blogombal Chapter 348 Coping and Cheering Up
Chapter 348 Coping and Cheering Up
Chapter 348 Coping and Cheering Up
Konoha, Hokage's office.
A wisp of smoke drifted through the room as Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe.
The two advisors beside him had vacant eyes, their thoughts clearly wandering elsewhere.
On the other hand, Taiyi, who was opposite them, looked completely calm and showed no signs of anxiety or worry.
Perhaps even the heavens couldn't stand Taiyi's leisurely lifestyle. The Third Hokage was the first to react when he saw Taiyi's expression.
He held his pipe, lit Taiyi's cigarette, and his face showed a mixture of annoyance at being watched and a hint of relief.
"You little rascal, is there some information you haven't revealed?!"
The two advisors, who were in a daze, were also brought back to their senses by the Third Hokage's light rebuke.
Seeing Taiyi's relaxed demeanor, they immediately realized that they had been misled by this kid.
Regardless of whether Madara Uchiha is actually still alive, even if he is, he would be an 80-year-old man, and it's hard to say how much strength he still retains.
They were only intimidated by Madara Uchiha's past illustrious reputation.
Thinking of this, not to mention Mitokado Homura, who already had a problem with Taiichi, even Utatane Koharu, who had goodwill towards him, looked at Taiichi with a lot of resentment.
As people get older, their hearts can't withstand Taiyi's torment.
Looking at the different expressions on the faces of the three big shots, Taiyi felt helpless. He had told the truth without hiding anything.
They were just scaring themselves before they had even finished speaking.
"Madara Uchiha is indeed still alive."
The confirmation startled the three of them again, but this time Taiyi didn't delay and immediately began his remaining report.
"However, during my battle with him, I discovered that he must have used some kind of secret technique to restore his youthful body."
This is causing his already limited lifespan to be shortened even further; it seems he won't have much time left to live after this trip back.
Taiyi's words greatly relieved the three of them, as they highly regarded Taiyi's medical skills.
If a medical expert like you tells you that a person is nearing the end of their life, the credibility of that statement is quite high.
The deterrent effect of someone who doesn't have many days left to live is completely different from that of someone who can live a long time.
Taichi then gave a general account of his battle with Madara Uchiha.
When they heard that Madara had summoned a complete Susanoo that was a hundred meters tall, the three of them looked extremely solemn.
But when they heard that Madara Uchiha had used the Wood Human Technique to escape, the expressions on their faces were beyond grim.
Madara Uchiha can also use Wood Release.
The combination of the Mangekyou Sharingan and Wood Release makes Madara Uchiha an absolute threat to Konoha as long as he lives.
The three, who had thought that Madara was nearing the end of his life, were once again on tenterhooks.
"Hiruzen, arrange for the Anbu, or have my Root unit put the Uchiha clan under full surveillance. Madara Uchiha is not dead, and the Uchiha clan could rebel at any time."
Mitokado Homura immediately thought of the Uchiha clan in the village. This already unstable bomb now seemed even more precarious.
Taiyi's sharp gaze swept over them immediately, his dissatisfaction evident. However, before he could make any further move, someone raised an objection.
"No, Yan, the Uchiha are very stable now. We can't arbitrarily monitor them because of this unfounded charge. Doing so will only push the Uchiha to the opposite side of the village."
Koharu's words timely reminded everyone that the Uchiha clan's policies were actively aligning with the village's interests, and this favorable situation should not be easily disrupted.
Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his forehead, looking very troubled. He took a drag of his cigarette to calm himself down, then turned his gaze to Taiichi.
"Taiichi, what are your thoughts? You should be very familiar with the situation of the Uchiha clan."
Taiichi withdrew his glare from Mitokado Homura, quickly processed all the information in his mind, and made a decision.
"Surveillance is necessary, not only for the village's safety but also for the protection of the Uchiha clan, but we absolutely cannot take any comprehensive surveillance measures."
Taiyi was the first to state his opinion.
"Comprehensive surveillance is a measure taken against the enemy. The Uchiha are our fellow villagers. Doing this will not only chill the hearts of the Uchiha, but also cause other clans in the village to feel the same way."
The enemy is still just a shadow, yet we're already waging a major war and causing internal turmoil—this might be exactly what the enemy wants to see.
Taiyi's explanation was reasonable and well-founded, neither blindly favoring the Uchiha nor failing to fully consider the safety of the village.
