Chapter 176: Gongshou, Uchiha Ninja Academy

"Little girl, did you see a blonde woman pass by here?"

In the small town, a few rough middle‑aged men, drenched in sweat, stopped beside a blonde girl and asked.

The girl wore a high ponytail, her face innocent and radiating youthful vigor; upon hearing it she showed a reminiscent expression, and after a moment said, "Is it a super‑beautiful, big‑Euro‑type blonde sister?"

"Exactly, that's her!"

Although the girl's description was a bit odd, on closer thought it seemed to fit the reality.

"Over there, over there, I saw her run that way."

"I see, thanks little sister, we'll chase!"

How could such a cute little girl be lying?

The few men harbored no doubt and pursued in the direction the girl pointed.

After the group left, a short‑haired girl cradling a piglet emerged slowly from the shadows, and sighed at the smug blonde girl.

"Gongshou‑san, the diagnostic fees the Uchiha sent have all been lost by you; if this keeps up we'll end up sleeping on the streets!"

The two were Gongshou and Jingyin, who had just left the Leaf Village.

Listening to Jingyin's usual complaints, Gongshou planted her hands on her hips, unperturbed, and reassured, "It's fine, it's fine, I feel my luck has been pretty good lately.

Besides, the Uchiha only sent a deposit; no one has shown up yet. Once we settle their matter, we'll have enough money, and then I'll take you to turn the tide!"

Jingyin: "..."

"Come to think of it, it's been over a month, and the Uchiha still haven't arrived. I heard that that kid named Shisui has already become Hokage; seems a lot has happened in the Village."

Years ago, the Uchiha approached Gongshou, hoping she could treat a clan member afflicted with Blood‑Mark disease.

Gongshou didn't know much about Blood‑Mark disease, wasn't confident, and didn't want to return to the Village.

But the Uchiha brought a handwritten letter from Shisui, indicating they were willing to come to her doorstep, so Gongshou didn't need to go back to the Village.

Seeing their sincere attitude and the heavy briefcase they carried, which looked arduous, she agreed, even though they were Uchiha, they were still Village folk after all.

Now it's been over a month since the Uchiha last sought her, and they still haven't brought the patient; this makes her sigh, thinking that person is probably dead.

The follow‑up diagnostic fees are likely hopeless.

"Gongshou‑san, shall we return to the Village to take a look?"

Jingyin suddenly asked, noting that ever since the Uchiha became Hokage, she had noticed Gongshou mentioning the Leaf Village more often.

"No, let's go. Those guys will notice something's off and come after us soon."

Gongshou decisively refused; as long as the Village isn't destroyed, she doesn't care who the Hokage is.

Having said that, Gongshou turned and headed north.

Jingyin, seeing this, said nothing more and obediently followed behind Gongshou.

"Hm?"

After a few steps, Gongshou suddenly stopped and gazed into the distance.

"What's wrong, Gongshou‑san?"

Gongshou gave no reply, her eyes narrowed as she stared afar.

Boom— her ears twitched; Gongshou was sure she hadn't misheard—there were ninja fighting over there.

Gongshou explained, "There are ninja fighting over there."

"Ninja?"

Jingyin was startled, then asked anxiously, "Could they be Village people? Should we go help?"

Although this place is near the Land of Hot Springs, it is still within the Fire Country, so the odds are high that those ninja are from the Leaf Village.

Gongshou didn't answer immediately, seeming to ponder.

Boom—rumble— one massive tree after another fell, and two figures fled desperately through the dust.

"Take the intel back, I'll draw them away."

One of them turned, watching several black monsters emerging from the smoke, his expression shifting from terror to resolve.

"Uncle Changping! Let's go together; we promised to return to the Village together!"

"Stop babbling, we must get the intel back, hurry!"

Both knew that with their strength they were no match for Jiaodu; their primary task was to deliver the intel.

The youth gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and shouted in anguish, "Damn it!"

He then left helplessly.

Changping formed a seal, summoned a clone that altered its appearance, and the two figures sprinted left and right.

But he clearly underestimated Jiaodu's ability and overestimated his own.

Jiaodu merely glanced, saw through his clumsy clone and transformation techniques, raised his hand and fired a wind cannon that blew the clone apart.

His own body was also scratched, and an arm was nearly ripped off.

His lure was useless; the two were quickly knocked to the ground by Jiaodu's flying iron fist and then surrounded.

