69novels Chapter 392 Changes
Chapter 392 Changes
Chapter 392 Changes
October of Konoha 49.
During this period, the ninja world was quite peaceful. Each village was busy restoring its own strength and had no time to do anything messy to distract themselves.
Occasional minor conflicts are mostly due to mutual hostility during missions, stemming from each other's own mission objectives, and fall within the scope of normal conflicts.
Minato has been in power for more than half a year. In this long period of time, the biggest change in Konoha that everyone can clearly feel is the reform of the police department.
The arrogant Uchiha clans of the past are gone, replaced by ordinary ninjas from small clans or even commoner families.
There are members of the Aburame, Inuyasha, and Yamanaka clans here, and you can even occasionally see members of the Hinata clan.
These are all clan ninjas who are very suitable for investigation and tracking, and are quite adept at maintaining the security of Konoha.
Conversely, Uchiha ninjas who were previously trapped in the police department and unable to join normal teams to complete missions have now been freed. They can join or form normal teams like ordinary ninjas and earn rewards through missions.
Don't assume that just because the entire police department is in the hands of the Uchiha, the Uchiha ninjas are living a comfortable life.
The number of positions in a department is ultimately limited. If there's only one opening per person, those positions will have long been occupied by those who came first.
Therefore, apart from the high-ranking members and the truly skilled ones, the lives of ordinary Uchiha clan members were not necessarily much better than those of ordinary Konoha ninjas.
Previously, due to the deliberate restrictions imposed by the Konoha leadership, most of their clansmen could only squeeze into the "small" police department.
This constant "idleness" naturally caused resentment among the ambitious Uchiha, so it's understandable that they would be thinking about this and that.
Now that the restrictions imposed on the Uchiha by the Konoha leadership have been lifted, all the lower and middle-ranking Uchiha ninjas have something to do.
When a person has something to do, they won't have time to overthink things. After all, the only ones with real ambitions are a few high-ranking members of the Uchiha clan.
Without the support of the middle and lower classes, those ambitious high-ranking officials cannot succeed on their own. These people do not even need to be dealt with by Mizuno and Taichi; Fugaku Uchiha alone can handle them.
The Matsushita family's underground laboratory.
The chakra fluctuations in the air gradually subsided, and the faint scent of ink once again lingered in the air. The massive sealing array emitted its last faint glow on the ground, and at its center, the scroll that sealed the "evil god's divine will" lay quietly.
Taiyi sat cross-legged at the edge of the array and slowly opened his eyes. The pale golden light in his eyes receded like the tide, his Sage Mode was deactivated, and a slight sense of fatigue washed over him, but more than that, he felt the exhilaration of having yet another question resolved.
"it's over----"
He muttered to himself, his voice barely audible in the quiet laboratory.
This was already the umpteenth time he had conducted this routine study since capturing the divine thoughts of the evil god.
It's not about interrogation, nor is it about brutal dissection and analysis; doing so would be too risky and could completely destroy this precious sample.
His method is closer to a kind of "immersive observation".
Each time, he carefully entered Immortal Mode, maximizing his perception to the extreme, like the most sophisticated scanning instrument, constantly analyzing the divine thoughts within through the seal.
His self-description is clear: observe how that bound divine thought maintains its own form of existence; observe the mode of its power operation; observe the essential basis of its existence!
Taiyi naturally did not fully believe the so-called "ancient secrets" that the evil god had revealed in order to survive.
Immediately afterward, he contacted the Slug Immortal of the Wet Bone Forest.
That being, who had lived for countless years and witnessed the changes of ancient times, became the most authoritative verifier.
The historical information about the changes in the world before and after the arrival of the Otsutsuki, and the fall and destruction of many ancient beings, is mostly true, but it only accounts for about 70% of what he said.
The evil god had no reason to lie about this, since many people already knew.
However, the descriptions of ancient power systems, especially the divine system, are a mixture of truth and falsehood, with at least 20% of the information contained here.
The slug also stated that it is neither a combatant nor a god, and many details cannot be fully confirmed to be true. It can only be judged that it is "logically consistent, but cannot be empirically proven."
As for the last ten percent, not a single word of the information about the evil god himself was true.
These are not all the judgments of the Slug Immortal, but also the results of Taiyi's own observations and research during this period.
However, Taiyi was not discouraged by the mix of true and false information; on the contrary, he felt it was perfectly normal.