Apart from Mitokado Homura, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane both nodded in agreement, clearly showing their greater approval of Taichi's approach.
"Taiyi, take this body to the intelligence department and let them see if they can find any useful information from it."
Furthermore, Rin's safety must continue to be protected. As long as Obito is not found, the child is an important safeguard.
Given that he possessed the ability to kill multiple Jonin after awakening his Sharingan, Obito's Mangekyou Sharingan must have been extraordinary.
Instead of making a decision directly, Hiruzen Sarutobi took the opportunity to send Taichi away.
Seeing the resentful look on Mitokado Homura's face, Taiichi knew that the Hokage would be the next to persuade him, probably not wanting his old friend to lose face in front of his juniors.
Taiichi resealed the White Zetsu corpse on the ground, bowed to the Hokage and Koharu Utatane, and then turned and left the Hokage's office.
Once Taiichi's figure had completely disappeared from sight, Mitokado Homura began to grumble again in the office.
"Hiruzen, look at him, he's increasingly disregarding me!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't even look up, only glancing sideways at Homura Mitokado before continuing to smoke his pipe.
It wasn't that he was being pretentious; he genuinely couldn't understand whether Mitokado Haru was truly unaware of the situation.
Regardless of whether his suggestion was reliable, Taiyi's current strength was not something he could easily ignore.
Although Taiichi's previous report did not describe his own strength in detail, the fact that he was able to force Madara Uchiha to retreat shows just how strong Taiichi was.
Instead of trying to win over such a powerful force, you're deliberately trying to offend them. Do you really think your life is too comfortable?
"Yan, stop talking. Taiichi is right. The Uchiha clan is the closest they've ever been to the village since its founding. We can't make any rash decisions."
Both Hashirama's expectations and Tobirama's policies aimed to fully integrate the Uchiha clan into Konoha.
As for Taiyi—you two should consider the bigger picture more.
Koharu's words were quite a show of respect for Homura Mitokado, as Taichi is no longer the insignificant figure he once was in Konoha.
Even disregarding his own abilities, his reputation and connections alone are enough to enable him to establish a powerful force.
If you still treat someone like that as a junior, you're just incredibly arrogant.
"Alright, that's enough. I'll arrange for a team of ANBU to monitor the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi put away his pipe and turned to look at Homura Mitokado.
"Yan, send a team of Root members to the place Taiichi described. Have them thoroughly examine the scene. Such an intense battle would surely have left numerous traces. Go and check it carefully!"
Although still somewhat unwilling, Mitokado Homura was ultimately not Shimura Danzo and did not have the confidence to openly contradict the Hokage.
"Yes, I understand!"
Meanwhile, after leaving the Hokage's office and handing over the White Zetsu's body to the intelligence department, Taichi went to a secret ward located in the basement of Konoha Hospital.
Here, Rin, whom Black Zetsu had previously tried to assassinate, was lying quietly on her hospital bed.
Unlike before, when her body was covered with various testing instruments and a large life barrier was maintaining her life, Lin now simply lay clean and tidy on the hospital bed, as quiet as a sleeping beauty.
"Kakashi, how's it going? Is Rin reacting?"
That's right, Kakashi was the only one in the entire ward with her, and he was there to wake Rin, who had been in a coma.
Kakashi slowly shook his head, not turning around, but keeping his gaze fixed on the sleeping Rin.
"Aside from the occasional irregular movement of his eyes, he showed no other reaction."
His voice sounded so helpless, unlike Kakashi's usual self, but Taichi was used to it.
Ever since Kakashi arrived in this ward, apart from constantly talking to Rin, he's been acting like a lost soul.
"I went to hunt down the group that ambushed you back then, and I'm only just back now."
What? Don't you want to hear the results?
Taiichi leaned against the wall, dangling his short sword back and forth in his hand. He looked at the half-dead Kakashi, and although he understood, he was still a little angry at his lack of ambition.
Kakashi, who had just woken up, knew he needed to train himself in preparation for revenge. What is he like now?
Rin and Obito aren't dead, so why are they acting so pathetic?
However, Taiichi's question did have some effect. Kakashi suddenly turned around, his still-recovering body swaying a few times.
"Are they all dead?"
He said this through gritted teeth, finally showing some of the spirit of the former Kakashi.