"The Leaf Village people react quickly, but it's a pity they're just two petty thugs, worthless things."

Both: "..."

The two were speechless; Jiaodu's curse was truly filthy, yet they had no retort—at their level, they weren't even fit for the black market.

Since the two were worthless, Jiaodu had no interest in saying more; the two masked monsters beside him opened their mouths simultaneously to unleash ninjutsu.

Wind Release: Suppressive Harm, Fire Release: Head Hardening

The two, in despair, closed their eyes, memories flashing before them like a revolving lantern.

Swoosh— swoosh— swoosh— at that moment, several shuriken flew in from afar; Jiaodu reacted swiftly, his hands turning black in an instant.

With a "peng" sound, a shuriken struck Jiaodu's back of the hand, sparking.

"Who are they?"

Jiaodu cautiously looked into the distance, but to his surprise, movement came from all directions.

Dozens of kunai, interspersed with detonator talismans, flew toward Jiaodu.

Jiaodu's gaze remained calm; the masked monster blew a gale that dropped the kunai, yet the detonator talismans still erupted in a puff of smoke.

After the smoke cleared, Jiaodu watched the newly appeared woman's pupils tremble.

"Lady Tsunade! It's Lady Tsunade!"

The two from Konoha broke into ecstatic smiles; surviving a calamity makes one hard to contain.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Jiaodu, having confirmed her identity, turned and left without hesitation.

Tsunade is indeed valuable, but he is still being pursued by Konoha; her arrival means Konoha's forces are near, and if they don't leave now, they may not escape.

"Tsunade" crossed her arms, but made no move to stop him.

"Lady Tsunade, he is Jiaodu, the person the Hokage ordered to investigate, an enemy of the Village; we happened upon him."

The two expected that revealing his identity would make Tsunade act, but she showed no reaction; after Jiaodu withdrew, they breathed a sigh of relief, then with a "Peng—" sound, it turned into Jingyin's form.

"Eh?" the two were startled, but seeing the forehead protector on Jingyin, they recognized him as an ally,

Jingyin sighed and said, "Lady Tsunade cannot act now; you stay still, I'll heal your wounds first."

Jingyin gave no further explanation, healed the two with medical ninjutsu, then added, "You should return quickly."

Lady Tsunade did not wish to interact much with Konoha's people; Jingyin had no choice but to give a brief instruction and turn away.

The two exchanged a glance, bewildered, but the mission was urgent, so they returned to bury their teammate Tuo Zhi, whose body had been blown apart, on the spot.

There was no way; Tuo Zhi's corpse was a mangled mess, even cleaning it was arduous, let alone hauling it back.

"Return to the Village and promptly deliver the intel to the Hokage!"

Changping spoke, and the two left without delay.

Days later, Jiaodu's whereabouts were reported to the Hokage Tower.

"He actually went north."

Shisui listened to the report, surprised; the north gathered tens of thousands of Konoha and Cloud Hidden ninja forces, and this notorious bounty criminal dared to go there—truly bold.

"Summon them, prepare to depart, and bring Jiaodu back."

Wherever he went, Shisui could not allow such a dangerous individual to remain free.

"Yes!"

The Anbu obeyed, and a squad soon arrived at the Hokage Tower.

The squad's composition was average: a Uchiha Jonin, a Chunin skilled in medical ninjutsu, and a Chunin adept at reconnaissance; the latter two were not Uchiha.

As for the fourth, he was a Uchiha youth who had not even obtained a ninja forehead protector.

"Fifth Generation."

The four saluted; Shisui looked at them and ordered, "Jiaodu was seen on the Eastern Mountain Road; go investigate."

The leading Uchiha Jonin said confidently, "Don't worry, Hokage, I will definitely bring Jiaodu's corpse back."

"No, you first go to the Tokaido, switch tasks with Shiliuye; the Jiaodu matter will be handled by Shiliuye's team."

The intel Pan brought back made Shisui realize Jiaodu's strength was extraordinary, beyond a typical Jonin's capability; even with some information, eliminating Jiaodu would likely require several Jonin acting together.

Relying solely on the current squad was clearly insufficient, so he planned to have Shiliuye lead a pursuit.

"Lord Shiliuye? How could a mere wandering ninja require Lord Shiliuye himself to intervene?"

Hearing the Jonin's doubt, Shisui's face was full of astonishment.

