Chapter 127: Etiquette

Sasuke's House

Sasuke managed to get the sushi restaurant owner to let him go home and get money, relying on the (now dilapidated) reputation of the Uchiha clan.

Although the Uchiha clan was gone, Sasuke had inherited a considerable fortune, making him a relatively wealthy individual in the village.

However, Sasuke had no interest in money or material possessions. He usually didn't carry much money with him, and he certainly hadn't expected Sakura to eat so much. Sasuke hadn't eaten much himself; it was all Sakura. When he saw the bill for the meal, even this little rich boy's mouth twitched.

Back home, Sasuke organized the information Sakura had given him. First, the Edo Tensei jutsu could be obtained in Konoha, and this jutsu was the first step in reviving the dead. Second, Sakura said she would tell him the rest of the method when he had the same eyes as that man, which meant that the Sharingan was also a requirement.

But did the Sharingan have that kind of function? Or did he need to use the Sharingan to control someone? If that was the case, he absolutely couldn't go to Orochimaru. According to Sakura, reviving the dead was a very long process. If Orochimaru took over his body, everything would be over.

Because Sasuke had now seen a way to revive his parents, the thought of revenge had been pushed to occupy only half of his mind. With more thoughts competing for space, he would be less fixated. Sasuke was no longer led solely by the thought of revenge and began to consider the grand undertaking of resurrection.

First, Sasuke needed to look through the clan's records regarding the Sharingan. Since the clan's massacre, Sasuke had been consumed by thoughts of revenge and hadn't bothered to read any of the clan's historical documents. Now that it might be the key to reviving his parents, Sasuke had no choice but to delve into them.

Immersed in the sea of knowledge, time always flew by quickly. When Sasuke finished reviewing the clan documents, he closed his eyes and pondered for a while.

Mangekyo Sharingan, Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan – these things, passed down within the Uchiha clan, were supposed to be known to every clan member. However, Sasuke had been too young at the time and hadn't awakened his Sharingan, so he hadn't been exposed to this information. The massacre had then completely pushed these things out of his mind.

"Poverty limits one's imagination."

This saying was quite apt for Sasuke, except that his poverty wasn't in money, but in power.

Sasuke only knew that the Sharingan was strong, but Orochimaru's appearance had easily defeated him, a Sharingan user. This planted a subtle thought in Sasuke's mind: perhaps Orochimaru was stronger than Itachi, since Sasuke had never truly understood Itachi's strength.

Learning about the existence of the Mangekyo Sharingan, an eye even beyond the Sharingan, provided Sasuke with an explanation for why Orochimaru, despite being so strong, wanted to seize his body.

As Sasuke learned more about the Mangekyo Sharingan, his aversion to Orochimaru grew. However, he couldn't find any records related to reviving the dead.

Shaking his head, he closed the book. He decided to stop thinking about that for now and focus on how to improve his strength, and then obtain the forbidden jutsu, Edo Tensei.

He took out the drug Kabuto had given him, unsure for a moment whether to destroy it or use it.

Sakura arrived at the Uchiha clan compound. The place was as desolate as ever. Since the massacre, only Sasuke had been active here.

After the village had looted the Uchiha compound for anything useful, they seemed to have forgotten about this land, leaving it to fade into obscurity.

Walking along the streets, she could faintly see the shadows of its former prosperity. Shops and restaurants lined up one after another, testaments to its past glory. But these facilities, due to years of neglect, appeared somewhat dilapidated.

Following the route from her memory, Sakura arrived at Sasuke's house. This was only the second time Sakura had come here; in the past, she had always gone straight to the rear mountain.

Looking at the grand gate of Sasuke's house, Sakura remarked, "This is really extravagant. I'll have to get a place like this in the future."

She went up and pushed the door. It wasn't locked, though she thought whether it was locked or not probably didn't make much difference. In this village full of flying ninjas, a mere door was hardly a deterrent. Besides, there was no one here. She wondered how Sasuke could live here alone without being scared. If Sakura had to live in such a deserted place, she would be scared to death.

"Sasuke, are you home? Sasuke...?" Sakura entered the courtyard and saw that there were quite a few rooms, so she started shouting at the top of her lungs.

She called out twice, but there was no response. Just as she was about to leave, she saw one of the doors open, and Sasuke emerged.

"Sakura, what brings you here?" Sasuke asked, looking at Sakura curiously. He had been lost in thought a moment ago.

"I have something to ask you. Let's go inside and talk," Sakura said, not bothering with formalities. She took off her shoes, revealing her fair, delicate feet, and walked into the room Sasuke had just opened.

Sasuke's house had a traditional style, with tatami mats covering the floor. Sakura entered and sat down cross-legged, which made Sasuke's mouth twitch slightly.

Generally, if the host's room had tatami mats, the host would kneel (seiza) to welcome the guest, and the guest would also kneel to show respect.

This was especially true for women, who were expected to kneel. Sitting cross-legged was generally considered a male posture. These etiquette customs were taught by mothers, and the ninja academy also offered classes on etiquette in the first two years, including flower arrangement and tea ceremony for girls.

However, Sakura never paid attention to these classes. Even when her mother taught her, she would only obediently kneel in her mother's presence. At other times, Sakura would never adopt such an uncomfortable sitting position.

Sasuke, seeing Sakura's complete lack of etiquette, twitched his eye, but sat cross legged as well.

"What did you want to ask?" Sasuke inquired.

"You said you met Kabuto. Tell me, how do I contact him?" Sakura said. "He's a spy sent by Orochimaru. We can't just ignore him."

"Wait a minute," Sasuke said, hearing Sakura's reason for coming. He stood up and went into an inner room, returning with a scroll that he tossed to Sakura.

"This is the scroll Kabuto left behind. He said that if I opened it, he would contact me," Sasuke explained.

"A one-way contact, huh?" Sakura examined the scroll, feeling a bit troubled. "This makes things difficult. If it's a one-way contact, he'll ultimately be looking for you."

"Yes, that's what he said when he left," Sasuke confirmed, then tentatively asked, "So, should I contact him for you?"

"Let me think about how to handle this. We can't just let this spy go unchecked. It's best to capture him," Sakura pondered. Kabuto had Jonin-level strength, but his techniques weren't numerous. If she and Sasuke launched a surprise attack together, they might be able to take him down.

"Okay, then. You use the scroll to contact Kabuto," Sakura decided.

"Understood," Sasuke replied, not raising any objections. Sasuke still believed Kabuto was just a genin.

Sakura didn't inform the Third Hokage because she was afraid of alerting Kabuto. Kabuto was skilled at gathering intelligence. Informing the Third Hokage would require him to take time to make arrangements, while Sakura wanted to catch Kabuto off guard.

__________________

patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls