It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

Spiral Wheel Rasengan (a technique used by Menma in the Tsukuyomi world, possessing power several times greater than a regular Rasengan, with destructive power comparable to the Giant Rasengan, but requiring mastery of Yin-Yang Release.) Derivative costs: 150 million ryo (affordable price), 300 million ryo (convenient price, mandatory learning, take it directly, that's how unreasonable it is).

emm...

Zhi Xue looked at her remaining balance of 300 million taels and fell into deep thought.

This damn system is always trying to squeeze money out of her...

Looking at the rewards in the store, Zhixue considered it carefully and decided to put it up for now. She would buy it when she really needed it.

If she doesn't need them, she can happily save money to get Hashirama cells. The situation in the Uchiha clan is very delicate right now, and she's afraid her older brother will foolishly get stabbed in the back again, so she won't stay outside for the time being.

After calming herself down, Zhi Xue ran towards Konoha...

An hour later...

While Hiruzen Sarutobi was passionately giving a speech on the Will of Fire at the Ninja Academy, stirring up the enthusiasm of the young students about to start school, an ANBU member suddenly appeared on the stage and whispered something in Hiruzen Sarutobi's ear.

"What?! She's actually back?" Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He then coughed to calm himself down and instructed the Anbu to bring her to his office, saying they would come over after his speech.

The young shoots of Konoha are being nurtured by the Will of Fire; leaving them temporarily would be unbecoming of a Hokage.

"Who is the 'she' that Grandpa Naruto is talking about?"

"I don't know, but it seems like Grandpa Hokage is quite surprised." While Hiruzen Sarutobi was still instructing the Anbu to do some things, the little radish kids below were already discussing it excitedly.

Even Sasuke, who stood aloof in the crowd with his hands in his pockets, was no exception. However, as a member of the Uchiha clan, he had to maintain his composure.

Seeing that Sasuke didn't respond, the others wisely refrained from making any moves. However, there was one blond-haired boy who did the opposite.

"Hey, you over there, are you from the Uchiha clan?"

Sasuke looked in the direction of the voice. It was a kid wearing goggles with three whiskers on each side of his face. He had a round face but wasn't muscular; he was rather thin, which made Sasuke feel an irresistible urge to punch him.

"What does this have to do with you?" Sasuke turned his head away coldly, causing a tic-tac-toe mark to appear on Naruto's forehead.

"What an arrogant guy." Naruto felt an urge to punch Sasuke in the face when he saw him like this, but he held back in order to get the answer he needed to know.

"Hey, you over there, since you're from the Uchiha clan, do you know Uchiha Shiyuki? Is she still alive? She's the older sister who used to work in the guard booth across from Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto learned this information by chance from a nearby customer while eating at Ichiraku Ramen.

As the only person besides the Hokage who was kind to him, Naruto really, really liked Shisue! Even though it was only the price of a bowl of ramen, it gave Naruto warmth for a long time.

Upon hearing the name Uchiha Shiyuki, Sasuke also focused his wary gaze on Naruto's small face.

"What are you trying to do by asking about Sister Zhixue?"

Chapter 54, Return

Hokage's office...

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just returned from the Ninja Academy, opened the door to find Shiyuki Uchiha already waiting there.

"Ah, it seems you're quite lucky to have survived that explosion," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a broad smile as he sat down in his office chair and stroked his beard.

"Ah, I have to thank the White Snake Sage for this. If she hadn't saved me, I'd probably be buried in the ground by now." Zhi Xue didn't hide Ryuchi Cave from the world, as it wouldn't do her any good. Besides, it would be very inconvenient for her to use summoning beasts in Konoha in the future. People who didn't know better would think she was in cahoots with Orochimaru.

"The White Snake Sage?" A strange look appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face.

"That's right. After I was near death from the explosion, I accidentally arrived at the location of Ryuchi Cave using the Reverse Spirit Summoning Technique," Zhixue said without blushing or panting.

That was all she could say. Otherwise, no one would believe that the White Snake Sage would come out to save her. After all, the sages of the three holy lands are legendary figures who do not concern themselves with worldly affairs. It would be impossible for them to take the initiative to rescue a Konoha ninja.

"Reverse Summoning Technique!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened, his surprise evident. He remembered that Uchiha Shiyuki didn't have a summoning beast yet, so the Reverse Summoning Technique would be very uncertain, and might even be life-threatening. Moreover, a certain brat had done this when he was a teenager, which had infuriated him back then.