How could a dying "god" possibly hand over his secrets and the secrets of the world without reservation?
What he needed was never the potentially lying mouth of the evil god, but the god itself.
This sealed divine thought itself is a living, unique textbook of "ancient power".
He conducted this "daily observation" day after day, like the most patient student, trying to deduce the principles of life operation from the teacher's "breathing," "behavior," and even "instinctive reactions."
The effect was remarkable; at least in terms of natural energy, the way this evil god utilized it was far beyond what the current ninjas could achieve.
As a result, the duration of his Sage Mode was nearly doubled in just a few months of dedicated research and adjustments!
This is a qualitative leap! It means that in future battles, he will be able to use this powerful force more easily, and his tactical choices will be more flexible and varied.
At that moment, Taiyi stood up, walked to the worktable, picked up a pen, and quickly recorded some details he had just observed on the thick research notebook that was spread out.
"The frequency of my divine sense has changed again, and there are slight fluctuations in the surrounding natural energy." He wrote as he analyzed in a low voice, "This specific frequency seems to be able to trigger the operation of natural energy, so we can give it a try."
He put down his pen and turned his gaze back to the quiet, sealed scroll. There was no greed or fear in his eyes, only the pure focus and exploratory desire of a researcher facing a precious sample.
The occasional streaks of crimson light that struggled were nothing more than part of the experimental data in his eyes.
"No rush." Taiyi's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, radiating boundless patience for the pursuit of knowledge. "We have plenty of time. Your very existence is the greatest treasure. I will gradually uncover all your secrets."
After tidying up all the items in the laboratory and putting them back in their proper places, especially the sealing scroll, Taiyi locked it in a specially made sealing cabinet before clapping his hands, straightening his clothes, and leaving the laboratory.
Looking up at the sky, the sun was already high in the sky. Touching his flat stomach, Taiyi also felt a bit hungry.
Nowadays, Konoha is full of missions, and anyone with a bit of ability is called on to carry them out.
Meanwhile, Tsunade sent all the maids who had been taken in by Taiichi to the hospital to help out, which resulted in Taiichi being hungry but having nothing to eat.
Left with no other choice, Taiyi had to go out and find a place on the street to fill his stomach.
The afternoon sun generously shone on Konoha's busiest central street, and the air was filled with the enticing aroma of food, the hustle and bustle of the crowd, and a sense of peaceful warmth.
Taiyi mingled in the crowd, like a drop of water merging into a rushing stream.
In his left hand, he steadily held a skewer of freshly cooked tricolor glutinous rice balls. The rice balls were soft, chewy, and coated in a sweet and salty sauce, the warm sweetness reaching straight to the heart. In his right hand, he held a skewer of golden and crispy tempura shrimp. The fresh sweetness of the sea mixed with the aroma of oil made a crunching sound when you bit into it.
He ate with focused enjoyment, completely unaware of the sauce stains on his lips. His contented appearance was a stark contrast to the "White Death" who struck fear into the hearts of his enemies on the battlefield.
He didn't have any specific goals; he just wandered around aimlessly, following his heart, searching for any food that caught his eye.
Just then, a hearty, almost flamboyant laugh erupted from a street corner not far ahead, drowning out the surrounding noise.
The voice was so familiar, carrying a carefree joy and an overly familiar warmth. Taiyi didn't even need to look up; the corners of his mouth had already involuntarily turned up. It was Yangping.
Following the sound of laughter, sure enough, the crowd parted to create a small open space, with Uchiha Yohei as the focal point.
This newly appointed captain of the security force showed none of the cold, aloof demeanor one would expect from an elite ninja.
He was casually hooking his arm around the shoulder of an uncle selling glutinous rice balls next to him, leaning slightly forward, gesturing with his other hand, spitting as he spoke, as if telling an extremely exciting story, which made the uncle laugh so hard he almost fell over, and even the owners of several stalls next to him craned their necks, their faces full of smiles.
Yangping's brand-new garrison uniform was worn crookedly, and his headband was pushed up above his forehead, revealing his smooth forehead and a pair of eyes that were crinkled with laughter. He exuded a highly infectious and approachable charm.
However, the background of this "harmonious" scene seemed out of place.