Wasn't the news of Uchiha Pan's death already reported within the clan? Why was this person still so confident—had he secretly activated the Kaleidoscope?

There were so many gags that Shisui didn't know what to say.

"In any case, Shiliuye will lead this mission; you are to take over his task, protect Shangcun Yizhi, and go."

Hearing Shisui's words, the Uchiha Jonin could not object and prepared to depart.

"Itachi, stay behind."

At that moment, Shisui stopped the only youth in the squad who lacked even a forehead protector—Uchiha Itachi.

"Itachi, your strength already far exceeds that of an average Chunin, but this mission's target is extraordinary; stay close to Shiliuye, follow his lead, and I'll have Shiliuye look after you."

Shisui, having experienced the power of a Kaleidoscope with abundant eye power, trusted Shiliuye; moreover, Shiliuye's eye technique has a high tolerance for error, which is why he sent Itachi out for training.

"Got it, brother Shisui, I'll be careful."

Itachi was also somewhat eager; although he had gone to battle with his father when he was very young, this was his first time undertaking such a mission.

"Alright, be more careful and stay safe."

Besides this squad, Shisui prepared another team, entirely composed of Uchiha, tasked with covertly protecting Itachi, fearing the masked man might strike suddenly.

Shisui had arranged everything possible; Itachi is a true prodigy who must go on the mission—he cannot keep Itachi sheltered like a greenhouse flower.

Itachi heeded Shisui's instructions, left the Hokage Tower quickly, and the four departed the Village that day to carry out the mission.

However, Jiaodu's affair was just a minor side story; Shisui brushed it aside and turned to focus on Konoha's development.

Now, Shisui's work in Konoha broadly falls into three areas.

Stabilizing internal affairs, generating revenue, and training ninjas.

Although only three categories, each contains many tasks, and Shisui can only handle them step by step.

"Konoha is merely a military town; making money here is difficult, and I have no real solutions."

Yan Shifan is willing but powerless; if he were merely in the Uchiha's position, extracting wealth would be easy, but from Konoha's standpoint it's problematic.

Konoha does not produce goods; it's a consumption‑type town, and aside from ninjas there's nothing of value to offer.

Yet ninjas can only earn money by taking on missions.

"Most of those who post missions in Konoha are merchants and nobles; they provide over seventy percent of the reward, but within the Land of Fire there are multiple ninja factions, and after several great wars Konoha's former glory has faded. Mission shares decline year after year, and this cannot be reversed quickly."

Moreover, the number of missions is not stable; relying on mission rewards to develop Konoha is unwise, and we need a stable source of funding.

Yan Shifan told his opinion to Shisui, and Shisui strongly agreed.

But when it comes to the Village, it certainly won't be satisfied by a few family shops and a handful of businesses, unless he can also pan for gold in the sand.

"The teacher said that; I recall that West River Road should have already started school, right? How's the situation?"

"The news hasn't come back yet, so it's unknown for now."

Shisui nodded, his gaze falling on the map, hoping that side would give him a surprise.

West River Road, within Gourd Valley.

A ninja dressed in brocade led a dozen or so blindfolded youths up the mountain, finally stopping before a massive boulder.

He produced a talisman, and the void suddenly rippled, like a transparent brocade being lifted to form a square passage.

The brocade‑clad ninja kept a calm expression, guiding the group in one by one; after the last youth passed, the passage slowly closed.

Inside the passage, building after building of classrooms and dormitories stood densely; the mountain stone beneath was sliced into flat ground, and a huge Barrier enveloped the surroundings, cutting off any external probing.

"We've arrived; this is where you will train from now on."

He had everyone remove the black cloth, and the brocade‑clad ninja loudly introduced the place.

"Is this the world of the ninja masters? So impressive!"

"Will we become ninjas in the future?"

"Great! I, the great master, will definitely become the strongest ninja in the world, and they'll see my power clearly."

Some looked around excitedly, some wore a calm expression, and some trembled slightly with great unease.

Among them, some have noble bloodlines, some are children of families, some are even sons of tenant farmers or slaves, yet each represents a certain noble.

"Come with me to the dormitory; later someone will tell you some precautions."

The brocade‑clad ninja looked at the crowd with a look of reluctance; although this was no longer the first wave, he still did not want to punish these people.

Being a ninja is not something anyone can become.

The world of ninjas is far less ideal than ordinary people think.

(End of chapter)