Next, Zhi Xue fabricated a story about how she coincidentally summoned Ryuchi Cave and signed a summoning contract with Ryuchi Cave, which she believed to be fate and destiny. However, Zhi Xue did not mention Sage Mode. It was too conspicuous and not appropriate to reveal it. After all, in the entire history of Konoha, only the First Hokage Hashirama Senju and Jiraiya, as well as Eien, had learned Sage Mode.

Because of his lack of information, Hiruzen Sarutobi temporarily believed Shizuka's words. However, since no one had seen it with their own eyes and they had been outside the village for so many days, he still needed to observe it for a while. He left this to Kakashi.

Kakashi seemed depressed after Zhixue's death, and he was listless all the time. Now that Zhixue is back, it's time for him to get back to work.

After reporting to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shiyuki walked out of the Hokage Building, stretched, took a breath of fresh air, and headed towards the Uchiha clan's territory.

I'll go home and check on him first, but he'll probably still be at work by then. I'll give him a surprise when he gets home tonight!

On her way home in high spirits, Zhixue passed by the ninja academy and happened to see two familiar little guys standing by the playground, staring at each other under the blazing sun.

"Fellow forum members, this opening ceremony was really no fun at all."

"Idiot, it's because you couldn't help but hit me that I ended up like this in self-defense."

"You hit me too hard, didn't you? And Sister Zhixue definitely won't die." Naruto pointed to his bruised and swollen face and said seriously.

He didn't quite understand why, even after being beaten up like this, he was still being labeled as "the fox spirit who struck first" and "an orphan who only causes trouble." Anyway, when he heard that Sister Zhixue was dead, he couldn't help but rush up to punch Sasuke, and was then killed on the spot.

"Sister Zhixue is dead... This is an undeniable fact..." Erzhuzi straightened his body, trying his best to keep his tears from falling and being seen by the idiot beside him.

After all, he and Sister Zhixue were friends who shared the same fate, so it was no wonder that Erzhuzi, who was experiencing the feeling of "loss" for the first time, was not feeling good.

"Hey, who said I'm dead? I'm perfectly fine, you little brat, don't you dare curse me!" Zhi Xue came up behind Sasuke and tugged at his hair.

"That voice is!?" Erzhuzi turned around abruptly, staring blankly at the living Zhixue in front of him. After realizing what was happening, he lunged forward, only to be held in front of him by Zhixue's hand.

"You weren't dead after all! Everyone said you were dead, Sister Zhixue, but I knew you'd be alright!" Erzhuzi said happily, before he heard Naruto's disdainful voice beside him.

"Tch, which arrogant brat was just saying that Sister Zhixue is dead!" Naruto mimicked Sasuke's voice, standing to the side with his hands in his pockets, and said sarcastically.

Erzhuzi:

This hateful guy...

"Well, it's Naruto! Long time no see! You've grown taller!" Zhixue greeted Naruto.

"Sister Zhixue, do you really know this weakling in front of you?" Erzhuzi asked, pointing to Naruto beside him in shock.

"Hey! What nonsense are you talking about? I was just letting you have your way before, you arrogance!" Naruto shouted back.

"Heh, what a laughable fellow. How could the talent of the Uchiha clan possibly surpass that of a weak commoner like you?" Sasuke replied to Naruto, mimicking the way the clan elders spoke, and was then punched by Shizuka.

"Ouch!" Erzhuzi covered his smoking head and looked at Zhixue in confusion. Was he wrong?

"Don't talk like those guys in the clan. You'd be better off learning more ninjutsu." Zhixue said with her arms crossed. In fact, the friction within the clan was not only due to Danzo and historical factors, but also related to the ambition and arrogance of some Uchiha clan members, which led to this tragedy.

However, Zhixue seemed to be in a pretty good mood today, so she took the two little ones to skip class and go to Ichiraku Ramen to eat ramen. She had been outside for so long and missed Uncle Ichiraku's cooking.

After the three people left, a silver-haired member of the Anbu suddenly appeared in the same spot, looking at Zhixue as she walked away, his expression behind the mask filled with incredible excitement.

Did you really survive? That's wonderful!

……

Hokage Building...

After checking the detection points in various areas of Konoha, Itachi returned here and handed the map to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"So? Did you notice anything?"