Just a few steps behind Yangping, two Uchiha youths, also dressed in the Security Department uniform but with the Flame Fan Clan crest embroidered on their backs, were covering their faces with their hands, their shoulders trembling slightly, looking as if they wished they could disappear on the spot immediately.
One of them even looked up at the cloudless blue sky and let out a long and heavy sigh, a sigh filled with complex emotions of "family misfortune" and "shame to be associated with them".
In stark contrast to them stood a dog-type ninja beside them. He was wiry and strong, accompanied by a large, sleek, jet-black dog.
The large dog sat upright, its sharp eyes scanning its surroundings. Its owner, meanwhile, stood with his arms crossed, watching Yang Ping's "performance" with undisguised a grin.
Taiyi swallowed the last bite of the delicious tempura shrimp, casually tossed the bamboo skewer into the roadside trash can, and walked toward the small "stage" with an uncontrollable smile on his face.
He had naturally heard about his friend Yangping's recent situation.
On the battlefield, Yangping earned the title of "Blade of Flame Dance" with his superb Fire Release techniques, Sharingan, and fearless drive. Within Konoha Village, another name of his resounded throughout the streets and alleys—"Konoha's Socialite."
The fact that an Uchiha would bear such an absurd yet inexplicably fitting title is itself quite dramatic.
Taiichi knew that this was the result of Fugaku Clan Chief's far-sighted planning. The police department reform, which introduced various clans, broke the barrier of the Uchiha's monopoly, and at the same time, it was also necessary to change the villagers' stereotype of the Uchiha as "arrogant, cold, and unapproachable".
Yangping, an outlier with an innate social aura and explosive affability, is practically a "secret weapon" born for this purpose.
"Yohei, are you on duty or slacking off? I'll report you to Chief Fugaku if you're not careful."
Taiyi's laughing and scolding voice immediately attracted Yangping's attention.
He turned around at the sound, and the smile on his face became even brighter the moment he saw Taiyi, like a little sun.
He immediately released his grip on the man with the dumpling, and rushed over in three steps, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture as if to give Taiyi a bear hug. His voice was so loud that it could be heard halfway down the street.
"Wow! Look who's here! Isn't this our White Reaper of Konoha, Lord?! Did the sun rise in the west today? Have you finally decided to climb out of your mountain of lab and hospital documents and observe the lives of us ordinary mortals?"
His shout instantly drew all eyes to Taiyi. The two Uchiha members who were covering their faces visibly stiffened, and their hands seemed to press down harder, as if to block out the "shameful" sound.
Taiichi nimbly sidestepped Yangping's enthusiastic "attack," and casually handed him the bamboo skewer with the remaining two dumplings, cleverly diverting his attention.
"Don't give me that. Understanding the people's plight? I'm here to fill my stomach. Here, have one, to shut you up."
Yangping didn't stand on ceremony, cheerfully taking the meatball and biting off more than half of it in one go. Between chews, he mumbled, "So stingy! The mighty White Reaper only treats me to half a meatball? No way, this meal has to be on me, boss!"
He whirled around and yelled at the dumpling vendor he'd just been arm-in-arm with, "Three more skewers! No, five! Fresh out of the pot! For this guy—" He deliberately dragged out the word, giving Taiyi a sharp thumbs-up, "to welcome our Konoha's great hero!"
Uncle Tuanzi quickly began making the dumplings, his face beaming with a warm smile.
"Alright! Almost done! Young man—uh, no, sir, you'd better eat more! Captain Yangping talks about you all the time, how hard you trained, how skilled you were, and how he used to always bring you lunch, only for you to sneak a bite of his favorite red bean rice!"
The uncle kept talking while he was busy, speaking as familiarly as if he were talking about his own nephews and nieces.
"puff!"
The Inuzuka ninja standing nearby couldn't help but burst out laughing. The big black dog beside him also made a "purring" sound, as if it was trying to hold back its laughter.
The two Uchiha members swayed, and one of them whispered, almost a groan, through his fingers: "Captain—image—the Uchiha's face—"
Yang Ping, having been publicly exposed, showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Instead, he puffed out his chest smugly and winked at Taiyi: "Did you hear that? The eyes of the masses are discerning! I'm a sentimental person!"
Looking at Yangping's smug "we're really close" attitude, and then at the two clansmen behind him who wished they could disappear into a crack in the ground, and the Inu family group watching the show with great interest, Taiyi felt that the scene before him was full of the absurdity and warmth of everyday life.