Chapter 272: Return

Yōnō Ryūma and Orochimaru's secret meeting was unknown to Qīngmíng. At this moment, he was on his way back.

Although the headquarters had instructed him to return as soon as possible, Qīngmíng didn't rush. He walked slowly along the way, stopping often, and dedicated time each day to training. It wasn't until the afternoon of the third day that he finally returned to the headquarters.

After several months, returning to this familiar place made Qīngmíng feel somewhat disoriented. He recalled that when he first graduated, this was where he executed logistical patrol tasks on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

More than a year had passed unnoticed. His strength had improved considerably, while his teachers and classmates had long been buried on the battlefield.

With a sigh, Qīngmíng did not linger and headed deeper into the headquarters.

Along the way, he encountered several patrol teams, verified his identity multiple times, and passed through numerous security lines until he finally arrived at the central headquarters.

Upon reaching the mission center and completing his registration, he was not immediately assigned a task. Instead, he was granted three days of leave.

During these three days, as long as he did not leave the headquarters area, he was free to move around.

As he exited the mission center, Qīngmíng glanced back at the sign and murmured, "Three days of leave... why does it feel like a death sentence?"

Shaking his head, he chose not to dwell on it. Since he had three days of leave, he would make the most of it. As for what happened next, he would deal with it later!

Of course, he couldn't waste these three days; he still needed to continue training.

However, before he resumed his training, there was one more thing to do.

Swish~

Qīngmíng unsheathed the short sword at his waist.

He glanced at the unremarkable weapon, then sheathed it again and made his way to the Uchiha clan's residence within the headquarters.

It had been nearly two months since he applied for support from the clan, and he hadn't received any news. Now that he was back at the headquarters, it was the perfect time to check on the situation.

Soon, he found the person in charge of the Uchiha clan at this battlefield—an elderly elder.

Well, calling him elderly might be a stretch; he was just a little over fifty.

However, in a world where the average ninja didn't reach thirty, fifty was considered quite old.

Adding to that, the hidden injuries he sustained on the battlefield during his early years made him appear even older than he was. So, referring to him as elderly wasn't out of place.

When Qīngmíng approached, the Uchiha elder smiled warmly and said, "Ah, it's Qīngmíng! You're back!"

Hearing this, Qīngmíng's gaze sharpened, and he asked, "Elder, did you know I was coming back?"

"Ha ha ha~"

The elder chuckled lightly.

Then, with a meaningful tone, he replied, "Qīngmíng, don't underestimate the clan's intelligence capabilities. There are our people in the mission center. The moment your recall order was sent out, I was already informed."

Qīngmíng considered this. Although the Uchiha clan was subtly sidelined and suppressed by the higher-ups of Konoha, as one of the noble clans, they still had their intelligence and connections.

Since that was the case...

Qīngmíng's gaze flickered slightly. He didn't rush to inquire about the support he had requested but instead looked at the elder and respectfully asked, "Do you know why the headquarters summoned me back?"

Upon hearing Qīngmíng's question, the Uchiha elder's smile quickly faded. He then said, "It seems you've sensed something."

"Alas!"

The elder sighed lightly and said, "This time, it's probably another attempt by Konoha to suppress us."

"Konoha... us"

From just these two phrases, Qīngmíng realized that this elder was likely part of the Uchiha clan's radical faction.

His words clearly separated the Uchiha clan from Konoha, subtly aligning Qīngmíng with his faction.

In an instant, Qīngmíng's mind raced with thoughts, but he didn't voice any objections. Instead, he quietly waited for the elder to continue speaking.

Seeing the elder's expression, he seemed to have more to share.

Sure enough, the elder continued, "Not just you, but also Shisui... uh, you know Uchiha Shisui, right?"

"Mm."

Qīngmíng nodded and replied, "I fought against him in the Chūnin Exams."

"Correct, that's him!"

The Uchiha elder affirmed and continued, "Not only you, but Uchiha Shisui has also been ordered to return to headquarters as soon as possible.

According to various intelligence analyses, it's highly likely that you two will accompany the support troops to the Mist Hidden battlefield."

"The Mist Hidden battlefield?"

Qīngmíng feigned a hint of surprise.

As he had previously stated, both the Mist Hidden and Sand Hidden battlefields were not particularly friendly environments for Uchiha clan ninjas.

The Mist Hidden battlefield, known for its "Mist Techniques," posed a significant limitation for Uchiha ninjas who relied on the Sharingan in combat.

Moreover, the Mist Hidden battlefield was primarily located in the southeastern coastal areas of the Fire Country, which meant battles often occurred at sea.

This geographical environment was also a limitation for Uchiha ninjas, who typically excelled in Fire Release techniques.

With so many overlapping factors, the dangers were evident.

Then there was the Sand Hidden battlefield.

Although not as perilous as the Mist Hidden battlefield, Uchiha ninjas still faced challenges there, particularly from the puppet masters of Sunagakure.

It wasn't just because they didn't rely on their physical bodies in battle, which restricted the Uchiha's Sharingan abilities.

The puppet masters were also adept at using poison, and even a minor injury could become fatal if not treated promptly.

Of course, one might wonder why Uchiha ninjas couldn't go to such dangerous places when others could.

They absolutely could!

But the problem lay in the fact that eighty percent of Uchiha ninjas had been assigned to these two battlefields, making the discrimination blatantly obvious.

Thus, it was no surprise that the Uchiha clan later sought rebellion.

With such discriminatory treatment, if the Uchiha clan had no objections, that would be strange!

Of course, these matters didn't directly concern Qīngmíng for now. He only knew that he was about to head to the Mist Hidden battlefield.

As for fear, he felt none.

With his current strength, even the perilous Mist Hidden battlefield posed no real threat to him.

However, he did feel somewhat displeased.

The elder's words almost confirmed that someone was indeed scheming against him. But who could that person be?

Qīngmíng already had an answer in mind.

After all, there were only a few individuals capable of influencing Orochimaru's decisions.

Among them, Danzo, that old schemer, was the most suspicious.

Qīngmíng hadn't forgotten how, after the Chūnin Exams, Danzo's people had ambushed him on the road.

"Damn, should I just take this guy out?"

The thought suddenly crossed Qīngmíng's mind.

But in the end, he shook his head.

It wasn't that he hesitated to act or had any reservations; it was that Danzo's movements were far too covert.

Having committed numerous misdeeds, he likely feared retribution, which is why only the Root ninjas were privy to his whereabouts.

The Root ninjas bore the "Tongue-Sealing Curse," preventing them from speaking about Danzo, whether proactively or reactively.

This made it impossible for Qīngmíng to extract any information from them.

For now, he had to abandon that line of thought.

However, he would remember this debt. In the future, should an opportunity arise, he would deal with Danzo at the first available moment.

As for whether he could defeat him...

That was a joke!

If it were later on when Danzo had the Sharingan, Qīngmíng might have to put in some effort. After all, "Izanagi" and Wood Release weren't easy to counter.

But the current Danzo?

He was hardly worth mentioning!

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