Itachi shook his head in response to Hiruzen Sarutobi's question.

"I didn't find any useful information, but I did find that several clusters of flowers had appeared out of nowhere in front of Nohara Rin's grave at the Konoha Martyrs' Cemetery. However, after investigating the Yamanaka Clan's flower shop, I didn't find any suspicious purchase records."

"Is that so..." Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a breath of stale air. It seems that the enemy's concealment methods are quite ingenious.

"Since you haven't found any useful information yet, let's wait a couple of days before making any further observations. Be extra careful when you pass by; the village might not be safe anymore," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, clearing the ash from his ashtray.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Itachi nodded in agreement, and then, under Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders, prepared to return to his work in the Anbu. But just as he stepped out the door, Hiruzen Sarutobi said again from behind—

"By the way, Uchiha Shiyuki didn't die. She came back unharmed. Remember to tell Shisui."

"Shisue!?" Itachi's pupils flickered, then he nodded, closed the door, and left...

Chapter 55, Danzo's Suspicion

Snapped!

Shortly after Zhixue left the Hokage's office, Danzo received the news, pushed open the door, and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who seemed to have expected this.

"Sarutobi, Uchiha Shiyuki is back?"

"Doesn't your arrival here mean you've already received the message?"

Danzo's expression darkened upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone.

"You know that the Konoha barrier has been frequently detecting enemies entering and leaving this area recently, but only the Konoha leadership and the Anbu know the hand seals that allow free passage through Konoha. Don't you think there's something wrong with that?"

“I’ve considered the situation you described, so I’ve already sent Kakashi Hatake to track her. He’ll definitely report to me if he finds anything unusual,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said expressionlessly, his hands resting on the table.

“Sarutobi, Kakashi Hatake was Shiyuki’s former captain. You saw his reaction after Shiyuki’s death. Having Kakashi keep an eye on things will probably only make things worse. I think it would be better to use the Yamanaka clan’s secret technique to examine Shiyuki’s memories. That would be much more convenient…”

"Enough, Danzo!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the table, silencing Danzo from saying anything more.

“Uchiha Shiyuki is the link that Uchiha Shisui left in Konoha. When she died, she almost caused Shisui to collapse. If we take coercive measures now, it will probably only turn the love in Shisui’s heart into hatred, greatly increasing the danger to the Uchiha clan. Moreover, the secret technique of the Yamanaka clan to view memories also has the risk of damaging the brain, not to mention that the target of the viewing is the Uchiha clan.”

"Sarutobi...you're being foolish! If we can't find everything that threatens the village, then Konoha will eventually be eaten away by the termites that invade it." Danzo said, tapping the floor with his cane, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Danzo, this is a special time. Just handle what you're supposed to do, and don't interfere in the affairs of the Uchiha clan anymore," Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Danzo after calming himself down.

"Sarutobi, you'll regret this!" Danzo was furious, then slammed the door and left.

After Danzo left, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned two more Anbu members.

"You guys keep a close eye on the root of the problem lately, make sure they don't do anything out of line."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

……

Muye Village

It was nearly noon, and the sun was high in the sky above Konoha. The heat filled the streets of Konoha, and there were very few pedestrians on the roadside. Even Ichiraku's noodle shop was almost empty, which was convenient for Shiki and her two companions.

"Hey fellow forum members, I'd love three bowls of Uncle Ichiraku's signature ramen!"

"Idiot, it's Sister Zhixue treating us, what do you want to order?"

"Mind your own business, you brat. Sister Zhixue is so kind, she definitely won't mind."

Erzhuzi: (Angry)

Seeing the two little devils about to start fighting again, Zhixue quickly pulled them apart. No wonder they were the reincarnations of Indra and Asura; they could even fight over a bowl of ramen.

"The guests want three bowls of ramen, right?" Uncle Ichiraku lifted the curtain of the kitchen and asked the three people, but he was stunned when he saw Shiyuki.

"Oh my, it's been so long, Uncle Yi Le! I haven't been able to patronize your business since I left the garrison, hahaha..." Zhi Xue said, scratching her head as she looked at Yi Le's familiar face.

"Haha, it's alright. As long as you like my ramen, that's fine. Three bowls of ramen will be ready soon. Just wait a moment." Ichiraku took a few bottles of drinks from the kitchen and placed them on the table before turning back to his work.