"Oh!"
A laugh, whether mocking or sighing, rang out. Taiyi straightened up and slowly walked towards the hospital bed.
Lin's face was still pale on the bed. Taiyi had healed her physical injuries, but her spirit remained dead.
"The enemy was strong and cunning. I chased them all the way to the Land of Earth and fought a great battle with them, but in the end they still managed to escape."
A leisurely voice slowly rose, and Taichi gathered the information he could to describe the course of the pursuit to Kakashi.
Although he omitted information about Madara Uchiha, Kakashi was still stunned by the intense battle.
Konoha—there's actually an enemy like this.
The ninja world—there's actually such a hidden force.
Fortunately, Taichi didn't know what Kakashi was thinking, otherwise he would have told Kakashi that the waters of the ninja world were very deep, and that they had only just begun!
"I didn't see Obito this time, but I sensed his lingering presence, which suggests he was moved before I arrived."
I've managed to barely save Rin, but Obito is still in the enemy's hands. I'm no longer in charge of this matter, and I don't know if the people investigating will be able to safely rescue Obito.
Taiichi spoke with a sense of helplessness, as if he had endless things to do and Konoha couldn't function without him.
But at this moment, Kakashi was no longer able to calmly discern whether his words were true or false.
Considering Obito's current predicament, even Taiichi's pursuit failed, and if an outsider is in charge of the matter, it's uncertain whether Obito can return unscathed.
"Taiichi! Could you please ask the Hokage for permission to participate in the investigation?"
Kakashi spoke with conviction, but given his weak appearance, he seemed utterly unconvinced.
"In your current state, I could take you down with one hand. How are you going to save Obito? You should just stay home and rest!"
Taichi's sarcasm was like a steel needle, mercilessly piercing Kakashi's heart.
But he no longer looked at Kakashi, instead turning and walking towards the door, leaving only a single sentence echoing in Kakashi's ears.
"Come find me again when you've fully recovered, otherwise going there will only be suicide."
Watching Taichi's disappearing figure, Kakashi clenched his fists, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, but the weakness emanating from deep within his body constantly reminded him of this.
His recent period of depression has greatly delayed his recovery, and due to neglecting exercise, his previously good physique has shown signs of weakening.
Kakashi raised his right hand and slapped himself hard. He then rallied his spirits and began doing simple rehabilitation exercises in the open space of the ward.
When he was tired, he would go to Lin's bedside and tell her about interesting things from the past. When he regained his strength, he would continue to exercise, and so on.
Taiichi stood quietly outside the door, sensing the movements inside. After confirming that Kakashi had regained his fighting spirit, a relieved smile appeared on his lips before he stepped away.
The Land of Earth, another secret base of Madara.
After settling everything, Black Zetsu went to the cave where Obito was sleeping.
Black Zetsu felt quite helpless looking at Obito, whose body was almost entirely fused with White Zetsu.
They possess immense strength and a thousand years of experience, yet not a single person here is skilled in medical ninjutsu.
Minor injuries and pains are usually harmless thanks to White Zetsu's healing abilities and their own strength.
But when faced with a serious injury like Obito's, that's not something they're good at.
Furthermore, fearing that Obito would continue his rampage, Madara completely suppressed Obito's consciousness, which further delayed his recovery.
Only now, with the help of White Zetsu, have his injuries begun to heal.
However, thinking of Taichi Matsushita from before, Black Zetsu couldn't help but slap his forehead.
What a careless act! A thousand years of life wasted on a dog, and yet a mere teenager left a mark on him without his knowledge.
I wonder how Madara is doing now. If we could kill Matsushita Taichi, our future plans would be at least ten times simpler.
Black Zetsu stood quietly beside Obito like a statue, his eyes fixed on Obito, but his thoughts had already wandered far away.
Time passed by, and before we knew it, it was night.
A series of hurried footsteps gradually grew louder in the cave. Black Zetsu's thoughts, like a startled bird, plummeted rapidly into his body. He jolted awake and quickly stepped out of the cave where Obito was sleeping.
"Lord Madara, Lord Madara, is that you who's back?"
Before even seeing Madara himself, he was already eagerly greeting people.
At this moment, a figure gradually emerged from the narrow corridor, and Black Zetsu stepped forward even faster to prepare to greet him.
But the figure that came into view startled him, and all his shrewdness vanished in an instant.