, and took out the scroll he had just received from his pocket, starting with the Mystical Palm Technique.
With a thought, the System Panel unfolded, and two new notifications indeed appeared in the message bar.
[Mystical Palm Technique Lv0]
[Type: Scroll, Upgradable]
[Description: Accelerates cell regeneration, capable of quickly stopping bleeding, healing external injuries, and repairing internal damage. B-Rank Ninjutsu]
[Upgrade Cost: 20,000 Points/attempt]
[Note: Detected that the host has mastered the basics of Medical Ninjutsu. Can spend 10,000 Points to directly learn Mystical Palm Technique Lv0]
[Chakra Scalpel Lv0]
[Type: Scroll, Upgradable]
[Description: Highly compresses and condenses Yang-attribute Chakra in the palm, transforming it into a molecularly sharp Chakra blade]
[Upgrade Cost: 20,000 Points/attempt]
[Note: Detected that the host has mastered the basics of Medical Ninjutsu. Can spend 10,000 Points to directly learn Chakra Scalpel Lv0]
"Twenty thousand Points per upgrade?"
Shinji shifted his gaze to the personal data on the left side of the panel.
[Points: 69,400]
"I still have two A-Rank Skill Upgrade Tickets left in the inventory. Also, I must learn Sealing Jutsu: Transcription."
He raised the soda again, finishing it in one gulp. The icy stimulation sharpened his thoughts further.
A faint smile slowly curled at the corner of his mouth.
"All the conditions are now in place."
Over the next few days, Shinji ordered large quantities of medicine from the hospital and stores, and prepared numerous experimental subjects for practice.
He became an expert at killing fish and dissecting mice, repeatedly honing the Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel.
As a result, he ended up eating fish for several days in a row.
As for the mice, the Uchiha Clan Territory was already home to many Ninja Cats, so none of them went to waste.
One day, Kurenai Yuhi came to his house as promised.
Shinji fulfilled his promise and accompanied her in practicing Genjutsu.
At Kurenai's request, he activated his Sharingan to spar with her.
Kurenai's Genjutsu was completely seen through under the Sharingan. Shinji even keenly detected subtle flaws in her Chakra flow when she cast Genjutsu, offering several targeted suggestions in response.
After Kurenai left, Nohara Rin visited him at night, meticulously explaining Medical Ninjutsu theory and personally guiding him through the practical techniques of organ transplantation.
After Rin left, Shinji looked up at the wall clock. The hour hand had long since pointed to 1 a.m.
An overwhelming fatigue swept over him.
"I must find a chance to learn the Shadow Clone Technique."
"Running between Kurenai and Rin is really getting hard to handle."
With heavy dark circles under his eyes, dragging his nearly exhausted body, he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Three days later.
Shinji opened the System, his gaze falling on the personal panel on the left.
[Skills: Mystical Palm Technique Lv0, Chakra Scalpel Lv0, Izanagi Lv1, Sealing Jutsu: Transcription Lv0...]
"The Mystical Palm Technique and Chakra Scalpel are finally at the beginner level, but it's still far from enough."
With a thought, 40,000 Points were instantly consumed.
The data in the skill column refreshed accordingly:
[Skills: Mystical Palm Technique Lv1, Chakra Scalpel Lv1]
A vast amount of experience regarding these two ninjutsu flooded his mind, and Shinji felt his understanding of them instantly rise several levels.
"This way, the success rate can be greatly improved!"
Shinji changed into his everyday clothes, pushed open the door, and walked out.
Just as he stepped out of the clan grounds, his footsteps paused slightly, then he continued forward as if nothing had happened.
He frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Still following me?"
A hint of impatience welled up within him.
Several days had passed since the last disturbance, and the commotion had gradually subsided. However, the culprit had yet to be apprehended. Even Fugaku and several elders could only temporarily set the matter aside and shift to covert investigations.
Yet every time he went out, Shinji could sense a faint, elusive presence tailing him.
After some investigation, he confirmed that the stalkers were from Root.
He had also heard that it wasn't just him—other Uchiha clansmen were frequently being watched by Root as well. Clan leader Fugaku was already planning to protest before the Hokage.
Shinji suddenly quickened his pace. Taking advantage of the Root ninja's inattention, he abruptly turned into a narrow alley and immediately activated Transparent Escape, his figure vanishing on the spot.
By the time Root reacted and gave chase, they only saw an empty alleyway.
"He's gone again!" one Root member gritted his teeth and muttered.
"He's too cunning. Search quickly!" another ordered in a low voice.
Over the past few days, Shinji had already used Transparent Escape countless times to shake off pursuit.
Today, he was going to conduct the final step of his experiment.
"First, to the Forest of Death."
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!